Last month we received an intriguing email from Laura Givens at Book Trust. For those of you who don’t know, Book Trust is a charity who are passionate about reading with families. They provide books and support to families all over the U.K., via a nurturing model which builds up a love of reading within a family setting.
Each year Bookstart holds an Independent Book Selection panel meeting in order to select the best possible titles in children’s literature for their Bookstart packs and this year, we were invited to be on the panel of people who select the books for each pack..
This year there are four selections – universal packs, Bookstart Baby (0-12 months) and Bookstart Treasure (3-4 years), as well as targeted packs, Bookstart Corner (12-24 months) and Additional Needs packs (0-5 years).
It was a really interesting experience and one which we feel honoured to have been a part of. The criteria for choosing the books is very specific, and so as an adult who reads a lot, you can not be guided purely by your own preference. We got to meet lots of other professionals within the world of books, including Wendy Cooling who started it all, fellow bookseller Jo de Guia from Victoria Park Books in Hackney, parent bloggers, children centre co-ordinators, the new CEO Diana Gerald and more – sorry, I’m terrible with names!
We’re looking forward to finding out what the final selection will be…watch this space!
Chicken and Frog Bookshop 
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