There are so many ways to encourage your child to be a reader, and with more and more variety on the bookshelves, you will be able to find something that will spark your child’s interest. Whether they enjoy the familiar classics, new and trendy fiction, non-fiction or comics – encourage their reading and you will be nurturing a love of books for a lifetime.

To join in the book loving fun, why not make some time this month to have your own storytelling session at home. Storytelling is a great way to introduce very young children to the joys of stories, and a first step in the desire to read.  Perhaps make puppets together if you are feeling creative, or practice with different voices to make the story characters come alive. The more you become involved in the storytelling, the more enjoyment your children will get from it. Rhyming stories are fun to read aloud, ask your local librarian for their recommendations – librarians are a wonderful resource that are often overlooked. For more storytelling inspiration try listening to some story cds in the car on the way to school. The narrators can really make the stories come alive in a child’s imagination. The cds can also be a great tool to help a child fall asleep at night. 

With endless inspiration from authors this month, your child might also be tempted to put their book down and have a go at writing their own story for "500 words" the Chris Evans' children's short story writing competition. For children 8 - 13 years old there are a whole host of prizes to be won. The Gold prizewinner will receive Chris Evan’s height in books plus 500 books for their school library! The young writers of the top 50 stories will be invited to join Chris Evans at a live recording of his Breakfast Show at the Hay Festival in June. For more details about the competition visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/500words/2012/