We've been getting messages from all over the world
about the Home Library website and how people are using it. Here
are just a few of them.
"My five year-old is mad about books and
he is going to love putting his very own book plates in to his
favourite titles - thank you and a big thank you to all the fab
illustrators who allow you to do this (especially Quentin Blake!)."
Sarah Myers
“I work as a teacher of Basic Skills and
have recently been delivering courses in primary schools to parents
about the Literacy Hour, aimed at helping them support their children's
literacy skills. I have given examples of the bookplates and the
website address to the parents on the course, as well as the Literacy
Co-ordinators in schools, and
everyone has been very excited and enthused. Many thanks for this
fantastic resource.” Pat Lewis
"Merci pour ces étincelles de joie
comme nous aimerions offrir aux enfants de notre école.
Peut-être serait-il possible d'avoir une version française.
Merci pour ce discours intelligent sur la littérature de
jeunesse." Geneviève Chevallier, Bologne, France.
“We have just spent a lovely hour matching
illustrations to books we have read. We will no doubt be visiting
this site very often now as we have dozens of books which will
all have to have a plate.”
Chris (aged 10) Bethan (aged 7) and Mum (age unmentionable).
“Thank you so much for this website. We have printed off
some of the plates already, and will do the matching illustrator
to book game. I have sent the address to friends around the world
who love books.” Fiona Rivaz
“What a great website - I have been inspired to get our defunct
Cromwell College Library Book club up and running again.”
Barbara Hepburn, Librarian, Cromwell College, NZ
“I just wanted to let you know how grand I think this idea
is and that I will be bringing it to the notice of all the children
who come into the library.” Alma Scobie, Library Assistant, Grantown Library, Grantown-on-Spey,
Scotland
“I am a teacher of kids with learning disabiIities and also
a parent of two kids aged 8 and 10. I just wanted to say that
this site has really helped restore some of my faith. The bookplates
idea is really terrific and I have passed it on to our Key Stage
1 teachers as a possible project for their IT lessons.” Ruth Waterton
“I am a German writer (children's books & short crime
stories) and librarian. Before my next scheduled reading in a
bookshop I will definitely print some out, distribute them to
the children and encourage them to build up their own "Hausbücherei"
and generally to have fun with books.” Gesine Schulz, Germany
“I work at Centre for the Child (Birmingham Central Children's
Library) and we are using this site like mad, recommending it
to our Stories from the Web clubs and very much hope you continue
forever . . .” Katie, Birmingham, UK.
“My 8 year old son is Dyslexic and until
recently if he wanted to read a book they had to be very simple
and didn't hold his interest (dyslexics are just as intelligent
as any other children, they just have sever trouble reading) or
he had to wait for me to read to him. We read together every evening
but there are times during the day, especially if it is raining,
when he would like to curl up with a good book and due to the
pressures of running a home I can't always oblige, much as I like
to.
“Now thanks to our library we have found a solution. Although
we have visited the library regularly since he was very young,
he has now been placed on a scheme to use audio books free of
charge. (They are available to everyone at a small fee.) We had
a couple at home already but I was surprised by how many the library
stocks. His most recent find is Enid Blytons Secret Seven and
he will disappear with his personal cassette player for ages to
listen to his latest discovery. (A note here, because reading
is so hard for him he often relies on logos and pictures to choose
a story i.e. Enid Blyton's signature, so sometimes you must judge
a book by its cover!)
“Anyway I hope this is of interest to you and it will encourage
other children with reading difficulties to explore the world
of books in all forms.” Helen Moore
“For three years I've been collecting books,
mostly hardcover and antique from yard sales and booksales from
libraries. I now own probally 3,000 books and quite a few are
rare books that I'm very proud of. I have turned the second floor
of my house into my library. I swear I bring home a new bookshelf
every weekend. I love to read, mostly non-fiction and of just
about any subject. I'm very proud of the library I made for myself
and its so nice to be able to choose a book before bed to read
from such an assortment.” Deborah
