Almost 500 young children have benefitted from the Little Library initiative in county Offaly

A TOTAL of 473 young children in county Offaly have benefited from the Little Library initiative this year, the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley has revealed.

Each year, every child leaving pre-school and starting primary school are invited to visit their local library to pick up a free book bag and take the opportunity to join the library as part of the My Little Library initiative.

This annual initiative has again proved very popular in County Offaly. So far 473 young children in County Offaly have collected their bag and taken the opportunity to join the library if they weren’t already a member. This year nearly 20,000 children across Ireland will join the library because of this initiative.

The books and resources in the book bag, which is available in both English and ‘as Gaeilge’, support parents and their children in the transition to primary school.

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Minister Foley said: “I am really proud to support the My Little Library initiative for children and their families and welcome the high levels of participation in County Offaly.

“The gift of reading to and with children on a regular basis cannot be overestimated. It not only supports connection between parents and their children but also promotes early language and literacy development which is crucial for children’s success in their education journey.

“There is still a small number of Little Library book bags in libraires around the country for any five- and six-year-olds who have still to collect their bag. I encourage all remaining families to avail of this initiative and to join the library in the process.”

Ireland has 330 public libraries, which are managed by the local authority in the area in which they are located. The focus of the My Little Library initiative is to build strong links between young children, their families and their local library.

Books in the My Little Library initiative are available in Irish and English. A glossary of the language in the Irish books is included.

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A collection of resources and information is also provided in each bag. This includes a library social story card, First 5 Guidance for Parents of Children Moving from Pre-School to Primary School, Dyslexia and the Younger Child by Dyslexia Ireland and Bookshare Ireland by Vision Ireland.