Every weekday from Monday 20 July to Friday 28 August, Derby Libraries will be showing engaging online videos that are all free to watch at home. With humorous readings from John Kirk, exciting performances and crafts from AVP theatre, and storytelling from Alison Solomon, there is a host of events to inspire your children to get reading this summer. The Summer Reading Challenge brings families together through reading, and these events promise to enthuse and widen children’s reading choices throughout these holidays.
John Kirk has become a firm favourite with family audiences in Derby Libraries over the past few years. He is a performance storyteller who brings stories to life in fresh and imaginative ways, engaging children with his voice and facial expressions. Well-known for his humorous retellings of stories, he will be performing traditional fairy tales including Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel and The Gingerbread Man.

‘Illustrations © Laura Ellen Anderson 2020’
Join AVP Theatre for a mixture of folk and original tales from storyteller, Amy, and her wonderful cast of puppets. AVP Theatre create their own puppets and specialise in family-friendly theatre performances. Each show will be accompanied by a mini ‘making video’ showing you how to make one of the puppets from the performance, and a second video with instructions on making a puppet theatre. You can also download and colour in outlines for making the puppets as well.
Another favourite, local storyteller Alison Solomon, will be retelling one of Aesop's most loved fables, The Ant and the Grasshopper. She first worked with Derby Libraries when she devised and presented a Jamaican poetic storytelling performance as part of Pear Tree Library Centenary in 2016.
Since then she has performed as part of Derby Poetry Festival and entertained school groups visiting Normanton Library as part of its launch celebrations last year.

‘Illustrations © Laura Ellen Anderson 2020’
You can find a full schedule of videos, and details of how to watch online at https://www.inderby.org.uk/libraries or the Derby Libraries Facebook page.
The Summer Reading Challenge is produced by The Reading Agency and delivered by libraries across the country. Derby Libraries are supporting the scheme by making a wide range of children’s books available digitally through the BorrowBox app, as audiobooks and eBooks for young library members. Well-known authors include Konnie Huq, Cressida Cowell, Eoin Colfer and Jacqueline Wilson.
In partnership with Harper Collins UK, Derby Libraries now have a further 28 children’s eBook titles available FREE for simultaneous and unlimited access, from now until the end of August. This means that your child will have an even wider selection to choose from. These books can be found on the BorrowBox homepage under Top Summer Reading Challenge Reads, and are suitable for all ages, from picture books for the very young to more confident readers. Authors include Michael Morpugo, Shane Hegarty, Holly Smale and David Walliams.

‘Illustrations © Laura Ellen Anderson 2020’
Joining in with the Summer Reading Challenge is easy:
If your child is not a member of Derby Libraries, sign them up for temporary membership at https://www.inderby.org.uk/libraries/how-to-join/join-the-library/