Rosen reads for Letterbox
Children's Laureate Michael Rosen performed his work for London schoolchildren at a reading event last week to celebrate 25 years of the independent multicultural bookseller Letterbox Library.
Mr Rosen, who suggested having the celebration after he was approached to comment on the company's success, held one of three workshops along with other children's authors and illustrators at Hoxton Hall in Hackney.
He said, 'Ideally, every school and playgroup in the country would be using Letterbox Library's catalogue, if for no other reason than to balance the mass-market book club catalogues and book fairs which do not serve the reading needs of all children.'
Letterbox Library was started in 1983 by two Hackney mothers from their living rooms, who were concerned at the small numbers of non-sexist, multicultural children's books that were readily available. Since the founders left to pursue other ventures the company has been run by a workers' co-operative.
Kerry Mason, director of Letterbox Library, said, 'Like many co-operatives, Letterbox Library was set up to meet a need - in this case, for all our children to see themselves in the books they read.'
Letterbox Library now has a catalogue of 270 books and 6,500 members, who pay £5 a year to join and receive discounts.
Titles in the catalogue are chosen to represent children all over the world, including those with disabilities and impairments, and they address issues such as bullying, bereavement, separation and migration. The books are reviewed by volunteers to ensure they are of the highest quality.
Current titles include (pictured) Global Babies by the Global Fund for Children, The Animal Boogie by Debbie Harter and Shades of Black by Sandra L Pinkeny. Letterbox hopes to introduce books featuring black history published in the UK and stories that represent mixed race children. The company also has plans to publish its own books.
Further information
www.letterboxlibrary.com
