Introduction

Bookstart is a universal programme and the books given through the scheme are carefully chosen to ensure wide appeal. However, some children may benefit from a different type of book, an alternative format or other ways of engaging with it. This chapter explores how and why the UK programme was successfully expanded to include packs for children who are visually impaired, deaf or have conditions affecting their fine motor skills. The chapter will explore the kinds of books that would particularly benefit these audiences as well as others. It introduces strategies and resources which may suit different audiences and offers advice on ways to identify books offering different forms of accessibility, as well as on the value of stories and pictures that include all children.

Supporting every child through Bookstart

Any child – indeed every child – can enjoy books and stories from a very young age. Every child can also reap prodigious benefits from books. And that is the simple – but highly effective – principle behind Bookstart.

Bookstart is all about encouraging and enabling every child to enjoy books, from a very early age. The original Bookstart concept is generally cited as having been conceived in 1992 (Bookstart, 2016). It grew from a simple pilot project involving just 300 babies, to a national programme. And it is a model which has proved so effective that it has been replicated in numerous countries around the world.

Part of the beauty of Bookstart lies in its simplicity. It takes the form of a pack, usually a cloth bag containing two books and some accompanying materials and advice for parents or carers. The initial Bookstart pack is given to babies who have not yet reached their first birthday and is distributed to families through libraries, health centres and early years settings. Librarians and health professionals are crucial partners and supporters of this work with very young children. However, the books given are not just any books.

The Bookstart book is a very special book. It may be the first book that a baby has actually owned. It may be the first book that this baby has ever actually held. And this may even be the first time that the parent or carer has really thought about sitting down to share books together.