In the major new literacy initiative, say the publishers, schools across Scotland will be able to claim more than £1m worth of new books for free.
Every primary school in Scotland is being encouraged to take advantage of the offer by collecting tokens printed in The Scottish Sun and The Scottish Sun on Sunday during an eight-week period from Monday September 24 until Sunday November 18.
More than 2,000 primary schools in Scotland are eligible to claim a pack, worth over £550, and selected from the ‘Collins Big Cat’ range – covering subjects ranging from fairytales to football, camping to crocodiles, and wild cats to worms. Julia Donaldson, Michael Rosen, Michelle Robinson, Sir Michael Morpurgo, Benjamin Zephaniah and Nick Butterworth are among the authors and illustrators whose works are included.
A dedicated ‘Free Books For Schools’ microsite will be launched on The Scottish Sun’s website with educational support materials and worksheets for teachers.
The Scottish Sun will also run a series of special features in September to mark the campaign, including interviews with top authors.
Alan Muir, editor of The Scottish Sun, said: “Books and stories play a vital role in developing language and vocabulary, firing the imagination, and encouraging an intelligent curiosity about the world around us. They are also a fantastic source of entertainment, so there is a lot we can relate to at The Scottish Sun and we’re very proud to be launching this new campaign.”
Colin Hughes, managing director of Collins Learning, said: “Reading is where everything starts and the way to get kids excited about reading is to give them material that is fun and engaging. Big Cat books have both those things in spades.
“By collecting tokens from The Scottish Sun this campaign gives everyone in a community the chance to contribute to the enrichment of their local school.”
