Reading for Pleasure

At Langtoft Primary School, we believe that reading for pleasure is one of the most powerful ways to inspire curiosity, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning. When children enjoy reading, they develop stronger vocabulary, better imagination, and greater understanding of the world around them. 

We are proud to be a Silver-level Lincolnshire Reading Pledge school, and have our sights set firmly on achieving Gold. We are committed to making reading an enjoyable and valued part of every child’s day. We work hard to ensure every pupil discovers books they love and feels encouraged to read for fun, both in school and at home.

Reading is at the heart of our whole curriculum and is given high priority so that each child has the skills to be able to access all areas of the full curriculum.

Things we know are important for a whole school reading for pleasure culture:

We would like to introduce this year's new Reading Ambassadors: 

Maise and Leo from Year 2, Mia and Frankie from Year 3, Tauseef and Imogen from Year 4, Rory and Ava from Year 5, and Alfie and Agnes from Year 6.

Their roles and responsibilities include:

· Promoting a love of reading across the school.

· Recommending books to others and talk about your favourite authors.

· Demonstrating exemplary reading behaviours and being an excellent role model for others.

· Supporting pupils with reading.

· Helping keep the library and class book areas tidy and appealing.

· Being the voice for pupils across the school.

December Author of the Month – Laura Ellen Anderson

This month we are celebrating our Author of the Month, Laura Ellen Anderson. Laura is a British children’s book author and illustrator - she draws and writes her stories herself.

As a whole school, we took part in a quiz to find out which of her magical lands was the most popular and Rainbow Grey came out on top!

If you would like to explore more at home, you can have a go at the quiz and discover Laura’s magical worlds here: landoflaura.co.uk

Winter Mini Reading Challenge

This week your child will have come home with a Winter Mini Reading Challenge. The challenge is to read at least three books by 20th February.

You can choose to take part online by signing up to the Winter Mini Challenge. Reaching your reading goal will unlock a limited-edition online badge and a certificate of achievement to print and keep. Once the challenge is completed, your child will also be entered into a prize draw to win some amazing books!

You can find out more about the challenge here:
https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/about-the-challenge

Alternatively, if you prefer to keep things simple and offline, your child can:

• Read at least three books
• Complete the review sheet sent home
• Hand it in to Ms Bytheway to receive a printed certificate.

Please remember to add your child’s name and class to the review sheet.

Happy reading! 📚❄️

January Author of the Month - Liz Pichon 

When Liz was little, she loved to draw, paint and make things. Her mum used to say she was very good at making a mess (which is still true today!).

She kept drawing and went to art school, where she earned a degree in graphic design.

Liz is the author-illustrator of several picture books. Tom Gates is the first series of books she has written and illustrated for older children. They have won several prestigious awards, including the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, and the Blue Peter Book Award. The books have been translated into forty-one languages worldwide.

February Author of the Month - Hannah Gold

This month, we’re excited to celebrate Hannah Gold as our Author of the Month! Hannah Gold is a bestselling British children’s author, best known for her exciting and heart-warming stories about animals, nature and adventure.

Her debut novel, The Last Bear, won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and the Blue Peter Book Award, and her books are now loved by children all around the world. Titles such as The Lost Whale, Finding Bear and Turtle Moon inspire readers to care for the natural world while enjoying thrilling stories of friendship and courage.

Hannah’s stories remind us how powerful kindness and protecting our planet can be — making her a perfect author to celebrate in our school. 

March Author of the Month - Matt Goodfellow

Matt Goodfellow is a popular British poet and children’s authorwho loves sharing the power of words with young readers. Before becoming a full-time writer, he worked as a primary school teacher for many years, which is why his poems and stories really connect with children.

Matt is best known for his powerful verse novel The Final Year, which tells the story of a boy called Nate as he navigates his last year of primary school. He also wrote The First Year, continuing the journey in secondary school. His writing is full of heart, honesty and emotion, and he isn’t afraid to explore important topics like friendship, family, and finding your voice.

Matt visits schools across the UK, inspiring children to discover that poetry isn’t just something you study – it’s something you feel and perform. His energetic performances and relatable stories encourage young people to believe that their words matter.

Perfect for our Author of the Month, Matt Goodfellow reminds us that everyone has a story to tell!

April Author of the Month - Kes Gray

Who is Kes Gray?

• Kes Gray is a famous British children’s author.
• He was born in 1960 in Chelmsford, England.
• He has written over 70 books for children and sold millions of copies.

What did he do before writing?

• Before becoming an author, he worked in advertising, creating ideas for TV campaigns.
• This helped him become very creative and good at writing fun, catchy stories!

Famous books

Some of his most popular books include:

• Oi Frog! (and the Oi series) 🐸
• Daisy and the Trouble With… series
• Eat Your Peas 🥦

Kes Gray’s books are known for:

• Funny rhymes
• Silly ideas
• Characters children love

🏆 Awards & achievements

• Won the Red House Children’s Book Award for Eat Your Peas.
• Won the Laugh Out Loud Book Award.
• One of the top children’s authors in the UK.

What makes his books special?

• They are designed to make children laugh out loud
• He loves playing with words and rhymes
• His stories often have surprising and silly twists

Just before half term our Reading Ambassadors spent time recommending Graphic Novels to one another and some of them joined the Reading Ambassadors from Deeping St James on a TEAMS call to swap recommendations. We now have a wish list of more new books we would like!

May author of the month - Kate Rolfe

Hello, I’m Kate. I like to work in cyanotype (print-making with sunlight) and mixed media, as well as working digitally. I enjoy stories that ask important, and sometimes difficult questions, but in a warm and hopeful way.

I am proudly neurodivergent and enjoy talking about how our minds work differently, and how vital that is! I’m passionate about authentic storytelling and enjoy making work that is vulnerable, honest, and born of my own experiences. My books aim to meet you within the realm of your own personal experiences too, whether you are 2 years old or 102! I’m continually blown away by the messages I receive from all ages saying that they have deeply resonated with my work. It means the world to me!

Aside from writing & illustrating, I also work in a beautiful children’s bookshop, teach and lecture in illustration, and run regular drawing and writing workshops. I live in the Suffolk countryside with my wobbly cat, Pip.