Book at bedtime importance highlighted by Pullman crusade
03/07/2009
By Matt Gardner
Philip Pullman has highlighted the importance of a book at bedtime for kids by launching a campaign against a recent decision taken by a Chesterfield school.
The best-selling author, who wrote the His Dark Materials trilogy, joined forces with children''s laureate Michael Rosen and the writer Alan Gibbons.
Mr Pullman wrote a letter to Lynn Asquith, the headteacher at the 759-pupil Meadows Community School, stating that the idea of removing a library and installing a virtual learning environment without the need for a librarian runs "contrary to every experience" he has ever had.
He continued: "Nothing can replace a proper library, with its resources centrally available and with the expertise of a qualified librarian to guide the students in the best and most productive ways of research."
Mr Gibbons added to this, stating that the decision to throw out the books was giving way to "virtual philistinism".
Last month, it transpired that under its Reading Dads initiative, Ladybird is hoping to achieve a similar goal to Silentnight in encouraging young people to have access to literature at bedtime.
