STORIES about princesses and dinosaurs proved most popular when pupils at a Southampton primary school took home free books after the school became the first in the city to join a new national reading scheme.
Staff at Shirley Warren Primary signed up to the Reading is Fundamental programme that means every Year 3 pupil will get a free book every term. The programme is funded by both the National Literacy Trust and the school itself, and will be marked by special reading days on which children can choose their favourite titles.
Deputy head teacher Jan Denholme said: "The children love the scheme. We had all the books in school and they had an afternoon to look through them all and choose their favourites.
"I think we all need to encourage children to read books. They are facing an increasing demand on their time from television and computers. At the end of the day, you can't curl up with a computer."
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