NewsReds celebrate World Book Day with partner Kodansha

More than 300 children from local schools in Liverpool were invited to Anfield this week by Kodansha and LFC Foundation for a day of fun activities to improve the joy of reading and enhance literacy rates in the area.

Split into a morning group and an afternoon group, the event saw the children take part in three separate workshops.

Workshop one was delivered by author of the Football School series, Ben Lyttleton, focusing on how to read for enjoyment. For workshop two, the children were encouraged to bring their imaginations alive and create a comic strip with Kodansha, inspiring impossible stories. The event was finished off with a tour of Anfield as part of workshop three, with everyone given the chance to capture a photo with the Champions League trophy and club mascot Mighty Red.

But the learning experience didn’t end there. The pupils were set the challenge of creating a bookmark at home, which had to include a review of their favourite book. The best design will be selected, with the winning pupil bagging themselves tickets to an upcoming game at Anfield, while their design will be developed into a bookmark for their school.

Leaving with stories to tell from the day, and also a goodie bag, the children were all gifted with colouring books from Kodansha and the Football School book to continue inspiring their imaginations and creativity. A selection of books was also donated to each school.

Matt Parish, CEO of LFC Foundation, said: “Reading for enjoyment is one of life’s greatest pleasures – a good book can take you anywhere through the power of creativity and storytelling.

“We want to open up the world of reading to young people in Liverpool and improve literacy skills, helping children to build a successful future – reading transcends family circumstances or background.

“Through events such as this with Kodansha, we want to encourage more children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to enjoy reading for pleasure and provide the improved life chances this brings them.”

Kodansha’s team said: “We believe that stories can inspire and change people’s lives, every child should have the chance to read for pleasure and enjoy the education opportunities this can provide, whatever their background.

“This is why we are delighted to be working with LFC Foundation to help open up the world of storytelling to the young people of Liverpool this World Book Day. With our shared values around community, we are committed to supporting children’s literacy and inspiring creativity from a young age.”