World famous author opens Shoreham school library, Julia Donaldson of the Grufallo fame cut the ribbon at Swiss Garden Primary

Children's author Julia Donaldson opened the newly designed and refurbished library with TV celebrity Ben Hillman

Transcript

00:00 Thank you for this beautiful library to learn and relax inside.

00:03 I love a new library because it's a cosy and calm place to read and peacefully relax.

00:08 Our school library is the best place to learn new things and borrow books.

00:12 In our library we have books for all ages.

00:14 It's an amazing place to be happy, it's fun and enjoyable.

00:17 It's a place where we can talk about books together and hopefully get some sleep in the light.

00:20 I'm happy to have a library because we have more sorts of books than stick in our cardboard book corner.

00:25 The library is a great place to be in case you're feeling down and need to come and relax.

00:29 It's also a place to read and share books with the other children.

00:32 We love our new library.

00:35 As your headteacher said of course, if only every school could have something like this.

00:41 It just seems so normal that they should.

00:44 I'm quite involved in the campaign that Leah mentioned, the Great School Libraries campaign.

00:50 So hopefully before too long every school, primarily, will have...

00:55 It's not just a library, it's a Leah.

00:59 It's a person who works there because when you think about it, that person, that librarian,

01:07 will know you all from when you're in year one right through to when you're in year six.

01:14 That's not going to happen with your teachers and that might just happen for a year or maybe two years.

01:21 That librarian is going to know you, know what you like.

01:25 If you like, you know, like let's see here, we've got 'Ottolene and the Yellow Cat'.

01:31 If someone loves that, then Leah will be able to say, "Oh, then maybe you'd like this book."

01:37 She'll be able to put the right book into the right hands and get you all to be the readers of the present and of the future.

01:46 So anyway, I'm very, very happy to give you an extra book. This is a mimey book, 'The Oak Tree'.

01:51 It's the history of a thousand year old oak tree. So I'll sign that.

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