Bookbug Gigglethon: Monday 15 May, 9.30-4.30pm at Paisley Central Library 

Bookbug Week, an annual celebration of Scotland’s national book gifting programme, will take place between 15 and 21 May, with hundreds of free events for children and babies held across the country. This year’s theme is Bookbug’s Big Giggle. A fun and playful theme that encourages parents and carers to share playful songs and stories in order to highlight that laughter is essential for well-being and for building bonds between carers and children.

To celebrate Bookbug Week, Paisley Central Library is holding their very first Bookbug Gigglethon; a non-stop Bookbug session on Monday 15 May, starting at 9.30am and finishing at 4.30pm.  Families can come along at any time during the day to experience some fun songs, rhymes, and stories.

Staff from Renfrewshire Libraries will be taking it in turns to keep the sessions ticking along.  Bookbug sessions are free story, song and rhyme sessions run by libraries and other community venues across Scotland, with national audiences of over half a million in 2015-16.

Andrew Givan, Bookbug Co-Ordinator at Renfrewshire Libraries, said: 

“Renfrewshire Libraries are really excited about our biggest ever Bookbug session, celebrating the fun that Bookbug sessions and reading bring to so many families.  If you have never been to a Bookbug session this is a great opportunity to experience the fun and we hope that lots of families will come along to make it a big success.” 

Children attending will also receive some exclusive Bookbug Week 2017 gifts such as masks, stickers, free books and many creative ideas for songs and stories.  For more information, visit the website www.renfrewshirelibraries.co.uk

Now in its seventh year, Bookbug Week 2017 will see free Big Giggle themed events taking place in every local authority in Scotland, with special appearances from some of the UK’s best-loved children’s authors and illustrators.  Schools and nurseries across the country can also tune in to watch a fun-filled Authors Live event with Alex T Smith, streamed live at 11am on Wednesday 17 May. Some fantastic Bookbug prizes will also be up for grabs in on-line competitions throughout the week. Families can find details of all Bookbug Week events taking place across Scotland by visiting http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/bookbugweek  or asking at their local library.

Funded by the Scottish Government, Bookbug is Scottish Book Trust’s Early Years Programme. The Bookbug programme encourages mums, dads and carers to sing and share stories with their children from birth. It also provides every child in Scotland with four free bags of books, gifting 720,000 books every year. Over 240,000 children in Scotland benefitted last year, with even more set to receive free books in 2017.