Nottinghamshire County Council is supporting Good Morning Britain’s ‘Just Read’ campaign, to encourage parents and carers to spend ten minutes reading with their children every day.

Libraries at Kirkby and Sutton are among 200 libraries across the UK taking part in the ‘Just Read’ giveaway which is supported by national charity The Reading Agency and children’s publisher Puffin.

The campaign will see both Kirkby-in-Ashfield Library in Ashfield Precinct, and Sutton-in-Ashfield Library, at the Idlewells Centre, each giving away 50 copies of bestselling book Diary of a Wimpy Kid to local children on Saturday, 13 September.

The campaign comes as a coalition of leading charities, teachers, parents and businesses have come together to form a coalition called ‘Read On. Get On.’ The coalition has launched a national mission to support parents and teachers to get all 11 year olds reading well by 2025. Read On. Get On. has published a report that reveals hundreds of thousands of kids are leaving school without adequate reading skills and that one in seven children aged 8-11 years do not own a book of their own at home.

The giveaway will highlight how vital libraries are for the nation’s literacy and that books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid can really help children on their reading journey. Jeff Kinney’s work is perfect for turning reluctant readers on to books. With 50% words and 50% cartoons, the books are 100% hilarious and children agree – Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck was voted by children as ‘Favourite Book’ in the 2014 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards.

As well as the giveaway, children who visit Sutton or Kirkby Library between 10am and midday on 13 September will be able to enjoy Wimpy Kid-themed activities; including making door hangers or put their creativity to the test by designing their own Wimpy Kid front cover. ‘Just Read’ looks to highlight how parents and carers can promote the simple but invaluable activity of reading to youngsters.

Counc John Knight, Committee Chairman for Culture, at Nottinghamshire County Council said: “Diary of a Wimpy Kid is one of the most popular books for children loaned from our libraries in the county.

“We are here to inspire children to love reading, and there are some great activities taking place at both Sutton-in-Ashfield and Kirkby-in-Ashfield libraries as part of this national Just Read campaign.”