The annual Reading Holiday, week 44, is intended to awaken a love of reading in students of all ages. There is an ominous background to the initiative, namely that reading ability among Swedish students has deteriorated over time. The ability to read is absolutely crucial for success at school, but if it is to be strengthened, the children and young people must think that reading is fun and meaningful.
During the reading holiday, there is a chance to participate in, for example, monster hunting with Nelly Rapp, author visits, book reviews and ghost readings at libraries around the country. Reading holiday calendar shows what is offered where. Läslov is run by Läsrörelsen in collaboration with, among others, libraries, organizations and book publishers.
But there are many other reading-promoting activities going on during the year. Here are some examples:
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Concrete truck driver for the bible. Bollnäs library attracts storytimes with secret guests. The first guest was concrete truck driver Thomas Elvsén, who not only read a fairy tale, but also showed off the concrete truck. Much appreciated.
— The idea is to highlight reading role models, show that everyone needs to read both in their professions and privately. Hopefully we can also inspire parents, because many don’t see themselves as readers, says librarian Johanna Elvsén.
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Fairy grandmother meets preschoolers. Preschools in several locations in the country are visited by a pensioner – a fairy tale grandmother or a fairy tale father – who reads to the children. The organizer is the non-profit association Allas barnbarn, which cooperates with libraries, preschools and study associations. Groups of readers can be found in Gothenburg, Åmål, Skara, Varberg and Mölnlycke, among others.
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Teenagers summer vacation reading to younger. The initiative “Läsa öger” started as support for younger students to keep up their reading fitness during the summer holidays. As a summer job, older students get to come to leisure and read to the children. “Läsa äger” started in Botkyrka south of Stockholm and is now available in around 20 locations from Helsingborg to Örnsköldsvik.