Rotherham Libraries and Neighbourhood Hubs are to participate in the ‘Story Garden’ Summer Reading Challenge with free family-friendly activities from Saturday 5 July.
This summer, children aged four to 11 can visit any Rotherham Library and Neighbourhood Hub to join the ‘Story Garden’ Summer Reading Challenge.
Story Garden, Adventures in Nature and the Great Outdoors, is the enchanting theme for the 2025 Summer Reading Challenge, created by The Reading Agency and delivered in partnership with public libraries.
This year’s challenge encourages children to explore the connection between storytelling and nature. Through reading, children will uncover magical creatures, vibrant plants, and enchanting landscapes brought to life by award-winning illustrator Dapo Adeola.
Libraries will be transformed into immersive gardens of adventure where children’s imaginations can flourish, supported by free activities and resources. Story Garden aims to inspire curiosity, creativity and connection to the natural world, building reading confidence while promoting wellbeing.
By reading books and collecting incentives at any Rotherham Library and Neighbourhood Hub, young readers can foster their creative thinking skills over the summer break. To take part children simply need to visit a library to sign up for free and receive their ‘Story Garden’ Pack.
Participants can then:
- Set a personal reading goal for the summer
- Borrow and read books, eBooks and audiobooks of their choice
- Collect special incentives from the library
- Receive a medal for reaching their Challenge goal
Alternatively, children can take part in the challenge online by visiting -summerreadingchallenge.org.uk.
A celebration ceremony will take place on Sunday 21 September at Magna Science and Adventure Centre, to celebrate those who complete the Summer Reading Challenge.
Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Street Scene and Green Spaces, Cllr Marshall, said: “Reading is one of my favourite hobbies and I believe it is very important that that we continue to encourage children to read. It is wonderful to see so many children taking part in the challenge each year, and I hope more children get involved this year.”
Those who are completing the challenge will get free admission to explore the wonders of Science and Technology in four pavilions – Air, Earth, Fire & Water! With over 100 interactive exhibits facilitating learning through investigation and play.
In today's challenging landscape where only one in three children report enjoying reading, which is a dramatic 33% decline since 2005, your partnership in the Summer Reading Challenge has never been more critical.
This proven program directly addresses the reading engagement crisis by transforming reluctant readers into enthusiastic ones, with 95% of participants reading for enjoyment weekly after completion. Last year alone, the Challenge created over 100,000 new library members and facilitated the borrowing of 13.4 million books during summer months.
