VOLUNTEERS taking part in the Oxfordshire Reading Campaign have been getting some top tips on how to choose books for children.

There are currently about 90 volunteers reading one- to-one to seven year olds in schools across Oxfordshire as part of the Oxford Mail- backed campaign.

The 10-week volunteering programme is aimed at fostering a love of reading, and runs alongside a teaching assistant-led reading intervention which drives up reading comprehension and decoding skills.

Those taking part in the scheme were invited to events at Oxford Central Library and Carterton Library last week, to share their successes working with children and learn from the experts some techniques on how to choose a good book – and how to get youngsters engaged.

Among those at the Oxford Central Library session was Sue Dunne, 45, of Wallingford, who has been volunteering at St John’s Primary School, Wallingford.

She said: “I personally have been really enjoying it. The feedback I have got from the kids is fantastic.

“Initially when we started, I think their shoulders went down because they thought they were going to be forced to read something, but the way this has been done it’s much more about sharing the books with the kids rather than having to get through something they are not that interested in.”

Bianca Bailey, volunteering manager for the reading campaign, said the sessions, which have so far seen 30 volunteers attending libraries across the county, had been a success.

She said: “Because the volunteers are reading to the children and sharing books and pictures, they enjoy it a lot more because there is no pressure for them to read every single word.”