THE county’s favourite childrens’ authors and illustrators have described the Oxfordshire Reading Campaign as a “fabulous initiative”.

The winners of this year’s Oxfordshire Book Award have backed the drive to improve literacy.

Patrick Ness, centre, author of A Monster Calls, Nadia Shireen, right, author and illustrator of Good Little Wolf, and Tony Ross, left, who illustrated David Walliams’s Gangsta Granny, came face to face with hundreds of young fans and keen bookworms as they received their awards at Abingdon School last week.

Mr Ness, whose book was based on an original idea by the late Oxford author Siobhan Dowd, said: “You can’t underestimate the importance of getting a young reader to embrace the idea of a whole book rather than an excerpt.

“It’s the joy of being able to disappear into a story and I think that comes from one to one, someone passing on their love of a story to someone else and through that gateway you discover.”

Mr Ness regularly visits schools to talk to groups, and talked about the importance of books in his own childhood.

He said: “You learn empathy from fiction and other points of view, it’s more than just a skill with which to pass a test, it is life-enhancing.” Ms Shireen said the Oxfordshire County Council campaign, backed by the Oxford Mail, sounded like a “fabulous initiative”.

She said: “My aim with picture books is to make really fun, exciting stories and if kids enjoy what they are reading it probably helps them pick up other books.

“Picture books are important because kids can read images as well as words and enjoy the value of both.”

Mr Ross, who also illustrated the Horrid Henry series, said he hoped his illustrations encouraged reluctant readers to pick up books – and said the onus was on the writers and illustrators to create exciting, interesting books that children were keen to devour.

Picture: OX54696 Antony Moore