All smiles at Great Bardfield Primary School on Friday 18th October as imaginations were fired by a visit from The Book Bus charity’s latest acquisition.

The new bus, bought by local children’s book publisher Miles Kelly Publishing, is currently touring the UK before heading to its permanent home in Africa to help improve literacy and spread the joy of reading to kids throughout Malawi and Zambia.

The current African schooling system does not cater for individual learning abilities and certain schools see 21 year olds still studying at primary education levels. Without the option of extended tuition or access to learning aids there is no opportunity for progression, leaving a lot of African countries with very low literacy levels.

The Book Bus charity aims to re-dress the balance by introducing the joys and educational benefits of reading to schools in developing countries in Africa, Asia and South America.

Back in April, Thaxted-based Miles Kelly Publishing released a “First Question and Answer” book series, produced especially for The Book Bus charity, to raise money to buy a new vehicle. George, as the Miles Kelly bus is affectionately known, will benefit the lives of 25,000 African children over its 10-year lifespan after completing its UK roadshow tour.

The Great Bardfield Primary School visit was a huge success, with pupils learning about the charity’s work before taking part in lots of fun activities with the Miles Kelly staff. The younger children were firmly hands-on, making masks of monkeys and frogs, while the older

children did editorial activities where they had to spot and correct errors (causing a few sweaty palms among the Miles Kelly proof readers no doubt!).

Each class got an opportunity to come up and meet George the bus and donate any books they had brought in that day, with each child getting to take away their own copy of a Miles Kelly “Little Press” book on their favourite topic.

In our high-tech lifestyle, it’s easy to forget that there are people in the world who lack the basic opportunities and materials to achieve the level of education we take for granted. So, well done Book Bus and Miles Kelly Publishing – the joy of reading indeed!

*Book Bus' David Gordon with George & the Miles Kelly staff!