Promoting reading 1
ortunity to record bedtime stories on CD for thei
r children. The project ran in Malmö from 2008 –2010 with support from the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, the Swedish Arts Council, and the Swedish Inheritance Fund (Arvsfonden). The project was unique in that it was the first time a Swedish library was allocated funding for crime prevention activities. The project came out of a report from the Ombudsman for Children in Sweden, which complained of the fact that children have little opportunity to maintain positive contact with parents who are in prison. The project was also based on research showing that children of parents in prison risk suffering emotional problems. The project aimed to strengthen the relationship between children and parents in order to reduce the negative effects of children and parents being separated in conjunction with a prison term. The project took inspiration from similar interventions in the UK, but unlike its predecessor, The Big Book Share (The Reading Agency), was carried out in the form of study circles. The aim of the Bedtime stories from inside project was to provide more opportunities for prisoners to share and participate in their children’s emotional, social and intellectual development in positive ways, and to highlight the importance of stories and fairytales for children’s maturing process and learning. The project was evaluated by Annelie Björkhagen Turesson (2011), senior lecturer in social work at Malmö University. The evaluation was based on participant observations, questionnaires and qualitative interviews and reported that 95 per cent of the fathers who participated developed a greater interest in reading to their children as a result of the project. The evaluation also reported that close to 90 per cent of the fathers and mothers who took part felt that the project had aided the strengthening of their relationships with their children. References Anderson, Richard C. (1985). Becoming a Nation of Readers: The Report of the Commission on Reading. Washington, D.C: National Academy of Education. Bauer, Caroline Feller (1997). Leading kids to books through puppets. Chicago: American Library Association. von Baumgarten Lindberg, Marianne (ed.) (2013). BERÄTTA, LEKA, LÄSA. Läsrörelsens projekt i 31 kommuner för barn upp till tre år. Läsrörelsen. Bird, Viv (2014). Bookstart in England: A Worldwide Early Reading Programme. Included in: Maas, Jörg F., Ehmig, Simone C. & Seelmann, Carolin (ed.) Prepare for Life! Raising Awareness for Early Literacy Education: Results and Implications of the International Conference of Experts 2013. Mainz: Stiftung Lesen. Björkhagen Turesson, Annelie (2011). Sagor som skapar skillnad. En utvärdering av Godnattsagor inifrån. Malmö: Malmö University. Bleses, Dorthe & Andersen, Mette Kjær (2011). Kan Bogstart gøre en forskel? En undersøgelse af Bogstarts potentiale som led i det forebyggende arbejde for at understøtte sprogtilegnelsen hos børn i udsatte boligområder. Odense: University of Southern Denmark, Center for Child Language. Bonci, Angelica (2011). A research review: the importance of families and the home environment. London: National Literacy Trust. Borrman, Pia & Hedemark, Jason (2015). Leonards plåster: om syfte, barnsyn och kvalitet i bibliotekets sagostund. Stockholm: Regionbibliotek Stockholm. Brooks, Greg; Pahl, Kate; Pollard, Alison & Rees, Felicity (2008). Effective and inclusive practices in family literacy, language and numeracy: a review of programmes and practice in the UK and internationally. Reading, CfBT Education Trust. 46