Waltham Forest Libraries is an official partner of BookTrust, the UK's largest children's reading charity, and helps deliver their Bookstart programme to residents. Bookstart is the world's first national bookgifting programme, and is designed to support families discover the magic of shared reading from their earliest days.

Delivered across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Bookstart programme contains books, resources and activities that encourage and support family reading for young children at different stages as part of our early years reading journey.

Specialist Bookstart resources are also available for families with children with additional needs or those with English as an additional language.

Reading together early in life helps nuture a love of books, stories and rhymes which gives access to the life-changing benefits of reading - important for all children, but especially those from low-income families or vulnerable backgrounds.