The Beast from the East may have caught the official World Book Day on 1st March in the grip of its icy talons, but Harrodian’s hordes of bibliophiles were not to be denied their annual celebration of the joys of reading. Pupils, teachers and librarians simply moved their activities to another day.
Events and activities took place at every level in the school. In the Lower Prep, 8s, 9s and 10s pupils were asked by the English department to choose a scene from a book they had read and to create a 3-dimensional setting of the scene at shoe box scale. Each year took daily turns in displaying their efforts in the Prep School entrance hall, while parents and pupils attempted to identify the book and the moment that was illustrated. Prizes and commendations were awarded for the most vivid and evocative designs and the quality on offer made the judges' choices tricky. Meanwhile our junior librarian asked all Prep children to bring in photographs of themselves reading a book to a friend or relative and an abundance of these images is still on show on the entrance hall walls.
Readers higher up the school also showed a similar commitment to keeping the book show on the road. Many new readers took up the Senior Library’s challenge to read one of its previously unborrowed books. Among the titles getting their first ever outing were Capitalism: a condensed version, In Cold Blood, Mao: the Unknown Story, Northanger Abbey, Jane Eyre and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
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Encouraged by the example of the 11s who postponed their literary ‘dress up’ until the 8th March, teachers joined the fun by adopting personae from characters ranging from Osborne from the (GCSE) drama Journey's End to a trio of psychiatric patients featured in Ken Kesey’s novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Head of English Lucy Thomas was impressed and encouraged by the success of this year’s event despite challenging circumstances. ‘We’re so lucky to have a dedicated day every year when the whole school as well as the library and the English Department, is able to demonstrate their love of books,’ she said. ‘The determination of staff and students across the school to make it happen this year shows just how much books continue to mean to us.’
