Shifty, Sam and the Summer Reading Challenge - Nosy Crow Skip to content
Posted by Steven, July 12, 2013

Shifty, Sam and the Summer Reading Challenge

A guest post by Steven Lenton, illustrator for Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam.

Tracey Corderoy and I were thrilled when Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam was chosen as one of the books that children will be encouraged to read during this year’s Summer Reading Challenge.

This week I helped to launch this fantastic initiative by setting up a Shifty and Sam exhibition featuring original sketches and artwork from the book at Hornsey Library in Crouch End.

Then on Tuesday at the library we had a visit from a local school and we unveiled how the challenge works; by reading six library books over the summer holidays children can collect smelly stickers and a gold medal – a fun and simple way to encourage reading over a period when reading can often be the last thing on a child’s mind!

This years theme is ‘Creepy House’, so Shifty and Sam’s sneaky antics work perfectly here! The material is illustrated by Chris Riddell so is beautifully designed to help children want to collect all the characters.

The children really enjoyed my reading of the book and they were VERY excited about getting their own copy so they could spot all the hidden spiders. They were a wonderful group and asked lots of great questions – the most popular being ‘Please can I have the Shifty and Sam toys?’ Unfortunately they couldn’t, as we have lots more events lined up and Shifty and Sam will be by my side at all times!

Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam is out now. The book is available to online here, and you can take a look inside below. For more information about the Summer Reading Challenge, visit their website, here.

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