020 8789 9575 info@clearvisionproject.org
Jack Petchey Anniversary Award winner!
ClearVision is very proud to have been awarded one of fifteen special grants given by the Jack Petchey Foundation to celebrate the Foundation's anniversary. The Jack Petchey Foundation is all about empowering young people and making them feel confident and positive about the world. Reading is obviously a great way to do this, and the Award has funded 180 exciting, engaging and inspiring new books for ClearVision's borrowers aged 11+.
We asked our borrowers to choose topics and titles, and suggestions came pouring in for books by popular authors such as Jacqueline Wilson, Dick King Smith, Linda Newbery and Michael Morpurgo.
Some titles are easy, some are harder, allowing readers to challenge themselves, build their reading ability and self-confidence, as well as learning a skill that can open many doors for them in the future. They include humour, horror, adventure, sad stories, non-fiction, retold Classics and stories about everyday teenage life.
To celebrate the new collection the library held a book review competition.
Thirteen year old Aya Barake reviewed horror title Zombie by Tommy Donbavand.
“Sometimes I was scared and a bit grossed-out," she wrote, "but the book made me happy because it made me laugh so much. It made me feel good about reading because I just wanted to keep on reading to find out what happened.”
The ClearVision Project are very grateful to the Jack Petchey Foundation for a grant which has not only given today's young readers more choice and variety, but will do so for generations to come.
International Tactile Book Competition
As well as our collection of regular books for sharing, ClearVision has a beautiful collection of tactile books- books in which all the illustrations are designed to be read by touch. These are not only great fun and brilliant for encouraging a child to read, but help build up important touch skills. See the tactile books page of our website for more information
The creation of tactile books is important to ClearVision, and we're proud to be the UK representatives for the Typhlo and Tactus International Tactile Book Competition 2017.
The competition is to encourage people from all over the world to create books with tactile illustrations for children with little or no sight. In October 2017, experts from across Europe will gather in France to examine the competition entries and award a prize to the best.
A page from UK 2015 shortlisted entry The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Sandra Renshaw
Everyone is welcome to enter. The competition is all about encouraging excellence and sharing expertise in the creation of tactile books- but that doesn't mean you have to be an expert! In the past we have received brilliant books from parents, artists, children, embroiderers, visual-impairment teachers, grandparents, teaching assistants, librarians and students. You could have a visual impairment yourself, or be just starting to learn about tactile books- why not have a try?
The winning book will need to be very appealing to blind children under the age of 12. It will have lots of tactile interest and be robust enough to withstand enthusiastic exploration.
There's information and advice about making tactile books on the Making Tactile Books section of our website, and photos of tactile books both there and on our Facebook page. The competition rules and instructions for non-UK applicants can be found on the Tactus website: www.tactus.org. We'll put the braille in for you, just leave space for it!
Once your book is completed, send it with a registration form to the address below to arrive by the closing date of 1st September 2017. Each country can send five entries to the international judging round; UK entries will be shortlisted by a panel of professionals, with input from children who have visual impairment.
All entries will be returned to their creators as soon as possible after the competition, or if preferred, can be donated to the ClearVision library.
Send your entries and any questions to: ClearVision, Linden Lodge School, 61 Princes Way, London SW19 6JB. Tel: 020 8789 9575. info@clearvisionproject.org.