Read Hour returns on 8th September 2023

Read Hour will take place for its third year in the UK, and schools and homes are invited to take part by putting aside one hour to read on 8th September - International Literacy Day.

Read Hour was originally launched by Finland's Children and Youth Foundation in 2019 to raise awareness about the importance of reading and to inspire children and young people to read more, and the initiative is sponsored in the UK by Moomin Characters. 

Teachers Resources for Read Hour featuring The Invisible Child, read by Sophia Jansson.  You can find out more and find resources on the Read Hour website.

Ahead of Read Hour on 8th September, Moomin Characters will be working with the Finnish Embassy to create a live streamed event which will be accessible to schools, libraries and venues via the Embassy's Facebook page.  The virtual event will see the Finnish Ambassador alongside The World of Moominvalley author Philip Ardagh give readings from Moomin stories and present a fun guide for children on how authors find inspiration.

On 8th September, Moomin storyteller Liz Fost will be visiting The Children's Bookshop in Muswell Hill, London and Bag of Books in Lewes to tell some interactive Moomin stories.  On 9th September, as part of Muswell Hill Festival, Rob Biddulph will be making a special appearance on behalf of Read Hour to do a reading and sign copies of his books.

Keep an eye on ReadHour.com for more details about events and other ways to take part in Read Hour 2023.