Shiver me timbers! To mark this day, libraries throughout Northern Ireland will be holding events and you are invited to join in the celebrations.

Lots of fun events will be held for children to encourage them “By Hook or By Crook, Get Your Hands on a Book.”

With pirate-themed Storytimes, craft sessions giving you the chance to be a pirate for a day by making your own pirate hats and flags and competitions, there will be a treasure chest full of fun events taking place in local libraries.

Children will be able to come along and enjoy Bookstart Day celebrations, with pirate stories and puppets and lots of free Pirate freebies to take home – stickers, bookmarks, books and lots more.

Children across Northern Ireland are invited to enter a competition to ‘Name the Bookstart bear’, which is currently being held in all libraries and on National Bookstart Day, the bear will travel to the library of the winner to present the competition prize to the lucky boy or girl.

So call into your local library today and get the young sailors in your crew involved in the National Bookstart Day celebrations by naming the bear!

See what National Bookstart Day events are happening near you by calling into your local library or checking out www.ni-libraries.net/events

For further information on the Bookstart scheme and National Bookstart Day 2008, go to www.bookstart.org.uk or you can contact the Bookstart coordinator for the NEELB area, Kim Aiken, telephone: 028 2566 4145, email: Kim.Aiken@ni-libraries. net