or call 020 7404 3400
or call 020 7404 3400
Or call 020 7404 3400
Children who read for pleasure are healthier, happier and achieve better learning outcomes. But encouraging children to read can be a challenge! The visual environment can play a big part in making your school library a place that pupils want to visit.
School libraries can offer a quiet refuge for pupils – a calm space where they can rest, regulate and discover the magic of books.
Here are some Library Themes for your walls that will spark curiosity, ignite imaginations and engage pupils in reading.
Nature is a very popular backdrop for many of the Wall Art projects we design. Schools are bringing the benefits of nature indoors, and creating visually calm spaces for pupils to rest and regulate when needed.
We love connecting nature to reading. And, as with many of the books children love to read, we can add a dose of magic to our nature-based designs.
Enchanted worlds are very popular with Primary Schools in particular. With an enchanted woodland backdrop for example, we can feature mystical creatures, captivating scenes and intriguing objects within the designs.
This piques pupils’ natural curiosity and draws them in for a closer look. Because, visual prompts are an excellent story starter…
The best selling children’s author, Tola Okogwu, explains; “As a writer, I use a lot of props. For children whose imaginations aren’t as strong as they’d like them to be, seeing a visual prompt is going to spark ideas that they’re going to be excited to go off and explore, and spark the drive and curiosity to go on an adventure with books.”
Enchanted worlds entice children into a world of fantasy where anything is possible. They can escape their ordinary school day, with any stresses or anxieties, and immerse themselves into a soothing rainforest or a magical woodland, complete with trees, plants and animals.
Many of the schools we work with create immersive visual libraries in their school library, or on their stairwells, in corridors and in communal spaces.
We achieve this look by visually stacking up a mix of book spines. The choice of which books to feature is completely up to each school. They might choose to align the books to their curriculum, and feature setbooks across age ranges. Or, they may wish to showcase classics that all children should read and enjoy.
Some schools get pupils involved and ask them to suggest which books to feature in their Wall Art designs. This is a wonderful way to give ownership to pupils and encourage them to express themselves and share their passion for books and reading.
Book spine designs look incredible because they give the illusion of a library, but are suitable for anywhere in your school.
We can highlight aspects of the featured books in the background of the design to draw pupils in. Recognisable scenes, creatures and objects will create interest and encourage pupils to seek out those books to find out more.
Library themes don’t need to focus on fiction books. Secondary Schools in particular often request non-fiction books and authors to feature in their Literacy Wall Art designs.
And, interestingly, some schools opt for Wall Art in their library that doesn’t feature Literacy at all!
A history timeline, wellbeing wall or even sports based design in your library can help you maximise the space and draw a wider audience to spend time there.
Non-fiction Wall Art in your library can also serve as a learning resource. Pupils who read in the library are already expanding their minds and advancing their knowledge. So, using a powerful visual learning resource on the walls will enable learning to take place without pupils even realising they’re doing so.
The more time they spend in the library, the more knowledge they’ll absorb from your visual Wall Art.
Just as interesting as the books themselves are the people who sit behind the stories. We can bring authors to life visually by featuring their faces alongside inspiring quotes that are connected to their books, topics or fields of interest.
Authors often have a powerful message to share. And we find that pupils connect with authors they can relate to, in terms of background, ability, ethnicity and any adversity they have faced. Common ground is so important for connecting pupils to role models. And, for budding young writers, seeing authors who are similar to them can be hugely aspirational.
Some schools specifically feature local authors to show pupils how successful they have become, from similar origins. Featuring authors on the walls also humanises the books that pupils read as part of their curriculum. They’re reminded that real people took the time to put words down on paper, and that they are fortunate enough to be able to read their work.
This can reinforce that reading is a privilege – something not all children are able, or even allowed, to do. So it can reframe how pupils feel about ‘having’ to read, especially those who are usually reluctant to do so.
Timelines are a wonderful visual learning resource and can cover any subject from the curriculum. Literacy Timelines track the course of history from the earliest recorded stories to present day books, authors and digital texts.
Pupils can actually walk alongside a visual representation of dates, events, people and places that have contributed to the diverse literacy landscape they enjoy today. Through this, they’re also able to familiarise themselves with the concept of chronology; an important skill.
And, at the same time, they’ll gain an appreciation for the many sacrifices and innovations made to advance literacy. Best of all, Literacy Timelines are a powerful learning tool that enable pupils to absorb key curriculum content, without even realising they’re learning.
Literacy Timelines can be used anywhere in a school. They can add colour and interest to the school library. Or they’re equally effective in other areas like corridors, stairwells and communal spaces – even outdoors.
If you like the sound of all of these, but can’t pick just one, we combine multiple themes in a single design. It’s all about capturing pupils’ interest and drawing them in to books and reading.
For example, against a nature backdrop, with objects and creatures from popular children’s books, we can create an immersive book spine library, with images and quotes of authors, organised into a chronological timeline.
This can look really effective and appeal to pupils of all ages and reading abilities. And there’s something in there for everyone to enjoy.
Imagine an entire school library dedicated to the enchanting world of Alice in Wonderland? Or, a beautiful homage to the wonderful world of Narnia?
Some schools opt to adorn their walls (and other surfaces if they wish!) with the images, quotes and scenes from a chosen text that means something to them. This allows pupils to take a deep dive into the content. And it shows that the closer they look (and the more they read) the more they’ll discover hidden in the pages of a book.
When designing a deep dive theme, we try to add little bits of visual interest that aren’t immediately obvious at first glance. This intrigues pupils and delights them as they discover new hidden gems and subtle nuances the more they look at the designs.
These are a selection of Library Themes based on real projects we’ve completed. But, because we design everything bespoke, there’s no limit to what we can create to fuel literacy and encourage reading for pleasure.
All we need from you is a goal or an idea. From there, we’ll help you refine your needs, choose the perfect location and end up with a Literacy based design that transforms any space of your school into a magical place for reading.
This year, we’ve proudly partnered with National Literacy Trust to support their National Year of Reading. We also partnered with BBC to support their 500 Words writing competition. We’re delighted to support organisations who work passionately to fuel literacy and encourage reading for pleasure.
The National Year of Reading Go All In campaign continues – find out more here.
There’s also still time to encourage your pupils to submit a story to BBC 500 Words and stand a chance of winning fantastic prizes, including a literacy Wall Art project for your school. The competition closes at 9pm on Friday 6th November. More details here.
We’ll visit your school to understand your goals, explain our process and provide you with a no-obligation quote.
