Palmerston North children’s literacy project Hokowhitu Hidden Books turns 3

At work in the sorting part of the Red Cross Palmerston North bookshop are (from left) Hokowhitu Hidden Books co-ordinator Alana Blair and Red Cross children’s literacy section volunteers Marion Wilson, Jo Scott and Kay Richdale.

Hokowhitu Hidden Books is three.

It is a Hokowhitu Village Centre project, run with the support of the New Zealand Red Cross, to promote children’s reading.

Volunteers collect, process and package the books for hiding in playgrounds in Hokowhitu and surrounding areas.

About 160 books are hidden each month in 10 playgrounds for children to discover, read, take home or rehide for someone else to find, co-ordinator Alana Blair says.

“Our dream is to see children growing up able to access books and develop a love of reading.”

Over the past three years, about 5000 books have been recycled back into the community in this way.

Hokowhitu Village Centre supports the concept of reduce, reuse and recycle and has developed a supportive partnership with the Red Cross secondhand bookshop in Church St providing a regular source of books.