A picture paints a thousand words – and children at Chilton Primary in Ramsgate were immersed in a whole range of tales told via vibrant imagery.

Pupils across the school celebrated the annual World Book Day and this year’s theme was picture books.

Every class enjoyed reading for pleasure sessions as well as exploring how picture books delivered their stories with minimal text, as well as enjoying creative artwork.

A special assembly focused on literacy and other activities included teachers swapping to read a poem or story to a different class other than their own.

Many children came to school dressed as costumed characters from their favourite books which created a colourful atmosphere, with many staff joining in wearing their own creations.

Helen Rowland-Hill is Chilton’s English Lead. She explained: “The books our teachers read from had very little text – they spent valuable time ‘reading’ the images with our children.

“They discussed what was happening by reading the information presented by the artwork, and they explained that this is an important part of the reading journey.

“Books with no words have a huge role to play - they invite a lot of reader participation, can be challenging, are inclusive, can motivate struggling readers, have a low threshold by high expectations, help to develop comprehension skills, and inspire reading and writing.”

Children each received World Book Day vouchers that can be exchanged at a week-long book fair in school and a percentage of any money raised will go towards providing more reading material for the school.

Deputy Head of School Hannah Cheshire said: “It was a really enjoyable event with our children immersed in some fantastic stories and images. Our aim was to underpin our school’s enjoyment of reading and sharing a story – it was a real success.”

Texts enjoyed by the various age groups included The Three Pigs, Art and Max, and Flotsam, all by David Wiesner; The Zookeeper by Aaron Becker; The Mirror, and The Window, both by Jeannie Baker.

Chilton Primary is part of the Viking Academy Trust with partner schools Ramsgate Arts Primary and Upton Junior.

*For more information contact Head of School Alex McAuley on 01843 597695.