The Scottish Book Trust and Royal Mail in Scotland gave a free book to every P1 child in the country last month.

The mass handout was part of the Scottish Book Trust’s Bookbug programme, an early-years initiative that aims to give every child in Scotland a lifelong love of books.

Some 60,000 copies of Manfred the Baddie by John Fardell, winner of a 2009 Royal Mail Awards for Scottish Children’s Books, have been distributed to classrooms around the country, ready to be handed out to children.

Children entering P1 should already have received three free packs of books at six weeks, 18 months and three years, so should be familiar with the Bookbug programme, formerly known as Bookstart. P1 is the final intervention point for the programme.

Supporting resources for teachers, including posters, games and fun ideas based on Fardell’s book, are available to download from Scottish Book Trust’s website: www.scottishbooktrust.com.