Where will you travel by book? BSN wins inaugural World Kid Lit Reading Award

The BSN has won the inaugural Schools International Reading Award from the World Kid Lit organisation, and we could not be prouder of the Library team at our Senior School Leidschenveen (SSL) campus, who submitted the winning project.

World Kid Lit is a UK-based not-for-profit organisation that promotes global and translated children’s literature. For its first competition, it invited submissions from schools around the world, aiming to encourage young people to:

• read for pleasure
• explore international perspectives and global citizenship
• value a second (or additional) language as a cultural and creative asset

The award recognises the most imaginative, innovative, or inclusive projects that included at least two components: students shared book recommendations and responded to what they had read. When these components come together within schools, the result is greater than the sum of their parts! This was proven through the SSL library project. 

The project

As part of a broader focus on reading for pleasure, student voice, and global perspectives, the SSL Library created an international reading recommendations project centred on a display board for the school community.

Students were invited to explore stories from around the world, including books in many of our students’ home languages. They were encouraged to read, reflect, and contribute their own reviews. These student recommendations became the heart of a vibrant display celebrating international literature.

The eye-catching board features a balloon made of books alongside the question: “Where will you travel by book this month?” It quickly became a focal point for student interaction and drew attention from across the wider school community.

The project also connected with parent engagement work at the school and supported BSN’s commitment to an inclusive, outward-facing reading culture. Students engaged enthusiastically, writing thoughtful reviews, recommending titles, and discussing what they had read with library staff and peers. Their response contributed to the spirit of the project, resulting in a reading display that felt genuinely student-led and in a growing, vibrant reading culture.

Teaching and learning in action

SSL’s international reading recommendations project reflects BSN’s commitment to looking outward, being innovative, and enriching students’ learning experiences. A love of learning and the enjoyment of reading for pleasure go hand in hand, and this project helped cultivate curiosity, reflection, and broader cultural understanding through independent reading and student-led contributions.

We look forward to the international reading recommendations display continuing to motivate students to explore – and respect – diverse perspectives and voices in literature and life.

“Winning the very first World Kid Lit Schools International Reading Award is such a special honour. Our students’ book reviews and reflections were at the heart of our entry, and I’m so proud that their voices helped bring this international award home to our school.” 

- Una Mulvihill