The joy of reading was on the menu at a special book tasting for at Upton Junior School in Broadstairs.

As part of the literacy event, children from Year 3 were invited to a Book Bistro that was set out with tablecloths, place mats, (battery operated) candles, menus and most importantly, books.

The ‘diners’ were sent to their reserved seats and then rotated around the tables 'tasting' the different genres of books on offer.

Their reading recipe included fiction, non-fiction, traditional tales/myths, poetry books and history texts.

At each table the children looked at and discussed the title, author, genre, what they liked about the book's front cover and blurb and why they thought it might be interesting.

Lauren Watmough, Head of Year 3, explained: “As part of the initiative to express opinions about books the children then discussed which books they would like to read and why as well as what their favourite genre was.

“Some liked the book because they like a particular author, some were enticed by the front covers and some enjoyed the books because of their genre – for example, they love learning about historical things.

“Literacy is a vital cornerstone of learning at Upton. Our children demonstrate a real love of books whether it is for pleasure or for research and information. It is fascinating to see how their tastes for various styles of content, writing and presentation change during their educational journey with us.”

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

*For more information contact Kate Law at headofschool@uptonjunior.com