SHIPSTON mums and their youngsters booked themselves into the party mood with a trip to Shipston library.

The library hosted a bash to celebrate the success of the babies need books scheme run by project co-ordinator Sandra Miller.

The scheme, part of the national Bookstart programme funded by Sainsbury's, is aimed at encouraging parents to read to their young children and to join the library.

When babies are seven months old, health visitors in and around Shipston give their parents a pack of two books, a nursery rhyme placemat and a leaflet with tips on how to share books with a baby and join the local library.

The idea stemmed from research that showed that babies whose parents read to them perform better at school.