This summer you can not only READ War Horse by Michael Morpurgo but you can sit on a War Horse bench while you do it!
War Horse is one of just fifty books chosen by the National Literacy Trust to feature in an exciting new art event, Books about Town, which celebrates London’s literary heritage and promotes reading for enjoyment. The event will see 50 benches, shaped as open books, displayed on the streets of London, each one uniquely painted to represent the book it is based on.
The War Horse bench will feature illustrations from the most recent edition of War Horse by Rae Smith, the Tony and Olivier-award winning stage designer of the National Theatre’s production of War Horse. You can see a sneak peek of what the bench looks like below.
All 50 benches will be on the streets of London for you to visit from 4th July – 15th September and will be grouped into walking trails so you can visit several at once. The War Horse bench will be in More London on the River Thames near London Bridge.
At the end of the event, the BookBenches will be brought together in a final display and auctioned to raise funds for the National Literacy Trust, to tackle low literacy levels in deprived communities across the UK.
Jonathan Douglas, Director of the National Literacy Trust says: “We are delighted to be launching Books about Town to spread the love of reading across the capital. This is such an exciting opportunity for businesses to be a part of this unique literary attraction set to hit the streets of London next summer.”For more information, to download trail maps of the BookBenches and news about events happening at benches across London, visit booksabouttown.org.uk
And if you visit the War Horse bench, don’t forget to tweet your pictures! @EgmontUK #BooksaboutTown
