Off the shelf

Children had the chance to learn about rare books during a visit to a Henley bookshop. About 20 pupils from the book club at St Mary’s School in Henley visited Jonkers Rare Books in Hart Street. They dressed as characters from popular children’s books including Mrs Twit from The Twits, Miss Trunchbull from Matilda, Ron Weasley from Harry Potter, Peter from the Secret Seven, Pippi Longstocking and South African rugby legend Francois Pienaar from Invictus. Sam Jonkers, who runs the shop with her husband Christiaan and whose daughter, Annie, is a pupil at the school, showed the children early editions of Charlotte’s Web, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Rabbit and Alice in Wonderland. She said: “They were all very interested and enthusiastic. We were talking about first editions but also the story behind the books, the inspiration for these really well-known stories.” Teaching assistant Janet Plant said the club had been running for a year and had grown from four children to 19. She added: “We thought this would be a really nice thing to do for World Book Day. Sam was very clever to pick up books we have read. It sparks the children’s interest to see the originals because they pick up a paperback from Amazon for a few pence. They can find a different world to inhabit and that has to be good for their imaginations.”.