David Blanch is a man with a mission – to get children reading. Jayne Howarth discovers a world full of books.

Most of us have fond memories about our favourite childhood books. There is something about the stories and their adorable illustrations that conspire to bring back those familiar feelings of happiness.

For me, the old, classic Ladybird books make me nostalgic, particularly Cinderella and her gorgeous dresses; then there are Enid Blyton’s fantastic Faraway Tree adventures with Silky and Moonface.

I smile when I think of them and I can see myself as a child reading them over and again. This is the sort of response that is music to David Blanch’s ears.

A former Birmingham primary school teacher, he has spent the past 40 years encouraging children and teenagers to love books, to read them and appreciate them as a volunteer with the Federation of Children’s Book Groups.

The organisation, first mooted in 1965 by Anne Wood – the creator of Teletubbies and Rosie and Jim – and established formally in 1968, has a very simple yet noble aim: to bring good books and children together.

The Federation also administers the Children’s Book Award, which for five years has been sponsored by Red House.

This is the only national award where the shortlist and the eventual winner are chosen entirely by children.

This year, for the first time in the award’s 29 year history, the award ceremony will be held at the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham on Saturday.

Dozens of children from the UK’s Federation’s book groups, including representatives from the 18 Birmingham groups, as well as those from Dudley and Solihull, will join publishers and authors for the award ceremony.

The ten shortlisted authors, who include Chris Bradford, Jenny Valentine, Kes Gray and Midland author Allan Ahlberg, are vying for a magnificent £7,000 statue of a solid silver oak tree. The winner’s name will be engraved in one of the leaves alongside those of previous winners, who include Michael Morpurgo, Robert Swindells, Malorie Blackman and Roald Dahl. It promises to be quite a party.

David, a friend of many of today’s children’s authors, is excited by the calibre of the shortlist this year and the fact that more than 70,000 children across the country have been involved with voting for their favourite books.

“With support from many teachers, who appreciate the importance of reading and enjoying good books, this really is a national award,” says David, a past national chairman of the Federation.

“It is a unique award and one which is held in very high esteem by the authors. It was the first one that JK Rowling won and Jacqueline Wilson, another winner, is another great champion of it. The award is owned by the children – and that is what makes it so great. They are very intelligent and articulate: even the youngest ones have very strong opinions on what they like.”

David, 65, who would make a good BFG if he were ever to go on the stage, first came across the charity when he was a young teacher in Attleborough, Norfolk, in the 1960s.

He was asked by the manager of a local book shop to try to set up a new book group in Norwich after he’d launched a successful project at his school that allowed children to buy books to support their enthusiasm for reading.

But before it got off the ground, he moved to Birmingham and launched a similar scheme here.

He made contact with like-minded enthusiasts, including school teacher colleague, Jenny, who later became his wife, Judith Elkin, the deputy children’s librarian for Birmingham, John Hammerton, the book shop manager for Rackhams and various other organisations and parents.

Their first public meeting was held at Cannon Hill Arts Theatre on October 20, 1969, when Angela Beeching spoke about her work for Jackanory. Since then, Birmingham FCBG, which works with now 18 schools and book groups, has been responsible for organising many events, including author visits. Luminaries of the children’s book world, including Jacqueline Wilson, Korky Paul, Sophie McKenzie and Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen, have all accepted invitations from the Federation.

“In schools today there appears to be time spent on literacy but very little on literature,” explains David. “This is a sad situation as children who do not have a love of literature nurtured as they grow will have little chance of becoming real readers when they leave school.”

We are sitting in his office, where he and his wife Jenny produce Carousel, a magazine about children’s books, for Federation members. The first floor space in Bissell Street is like a mini library. Shelves are lined and labelled neatly with colourful picture books, short stories and novels for teens.

David enthuses continuously: about books, teaching, Birmingham, his fellow Federation members. A natural charmer, he also displays a wicked sense of humour.

So, how important were books to him, when he was growing up in Norfolk?

“They gave me the opportunity to explore other worlds without leaving home,” he says, earnestly.

“One of my favourites was Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne and, of course, the many titles by Enid Blyton.”

Unlike today’s book market, which has a huge interest in gaining teen readers, there were no novels aimed at young adults, so his literary interest moved straight onto Agatha Christie, Dennis Wheatley and Samuel Horton.

The teen market – which is burgeoning with authors like Anthony Horowitz, Kevin Brooks, Darren Shan and Christopher Paolini – is worth millions of pounds and a valuable asset for the publishing world.

And while David is thrilled to see so many exciting books aimed at children and young adults, it isn’t always for the good, he thinks.

“If I have any reservations about young people’s reading today - apart from the emphasis some schools place on ‘simply barking at print’ - it is the increase in titles aimed at boy readers.

“The many series of macho books containing horror and violence are very popular but are they having a social effect? I don’t know, but should we feel uneasy with them?”

But this unease soon gives way to his infectious zeal.

“Personally, I am as passionate and enthusiastic as ever about getting good books and children together,” he laughs. “I intend to carry on doing that while there are children who don’t know what reading a book can do for their lives.”

* WEB: visit www.fcbg.org.uk for more information about the organisation