AN UNDERSEA treasure-trove of literary delights was unveiled at a primary school this week as part of a week-long drive to boost reading.

Parents, staff and youngsters gathered at Orchard Meadow, Blackbird Leys, on Thursday to open the school's new library, complete with 11 newly-appointed librarians from Year 5.

The site, in Cuddesdon Way, was resplendent with a freshly-painted mural created by the youngsters with the help of an artist in residence over two days last week.

Head of literacy Olivia Lea-Robinson said: "Reading underpins everything. The biggest thing I wanted was to raise the calibre of reading within the school.

"We want to get a broad range without girls being pigeonholed reading fairy books and boys reading football, and breakdown that chore of 'I must read because I'm told to'."

A multitude of literary classics from Roald Dahl, CS Lewis, Enid Blyton and Shakespeare are now on the shelves for youngsters to read and take home.

The space has an aquatic theme and a treasure chest will reward children with 'gems' for completing a set number of days' reading, with diamonds for 150 days.

Miss Lea-Robinson said: "This was a bit of a dead space before. It was a bookshelf, but it was dark and unused, basically a walkway from the main office.

"This now really shows what we are all about and that's being translated into the classroom as well."

Headteacher Cathy Godden added: "There was a little bit of tidying up and re-organisation of books that needed to happen for us to have a fully functioning library.

"All the books that are here were here before, but they have been in classrooms or distributed in other reading areas so we have centralised them."

The mural, based on Maureen Haselhurst's The Tickety Tale Teller was painted by children over two days with the help of artist Lucy Jackson.

At Thursday's event parents explored new space and took part in a workshop about ways to encourage reading at home.

Local mother Jean Singleton, 30, said: "It looks cool and it brightens it up a bit. My children are in Year 1 and nursery and they will love the library."

Following a dress-up event and assembly for Thursday's World Book Day, the library began lending books for the first time and will be open every night after school.

Finleigh Wilkinson, 10, whose favourite book is Michael Morpurgo's War Horse, received his librarian's badge on Friday.

He and other successful applicants to the role have now been trained up and will be responsible for keeping the shelves in order.

He said: "I wanted to become a librarian because I don't have many friends outside and sometimes I'm lonely.

"I thought, why don't I have a job as a librarian, which will give me something to do?"