An initiative set up in Kent will see hundreds of books hidden as an incentive for children to take up reading.

The ‘Little Look for a Book’ project concealed 250 books last month in and around Maidstone for families to find with their youngsters.

Working in partnership with Usborne, the initiative is aiming to make reading fun and accessible.

Books are hidden in local communities, offering children the opportunity to hunt to find a book, which they can then read and re-hide, or keep to re-read in the future.

Housing developer, Countryside, is supporting the scheme by donating 250 books.

Both fiction and non-fiction, suitable for young readers from two to eight years old, popped up across the Maidstone area in April - including Langley, Boughton Monchelsea, and Loose.

Kirsty Mullett, a Maidstone mum-of-two and head of the project, said: “My mission is to make reading more fun for children.

"It's something which started as a hobby for myself and my children, but that I’ve enjoyed expanding to supporting schools and nurseries with free reading challenges and events too.

"Whilst doing this I’ve seen the difference it can make first hand, so it’s fantastic that we have been able to broaden this initiative out to promote reading for pleasure for children across the local Maidstone area.

"Countryside’s support of the project is so appreciated and has meant we can hide a further 250 books for local children and families.”

The donation has enabled the purchase of books ranging from first-reader nursery rhymes like Old Macdonald Had A Farm and fairy tales such as Rumpelstiltskin and the Princess and the Pea, through to classics including Pride and Prejudice and Little Women.

Danny Wood, managing director of Southern Home Counties at Countryside, said: "We’re delighted to be supporting such a fun and creative initiative, and that we have been able to play a role in helping to instil a joy of reading for children across Maidstone."

To find out more, visit the ‘Little Look for a Book’ Facebook page here.