The Read it, Book it program seeks to provide students with the challenge of taking home a book to read rather than playing with an electronic device.

"Many homes nowadays will have very few books in them, as more and more people move towards portable electronic devices," Ararat North Primary School principal, Wendy Byrne said.

The idea of the program is to give students the opportunity to take books home with them and discover the joy of turning a page.

The program seeks to encourage students to read books at home, thereby supplementing what the students are learning at school. Good literacy skills from a young age flow on to increased employment opportunities for students later in life. Research has shown that by the age of 15 years old students from rural areas are on average one year behind their metropolitan counterparts in literacy. The Read it, Book it program seeks to address this problem by encouraging primary school students to develop good reading habits from a young age.

The Read it, Book it program is looking for suitable books that are in good condition and cover the primary school age range of six to twelve years old.

Stawell West Primary School principal Kerri-Ann Harris also expressed her support of the program.

"Many families may have a selection of books that they no longer need as their children have out grown them and we would welcome their donation to this program," she said.

If you would like to donate or support the program, please call program coordinator, Luke Rudolph at the Central Grampians LLEN on 5352 3266 or email lrudolph@cgllen.org.au for further details.