When asked what books meant to them, the children said they were a “vehicle to visit faraway places” and an opportunity to “lose yourself in a world of wonders”. This BookBench portrays the imaginary worlds we dream about when getting stuck into a good book.

Frozen Kingdom takes its inspiration from the class's recent studies of life in the Arctic and Antarctic, exploring the natural world, as well as its history. Of the numerous books they read during their learning, one favourite followed the story of two penguins who adopted an egg in New York Zoo.

Literally Magic takes its inspiration from the magic of six children’s books that are part of a summer exhibition at The Lowry. These were combined with the school’s values, community and the spirit of Salford’s young people.

This BookBench’s name is the quote decided upon by the class as their design inspiration. The children talked about how reading opens up unlimited possibilities for feeding the imagination. They produced creative drawings and all ten pupils involved have contributions included on the BookBench.

This BookBench is named after the school’s motto. Children from each year responded to the slogan ‘reading can take you anywhere’ and the final design references artwork created by the pupils during their creative design workshop.

The pupils had been studying Shakespeare's Macbeth in preparation for a special performance at the Lowry. Witches’ amulets, that they made as part of their studies, are included in the design as well as their depictions of the atmospheric landscapes in the play.

Willow Tree Primary’s pupils were lucky to be allocated the Elmer BookBench and imagined what he would do if he visited Salford for the day. They drew lots of creative designs, including Elmer being hoisted by a crane and parachuting into the city, which are included on the BookBench.

The design was inspired by The Memory Tree by Britta Teckentrup which looks at reminiscence, friendship and the passage of time. 150 pupils worked with Lauren Mullarkey to create glass insects that might live in the orchard at Ordsall Hall, and ghosts, as it is rumoured that the hall is haunted. These are carefully worked into a mosaic on the back of the BookBench that also references Primrose Hill. All pupils at the school, and their parents, were invited to reflect on their memories of Ordsall via drawings, descriptions and poetry. These have been integrated into their own memory oak tree by the school’s artists in residence, Marie Cash.

This Bench celebrates the pupils of St. Lukes' love of books and nature. This a a special place where the animals come to enjoy a good book! Salford is over 60% green space, with 60 green spaces, including The Cathedral Garden. The sound-birds represent the pupils of St. Lukes who have performed at the Cathedral.

During the children's workshop, space and diversity came up as prominent themes. This BookBench shows off a space party, created with their drawings of aliens, planets, and space characters.

The children used the powers of their imagination to create five short stories about the adventures of the local Swinton wildlife. Their stories were about kindness, friendship and teamwork, qualities reflected in the pupils’ characters which have come to life on the colourful BookBench.

Jenny wanted to stay true to the children's original drawings and for the BookBench to be bright and colourful, full of characters and rainbows. The children wanted it to be “somewhere people can sit if they are feeling down”.

The school’s setting, backing onto fields and woodlands near Wardley Moss, is the main inspiration for this BookBench. The children told stories of the visiting wildlife, such as deer and buzzards. Wardley Woodland Wonders shows the creatures that come out to play throughout the day and in the night.