Children's laureates call on politicians to invest in children's reading

Sir Michael Morpurgo and every children’s laureate from the past 25 years are calling on the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and the leader of the opposition, to commit to a long-term investment in books and reading for children under the age of seven.

Within the letter the authors and illustrators highlight new statistics showing how little family reading is happening.

According to the research by BookTrust, one in five children from birth to age four have a book read to them less than once a month, less than half of children are read a bedtime story, and only half of children aged between one and two from low-income families are read to daily.

The charity’s research also finds that around a quarter of parents with children from birth to age seven find reading with their child ‘challenging’.

The laureates argue within the letter that ‘it is not right that children from poorer backgrounds are deprived of a life that is rich in reading.’

They go on to state, ‘For our children and for us, reading is the great pathway to knowledge and understanding and empathy.

‘But we also know that sadly in this country there are still millions of young children who never have the opportunity of finding this pathway. We know, that the earlier we develop the joy and fun of reading in our children, the more likely it is that they will reap the rewards of the fulfilling education they all deserve. 

‘And we know that those children who come from disadvantaged homes are the most likely never to discover the joys and benefits of being readers, of loving books, of fulfilling their aspirations in life, of developing their talents’.

With an increasing number of children in the UK living in poverty due to the cost-of-living crisis, the laureates call for ‘comprehensive’ support for low-income families, explaining that without a national approach more and more children will miss out.  

Supporting families to become regular readers

The letter comes as BookTrust launches its Reading Together campaign, outlining what needs to be done to support families to become regular reading families in the early stages of a child’s life.

Within the  charity’s ‘Reading Together’ paper, BookTrust outlines four proposals intended to prompt a national debate about how the UK can lay down foundations for a child’s start in life and establish a comprehensive programme of reading for under 7’s. The proposals aim to: 

• Embed reading in the life of every low-income family by providing books, resources and reading experiences.
• Provide sustained support, books and resources to help vulnerable children and families who can benefit most from the special characteristics of reading together.
• Help midwives, health visitors, librarians, family support workers and early years teachers promote family reading.
• Help primary teachers become more powerful advocates for reading for pleasure.

The charity has created a video, featuring Sir Michael Murpurgo, outlining the aims of its new campaign (see below).

 'There has never been a more urgent time for us to inspire a generation of children'.

Sir Michael Morpurgo said, ‘Reading Together, BookTrust’s inspired new and timely initiative, will aim to ensure that millions more of our children have the sure start they need to discover early the enjoyment of reading, and so have the opportunity to hear and read stories and poems, that is their right.’ 

Chief executive of BookTrust Diana Gerald added, ‘Children who missed out on critical development opportunities during the pandemic have fallen behind in terms of language development, literacy and communication skills. Their social and emotional well-being has been affected. There is significant risk their attainment at school and their long-term life chances will suffer.

‘We know that reading can help address these issues, and we want our ‘Reading Together’ campaign to start the conversation around how we can transform children’s lives because there has never been a more urgent time for us to inspire a new generation of children on their reading journeys.’ 

• For further details on ‘Reading Together’ please visit: www.booktrust.org.uk/readingtogether