‘For This Year’s World Book Day, We Want To Reach All Children’

Our charity’s mission is to ensure that all children are given the opportunity to fall in love with reading and have books of their own. But as we come together to celebrate books and reading on this year’s World Book Day, it is a concerning reality that the number of children reading for pleasure is at its lowest level since 2005, and over half a million children in the United Kingdom do not own a book of their own.

Reading for enjoyment, or satisfaction, cannot be viewed as a luxury, or something that is just nice to have; it’s been found to be a vital indicator of a child’s future success. More so than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or their income. When a child is reading for fun, their vocabulary improves and so does their overall performance in school (not just in English). It supports their mental health and well-being, and improves the crucial empathy skills that help them connect with their peers and the world around them.

But there are many barriers in place, both economic and social, that stop children from thinking that reading for fun is for them. The cost-of-living crisis is putting enormous amounts of pressure on families who have less money to spend on books for their children. It should be no surprise that children growing up in poverty or inequality are disproportionately affected. Children who receive free school meals are less likely to have a book of their own, or to enjoy reading - compared to their peers. For one in five children who receive free school meals, exchanging their World Book Day £1 token for World Book Day book, for free, means they own a book of their own for the very first time.

Other children may be reluctant to take up reading due to social pressures. It may be that their social group doesn’t consider it “cool” enough, or it’s not something that’s valued in their household. Academic pressures can also come into play as children can associate reading with schoolwork and so aren’t as keen to do it in their leisure time. They may struggle to find books they can connect to, with characters they relate to.

Whatever the reason, it can be hard for children to feel enthusiastic about reading. So, World Book Day’s mission is to make sure all children can feel encouraged and inspired to read for enjoyment. At World Book Day we know there are six ways to make sure that children have support to be readers. Children should be able to:

We encourage every child to find their own route to discovering a love of books. Comics and graphic novels, for example, are a great route into reading – though that some adults may not immediately think of them as ‘proper’ reading. World Book Day suggests everyone can find a reading experience that works for them, then build on that enjoyment.

For World Book Day celebrations many children choose to dress up; just one of a wide range of activities that can help make reading fun. It’s been proven that through all sorts of social and fun reading activities, such as games, events and book clubs, children start to develop a positive relationship with reading. Over half say they read more due to World Book Day, and eighty per cent of adults agree that World Book Day gets children more enthusiastic about reading.

For this year’s World Book Day, we want to reach all children – particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds – to help them discover a life-long love of books and reading. With the current cost of living challenges we’re all facing, we’re encouraging all children, families, schools, and communities to celebrate the day in a way that works for them. The joy of reading cannot and should not be underestimated in terms of improved well-being and the improved life chances it can lead to. At World Book Day we will continue to do our best to make sure that every child can have books of their own and love reading.

Cassie Chadderton is the CEO at World Book Day®