World Book Day

World Book Day is a wonderful moment to celebrate reading for pleasure, and the extraordinary ways it can shape a child’s life.

Books and storytelling transport us to new worlds, teach us empathy, and can spark imagination that leads to life-long interests. But for children in particular, reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of their future success, more than their family’s socio-economic background. 

At an event earlier this week in Westminster, the World Book Day charity championed the power of books but also sounded the alarm on the crisis in reading.

Research from the National Literary Trust shows that the number of children who enjoy reading in their spare time is at its lowest level in twenty years, just 1 in 3.

Yes, screen time has taken over, but years of austerity and long working hours has led to more than 180 council-run libraries shutting their doors or being handed to volunteer groups since 2016. Bedtime stories or that spare half hour in the evening is being squeezed out by everyday pressures.   

With 2026 as the National Year of Reading – and a worrying 46% of adults saying they don’t read - I recently asked Ministers why we need to make sure the Government doesn’t only take steps to promote the campaign in the coming months but strengthen engagement with public libraries in the long-term.

A commitment to invest over £10 million in plans for a library in every primary school in England by 2029 will lead to more kids picking up a book and discovering the joy of reading. But this needs to be joined up with an increased number of trained librarians and greater support for burnt out teachers.

As Stephen King famously wrote: “Books are a uniquely portable magic.”

We owe it to children and adults to give them this magic and create a Reading for Pleasure culture in the UK.