Reading for pleasure has always been a phrase instilled into us from a young age, with many of us forgetting that reading is enjoyable when we reach our adult years. But just how many of our younger generation would consider reading to be ‘fun’, and actively choose to read for pleasure? The word ‘pleasure’ was the central concern of this year’s Bookseller Children’s Conference, with multiple speakers and industry professionals circling back to this word, and led to many raising the question: how can we get our children reading again?

As stated above, The Bookseller Children’s Conference on 30th September reiterated this word ‘pleasure’ throughout, with keynote speaker Rebecca McNally – Director of Children’s Books Publishing at Bloomsbury – asking the audience to support the circulation of an open letter created by the book publishing industry, which invites the new prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, to “make a cross-government commitment to prioritise the role of reading for pleasure for children”, a plea to nurture the development of literacy, and healthy reading habits amongst children. McNally also highlighted a real decline in reading for pleasure, and articulated her concern with the accessibility of reading, and ensuring that “access to the benefits of books and reading doesn’t become the exclusive preserve of the privileged”. The number of children reading books is currently at an all-time low, as only around 40% of preschoolers are being read to everyday, and in a survey carried out by the National Literacy Trust in 2023, only 2 in 5 young people between the ages of 8 and 18 said they enjoyed reading in their free time. These numbers are staggering and illustrates the dire situation of literacy rates and reading for pleasure in Britain. (National Literacy Trust, 2023)

Authors are also taking a stand against the declining rates of reading for pleasure, with Katherine Rundell – author of Impossible Creatures (Bloomsbury) – signing and stating that “if we don’t do everything we can to put books in children’s hands, we steal from them access to the great record of the very best of mankind […]” (Spanoudi, 2024). Rundell is an advocate for adequate funding and delivering of resources in schools, as she believes that there should be mandatory funding in place for all libraries in every primary school across England. Currently, 1 in 7 state-funded primary schools across the UK do not have a library, and this figure extends further in disadvantaged primary schools, at 1 in 4 (National Literacy Trust, 2022). The ‘Reading Crisis’ panel at the Children’s Conference emphasised the role authors play in the solution to the ‘children’s reading crisis’, with Rundell’s activism being a leading voice in this. Rundell further states that “we need a government that will […] show they believe […] in the rights of our children to access the joy that comes with reading.” (Spanoudi, 2024)

To circle back to the initial question – how can we get our children reading again? The answer seems to be – the government. Without government intervention and resourcing, our children will sink further and further into a world without literacy, unable to access the delights and nuances of writing. It is now more critical than ever, to inspire, encourage and motivate the younger generations, to pick up a book and read for pleasure, to keep the spark of literacy alive for further generations to come.

Bibliography:

National Literacy Trust (2022) One in seven state primary schools do not have a designated library space [Online]. Available at: https://literacytrust.org.uk/news/one-in-seven-state-primary-schools-does-not-have-a-designated-library-space/ [Accessed 18th October 2024]

National Literacy Trust (2023). Children and young people’s reading in 2023, [Online]. Available at: https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/children-and-young-peoples-reading-in-2023/#:~:text=Key%20findings&text=Just%202%20in%205%20(43.4,in%20girls%20than%20in%20boys. [Accessed 7th October 2024]

Spanoudi, M, The Bookseller (2024) Katherine Rundell and Claire Wilson sign open letter on children’s reading. [Online] Available at: https://www.thebookseller.com/news/katherine-rundell-and-claire-wilson-sign-open-letter-on-childrens-reading [Accessed 7th October 2024]

Spanoudi, M. The Bookseller (2024) Publishing industry calls on government to create plan to boost reading for pleasure. [Online] Available at: https://www.thebookseller.com/news/publishing-industry-calls-on-government-to-create-plan-to-boost-reading-for-pleasure [Accessed 7th October 2024]

The Bookseller (2024) The Bookseller Children’s Conference. London, 30th September 2024. Available at: https://www.thebookseller.com/broadcast/event-streams/monday-all-sessions-playlist–the-bookseller-childrens-conference-2024. [Accessed 7th October 2024]

Image extracted from: National Literacy Trust (2023) Our latest research reveals that children’s reading enjoyment is at its lowest level in almost two decades. [Online] Available at: https://literacytrust.org.uk/news/childrens-reading-enjoyment-at-lowest-level-in-almost-two-decades/ [Accessed 20th October 2024]