Reading engagement, particularly in children, seems to be the industry’s hot topic of 2026. With the National Year of Reading prompting new initiatives, the talks and panels of the first day of London Book Fair reflected the publishing industry’s efforts to get children to read for choice. While financial investments and partnerships were heavily discussed, a simpler idea began taking shape on the main stage at Olympia: if children are surrounded by reading role models, they are far more likely to read themselves.

According to the National Literacy Trust, 93.4% of children aged 7 to 18 have at least one role model, and for half of them, seeing their idol read would be a source of encouragement and motivation to pick up a book. But who exactly are these role models? The survey reported that parents are children’s main idols, followed by celebrities and, lastly, teachers.

Children’s author Donna Davis, one of the four panellists of the fair’s How Can Libraries and Bookshops Fuel a Children’s Reading Revolution, emphasised the role of parents and adults in encouraging children’s reading engagement. They read at home, take kids to bookshops and libraries, but first and foremost, they more or less inadvertently influence their children’s behaviour. When they are little, children perceive their parents and, more generally, adults, as unbeatable fountains of knowledge. Seeing them with a book would then motivate them to do the same, shifting their perception of books as a source of enjoyment and triggering long-lasting reading habits.

Bisazza, G. (2026). Main Stage at London Book Fair

However, parents and guardians are not the only ones able to encourage reading for choice, and such change can happen far from the comfort of home. As Rebecca Gedikin, Head of Libraries at Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), mentioned during the panel, role models are not just parents or unreachable celebrities. A stranger reading on public transport, a character enjoying a book on TV – anyone reading around children automatically becomes a reading role model, especially older kids.

Several GLL libraries have tween and teenager volunteers to encourage children to read for pleasure and break the barriers that might separate young readers and older librarians. Emily Jack, CEO of Bookmark Reading Charity and panellist at Go All In: The National Year of Reading and the Road Ahead, took from GLL’s example and stressed the importance of youth volunteers to engage younger children. Through her charity and their project ‘Reading Mentor’, Jack works with schools to offer 14 to 18 year old students the opportunity to read with children in a local primary school and become reading role models.

Anonymous. (2026). Children reading and studying in a public library.

Ultimately, for children to appreciate books, they need to see others reading. Whether it is a parent at home, a teenager in the school library, or a stranger on public transport, these moments of visibility contribute to shaping children’s perception of books as a source of entertainment.

References

Bibliography

Bookmark Reading Charity. (2026). ’Reading Mentor’, Available at: https://www.bookmarkreading.org/volunteer/reading-mentors?_gl=1*1j9eslg*_up*MQ..*_gs*MQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4PPNBhD8ARIsAMo-iczvERop4pNz3sSwdp1HlkCs6WO1sxAGrlsVoBBvPhIYBl0wANK_h-kaAhbPEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&gbraid=0AAAAACxctG01QwPJ3KjdIE_umMSlB4DQt (Accessed on 17 April 2026). 

Davis, D. (2026). How Can Libraries and Bookshops Fuel a Children’s Reading Revolution [Panel discussion]. London Book Fair, 10 January 2026, London.

Gedikin, R. (2026). How Can Libraries and Bookshops Fuel a Children’s Reading Revolution [Panel discussion]. London Book Fair, 10 January 2026, London.

Jack, E. (2026).  Go All In: The National Year of Reading and the Road Ahead [Panel discussion]. London Book Fair, 10 January 2026, London.

National Literacy Trust. (2022). ‘Role models and their influence on children and young people’s reading’, Available at: https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/role-models-and-their-influence-on-children-and-young-peoples-reading/#:~:text= (Accessed on 17 April 2026). 

Images:

Anonymous. (2026). ’Children reading and studying in a public library’, Available at: https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/top-view-children-studying-floor-library_22221020.htm#fromView=search&page=1&position=0&uuid=095bd715-60a5-40ac-8bf4-bdf14790cf02&query=Reading+to+children+in+libraries (Accessed on 17 April 2026). 

Bisazza, G. (2026).  ‘Main Stage at London Book Fair’.

Brandsma, S. (2019). ‘Children books on display’, Available at: https://unsplash.com/photos/assorted-childrens-book-J6sUD5F6SR4 (Accessed on 20 April 2026).