Mel Stride MP was among those supporting World Book Day on Thursday 5th March, helping to promote the national ‘Share a Story’ campaign calling on parents and carers to read with their children for ten minutes a day. According to new research from the National Literacy Trust, levels of daily reading among children and young people are in sharp decline: just 25.8% of children said they read daily in their free time in 2019; the lowest level the NLT recorded since it surveyed children in 2005.
Mel said:
“This is an important initiative to remind us all to make time in our busy lives to read to our children for at least ten minutes a day. Studies are clear that reading daily to young children helps to improve their understanding of language and helps with their cognitive development. Hopefully it will also inspire a love of reading that will continue independently when they are older.”
Every year, World Book Day creates bespoke £1 books for children and young adults across the UK and Ireland, to promote the magic of books, the power of imagination and the importance of reading. Every child in an educational establishment was given a £1 book token which they can take to a bookshop or supermarket to get their free World Book Day book.. World Book Day 2020 is calling on the nation to share one million stories through a mass participation initiative. Readers can register their participation and share their story throughout World Book Day month (27th February – 29th March 2020) to be in with a chance of winning prizes and joining a nationwide reading revolution.
