Frank Cottrell-Boyce Urges Action to Address UK's Children's Reading Crisis
Children’s laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce calls for national action to tackle ‘reading crisis’
The Independent
Image: The Independent
Children's laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce has called for urgent action to combat a 'reading crisis' in the UK, highlighting a decline in daily shared reading among families despite children's growing love for books. He emphasizes the need for support to ensure every child has access to reading during their formative years.
- 01Daily shared reading among families with children under eight has dropped from 60% to 49% between 2021 and 2025.
- 02The proportion of children aged up to eight who love reading has increased from 66% to 80%.
- 03Cottrell-Boyce connects the reading crisis to broader issues like poverty and the decline of local services.
- 04He has launched a reading rights campaign to ensure every child has access to books.
- 05BookTrust aims to integrate shared reading into family support services.
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Frank Cottrell-Boyce, the UK's children's laureate, has highlighted a pressing 'reading crisis' affecting children during a speech at the Royal Institution in London. Despite a rise in children's love for reading—from 66% to 80%—the daily practice of shared reading among families with children under eight has declined from 60% to 49% between 2021 and 2025. Cottrell-Boyce attributes this decline to various societal pressures, including poverty and the erosion of local services like libraries. He emphasized the importance of shared reading for children's development and mental health, urging families to prioritize reading. As part of his tenure, he has launched a reading rights campaign through BookTrust, advocating for every child to have daily access to books. The campaign aims to address inequalities in reading access and support families in fostering a reading culture. Cottrell-Boyce's call to action is echoed by experts, who stress the significant benefits of shared reading for children's language development and well-being.
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The decline in shared reading can lead to negative outcomes for children's language skills and emotional well-being, particularly affecting those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
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