Children’s author calls for return of story hour to foster a love of books

Best-selling author Dame Jacqueline Wilson has urged schools to stop using books simply as “testing mechanisms” and to reinstate a “story hour”.

The writer and former Children’s Laureate, famous for her Tracy Beaker series of novels, has sold more than 40 million copies of her books in the UK alone.

Dame Jacqueline, 71, who is backingacampaigntoencourage summer holiday reading, said: “I think something as lovely and as simple as reading sometimes passes people 0 Dame Jacqueline Wilson is backing a easyjet campaign by. I find it sad that often children don’t have a story hour at school.

“It seems to be simply [that] books are used as a testing mechanism to see if you’ve understood it all. Then you’re able to advance on to the next book.

“Books should be what you fancy reading and having great delight in getting into a story.”

She added: “Nothing is more magical than seeing children peering up at you.”

The author is backing an easyjet initiative, dubbed Flybraries, to encourage children to get into a good book by installing holiday reading libraries across its UK fleet this summer.

Dame Jacqueline has selected classics such as Peter Pan, Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, The Railway Children and The Wizard of Oz.