Children missing out on the benefits of book ownership

CHILDREN FROM the North of England are most at risk of missing out on the benefits of book ownership, new research from the National Literacy Trust has found.

The charity, surveying more than 44,000 children nationwide between the ages of eight and 18, has found that those surrounded by literature are five times more likely to be stronger readers. But, it has also found, children across the North of England are those most impacted by a lack of access, with one in 10 children in Yorkshire and the Humber not owning a single book.

“Books have the power to transform lives, yet far too many children from the poorest communities in the UK are missing out on the chance to reach their full potential simply because they don’t have a book of their own at home,” said Jonathan Douglas, director of the National Literacy Trust. The trust’s ownership, literacy engagement and mental wellbeing report found that, overall, children who read above the level expected for their age have twice as many books as those who read below the expected level.

But the charity has warned that children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are most at risk of missing out on the educational and health benefits of book ownership, with one in eight of the most disadvantaged not owning a single storybook.