As reported in yesterday’s Education section of The Guardian, a recent survey by the National Literacy Trust makes for very grim reading.
A survey of over eighteen thousand children, aged between 8 – 17, reveals that 19% have never been given a book as a present, 12% had never set foot in a bookshop, and 7% had never been to a library.
Of the materials they read, most are likely to read ‘e-mails and websites than comics.’
Combined with recent or planned closures of local libraries across the country, this makes for an alarming view of our children’s literary culture.
The National Literacy Trust said “fresh approaches” were urgently needed to encourage young people to read more. “The number of children who never read a book suggests the government has a huge challenge on its hands if the 50 books-a-year initiative is to reach every child,” it said. Last year, a major international study of children’s reading revealed British children had fallen from 17th to 25th place in the world.
Read the full article here.
Posted by Tom O'Bedlam 
With a tagline of ‘Inspiring a love of books in every child,’ the Bookstart website is a lively and colourful site offering some terrific resources to engage children.
There are also ‘Recommended Reads’ for different age-groups (including 13+), and a 
