Luke Pollard MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, is supporting World Book Day’s national ‘Share a Story’ campaign, encouraging parents and carers to read with their children for ten minutes a day.

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. This year the campaign is urging parents and carers to take ten minutes to ‘share a story’ with their children, to revive reading as a national pastime.

Every child in Plymouth Sutton and Devonport will be given a £1 book token for World Book Day, taking place on the 7th March 2019, which they can take to a bookshop or supermarket to get their free World Book Day book (or £1 off any full price book that takes their fancy).

Luke Pollard MP said: 

“I hope parents, grandparents and carers in Plymouth will take time to read for ten minutes with their children on World Book Day, and every day after.  Sharing stories together, at home or school, in the library or in the park, on a bus or train – anywhere, anytime – for just ten minutes a day has long-lasting effects on a child’s future.”

What is World Book day?

World Book Day reaches 15 million children and young people with £1 book tokens distributed to over 45,000 educational establishments in the UK and Ireland. One in four children (one in three for those on free school meals) said the book they bought with their 2016 £1 World Book Day book token was the first book they have had of their own (NLT). This year, World Book Day (Thursday 7th March) is encouraging parents and carers to ‘Share a Story’, by reading with their children for ten minutes every day.

Every child in an educational establishment. Parents and carers are urged to contact their local school to check participation.

Why is reading so important?

Reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success, but children’s reading for pleasure is in long-term decline:

40% of 8 – 10 year olds read to themselves daily (down from 56% in 2012), while 63% say they would rather be using the internet than reading books

40% or more employers are providing remedial literacy and basic skills support to school and college leavers (CBI).

The National Literacy Trust has found that if every child left primary school with the reading skills they need, our economy could be £30 billion bigger by 2025.

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