World Book Day© has had a brand refresh, and I think it looks great!

Their new tagline as The Reading for Fun charity caught my attention and gave me pause to reflect, so, in the interests of sharing, here are my thoughts.

I’m having a lot of conversations within the literacy space in my multiple hats of Head of Coram Beanstalk, co-founder and co-chair of The Literacy Link, and a member of the volunteer strategy group for Year of Reading 2026.

The best thing about all of these is that, within this space, we all agree that:

1.  Not enough children are enjoying reading; the latest report from National Literacy Trust showed the lowest reading enjoyment stats to date for young people aged 8-18. Just 1 in 3 say they enjoy reading - bleurgh! 
2.  If more children could enjoy reading, then more young people will have access to the host of life benefits that being a reader brings.

Let’s be realistic, if you like doing something you’re more likely to do it, and if you’re doing it more often, you’ll get better at it, if you get better, you’ll do it more. It’s a virtuous cycle. 

I’m very supportive of anything that champions reading for fun so congratulations to World Book Day! They say “Young people are more likely to read if they see it as a fun, entertaining and social thing to do. That’s what our work is all about; inspiring them to see reading differently.”

 And that's where, at Coram Beanstalk, we've got history.  I’m now in my 15^th year of working with Coram Beanstalk and know that one of the best shifts we made was to make reading the star of the show. When I first joined, our sessions tended to be a little different: first children did the reading thing, and then they got to play a game. See the issue there? It sends a message saying the reading is the chore and the game is the reward, and that’s not going to help with enjoying reading.

Today, our reading helpers create a relaxed space to share, explore and talk about books together, reading skills are developed but there’s also an increase in reading enjoyment and improvements that show a child feels better about themselves - increased wellbeing, improved confidence and self-esteem - and they’re more likely to join in back in the classroom. Add into the mix an uplift in school attendance and it seems that creating that social reading space is a golden ticket to success.

There is a mental shift needed here for many, as too often I hear from people who assume that the best way to get children reading is to, well, get them to read. But for a child struggling with decoding or processing this can be a demotivating experience. We know from our sessions that once a child wants to read then the mechanics of learning to read soon catches up.

 

So, let’s make a commitment to share the sheer joy of reading with children - be seen reading yourself, share the silly books, the sad books, the books about poo, the footy books, the Minecraft books, the comics, the books with no words, the books that you share just because. Get comfy, relax and have fun.

In the words of World Book Day ©, Together, let’s help every child enjoy the life-changing benefits of reading for fun.

Join us in making reading fun for children in your local community