Benefits of Children Reading discussed at Labour Party Conference
The multi award-winning author, screenwriter and current Waterstones Children’s Laureate (2024-2026), Frank Cottrell-Boyce, discussed the positive impact of reading and creativity on children with Publishers Association’s President and CEO of Bonnier Books UK, Perminder Mann, this morning [Monday 23 September]. The event took place in the Cultural and Creative Industries Pavilion at the Labour Party Conference.
The conversation focused on the importance of children’s reading in developing confidence, communication skills, empathy and resilience. Both speakers called for the government to take urgent action to address the current crisis in children’s reading.
Perminder and Frank also discussed the transformative impact of libraries and their crucial role in communities. Perminder said libraries were a “portal to another world” for her when she was young and had a very positive impact on her childhood. While Frank shared that libraries gave him a sense of belonging and joy when he was growing up.
The importance of children having choice and agency over what they read was also highlighted as important. Perminder and Frank discussed that children should be encouraged to explore and discover books for themselves, especially in our increasingly algorithm-driven world.
Frank spoke about his intention to focus on pre-school reading during his laureateship with his ‘Reading Rights: Books build a brighter future’ campaign which aims to get families reading together as early as possible. He took up the prestigious role of Waterstones Children’s Laureate, which is managed by BookTrust – the UK’s largest children’s reading charity, in July.