A problematic gift

The announcement from the Literacy Trust and its patron Queen Camilla last week was a lovely, well-meaning endeavor that, for me, and many others working in children's literature and education, completely missed the mark.

Queen Camilla, for her birthday gift, is going to give every Year 6 UK pupil (P6 in Scotland) a book. There is a reading for pleasure crisis in this country, and although there was a slight improvement in this year’s data, it’s clear there is much to be done. So any initiative focused on getting more books into children’s hands, for free, is fantastic. However, they are giving the same book, one title, to every child. The book in question is a rich, immersive fantasy title, Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell, that I really enjoyed. But it won’t appeal to every child in the same way that adults do not all enjoy reading the same books. Finding your taste in books is like finding the music you love; you need to experiment, and it’s definitely not one size fits all. In every think piece, report, and expert advice column I’ve seen on how to foster a love of reading  there is a huge emphasis on giving a child choice and agency in choosing their books.  Something I’ve seen firsthand with my 7-year-old. Yes, you may curate a wider selection as a starting point, but children being able to choose their books is so important.

Read the rest of the article at The Bookseller