Read North East
Read North East is a campaign to raise children’s literacy levels in the North East.
The campaign focuses on encouraging parents to talk and read to their babies and children, strengthening the culture of reading across the region, and engaging businesses to play an important role in addressing the literacy challenge.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Zoo-Wee Mama comic strip competition
Could your pupils design a Zoo-Wee Mama comic strip?
The National Literacy Trust and Penguin Random House have launched an exciting competition offering children in the North East the chance to meet Diary of a Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney and win a box of Diary of a Wimpy Kid books for their school!
Dads' reading selfies
Read North East campaign is calling on dads across the region to share a ‘selfie’ as they read to their child. Get involved and post a photo on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram with #ReadNorthEast for the chance to win a bundle of books!
All entries will be featured in a gallery on this website.
Get involved
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News and events
Sign up to receive quarterly emails with Read North East news and events.
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Reading with your child
Tips and resources for encouraging reading and supporting your child's literacy.
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Pledge your support
Businesses and organisations can support the campaign in a number of ways.
The regional picture
The North East has some of the lowest literacy levels in the country. 17% of the population aged 16 to 65 (about 283,500 people) have literacy levels at or below that expected of a 9 to 11 year old, which affects how parents and carers support their children’s literacy development.
The literacy challenge in the region has been reinforced by recent data analysis by the National Literacy Trust and Experian. It found that 60% of wards in the North East have significant literacy need, and the region is second most at risk of literacy problems in the country. Find out more
Picture gallery
We gave away almost 2,000 books at our first Read North East book giveaway at the intu Metrocentre in Gateshead.
The North East Literacy Forum
The North East Literacy Forum is the campaign steering group, made up of key regional and national organisations.
