We teamed up with the Morrisons Foundation to give pupils in schools throughout England, Scotland and Wales a bundle of new books for their school library in celebration of World Book Day.
Our research shows that reading amongst children has provided a vital refuge for them during the lockdowns. 59% of children stated that reading during lockdown made them feel better, 32% said it helped them when they felt sad that they could not see their family and friends, and 50% of children said that reading inspired them to dream about the future beyond the pandemic.
In total, 497 schools throughout England, Scotland and Wales have received a bundle of books which includes titles including The Extraordinary Life of Amelia Earhart by Sheila Kanani (Penguin Random House Children's UK) and The Racehorse Who Learned to Dance by Clare Balding (Penguin Random House Children's UK).
The initiative aims to encourage 125,000 children from local communities to discover a love of reading this World Book Day and over the past three years Morrisons Community Champions have shared out 20,000 books with schools in their local communities.
We are proud to join forces with Morrisons Foundation to provide thousands of books to children who need them most this World Book Day. Books have the power to change children’s life stories and the books provided through this fantastic initiative will also provide inspiration and comfort during this continued time of uncertainty.
Jonathan Douglas CBE, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust