Children are reading less. Why should we be concerned?

Over the past year, as we noticed a decline in the sale of chapter books, we began to worry this might be an indicator that fewer children (particularly in the 8-12yo range) were reading books for pleasure. So we started to ask around. We spoke to publishers, teachers, and librarians, and their answers were unanimous - yes, children were reading less and yes, this is of great concern. Why are children in this age group struggling to read? What can we do to help them develop a love of reading? And why does it matter? 

On September 20th, 2023 we joined panel of experts - Jo Apperley, teacher and librarian, and Jules O’Malley from children’s publisher, Scholastic NZ discussing these important questions. It was a free community event.

They say a child who reads six out of seven nights a week is one year ahead at school.

Read the recent article in The Bookseller about children’s literacy rates.