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Children's Book Project
The opening statement for the Children's Book Project reads: "One in three disadvantaged children across the UK has fewer than ten books of their own at home[1], and one in ten has none." Children's Book Project aims to tackle the issue of book poverty while simultaneously decreasing book waste by accepting used book donations. They work closely with women’s groups, children’s centres, prisons and schools to gift gently used books to children nationwide, forging links with settings whose communities may benefit most from access to free books.
Why is this important?
In 2025, one in four (25%) students left primary school unable to read to the required standard. Which equates to over 150,000 students annually. By age eleven, there is a 12-month language development gap between children from book rich homes books and those with fewer than ten books [1]. Only 10% of these disadvantaged students (who do not reach the required standard of reading by age 11) are expect to pass their English and Maths GCSE. [2]
Not acquiring literacy during childhood could greatly impact a person later in life in ways such as limiting educational/employment opportunities, increased financial hardship, and reduced access to essential social, emotional, and communal services and support [3]. The importance of literacy is so frequently overlooked, we should begin to give it the emphasis that it deserves. An access to information and comprehension is one of the greatest gifts you can give a young person.
There are many potential factors in a child being unable or struggling to read but inaccessibility is definitely one of the most preventable. 750,000 children have no library within their school and many other schools are lacking in funding to be able to provide a quality library. [4]
Furthermore, there are many children in the UK experiencing poverty, familial hardships, and unfathomable difficulties increasing the potential inaccessibility to books. We cannot ignore that many of these children are from poorer or minority communities - children who are perpetually overlooked.
In our support for organisations providing books to children, we are giving young people a chance to break generational cycles, to be given context and language to describe life experiences, to develop their emotional and social understanding, and access greater opportunities. Reading is not only a life skill but a barrier for greater social and emotional experiences, why shouldn't we wish to change the potential negative trajectory of many children's lives?
What can I do?
Children's Book Project have a few different options for people to support their cause. You can donate funds via their website to aid their mission. You may also wish to donate books via a book drive local to you or you may be eligible for home collection (check their website under the "Give Books" section to find out more). If you would like to raise more donations or collect more books, why not check out their information on fundraisers and running a book drive? If you cannot give anything currently, that's completely okay, sharing the cause helps too!
Sources
[1]Book ownership in 2022 (no date) National Literacy Trust. Available at: https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/book-ownership-in-2022/ (Accessed: 03 November 2025).
[2] Tackling the UK’s childhood literacy problem with reading support (2025) Schoolreaders. Available at: https://www.schoolreaders.org/why-are-we-needed#:~:text=According%20to%20Gov.UK%2C%20around%20a%20quarter%20of,the%20phonics%20screening%20check%20in%20year%201. (Accessed: 03 November 2025).
[3] The impact of illiteracy (2025) Adult Literacy Trust. Available at: https://alt.org.uk/impact-of-illiteracy/#:~:text=Low%20levels%20of%20literacy%20limits,older%20generations%20are%20barely%20apparent. (Accessed: 03 November 2025).
[4]Inviting and inclusive school libraries (2024) Read for Good. Available at: https://readforgood.org/libraries/ (Accessed: 03 November 2025).
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Help
Children's Book Project
The opening statement for the Children's Book Project reads: "One in three disadvantaged children across the UK has fewer than ten books of their own at home[1], and one in ten has none." Children's Book Project aims to tackle the issue of book poverty while simultaneously decreasing book waste by accepting used book donations. They work closely with women’s groups, children’s centres, prisons and schools to gift gently used books to children nationwide, forging links with settings whose communities may benefit most from access to free books.
Why is this important?
In 2025, one in four (25%) students left primary school unable to read to the required standard. Which equates to over 150,000 students annually. By age eleven, there is a 12-month language development gap between children from book rich homes books and those with fewer than ten books [1]. Only 10% of these disadvantaged students (who do not reach the required standard of reading by age 11) are expect to pass their English and Maths GCSE. [2]
Not acquiring literacy during childhood could greatly impact a person later in life in ways such as limiting educational/employment opportunities, increased financial hardship, and reduced access to essential social, emotional, and communal services and support [3]. The importance of literacy is so frequently overlooked, we should begin to give it the emphasis that it deserves. An access to information and comprehension is one of the greatest gifts you can give a young person.
There are many potential factors in a child being unable or struggling to read but inaccessibility is definitely one of the most preventable. 750,000 children have no library within their school and many other schools are lacking in funding to be able to provide a quality library. [4]
Furthermore, there are many children in the UK experiencing poverty, familial hardships, and unfathomable difficulties increasing the potential inaccessibility to books. We cannot ignore that many of these children are from poorer or minority communities - children who are perpetually overlooked.
In our support for organisations providing books to children, we are giving young people a chance to break generational cycles, to be given context and language to describe life experiences, to develop their emotional and social understanding, and access greater opportunities. Reading is not only a life skill but a barrier for greater social and emotional experiences, why shouldn't we wish to change the potential negative trajectory of many children's lives?
What can I do?
Children's Book Project have a few different options for people to support their cause. You can donate funds via their website to aid their mission. You may also wish to donate books via a book drive local to you or you may be eligible for home collection (check their website under the "Give Books" section to find out more). If you would like to raise more donations or collect more books, why not check out their information on fundraisers and running a book drive? If you cannot give anything currently, that's completely okay, sharing the cause helps too!
Sources
[1]Book ownership in 2022 (no date) National Literacy Trust. Available at: https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/book-ownership-in-2022/ (Accessed: 03 November 2025).
[2] Tackling the UK’s childhood literacy problem with reading support (2025) Schoolreaders. Available at: https://www.schoolreaders.org/why-are-we-needed#:~:text=According%20to%20Gov.UK%2C%20around%20a%20quarter%20of,the%20phonics%20screening%20check%20in%20year%201. (Accessed: 03 November 2025).
[3] The impact of illiteracy (2025) Adult Literacy Trust. Available at: https://alt.org.uk/impact-of-illiteracy/#:~:text=Low%20levels%20of%20literacy%20limits,older%20generations%20are%20barely%20apparent. (Accessed: 03 November 2025).
[4]Inviting and inclusive school libraries (2024) Read for Good. Available at: https://readforgood.org/libraries/ (Accessed: 03 November 2025).
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