THE UK’s leading children’s reading charity, BookTrust, has launched its annual Christmas appeal. The campaign aims to bring joy to children across the UK during the festive period, through the magic of books – especially to those from vulnerable backgrounds or whose families are on low incomes.
The charity will be working hard in the lead-up to Christmas to deliver a staggering 18,000 books to children in foster care and those whose families use community foodbanks. The books will be sent directly to 8,800 children in care by local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and thousands more will be given out through community organisations.
Publisher DK, who is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, will be the exclusive supplier of the books that will be gifted during the 2024 festive campaign and they have generously donated all 18,000 books – this represents a very significant donation from DK and is a first for the charity.
DK and BookTrust have worked closely together to ensure that the titles gifted are suitable for looked-after children, as well as being exciting and engaging to support BookTrust’s mission to get children from all backgrounds reading regularly and by choice.
The gifted books may be the only present a child in care receives or may relieve the financial burden on families balancing the cost-of-living crisis and the pressure to buy Christmas gifts.
The books gifted as part of the Christmas appeal all have DK’s iconic and distinctive look and have real gift appeal. They include Baby Touch and Feel Bunny; Pop-Up Peekaboo Shark and The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Very First Encyclopedia for the youngest children; Hidden Animals and titles from the How Can I Help? series for 4 – 5s; What’s The Difference: Animals; Animal Ultimate Handbook and It’s A Wonderful World for 7 – 11s, and Earth Knowledge Genius and Animal Knowledge Genius for older children.
BookTrust research shows that reading regularly in childhood has a measurable impact on development. It is proven that children who meet their early development goals do better across a range of outcome measures later in life, and those who benefit from high-quality early years support are more likely to achieve their early development goals. These positive early experiences support well-being well into adulthood, contributing significantly to better mental health, educational outcomes, empathy and creativity, and mitigating socio-economic inequalities for generations to come.
However, BookTrust’s Christmas appeal is not just about reading, but also about creating special, shared moments and ensuring that every child gets to experience magic on Christmas morning.
Diana Gerald MBE, CEO of BookTrust, said:
“We’re incredibly grateful for this extremely generous donation from DK – their wonderful gift means we can make sure even more children across the country will receive Christmas presents. For children who celebrate Christmas it’s traditionally such an exciting time, but for a child living in care who may be spending their first holiday in a new environment, or the child whose parents are under major financial strain – this year may be very different.
“The joy of reading is something every child deserves to experience, our Christmas appeal is a reminder that books are not just stories – they unlock the imagination and are sources of knowledge, connection and fun. We’re asking for your support so that we can share the magic of reading with more children this Christmas and beyond.”
Paul Kelly, CEO of DK, said:
“Making reading enjoyable and accessible and helping children to discover the world are fundamental parts of our ethos at DK. For a child, reading can be a tool to learn something new, to build confidence or it can be a form of escapism – reading sits at the heart of a child’s development and we are proud to partner with BookTrust to support this wonderful campaign.”
BookTrust’s Christmas Appeal runs from November 6th until the end of December and aims to raise thousands of pounds to help more children and families experience the life-changing benefits of reading this Christmas and beyond.
To donate to the appeal, please visit: www.booktrust.org.uk.
