First of all, why is it important to encourage children to love reading? Reading is a lot more than the ability to decipher a jumble of letters on a page – it gives children access to general knowledge, new perspectives on the world and expands their vocabulary.

Reading books (or any reading material) and talking about them can also help children’s confidence and wellbeing, encourage empathy and broaden their life skills.

Research suggests that reading for pleasure is also directly linked to academic attainment. The Reading Agency sights that children who read books often at age 10, and more than once a week at age 16, gain higher results in maths, vocabulary and spelling tests at age 16 than those who read less regularly.