Why Every Child Deserves a Book They Love (And How We Can All Help)

A new report from Parliament's Education Committee has landed, and it's given us a lot to think about here at Little Book Factory.

The headline numbers are sobering: only around a third of children say they actually enjoy reading, and just one in five reads for fun every day. That's a steep drop from where things used to be — and it matters, because the evidence is clear that children who read for pleasure are happier, healthier, more empathetic, and do better at school.

It's Not About Making Kids Read More — It's About Making Them Want To

Perhaps the most striking theme running through the report is the idea that joy has to come first. MPs found that current policy leans too heavily on proficiency — getting the mechanics of reading right — at the expense of pleasure. Children need to feel the wonder of a good story before they'll ever choose to pick up a book on their own.

That's a philosophy we live by every day. When a child sees their own imagination turned into a real, printed book — their characters, their plot twists, their handwriting or drawings brought to life on a cover — reading stops being a chore and becomes something they're proud of. It's hard to think of a more direct route to "the enchantment of turning pages" than handing a child a book they wrote themselves.

The Big Ideas in the Report

A few of the committee's recommendations stood out to us:

• A National Decade of Reading, building on the government's National Year of Reading, so momentum doesn't fizzle out after one big push.
• A National Reading Guarantee, which would see every child automatically signed up for a library card at birth.
• A library in every secondary school, made a legal requirement, alongside funding to refresh shelves and train staff — building on the Chancellor's existing promise of a library in every primary school by 2029.
• Reform of the English Literature GCSE, with a stronger focus on developing a genuine love of literature and a more diverse range of texts.
• More support for parents, recognising that time pressure, cost, and confidence are real barriers to reading together at home — especially for families facing poverty or food insecurity.

Isobel Hunter of Libraries Connected made a lovely point in her evidence to the committee: whatever it is that catches a child's imagination, whether that's rainbows, robots, football or zombies, there's a book out there for them. We couldn't agree more — and we'd add that sometimes the book that catches a child's imagination most is the one where they're the author.

Where We Come In

Reports like this remind us why Little Book Factory exists. Turning a child's own story into a real, bound book does more than create a keepsake — it tells a child their imagination is worth printing, worth reading, worth sharing. For a child who's on the fence about reading, that's a powerful nudge.

If the joy of reading really does need to lead the way, we think giving children ownership over their own stories is one of the simplest ways to help. A guarantee of library access, better school libraries, and a livelier curriculum will all help build the culture the committee is hoping for — and we're proud to be part of that same mission, one personalised story at a time.

Want to help a child fall in love with reading? [Start creating their story with Little Book Factory today.]