There’s a captivating power of a beautiful picture book. Children gaze at the pictures while listening to the story, absorbing the deeper layers of information they convey. Pictures can communicate so much more than words alone and most children learn to read visual images long before they learn to read the printed word. Picture books are also universal. They let…

“We know that teachers are under immense pressure to deliver results, and can find it challenging to make time within the curriculum for fostering reading for pleasure. But the social, emotional and cognitive benefits of reading for pleasure are unquestionable …” Teresa Cremin Professor of Education (Literacy), Open University These were Professor Teresa Cremin’s words when she expressed her worry…

Teachers, not just in early years but all the way up to and including secondary school, are expressing concern for a stark and growing vocabulary deficit. The Word Gap has been widely used to typify the difference between children raised in language rich families where talk is everywhere and children who are not. Hart and Risley suggest this Word Gap…

The transformational impact that reading has on a child’s life is well documented. Recent research suggests that learning to read and reading for pleasure can influence a child’s academic success, vocabulary development, mental health, ability to empathise, accept other cultures and even life expectancy. However the data is interpreted, this makes the Department for Education’s report that 25% of children…