Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan, is championing World Book Day on Thursday 2 March 2023.
Every year, World Book Day1 creates bespoke £1 books for children and young adults across the UK and Ireland, to promote the power of imagination and the importance of reading.
Through World Book Day, every child2 in Portsmouth South is given a £1 book token, which they can take to a bookshop or supermarket to get their free World Book Day book3.
The City MP joined a Parliamentary drop-in this week to champion reading for pleasure in Portsmouth South.
They are calling on teachers, carers, and parents to ensure that reading for pleasure is encouraged as much as reading attainment. While reading was the only core subject which saw attainment levels improve in 20224, the number of children who say they enjoy it is in serious decline.
Reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or their income.
However, reading for pleasure is at its lowest levels in 18 years and many children have limited access to books. 500,000 (one in 15) children in England aged 8 – 18 say they don’t own a single book, which rises to one in 10 for those eligible for Free School Meals.
One in five pupils receiving Free School Meals said that the book they ‘bought’ with their World Book Day book token was the first book of their own.
Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South, Stephen Morgan MP, said:
“I am delighted to support World Book Day again this year. 500,000 children in the UK don’t have a book of their own, so it is so important that they get this opportunity to own a book of their own choosing which hopefully will stimulate a lifelong love of reading.
“Reading is so important when it comes to wellbeing and attainment, and as a book lover myself, I hope as many young people in Portsmouth as possible take full advantage of World Book Day.”
Mr Morgan continues to campaign in Parliament for more support to be given to young people to improve their literacy levels. This week he met with the National Literacy Trust to discuss this and other matters.
