An ex-teacher who has now partnered with Usborne is using her platform to showcase the love of reading to children.
There has been a decrease in reading and book ownership since 2019, with less children owning books in 2023. This being nearly 20% of children aged five to eight years old do not have a book of their own at home.
Former teacher Charlotte Jenkins, owner of Charlotte’s Little World of Books, said: “Not many children get books for presents anymore.
“The children had not been in libraries. Children have less and less books at home.”
This was one of the reasons for Mrs Jenkins to start a book treasure hunt in the summer to give kids and parents something to do and getting children aged five to eleven to read more.
She works with local businesses around Sheffield to sponsor the treasure hunt and gives children an opportunity to have their own books to keep at home.
Another way she gets children into reading more is when she does her give-aways for schools and her followers. These book bundles include non-fiction and fiction, as well as money.
Mrs Jenkins recently did a give away from her Facebook page with people voting on which primary school should receive a book bundle for World Book Day. She firstly posted onto smaller Facebook groups in areas S6 and S10 however it gained traction and support quickly.
Mrs Jenkins said: “It took off, it all went a lot bigger than I thought it would, lots more followers than I imagined, it all just exploded.”
She delivered these books on March 12 to both Shooters Grove and Meynell Community Primary school who won the book bundles. These book bundles both included random access books which means that you can start the book from anywhere.
Mrs Jenkins shared how these books help children read more as it can feel less daunting and easier to read as the child thinks they aren’t reading as much.
Schools also can raise money to get 60% off books from Usborne through Charlotte’s Little World of Books. Mrs Jenkins said that schools can get up to £1,000 worth of books from this discount.
