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3.8 million UK children without a book
06 December 2011
A new study by the National Literacy Trust (NLT) has discovered that some 3.8 million children in the UK do not own their own book.
This number is increasing too. Seven years ago just one in ten children did not own their own book while now this number stands at one in three.
Expressing their concern at the findings, the NLA have said that there is a direct correlation between the number of books in a child's home and their reading ability.
The National Literacy Trust director Jonathan Douglas argues that books are an essential element of giving children the best start in life.
"With 1 in 6 in the UK struggling with literacy it is very worrying that many children could be missing out on opportunities to develop these essential skills," he said.
In response to the report, the NLT has launched a Christmas Gift of Reading fundraising campaign which will give books to children from disadvantaged backgrounds.