I gave a speech this week on why children need books more than ever in 2020.

It was fascinating to research that when we teach children to read, whole communities thrive.

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Researching why children's literacy was a delight because it brought together two of my favourite topics - children and books.

Two weeks before I'd done an essay on fairy tales. SO fun.
@RMIT_PWE course - full of unexpected delights!

2/13

The evidence for literacy is so strong - both for the individual and for society:
-healthier populations
-less crime
-greater economic growth
-higher employment rates

3/13

And so although in 2017 in Australia 4 out of 5 kids aged 0-2 were read to or told stories on a regular basis on our large national education survey ... that means 1 in 5 were not.

That gap and "learning poverty" that is seen around the world is huge and a big problem.

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Reading itself & storytelling are a portal to so many other worlds. Reading is often pure entertainment.
Knowledge is also power.

Children climbing onto their parent's laps & finding a haven while having a story read to them & connecting is something we all recognise.

5/13

When I did my MPH I heard about the Imagination Library started in 1995 by singer Dolly Parton - in 2018 they donated their 100th MILLION book. They now give books to children around the world (books delivered every month from age 0-5 years).

https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/03/01/589912466/dolly-parton-gives-the-gift-of-literacy-a-library-of-100-million-books

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That story of Dolly Parton's inspired me when after years of trying to get pregnant with my first babe back in 2005, I toodled to my local bookstore the Avenue every Friday arvo after work and bought my growing baby girl a book and she was bought with a mini library.

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Amazingly, just having books themselves in your house make a difference to literacy levels! Here's an article in the Guardian on the research data from 160,000 adults in 31 countries.

*I'm telling this to give you permission to buy more books.*

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/oct/10/growing-up-in-a-house-full-of-books-is-major-boost-to-literacy-and-numeracy-study-finds

8/13

So to those of you who write, who read to your children, who can influence policy, who teach, who are librarians and who govern...

Words matter
Books matter
Libraries & bookstores matter
Teachers matter
Children matter
Literacy matter
Children reading matters

9/13

Perhaps in these uncertain times of colossal bushfires, a global pandemic, with climate change looming over us, reading stories and being able to immerse themselves in an imaginary world is needed now more than ever to assist children make sense of what is occurring.

10/13

I stumbled on this quote by Albert Einstein and @neilhimself used it in a speech as well:

"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales".

11/13

In a world where we progressively speed up & discard much of our past, we would be wise to keep lifting small children up onto our laps & telling them stories.
12/13

Children who are able to read are given the chance to a better life.
We should not forget that or leave some children behind.

Children's literacy matters.

(Nod to One Direction for now obsessed 14 year old daughter).
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