On World Book Day, Tynemouth MP Alan Campbell is encouraging parents and carers everywhere to read and share stories with their children for ten minutes every day.  The aim is to inspire new reading habits in both children and adults, to bring back reading for pleasure as a national pastime.

Alan said “World Book Day is the registered charity behind the UK’s biggest annual celebration of children’s books.  Every year World Book Day curates a list of bespoke £1 books for children and young people across the UK and Ireland, which they can choose for free at their local bookshop using their £1 World Book Day book token.

The Share a Story campaign directly encourages the improvement of these key skills for children. Sharing stories together – anywhere, anytime – for just ten minutes a day has a long-lasting effect on a child’s future. We now know that reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success, more than their family circumstances – more than parents’ educational background or their income.”