Bookshop.org’s Read It Forward initiative with BookTrust and Scottish Book Trust has raised funds to support over 1,500 families since returning in February this year, an increase on the 1,000 families supported in 2024, the organisers have reported.
The initiative encourages parents, teachers, guardians and educators to purchase children’s books from Bookshop.org throughout the month of February, with 10% of the sales of each book sold to be donated to BookTrust and Scottish Book Trust. The initiative was launched in 2024.
Nicole Vanderbilt, managing director of Bookshop.org UK, said: “We’re delighted with the results of our second Read It Forward charity drive. By joining forces with the Scottish Book Trust as well as continuing our partnership with BookTrust, we’re proud to have raised funds to support children and families across the UK [to] access key literacy resources.
“Once again, our customers have shown that they care deeply about supporting independent bookshops, but also, and most crucially, about the ongoing children’s reading crisis. With the number of children reading for pleasure declining, we were proud not only to encourage parents to treat their children to a book or two, but also to help get more books into the hands of children in the UK that need them the most.”
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The bestselling children’s books on the platform for the month of February included If I Had a Dragon by Gabby Dawnay and Alex Barrow (Thames & Hudson); Climate Is Just the Start: How We Can STOP the Climate Crisis and START Building a Better World for Everyone by Mikaela Loach (Random House USA); and Hunt for the Golden Scarab by MG Leonard and Manuel Sumberac (Pan Macmillan).
Also bestsellers were The History of Information by Chris Haughton (Dorling Kindersley); Ember Spark and the Unicorn’s Secret by Abi Elphinstone and Kristina Kister (Simon & Schuster); and You and Your Body: A First Look Inside the Human Body by Punam Krishan (Dorling Kindersley).
Marc Lambert, chief executive of Scottish Book Trust, said: “The funds raised through Read It Forward will provide vital support for young families facing challenging circumstances through our specialist early years outreach programme, Bookbug for the Home. We’re very grateful to Bookshop.org for helping us reach more families to support early communication and language skills, as well as building a love of reading.”
Diana Gerald MBE, chief executive of BookTrust, said: “As the UK’s largest children’s reading charity we know that children who read experience better mental well-being, form stronger bonds and relationships, do better at school and are more creative. Reading can be truly magical and transformative for the lives of children and is something that every child in the UK should experience, no matter their background.
“However, sadly many children across the UK don’t get to experience the life-changing benefits books can bring. We’re incredibly grateful that Bookshop.org’s Read it Forward has supported our cause for another year, helping us support families to discover the joy of reading.”
