Frank Cottrell-Boyce to turn children’s reading from an ‘invisible privilege to a universal right’

Today, Wednesday 21 May 2025, the multi award-winning children’s book author, screenwriter and current Waterstones Children’s Laureate, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, has released his inaugural ‘Reading Rights’ Report with partner BookTrust – the UK’s largest children’s reading charity.

The ‘Reading Rights: Books Build a Brighter Future’ interim report calls on national and local leaders in early years, health, education and culture to come together to make reading a part of daily life for every child in the first seven years of life.

The report – which will be formally launched this morning at a visit by Cottrell-Boyce and BookTrust to Edith Kerrison Nursery School and Children’s Centre in Newham, London – puts forward a vision for early childhood reading and story-sharing across three key areas for improvement – reading for the best start in life, reading in nurseries and schools, and reading for children with experience of social care; it identifies five specific points of focus where change will lead to real impact on the ground and on children’s lives.

It also announces plans for an innovative place-based pilot called the ‘City of Stories’, with the aim of creating a reading blueprint that can be scaled across other regions.

This all follows Cottrell-Boyce’s ‘Reading Rights’ summit held in January at St George’s Hall, Liverpool, which brought together expert voices across the political, education, literacy, early years, arts, library, and health sectors, as well as national and local government leaders including Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram and Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza.

The unique cross-sector summit allowed for the creation of a comprehensive strategy for shared-reading as an early years’ health and wellbeing intervention, and these innovative practices were captured in the report.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2024–2026, said: “Britain is not an equal society. 4.3 million children are growing up in poverty. When I was named Waterstones Children’s Laureate, I knew I wanted to use my position to campaign for these children, the ones that are being left behind.

“I started the ‘Reading Rights’ campaign to highlight this indefensible inequality, but also to say that we can do something about it. We have an astonishingly powerful tool in our hands – shared reading. If you’ve been read to, as a child, by someone who cares about you, you have been given an enormous invisible privilege. If you haven’t been given that privilege, then you’ve been left with an enormous mountain to climb.

“During my travels as Waterstones Children’s Laureate I’ve encountered brilliant people and ideas who are already making a difference. We just need to make sure that every child gets a chance to experience that difference. To turn that invisible privilege into a universal right.

“This report contains a stark warning. If we vacate that space – where child and story meet, where human love slows the world down and makes it a bit more navigable – we will hand it to something that is not human, that will not slow down, that does not love us. We will be ceding the territory of calm and connection to confusion, anxiety and fury. The mission is urgent. Childhood is fleeting. But the mission is also achievable. And it is full of joy.

“I’m asking for government support on a local and national level to make sure this simple, vital experience is available to all. To help us remember who we really are – the storytelling species.”

The five key areas of action have been identified for their potential to make tangible change, and these will be the focus of BookTrust and Frank Cottrell-Boyce’s activity over the next twelve months.

A second ‘Reading Rights’ summit will be held in early 2026, followed by an additional ‘Reading Rights’ Report in summer 2026, detailing progress over the five target areas.

The areas specifically include workforce training, policy guidance and frameworks, access to books, the sharing of high-quality research and evidence, and multi-agency leadership.

Diana Gerald MBE, CEO of BookTrust, commented: “It is our huge privilege to be working with Frank Cottrell-Boyce on the Reading Rights campaign, and with the extraordinary cross-sector coalition that has been involved in this work so far. BookTrust has been working to get children and families reading for many decades, but we know that too many children are missing out on the immediate and lifelong benefits of early shared reading. That’s why, for BookTrust, this report is the next step on our journey to make early shared reading and storytelling an everyday part of all children’s lives.

“We want this report and campaign to unite us, inspire us and give focus to our shared commitment to improving children’s lives. We invite everyone who cares about the health, wellbeing and happiness of children to join the Reading Rights campaign and help make a difference.”

Darren Henley, Arts Council England’s chief executive, stated: “As part of our Let’s Create strategy, we want more children and young people to experience the richness of creativity and culture, wherever they live and whatever their circumstances. We know that shared reading creates happiness while also developing lifelong skills. There is no greater endeavour than seeking to build the happiness of our children and we’re proud to support BookTrust’s promotion of literacy as an essential tool.”

The full ‘Reading Rights’ Report, including all information, statistics and references, can be found here. It explores how shared reading in the early years across families, nurseries, schools and for children with experience of social care, can build stronger foundations for learning, wellbeing and opportunity.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce photo credit: David Bebber