BookLife Publishing, a King’s Lynn-based independent publisher, is urging parents and schools to concentrate on enjoyment and variety when encouraging children to read, arguing that the solution to reluctance is often simply finding the right book for the child.
Why enjoyment matters more than targets
Founded in 2014 as an offshoot of a school supplier, BookLife has grown into a publisher with more than 4,000 titles, spanning non-fiction, graphic novels and dyslexia-friendly books linked to the curriculum.
Director Ian McMullen said that policy debates and classroom targets can miss what he calls the principal factor in creating readers: enjoyment. In his view, making reading pleasurable from the earliest encounters is the key to lasting engagement.
"The key to getting anyone to read more is finding the right book for that child,"
BookLife’s catalogue is designed to offer material tailored to different interests, abilities and learning needs, reflecting that a one-size-fits-all approach can deter children who struggle to connect with what’s on offer.
Evidence of changing habits at home
The publisher pointed to wider trends showing shifts in home reading routines. A HarperCollins report cited by BookLife found that only 41% of parents with children aged four and under said they frequently read aloud to them in 2024, down from 64% in 2012. BookLife also notes research indicating that children who are read to daily are almost three times as likely to choose to read independently than those read to weekly.
| Measure | Statistic |
|---|---|
| Founding year of BookLife Publishing | 2014 |
| Number of titles | 4,000+ |
| Parents reading aloud (2012) | 64% |
| Parents reading aloud (2024) | 41% |
What this means locally
For parents, teachers and librarians in Reading and the surrounding counties, the message is practical: broaden the range of material on offer, and place enjoyment alongside attainment goals. BookLife’s investment in dyslexia-friendly formats and a wide variety of genres is an acknowledgement that accessibility and interest are equally important in early reading development.
- Focus on matching books to a child’s interests and reading level.
- Include diverse formats — picture books, graphic novels, dyslexia-friendly texts.
- Maintain daily reading routines where possible to build independent habits.
The publisher’s evolution from a school supplier to an independent house with a large, curriculum-linked catalogue underscores a continued demand among educators for resources that both support learning objectives and engage young readers.
Local schools and parents keen to explore different formats might consider liaising with school librarians or local bookshops to identify titles that reflect a child’s interests and needs. BookLife’s approach is a reminder that increasing literacy levels often begins not with testing targets but with the simple act of handing a child a book they want to read.
