BBC’s must-read children’s book list too focussed on the classics, warns BookTrust

In the UK, literacy charity BookTrust has warned the BBC’s list of ‘must-read’ books for children places too much emphasis on ‘timeless classics’, reports the Daily Telegraph. BookTrust chief executive Diana Gerald said that while ‘it’s great that the BBC’s LovetoRead campaign is highlighting children’s books’, the survey results ‘show how little we know of the treasure chest available to children’. ‘Too often children are given “timeless classics” to read, when there are so many other, newer books that are just as brilliant but can also talk to them about the world they know, in language that resonates with them,’ said Gerald. ‘Classics are important, of course, but if we’re going to create a new generation of readers, we need to be bolder and more imaginative in the books we promote’. Gerald was also critical of the decision to present a tick-list of ‘books you should have read’. ‘The challenge is that children have enough “to do” lists as it is’. The list was based on a survey of 1000 adults asked which book ‘every child should read’, with a further 1001 people then asked to pick their favourites from a shortlist.

Category: International news Junior