P4

Why have author visits?

Alan Gibbons argues for more involvement by authors in schools to inspire children to develop a love of books.

Let’s start with first principles. Reading changes lives. A reading child is a successful child. A child who reads finds it easier to master information and communication. A child who reads accesses new worlds. A child who reads develops a sense

of esteem, their own worth, their history, their capacities, their identity. In educational terms, reading works.

Don’t take my word for it. Listen to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This UN body states clearly that reading for pleasure is more important than social class in developing the life chances of a child.

Here is another piece of evidence. The National Literacy Trust has concluded from its research that children who go to libraries are twice as likely to be good at reading. It is not just the ability to master the technical ability to decode the print. It is the social sharing of books, browsing, comparing them, arguing about them, evaluating and assessing them through animated conversation.

This is different to the way we often look at books in the context of the curriculum. It is not about dissecting a book. It is not about studying an excerpt. It is not about drawing on a recognised canon of literature.

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