Larissa Hurt

Great Western Railway has launched a campaign to encourage children to read during the summer holidays, including mini libraries at ten stations such as Swindon. Children’s author Michael Rosen promoted the initiative by reading We're Going on a Bear Hunt on a train from London Paddington to Reading. A survey of 1,002 UK parents found that children spend substantially more time on screens than reading during the holidays, with many experiencing reduced reading confidence when returning to school. Rosen questioned whether social media bans for under-16s would work and urged authors to make books more engaging.