Press Release: ‘We Read Because' Campaign

To celebrate World Book Day on the 2^ndof March 2017, the teams behind ‘Daddy Do My Hair?' and ‘The Adventures of Obi and Titi' are delighted to announce that they have joined forces for a new social media campaign -‘We Read Because'. 

‘We Read Because' is an initiative designed to raise awareness of the many benefits that reading for pleasure has on children's development, not just academically but socially, psychologically and on their emotional wellbeing. By doing this we hope to promote and highlight the importance of reading for leisure so that parents from BAME backgrounds encourage this activity in their homes.

The benefits of reading for leisure have been widely studied. Children who frequently read in their leisure time do better in school, are better communicators and command a richer vocabulary.  When children read widely, they are exposed to different ideas, cultures and situations, which enrich their outlook on life.  Consequently, they are more likely to develop a better understanding of the world around them, including an appreciation of different cultures and perspectives.  A strong reading culture also improves general knowledge and helps children relate to others better.  Children who regularly read in their leisure show improved brain function and have better imagination.

One of the great benefits of reading is that it is a great equaliser, with research showing that reading for leisure is more important for a child's educational attainment than their family's socio-economic status. In England, children read less frequently for leisure than in other countries. This means that a large number of children in England are losing out on a simple activity that could have a significant and positive impact on their development.

World Book Day Director Kirsten Grant says: "World Book Day is about creating readers for the future by igniting a love of books and reading in children and young people."

Our campaign will utilise social media to highlight specific benefits of reading by telling the world why we read.

You can get involved by using the hashtag #WeReadBecause in the week leading up to and on World Book Day and tell everyone why you read. To help, we have created a briefing to support you, availableHERE. Alternatively, you can simply re-tweet or share our Tweets, Facebook and Instagram posts.

Thank you for joining our campaign to get our children reading.

Ends

Notes to Editors

If you would like to write a feature or interview the team behind the campaign, please contact Tola Okogwu.

For more information please contact Florence Elizabeth Publishing Ltd on 0203 3847118, emailtola@florenceelizabethpublishing.com. For urgent enquiries 07590983140.

‘We Read Because'launches onThursday 2 March 2017.

About Daddy Do My Hair

The ‘Daddy Do My Hair?' series of books are designed to celebrate the relationships between fathers and their children, whilst challenging some of the perceptions and preconceptions around race and gender roles within parenting. Written by Tola Okogwu, who through her books and wider writing, constantly seeks to create ‘mirrors and windows' through which all children can see themselves represented.

Website:http://www.daddydomyhair.com

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/daddydomyhair

Twitter:https://www.twitter.com/daddy_do_hair

Instagram:http://www.instagram.com/daddydomyhair

About The Adventures of Obi and Titi

The Adventures of Obi and Titi is a series aimed to address the lack of diverse children's characters in today's media such as books, education material, animation and games. Through these various forms of media we will provide positive, fun and engaging ways for children to learn about African history and culture and its role in early civilisation.

Written by Oyehmi Begho, the Obi and Titi series is an endeavour close to his heart. It challenges the growing cultural divide and he hopes it will give all children a better understanding of Africa, its people, culture and history.

Website:http://www.obiandtiti.com

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/obiandtiti

Twitter:https://twitter.com/obiandtiti