DK donate 18,000 books to support BookTrust's Christmas campaign
Published on: 7 Tachwedd 2024
DK's books will be going out to children who are in care or visiting a food bank this year.
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BookTrust has launched its annual Christmas appeal, aiming to bring joy to children across the UK during the festive period through the magic of books.
Across the festive season, we'll be giving out 18,000 books, with 8,800 going to children who are in foster care and thousands more to those whose families are visiting community food banks.
Publisher DK, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, will be the exclusive supplier of the books that will be gifted during the 2024 festive campaign and they have generously donated all 18,000 books – this represents a very significant donation from DK and is a first for BookTrust.
Sharing exciting and engaging books
DK and BookTrust have worked together to ensure that the titles gifted are suitable for children who are looked after, as well as being exciting and engaging to support BookTrust's mission to get children from all backgrounds reading regularly and by choice.
They all have DK's iconic and distinctive look and have real gift appeal, and include Baby Touch and Feel Bunny, Pop-Up Peekaboo Shark and The Very Hungry Caterpillar's Very First Encyclopedia for the youngest children; Hidden Animals and titles from the How Can I Help? series for 4-5s; What's The Difference: Animals, Animal Ultimate Handbook and It's A Wonderful World for 7-11s; and Earth Knowledge Genius and Animal Knowledge Genius for older children.
BookTrust research shows that reading regularly in childhood has a measurable impact on development, supporting mental health, educational outcomes, empathy and creativity, and mitigating socio-economic inequalities.
However, BookTrust's Christmas appeal is not just about reading, but also about creating special, shared moments and ensuring that every child gets to experience magic on Christmas morning.
The festive parcel from BookTrust may be the only present a child in care receives or may relieve the financial burden on families balancing the cost-of-living crisis and the pressure to buy Christmas gifts.
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Every child deserves the magic of books
BookTrust's CEO Diana Gerald MBE said the charity is "incredibly grateful for this extremely generous donation from DK".
She added: "Their wonderful gift means we can make sure even more children across the country will receive Christmas presents. For children who celebrate Christmas it's traditionally such an exciting time, but for a child living in care who may be spending their first holiday in an unfamiliar home, or the child whose parents are under major financial strain, this year may be very different.
"The joy of reading is something every child deserves to experience. Our Christmas appeal is a reminder that books are not just stories - they unlock the imagination and are sources of knowledge, connection and fun.
"We're asking for your support so that we can share the magic of reading with more children this Christmas and beyond."
And Paul Kelly, CEO of DK, said: "Making reading enjoyable and accessible and helping children to discover the world are fundamental parts of our ethos at DK.
"For a child, reading can be a tool to learn something new, to build confidence or it can be a form of escapism – reading sits at the heart of a child's development and we are proud to partner with BookTrust to support this wonderful campaign."
Donate £10 today and share the magic of reading this Christmas
Topics: News
