Saturday, July 25, 2015

Drop in younger children visiting libraries is worrying, says Chris Riddell

Children’s laureate gives hand-drawn response to figures revealing 26% decline in five- to 10-year-olds who had used library in the past seven days
Chris Riddell, children's laureate
 Author and illustrator Chris Riddell added that he would be supporting the Reading Agency’s summer reading challenge. Photograph: Lauren Hurley/PA
The children’s laureate, Chris Riddell, has said a drop in the number of younger children visiting libraries is of great concern, expressing his views in a hand-drawn statement responding to new government figures.
The findings, part of a Department for Culture, Media and Sport report into children’s activities, reveal a 26% decline in the number of five to 10-year-olds who had used a library in the past seven days.
In 2010, 18.7% children aged five to 10 had done so, compared to 13.8% in 2014.
Within that age group, the number who had made a trip to their library at some point over the past 12 months had decreased from 76.4% in 2010 to 67.7% in 2014.
Chris Riddell’s illustrated message in response to the government’s report
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 Chris Riddell’s illustrated message in response to the government’s report. Photograph: Chris Riddell/PA
Riddell, an author and illustrator, said: “A drop in younger children visiting libraries is of great concern. As children’s laureate, I am passionate about the role of libraries, both in schools and in the wider community. They are unique places where children can begin their journey as readers, as well as being creative hubs.
“Some of my favourite events have taken place in libraries, and over the next two years I intend to visit as many libraries as I can.”
He added that he supported the Reading Agency’s summer reading challenge, which encourages children aged four to 11 to read six books over the course of the school holidays.
There was a smaller drop in the number of five- to 15-year-olds who had used a library in the past week, down 6%, and a 7% decrease in those who had done so at least once in the year.
But the number of 11- to 15-year-olds who had visited a library in the past week had gone up 15%. This is despite a 1% fall in the numbers who had visited in the past year.
The apparent decline in interest in libraries comes despite an overall increase in the number of libraries, including those transformed from public libraries by community and volunteer groups. There are 3,450 libraries in England, according to the most recent figures from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, up 2% from 2010.
But Diana Gerald, chief executive of reading charity Book Trust, said the figures were “amazing”.
She said: “Over recent years children’s use of libraries has been consistently high, and even with all the other modern attractions libraries are still visited by 70% of under-15s - that’s quite amazing.
“In these austere times, libraries have never been more important as a way for every child to access books and reading.
“Book Trust research shows that reading helps close the poverty gap and is actually more important for a child’s educational success than their family’s socio-economic status. Well-resourced libraries remain a gateway to equality of educational achievement and an affordable source of great pleasure. All children should have easy access to a library.”
Cressida Cowell, author of the bestselling How To Train Your Dragon series, which has been adapted for film, said reading was “the most important thing you can do for improving literacy and communication skills”.
She added: “Libraries are particularly good for children experimenting and trying books that they might not have expected to like.
“A great librarian can truly make a difference in thousands of children’s lives.”

Friday, July 24, 2015



That’s Ta-Nehisi Coates on the magazine. He’s been on all the NPR shows and on the TV talk shows. I’m reading his book, Between the World and Me. It’s one of five I’ve got going. I don’t usually have five going. 

If you’ve seen him on TV or heard him, the book’s a lot better than he talks. He’s a real writer.

Everybody tells you to read this book. I can see why. It’s not the standard fare.



Thursday, July 23, 2015


Fifth day back on the street with the sign after Wyoming. Nothing alters the sign’s
mandate for me to hold it there every day that I can.

Three comments today:

Bright, tall guy. He‘s walking by, grinning in a well-educated way at the sign,  and says proudly, competitively, ‘In Canada, we do that.’

Black woman stops her car in the far lane, rolls down her window, smiles at me, puts both arms out and raises them high, her large palms catching the morning sun. ‘Praise the Lord,’ she says so people can hear. ‘God Bless You.'

A 50-something guy with a wide smile in a straw hat and blazer that David Hockney might wear on a sunny day says, ‘How can I help you? What can I do?” I said ‘I don’t know. I don’t really know what I’m doing. I just want the words to get in the air.’ He nodded. He knew what I meant.
He said, ‘It’s inspiring.’