In response to declining childhood reading rates, a panel of leading authors including Jacqueline Wilson, Michael Rosen, and Katherine Rundell has compiled a list of 25 essential books, one for each year of life up to age 25. The initiative comes as a National Literacy Trust survey of over 100,000 young people aged 11–18 found that only about a third actively enjoy reading, and daily reading in free time has halved over two decades to less than one in five.
The list aims to rekindle pleasure in reading, offering a 'buffet' of classics rather than a regimen. For the first year, Janet and Allan Ahlberg's Peepo! is recommended for its interactive holes and nursery-rhyme rhythms. At age two, Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon is praised for its dreamlike quality and growing mystery with each read.
Dr. Seuss's Fox in Socks is chosen for age three for its linguistic exuberance and tongue-twisters. Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's The Gruffalo is the pick for age four, lauded for its flawless structure and dramatic irony. For age five, Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad Together is recommended by Donaldson herself, who praises the witty duo and the story 'The List'.
The list continues through to age 25, including Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories and other classics. The authors hope these titles will engage children and combat the trend toward a 'post-literate age'.
