The aim is to send more than 30,000 free books into disadvantaged communities across the UK.
Figures from the National Literacy Trust’s Book Ownership in 2021 report, published in November last year, show that 413,000 children in the UK do not own a single book.
UK Reads is a national literacy charity and is delivering the initiative with circular economy bookseller Awesome Books, which works to save books destined for landfill and donate or resell them.
All schools are welcome to request free books from UK Reads for children without access to their own books. Schools are asked to apply based on the numbers of pupils on roll receiving free school meals. The books will be supplied by Awesome Books.
UK Reads was launched in 2020 and its mission is to tackle the impact of Covid-19 on literacy inequality across the UK.
Annie Ashford-Barnden, programme director for UK Reads, said: “Since UK Reads launched in November 2020, we have given over 13,000 books to children across the UK. This year, we want to distribute 30,000 books to help bridge the widening literacy gap between disadvantaged children and their peers, which has been exacerbated by the Covid-19.”