- Research from Dr Sabine Little at the University of Sheffield will form one of the core activities for children in schools across the UK this World Book Day
- Dr Little’s work has found that multilingual children are more likely to read for pleasure than children where only one language is spoken at home
- Only 20.5 per cent of children and young people aged eight to 18 said they read daily for pleasure, a significant drop from 28 per cent in 2023
- The World Book Day activity will help all children chart their reading journey and encourage them to develop their love for reading
- Around 20 per cent of school pupils are multilingual
World Book Day® has teamed up with the University of Sheffield to celebrate the importance of reading and help children chart their personal reading journey for this year’s event on 6 March 2025.
World Book day aims to encourage children to read for fun, because reading seriously improves lives. This year, research from Dr Sabine Little from the University of Sheffield’s School of Education, will form a core activity in the World Book Day packs sent to all schools in the UK.
‘Rivers of (Multilingual) Reading’ works to inspire all children to discover why reading is important to them, and encourages a diverse reading environment for all - including multilingual children - where schools, libraries and children’s families can support their reading and development.
Dr Little’s previous research with the National Literacy Trust - which has recently declared a reading for pleasure crisis - found that multilingual children are more likely to read for pleasure than monolingual ones, and that multilingual children have far more complex reasons to declare reading important, than those who grow up speaking just one language in the home.
She said: “Multilingual children are much more likely to focus on what a book or story represents, rather than simply thinking about the plot. For example, children focused on who gave them the book, whether it introduced them to a new hobby or activity, who the book was read with, and whether it marked an achievement milestone, such as being the first book read in a specific language, or the first book read independently.
“What we are learning from multilingual children is that they are thinking about their reading from a very complex viewpoint. They think of reading as representing a whole variety of things - such as access to a hobby, access to different groups of people, memories of places and family members, and also a sense of achievement.”
Dr Little believes that what multilingual children can teach us about reading for pleasure, can be used to encourage all children to develop their love of, and enjoy the benefits of reading.
The research supports the ‘River Reading’ activity in this year’s national World Book Day packs. It sets out steps for schools, libraries and families to help children chart their own reading achievements in any language, and identify what reading in their lives has been most important to them, and why.
It is suitable for all children, regardless of language background, involves parents in discussions to capture memories and experiences going back to early childhood, and assists teachers in understanding the value of home reading, and how they can help children to understand their own reading journey better; whilst supporting multilingual learners at the same time.
The activity has the potential to spark discussions, inspire all children, and make multilingualism more visible in a positive way in schools.
Drashti, a year one student who has previously taken part in a ‘Rivers of Reading’ activity, said: “I liked drawing mini beasts and writing their names in lots of other languages. I feel proud that I learnt to write butterfly in Japanese.”
Whilst Manahil, a student in year three, said: “I love these kinds of days because I can share the language that I speak at home, and learn about other people’s language.”
Dr Little said: “At a time when at least 20 per cent of school pupils are multilingual, it's important to inspire all children to enjoy the benefits of reading for pleasure, by making multilingualism more visible in a positive way in schools.
“Giving children the skills and confidence to engage with different languages and cultures in the classroom creates a richer and more diverse learning environment, which introduces children to the global society we all live in. So I am delighted to be working with World Book Day to encourage children across the country to discover the benefits of reading for pleasure.”
World Book Day will see 91 per cent of 5-8 year-olds and 76 per cent of 8-16 year-olds taking part in events, which means the day is one of the best opportunities to reach and impact on children’s reading.
Cassie Chadderton, CEO of World Book Day, said: “World Book Day encourages more children to read for enjoyment, to unlock all the benefits to life chances it brings, so we're excited to work with the University of Sheffield and Dr Sabine Little to celebrate children’s own reading journeys. We hope it inspires children to read in their own way, and find more fun in books and reading”.
Dr Little’s work has also been behind many other projects in Sheffield, which aim to celebrate the city’s multicultural and multilingual heritage.
As a home for over 150 spoken languages, Sheffield was the ideal place to create a multilingual children’s library. Opening in 2018, Dr Little’s work with Sheffield Central Children’s Library led to the creation of Sheffield’s Children’s Multilingual Library, which gives children the chance to read over 500 books in languages from across the world. As part of the project children can register for their ‘reading passport’ and gain a certificate for their multilingual reading efforts. The initiative won the International Brenda Eastwood Award for Diversity and Inclusion in 2019.
Her Traditional Tales, Untraditionally Told series of events - in collaboration with the School of Education's Maker{Futures} team - also gets schools and libraries involved in multilingual storytelling and captures the stories that are important to families to preserve their cultural roots.
Dr Little said: “Sheffield has a rich history of migration, and, as a global city with a global outlook, we need to show children and young people that their languages matter. Normalising and facilitating multilingualism across the city, including in public spaces like schools and libraries, enables people to connect better across different cultures, which is important in today’s global world.”