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The impact of book gifting in Scotland
Background
Scottish Book Trust delivers two universal book gifting programmes, funded by Scottish Government: Bookbug and Read, Write, Count. The aim of both programmes is to support families to play, read and learn together, fostering the bonding opportunities and the love of reading that are so vital to children's life chances.
Currently, through the two programmes all children in Scotland receive six free bags of high-quality books and other resources between birth and age eight, totalling 16 books across the six bags, with an additional two books gifted to expectant parents in the Baby Box. It is believed that through Bookbug and Read, Write, Count, Scotland has the largest universal book gifting offer in the world.
Bookbug has been gifting books for 12 years, and Read, Write, Count for six years. Through a mixed methods approach, including the voices of children who have been recipients of the book bags, this study aimed to holistically assess the potentially unique cumulative impact of the two programmes for children and families in Scotland.
Findings
The Bookbug and Read, Write, Count bags have a number of important impacts for families and children in Scotland across: book access; language, communication and literacy development; and children's development as readers, as well as vital socio-emotional impacts around: bonding and attachment; relaxation; and comfort in difficult times.
In a national survey of parents/carers of 8–12 year olds:
Three key enabling factors emerged from the data:
- Universal gifting, which creates excitement and a shared culture of reading for pleasure across Scotland
- The inclusion of high-quality, fun books in the book bags
- Professionals providing families with information about the book bags at the point of gifting
The data suggests that families in the lower SIMD (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation) deciles are slightly less likely to recall receiving the book bags, and also less likely to use them as frequently, demonstrating the continued need for additional targeted activities tailored to families' circumstances to maximise impact.
Other than continued work to ensure all families receive and use their book bags, the only substantive improvement suggested by parents/carers and professionals was that book gifting be extended for older children.
One family's journey with Bookbug and Read, Write Count
'My two children absolutely love getting the book bags! I remember a couple of years ago my son had got new fish and a fish tank for his birthday then shortly after when he received his Bookbug bag there was a story about a goldfish. He was chuffed to bits and we read that story every night for about three months.
We always try to make time to read but recently as a single parent of two kids we have been missing it quite often. After my son received his Read, Write, Count bag from school it has got us back into the habit of setting aside five or ten minutes before bed to read, it's a great bonding time and brings us closer together as a family.
I have never been a reader, it wasn't shown to me at a young age, we never had anything like Bookbug so I never read much unless it was necessary for school work. So honestly without being gifted the bags and seeing how much the children benefit from reading (and how much they enjoy it) I probably wouldn't have as much books in the house and wouldn't do as much reading with both my children as I do now.
Don't think I would change anything about the bags they are perfect! My son said he would change that they are only for up to P3 (he is in P3 now so this will be his last year) and to have more books in them! It has helped us to realise how much my son enjoys reading and he now has a full bookshelf of books in his bedroom. If it wasn't for Bookbug I probably wouldn't have seen how much he enjoys reading. Thank you.'
Infographics
Professionals
.png "Infographic: Scottish Book Trust: 12 years of book gifting in Scotland. Key findings for professionals: Growing up as a reader can have a huge impact on a child’s life. As well as supporting parents and carers to bond with their children, recent research shows that regular reading at home is one of the only things that can improve the widening gap in expressive language ability between the least and most deprived families. Children who enjoy reading do better at school, can manage their emotions and behaviour, and are more empathetic. However, 19% of five-to-eight year olds in the UK do not own a single book of their own. In Scotland, Scottish Book Trust delivers two universal book gifting programmes in partnership with local authorities, health services, libraries and schools – Bookbug and Read, Write, Count. By the time they are eight years old, every child in Scotland has received 18 free, fun, high-quality books, carefully chosen by experts. In 2022, we carried out some research with children and families in Scotland who have grown up with Bookbug and Read, Write, Count, and the professionals who gift the bags, to find out how they feel about the books and the differences they have made. Statistics: 95% of children and 88% of parents and carers remembered receiving the book bags. 73% of parents and carers said they came back to the gifted books a few times a month, or more often. 84% of parents and carers said the book bags encouraged them to read books with their children at an earlier age. 81% of children said they had a favourite gifted book they returned to again and again. 87% of parents and carers said the book bags encouraged them to bond with their children. Quotation: ‘I remember one child saying their mum never comes to anything and she would be on her own. Her mum surprised her and appeared at the gifting event and the girl was delighted that her mum was there to read the stories with her. Her mum said she was going to make more of an effort to read with her at home after seeing how much she enjoyed reading in school.’ – Learning professional")
.png "Infographic: Scottish Book Trust 12 years of book gifting in Scotland. Parents and carers also told us that Bookbug and Read, Write, Count have supported their families during difficult times: ‘Our son was very young when he received it and wasn’t well at the time, but he enjoyed holding the books. We used to read them together on the sofa. Our son used to sleep a lot due to his medical condition and didn’t have the energy for play, so the books were the perfect way to bond with each other. He used to love looking at himself in the mirror at the back of the book, he loved touching the pictures, and he laughed when we read Peekaboo Jungle. It was a moment that made us forget his condition as it felt like he was a normal baby. We used to take the books to his healthcare appointments and they helped to keep him calm, which made the visits a little less stressful and was one less thing to worry about, so they made a big difference to us. They were a lovely introduction to reading and helped us to bond, and introduce him to words, letters, colours and pictures.’ Reading for pleasure has a huge impact on children’s lives. Scottish Book Trust has lots of fully-funded training and resources to support you and your colleagues to give children the best start in life. Find out more at scottishbooktrust.com. Statistics: 79% of parents and carers said the book bags encouraged them to visit the library more often. 83% of parents and carers said they believe that Bookbug and Read, Write, Count have started their child on a journey to becoming a lifelong reader. 82% of parents and carers said the gifted books made them more confident sharing stories, rhymes or songs with their families. 83% of children said the book bags helped their child become a more confident reader. Quotation: ‘Gifting the bags is a privilege as we get to see the joy of books when a child receives one. It gives us an opportunity to interact with the children during assessments and use the books to assess their development. Children love the pictures and regardless of what stage of development they are at or their abilities and communication skills – they all interact with the pictures and colours in their own way. With a smile! We also get the opportunity to watch a parent interact with their child and it’s a beautiful thing to see. It allows families who have limited finances access to lovely new books – something they might not be able to buy themselves. Books are so essential to a child’s development and allow so much growth in a child’s communication skills and also attachment and bond with the care giver.’ – Health Visitor")
Policy makers
.png "Infographic: Scottish Book Trust 12 years of book gifting in Scotland. Key findings for policy makers: Growing up as a reader can have a huge impact on a child’s life. Growing Up in Scotland reported that regular reading at home is one of the only things that can improve the widening gap in expressive language ability between the least and most deprived families. Research proves that reading for pleasure supports bonding and attachment, equity and wellbeing, attainment across the curriculum, critical thinking, creativity, empathy and resilience. Whilst 19% of five-to-eight year olds in the UK do not own a single book of their own, in Scotland Scottish Book Trust delivers two universal book gifting programmes, funded by Scottish Government – Bookbug and Read, Write, Count. By the time they are eight years old, every child in Scotland has received 18 free, fun, high-quality books, carefully chosen by experts. In 2022, we carried out some research into how children and families in Scotland who have grown up with Bookbug and Read, Write, Count feel about the books, and the differences they have made to them. Statistics: 95% of children and 88% of parents and carers remembered receiving the book bags. 87% of parents and carers said the book bags encouraged them to bond with their children. 81% of children said they had a favourite gifted book they returned to again and again. Quotation: ‘One refugee family were so delighted, they had nothing, but this has meant their boys had books.’ – Learning professional. Statistics: 83% of children said the book bags helped their child become a more confident reader. 66% of parents and carers said that without the book bags they would have had fewer books in their homes. Quotation: ‘I remember my kids being really happy to receive them. I don’t have much money so it is good for them to have an unexpected treat.’ – Parent.")
.png "Infographic: Scottish Book Trust 12 years of book gifting in Scotland. A response from one parent: ‘I remember a couple of years ago my son had got new fish and a fish tank for his birthday, then shortly after he received his Bookbug Bag there was a story about a goldfish. He was chuffed to bits and we read that story every night for about three months. We always try to make time to read but recently, as a single parent of two kids, we have been missing it quite often. After my son received his Read, Write, Count bag from school it has got us back into the habit of setting aside five or ten minutes before bed to read. It’s a great bonding time and brings us closer together as a family. I have never been a reader, it wasn’t shown to me at a young age and we never had anything like Bookbug, so I never read much unless it was necessary for school work. So honestly, without being gifted the bags and seeing how much the children benefit from reading (and how much they enjoy it), I probably wouldn’t have as many books in the house and wouldn’t do as much reading with both my children as I do now. I don’t think I would change anything about the bags – they are perfect! My son said he would change that they are only for up to P3 (he is in P3 now so this will be his last year) and to have more books in them! It has helped us to realise how much my son enjoys reading and he now has a full bookshelf of books in his bedroom. Thank you.’ Statistics: 82% of parents and carers said the gifted books made them more confident sharing stories, rhymes or songs with their families. 83% of parents and carers said they believe that Bookbug and Read, Write, Count have started their child on a journey to becoming a lifelong reader. 84% of parents and carers said the book bags encouraged them to read books with their children at an earlier age. 79% of parents and carers said the book bags encouraged them to visit the library more often. 73% of parents and carers said they came back to the gifted books a few times a month, or more often. Quotation: ‘I had one child in my group who didn’t have much. When I gave them the Bookbug Bag it was like Christmas morning, they were so excited to tell their family. The Monday after when they came in, the mum said thank you so much as it made their weekend.’ – Early Years professional.")
Parents
.png "Infographic: Scottish Book Trust: 12 years of book gifting in Scotland. Key findings for parents: Reading, singing and rhyming with your children is one of the most important things you can do for them. As well as being a great way to bond with your children, it supports their language development and helps them do well at school, manage their emotions and be more considerate of others as they grow up. However, 19% of five-to-eight year olds in the UK do not own a single book of their own. In Scotland, Scottish Book Trust delivers two universal book gifting programmes – Bookbug and Read, Write, Count. By the time they are eight years old, every child in Scotland has received 18 free, fun, high-quality books, carefully chosen by experts. In 2022, we carried out some research into how children and families in Scotland, who have grown up with Bookbug and Read, Write, Count, feel about the books and the differences they have made to them. Statistic: 95% of children and 88% of parents and carers remembered receiving the book bags. Statistic: 87% of parents and carers said the book bags encouraged them to bond with their children. Quotation: ‘We snuggled up on the couch, one of the many places we love to share a story, and went through the whole bag. She couldn’t wait for me to see the bits she found the funniest!’ – Parent. Statistic: 83% of parents and carers said the book bags helped their child become a more confident reader. Quotation: ‘This year’s has been my son’s favourite bag. He was so excited as he can finally read books without any help. As soon as he came home he went to read it right away to my dad.’ – Parent")
.png "Infographic: Scottish Book Trust: 12 years of book gifting in Scotland. Parents and carers also told us that Bookbug and Read, Write, Count have supported their families during difficult times: ‘My daughter had lots of allergy problems when she was very little and she spent most of the time crying in pain. When we received her first Bookbug Bag, we tried reading to her to help comfort her and she really took to the Hey Diddle Diddle book. Now whenever she sees the cover she gets a big smile on her face and likes to try and turn the pages. This is a wonderful initiative and certainly brought a smile to our daughter’s face when we were struggling. We now make a real effort to read to her each day – even if it’s the same books because she loves them! Thank you.’ It’s never too early – or too late – to begin a magical journey with words. Scottish Book Trust has lots of advice and resources to support your family on your reading journey, giving your children the best start in life. Find out more at scottishbooktrust.com. Statistic: 84% of parents and carers said the book bags encouraged them to read books with their children at an earlier age. Quotation: ‘Just a thank you for teaching me reading should be a big part of my baby’s life as I thought she was far too young to start reading books to her.’ – Parent. Statistic: 84% of parents and carers said the book bags helped their child read for pleasure more often. Quotation: ‘I remember sitting reading the book with my wee boy before bed and he was insistent he could turn the pages himself – a mix of independence and determination to find out what happened next in the story.’ – Parent. Statistic: 82% of parents and carers said the gifted books made them more confident sharing stories, rhymes or songs with their families")