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The Queen Consort speaks to the Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho to mark World Book Day
A video of The Queen Consort discussing the importance of reading in childhood with Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho will be released by BookTrust to mark World Book Day.
In the talk, her Majesty discusses the importance and benefits of reading, and recalls the emotional impact books like Black Beauty by Anna Sewell and Grimms’ Fairy Tales had on her as a child. Coelho shared that one of his favourite childhood books was There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly by Pam Adams.
Her Majesty goes on to recount to Coelho how adventure stories inspired her and her siblings to camp, and reflects on how books can transport you into different worlds. In the video, Her Majesty also describes reading to her grandchildren, and how nurturing this habit helped them to become “bookworms”.
During the conversation, Her Majesty said: “When you see the pure enjoyment that children are getting out of reading, and if you get that at a very early age, it’s going to help you so much in future life… the more books you read, the more you are going to understand about different places, different cultures, different ways of life.”
Coelho said: "Stories stay with us: tales of bravery visit us when fear peeps round the corner, comedies sprinkle us in smiles on a train ride to work. Characters become our friends and our confidantes, and worlds explored through the imagination, incredibly, share space with our memories.
"A story shared transports reader and listeners alike on a joint adventure never to be forgotten. When we open a book there’s no telling where it may take us or the profound impact it may have on our lives, and so, it is an honour to mark World Book Day by talking to Her Majesty about the meaning and memories of stories, and a love of reading.”
BookTrust, which Her Majesty became patron of in 2011, said that reading with children, especially in their early years, supports bonding and early childhood skills such as language and cognitive development. The charity said that establishing a reading habit as early as possible is vital to building an innate love of reading that grows with the child to become a longstanding habit.
Diana Gerald, chief executive of BookTrust, added: “Children of all ages and backgrounds can benefit from the positive impacts of reading, as it sparks inspiration, enhances creativity, empathy and supports good mental health. Introducing children to classic stories while also discovering new tales and adventures is a brilliant way of creating a reading habit that can carry a child through life.”
