Concern about children''s reading is an international issue highlighted by continuing OECD research. Government actions such as the priority given to reading in the review of the National Curriculum reflect current UK concern. Reading is an essential life skill not only for an individual''s development and life chances but for social cohesion and a developed democracy. In an era of public spending cuts it is important to reflect upon the impact that libraries can have in growing readers for the future.
This much-needed book provides valuable evidence of successes so far both nationally and internationally, and offers ideas for future development as well as inspiration for current practice. An edited collection contributed by expert practitioners, it covers all aspects of promoting reading to and with children and young people from birth right through to teenage years, including the following key topics:

• the importance of Bookstart
• how children begin to read
• creating young readers
• literacy, libraries and literature in New Zealand
• the Summer Challenge in libraries
• Stockport does Book Idol
• restoring reading to the classroom
• promoting excellence - shadowing the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway medals
• local book awards
• the sport of reading
• libraries and partnerships
• the hard to reach reader in the 21st century
• creative reading.

Readership: Offering future scoping for managers and aiming to inspire partnership and cooperation, this will be invaluable reading for practitioners and students of librarianship in both the public and school sectors. It will also be of great interest to all teachers, consultants and educators concerned with literacy and reading, and to policy makers in both the school and library sectors.