£254,000 worth of books and reading materials donated to London schools

Helping children in London fall in love with reading

This week, we saw something special unfold in primary schools across London. From Islington to Merton, classrooms and libraries were filled with excitement as children opened boxes of brand-new books and reading resources – many discovering new stories they couldn’t wait to explore.

Through our Roots to Reading Programme, we delivered more than 25,000 books and reading resources to 127 primary schools across London, supporting children aged 4 – 11 to build a lifelong love of reading.

Worth more than £250,000, this programme helps schools to create a strong reading for pleasure culture, giving every child the chance to enjoy reading and strengthen their literacy skills – both in school and beyond.

We’ve focused our work in communities with higher levels of deprivation, unemployment and pupil premium eligibility, targeting literacy support where it’s needed most. Because we know that when children have access to books they genuinely enjoy, it can transform their relationship with reading.

Bringing books to life in the classroom

We celebrated the launch with a visit to Morden Primary School, where it was clear that instilling a love of reading was one of their top priorities. 

The literacy lead shared what the programme means for their school and pupils:

“Reading for pleasure is such an important priority for us as a school, but we need more books. These books [from the Roots to Reading Programme] are absolutely amazing. They’ll replenish our library stock, they’ll inspire the children and really, they’re up to date… we’ve got new books that are going to inspire our children and that they can see themselves in as well.” 

The impact of new books

Spending time in their library, we saw first-hand just how powerful access to high-quality, diverse books can be. Several pupils eagerly opened their new books, enthusiastically picking out their favourite and sharing recommendations with friends.

One child told us: ​“reading is very fun. It’s something great to do.” Another pupil described exactly why reading matters, ​“when you’re reading it’s like you’re in another world.” 

And for many, the new books reignited their excitement: ​“It’s fun because when you get interested in a book, you can’t stop reading”.

Reflecting on their new book donations, one pupil said the change in their school library was long overdue: ​“I think it’s really good because now we can have a really good refresh of the different books. Some of the books here were really old and some children weren’t very interested in most of them.”

Inspiring a love of reading through author visits

To bring stories to life, we partnered with authors to run full-day literacy workshops, helping children to feel inspired.

At Morden, we were joined by children’s author Andy Stanton, who marked the 20^th anniversary of his first book publication by spending the day with pupils. Through interactive sessions, storytelling and creativity, children were encouraged not just to read – but to imagine, create and see themselves as storytellers too.

Reflecting on the visit, Andy said: ​“It’s amazing coming into a school and lighting a fire, metaphorically, under the kids and having them respond – I love doing it. I’ve been doing it for 20 years and I have no intentions of stopping anytime soon.”

“It’s fantastic that Bookmark have chosen Morden Primary as one of the schools to donate £2,000 worth of books. It’s going to transform this library. It’s going to give all the children here the opportunity to read new books and become excited about what they like about reading and share it with their friends. 

One in five children don’t have a book at home. So the fact that Bookmark donates 200 new books, gives an opportunity for children to try things in a way that they would never have another route to do. It’s an entirely great thing. Thank you Bookmark.”

“Children in Merton already benefit from an excellent local education, with our borough being just one of a handful in the country where 100% of schools are rated Good or Outstanding. This investment from Bookmark will strengthen that education even further, making sure every child has the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential.”

A city-wide reading movement

Morden was just one of four schools we visited during the launch week. We also celebrated with pupils, teachers and authors from Vittoria Primary School, School 21 and Loughborough Primary, each demonstrating how powerful a strong reading culture can be.

Across every Roots to Reading school, we provide: 

• 200 high-quality, diverse books and reading materials like our magazine, The Story Corner
• Training for teachers focused on reading for pleasure
• Resources to help embed a whole-school reading culture

Because improving children’s literacy isn’t just about providing books – it’s about creating environments where reading is visible, shared and enjoyed every day.

As our CEO, Emily Jack, explains:

‘By placing thousands of books directly into schools and supporting teachers to champion reading for pleasure, our aim is to inspire children to discover the joy of reading. Reading is fundamental to a child’s future opportunities. Bookmark’s programmes offer every child the chance to develop a life-changing love of books to change life stories.’

More than just books

For us, Roots to Reading isn’t just about having a new book in the library – it’s about instilling a love of reading and getting children excited about reading. 

By improving access to books, delivering literacy support in schools and embedding a culture of reading for pleasure in primary schools, we’re helping children across London not only improve their literacy, but truly fall in love with reading.