I recently interviewed Kate Bowersox, the Executive Director of Books in Homes USA. This nonprofit’s primary mission is to inspire a love of reading and foster literacy proficiency among all children.
Since 2020, I’ve interviewed over 160 authors and 160 independent bookshop owners and booksellers worldwide, and a subject that comes up time and again is global literacy rates.
Here are a few statistics for the United States from The National Literacy Institute
• 54% of adults have a literacy rate below a 6th-grade level (20% are below 5th grade),
• Low levels of literacy costs the US up to 2.2 trillion dollars per year
• The US ranks 36th in literacy
While these statistics are shocking, research shows that when a child has a minimum of 20 print books in their home library, they will have greater literacy and numeracy in adulthood.
I was lucky; I grew up in a home where stories were shared and books were cherished, and going to the local library was my favorite day of the week. My sons grew up surrounded by books, nonfiction, and fiction. They saw my husband and I read, we read to them, and they became passionate readers.
The Bookshop Podcast has partnered with Books In Homes USA as their partner podcast.
Join me in donating to Books In Homes USA to ensure that every child in the nation receives new books to add to their home library. Together, let’s make the magic of reading available to every child.
Click on the link below to donate to Books in Homes USA
https://www.booksinhomesusa.org/donate