To read, or not to read? That is the question

BBC Culture recently polled 177 book experts from 56 countries in order to find the greatest children’s books ever written. Within the 100 Greatest Childrens Books, it was great to see the Moomins, Paddington Bear, Winnie the Pooh, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Toms Midnight Garden and several other favourites included on the list. 

But what makes a good children’s book? As C.S. Lewis once stated; “A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.” According to UNESCO, an estimated 750 million adults lack basic reading and writing skills. 

Of the adults estimated to be illiterate world wide, around 496 million of these are said to be women. In the UK, the National Literacy Trust also report that 7.1 million people have ‘very poor literacy skills’ and according to the Ministry of Justice, '57% of adult prisoners had literacy levels below those of an 11-year old’ child.