EasyJet launches summer library for families

Over half of British children (59%) would choose being read a story by their parents over an extra 30 minutes screen time, according to a new study into family reading habits released today.

The research was commissioned by the UK’s largest airline easyJet to mark the launch of a European-wide initiative to make it easy for parents and children to make reading part of their holiday this summer – 300 ‘Flybraries’ hit the runways today stocked with over 60,000 children’s books in seven languages ready for children and parents to pick up, read and then leave behind for the next passenger.

• Research reveals 90% of children enjoy being read aloud to by their mum or dad
• Parents plan to use the family summer holiday as an opportunity to get hooked on a book together (64%)

The new study, which polled 2,000 British parents with children aged 6 – 12, reveals that 90% of children enjoy being read aloud to by their mum or dad, with a similar percentage of parents (91%) rating sharing a book with their child as a special time they really enjoy.  

Child respondents revealed that they would be happy to swap 30 minutes watching TV or a movie (29%), playing on the Xbox or other gaming device (27%) or going to bed earlier (21%).   
The majority of the parents surveyed (80%) revealed that holidays offer an opportunity for more family time, with 64% planning to share stories with their children this summer. Most parents believe that reading, whether fiction or non-fiction, is a good way for their child to understand the world (86%). Meanwhile, nine in ten (89%) report that reading books helps fuel their child’s imagination and creativity.

Katie Piper, mum to Belle (age 5) and Penelope (age 18 months) said: “Holidays offer the perfect opportunity to make time for sharing stories with your little ones.  I love it when Belle and I get stuck into a book together so when easyJet told me they were going to be providing Flybraries on tens of thousands of flights this summer, I was delighted to get involved.  I hope that families across Europe will be entertained on board as they get hooked on a book together.”

Not only does easyJet’s fleet of Flybraries enable children to read books onboard but when they land they can also download free samples of books at www.easyjet.com/en/flybraries.