The reading revolution: Why 2026 is the year to ‘Go All In’ for literacy!
A lot has happened in the last 17 years… Water was discovered on the moon, we went through a global pandemic and there have been fantastic technological advancements in almost every industry.
BUT, one thing that hasn’t happened in that time period is the National Year of Reading (NYR), a government-backed initiative designed to promote literacy across all age groups by celebrating the joy of books and highlighting the vital role reading plays in personal and professional success.
The revival of this campaign comes at a prominent time as data published in 2025 by The National Literacy Trust found that children’s enjoyment of reading at its lowest in 20 years. Only 1 in 3 children (32.7%) aged 8-18 enjoy reading, a 36% drop since 2005.
Since the last campaign in 2008, we have seen the rise of the smartphone, the evolution of social media, and the integration of AI into our daily lives among other things, these leaps in connectivity can arguably be the reason why children’s connection to the written word is under threat.
So, what if we harnessed the leaps in connectivity to reimagine the reading experience, using technology not as a distraction, but as a bridge to connect children to literature in a meaningful and modern way that is truly inclusive for every child?
To understand how we can reverse this trend, we sat down with Emily Guille-Marrett, Chief Education Officer at Pickatale, an award-winning reading platform and official partner of the NYR 2026.
With over 20 years of experience at giants like Oxford University Press and Pearson, Emily is now at the forefront of the reading revolution, using technology to bridge the gap between learning to read and reading for pleasure.
To understand how we can reverse this trend, we sat down with Emily Guille-Marrett, Chief Education Officer at Pickatale, an award-winning reading platform and official partner of the NYR 2026.
A mission to rediscover joy
“We are at a critical juncture,” Emily explains. “The decline in reading for enjoyment isn’t just about literacy scores; it’s about life chances. But to fix it, we have to meet children where they are.”
And where are they?
They aren’t browsing the library shelves; they are tethered to their devices, often spiraling through ‘brain rot’ content that consumes their attention without ever challenging their minds or fulfilling the true potential of the technology in their hands.
Levelling the playing field: Pickatale’s role in NYR 2026
The National Year of Reading isn’t just a marketing campaign; it’s a national mission to “Go All In.”
Emily was proud to represent Pickatale at the launch in Number 10 Downing Street, hosted by Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education. But for Emily, the most exciting part isn’t the high-level meetings, it’s the impact on the ground. To support the NYR 2026 goal of universal access, Pickatale is making a massive contribution to UK schools.
The special National Year of Reading library
For the duration of 2026, Pickatale is giving every school in the country access to a special NYR library platform.
“As official partners of the National Year of Reading 2026, I was hugely proud to represent Pickatale at the launch in Number 10 Downing Street… And now we are all encouraging every school, community, business and home to join forces and ‘Go All In’ for this once in a generation opportunity to get every child (and everyone!) reading.”
The Pickatale platform includes:
200+ FREE digital books with audio, donated by partners like Storytime Magazine, Sweet Cherry, Earth Cubs, Siddiqui Education, and Storymix.
Full platform features: Including the Oxford University school dictionary and thesaurus, reader insights for teachers, and Pickatale Create the new AI picture book creator.
Gamified motivation: Children can earn tokens to adapt their avatars and complete fun comprehension quizzes.
“We want to remove every barrier,” Emily says.
“By working with partners like Skolon to host the platform, we are ensuring that no child is left behind because they couldn’t find a book that spoke to them.”
Beyond the book: Redefining what it means to read
A recurring theme in the NYR 2026 campaign is the idea of “reading into what you love.” The National Literacy Trust has long advocated for a broader definition of reading, and Emily is a vocal supporter of a somewhat ‘print-plus’ approach.
“I am a published author and a lover of physical books, but I’m also a realist,” Emily admits.
“The world is changing. Digital reading experiences and AI aren’t the enemy… they are the gateway.”
When asked about her own reading habits, Emily’s list is as diverse as the Pickatale library. In just one week, she dipped into:
- Feminist non-fiction (Men Explain Things To Me by Rebecca Solnit).
- Powerful poetry (For example, Hollie McNish’s new poetry book).
- Digital prompts (using ChatGPT to research AI audio tools).
- Everyday literacy (reading her son’s sixth-form applications and a new one-pot chicken recipe).
“Book snobs and print-only pushers beware – digital reading experiences and AI for good can and will help millions of children to find a way back into reading for pleasure – for life. That doesn’t mean quality has to suffer or children won’t read printed books but we need to listen to children, meet them where they are, guide them positively and be open to many different kinds of childhood reading adventures!”
Maintaining momentum: From World Book Day to the winter terms
While World Book Day is a fantastic peak in the school calendar, the National Year of Reading is a marathon, not a fancy dress sprint.
How do teachers keep the excitement from fizzling out by the time the autumn leaves fall?
Emily suggests leaning into seasonal storytelling and digital engagement:
- The summer slide: Use the portability of digital libraries to keep children reading over the holidays.
- Advent adventures: Pickatale is offering free access to Katya Balen’s Christmas books, releasing one for each day in the lead-up to the holidays.
- Inclusive festive stories: Highlighting stories like The Other Father Christmas by Serena Holly to ensure every child feels represented in the stories they read.
Advice for the reluctant readers
Every teacher and parent knows the struggle of the reluctant reader, with Emily recalling her own moments of struggle:
“I can remember periods of my life where I lost all hope of enjoying reading for myself again – like when a teacher once told me I couldn’t move onto another book until I finished the one I was on even though I hated it.”
Her advice for those struggling today?
Don’t force it.
Follow the spark.
“If they love football, find them a biography of their hero or a comic about a match. If they are tech-obsessed, let them use an AI tool to write a story about a robot. Once they realise that reading is the key to unlocking the things they already love, the ‘reluctance’ starts to fade.”
The National Year of Reading 2026 is an invitation to every school, business, and home to Go All In. As Emily puts it: “Children who learn to read and find joy reading on Pickatale’s platform will be open to a world of opportunity, the chance to access the curriculum and have greater life-chances.”
How your school can get involved
Is your school ready to join the reading revolution?
You can access the Pickatale National Year of Reading platform and claim your free digital library by visiting the link below, or clicking here to test Pickatale for FREE through Skolon.
This is Skolon – we gather the best digital educational tools and make them work in the classroom.
Skolon is an independent platform for digital educational tools and learning resources, created for both teachers and students. With Skolon, accessing and using your digital educational tools is easy – security increases, administration decreases, and there’s more time for learning.
The digital educational tools come from both small and large providers, all of whom have one thing in common – they create digital educational tools that are beneficial for the school environment.
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A lot has happened in the last 17 years… Water was discovered on the moon, we went through a global pandemic and there have been fantastic technological advancements in almost every industry.
BUT, one thing that hasn’t happened in that time period is the National Year of Reading (NYR), a government-backed initiative designed to promote literacy across all age groups by celebrating the joy of books and highlighting the vital role reading plays in personal and professional success.
The revival of this campaign comes at a prominent time as data published in 2025 by The National Literacy Trust found that children’s enjoyment of reading at its lowest in 20 years. Only 1 in 3 children (32.7%) aged 8-18 enjoy reading, a 36% drop since 2005.
Since the last campaign in 2008, we have seen the rise of the smartphone, the evolution of social media, and the integration of AI into our daily lives among other things, these leaps in connectivity can arguably be the reason why children’s connection to the written word is under threat.
So, what if we harnessed the leaps in connectivity to reimagine the reading experience, using technology not as a distraction, but as a bridge to connect children to literature in a meaningful and modern way that is truly inclusive for every child?
To understand how we can reverse this trend, we sat down with Emily Guille-Marrett, Chief Education Officer at Pickatale, an award-winning reading platform and official partner of the NYR 2026.
With over 20 years of experience at giants like Oxford University Press and Pearson, Emily is now at the forefront of the reading revolution, using technology to bridge the gap between learning to read and reading for pleasure.
To understand how we can reverse this trend, we sat down with Emily Guille-Marrett, Chief Education Officer at Pickatale, an award-winning reading platform and official partner of the NYR 2026.
A mission to rediscover joy
“We are at a critical juncture,” Emily explains. “The decline in reading for enjoyment isn’t just about literacy scores; it’s about life chances. But to fix it, we have to meet children where they are.”
And where are they?
They aren’t browsing the library shelves; they are tethered to their devices, often spiraling through ‘brain rot’ content that consumes their attention without ever challenging their minds or fulfilling the true potential of the technology in their hands.
Levelling the playing field: Pickatale’s role in NYR 2026
The National Year of Reading isn’t just a marketing campaign; it’s a national mission to “Go All In.”
Emily was proud to represent Pickatale at the launch in Number 10 Downing Street, hosted by Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education. But for Emily, the most exciting part isn’t the high-level meetings, it’s the impact on the ground. To support the NYR 2026 goal of universal access, Pickatale is making a massive contribution to UK schools.
The special National Year of Reading library
For the duration of 2026, Pickatale is giving every school in the country access to a special NYR library platform.
“As official partners of the National Year of Reading 2026, I was hugely proud to represent Pickatale at the launch in Number 10 Downing Street… And now we are all encouraging every school, community, business and home to join forces and ‘Go All In’ for this once in a generation opportunity to get every child (and everyone!) reading.”
The Pickatale platform includes:
200+ FREE digital books with audio, donated by partners like Storytime Magazine, Sweet Cherry, Earth Cubs, Siddiqui Education, and Storymix.
Full platform features: Including the Oxford University school dictionary and thesaurus, reader insights for teachers, and Pickatale Create the new AI picture book creator.
Gamified motivation: Children can earn tokens to adapt their avatars and complete fun comprehension quizzes.
“We want to remove every barrier,” Emily says.
“By working with partners like Skolon to host the platform, we are ensuring that no child is left behind because they couldn’t find a book that spoke to them.”
Beyond the book: Redefining what it means to read
A recurring theme in the NYR 2026 campaign is the idea of “reading into what you love.” The National Literacy Trust has long advocated for a broader definition of reading, and Emily is a vocal supporter of a somewhat ‘print-plus’ approach.
“I am a published author and a lover of physical books, but I’m also a realist,” Emily admits.
“The world is changing. Digital reading experiences and AI aren’t the enemy… they are the gateway.”
When asked about her own reading habits, Emily’s list is as diverse as the Pickatale library. In just one week, she dipped into:
- Feminist non-fiction (Men Explain Things To Me by Rebecca Solnit).
- Powerful poetry (For example, Hollie McNish’s new poetry book).
- Digital prompts (using ChatGPT to research AI audio tools).
- Everyday literacy (reading her son’s sixth-form applications and a new one-pot chicken recipe).
“Book snobs and print-only pushers beware – digital reading experiences and AI for good can and will help millions of children to find a way back into reading for pleasure – for life. That doesn’t mean quality has to suffer or children won’t read printed books but we need to listen to children, meet them where they are, guide them positively and be open to many different kinds of childhood reading adventures!”
Maintaining momentum: From World Book Day to the winter terms
While World Book Day is a fantastic peak in the school calendar, the National Year of Reading is a marathon, not a fancy dress sprint.
How do teachers keep the excitement from fizzling out by the time the autumn leaves fall?
Emily suggests leaning into seasonal storytelling and digital engagement:
- The summer slide: Use the portability of digital libraries to keep children reading over the holidays.
- Advent adventures: Pickatale is offering free access to Katya Balen’s Christmas books, releasing one for each day in the lead-up to the holidays.
- Inclusive festive stories: Highlighting stories like The Other Father Christmas by Serena Holly to ensure every child feels represented in the stories they read.
Advice for the reluctant readers
Every teacher and parent knows the struggle of the reluctant reader, with Emily recalling her own moments of struggle:
“I can remember periods of my life where I lost all hope of enjoying reading for myself again – like when a teacher once told me I couldn’t move onto another book until I finished the one I was on even though I hated it.”
Her advice for those struggling today?
Don’t force it.
Follow the spark.
“If they love football, find them a biography of their hero or a comic about a match. If they are tech-obsessed, let them use an AI tool to write a story about a robot. Once they realise that reading is the key to unlocking the things they already love, the ‘reluctance’ starts to fade.”
The National Year of Reading 2026 is an invitation to every school, business, and home to Go All In. As Emily puts it: “Children who learn to read and find joy reading on Pickatale’s platform will be open to a world of opportunity, the chance to access the curriculum and have greater life-chances.”
How your school can get involved
Is your school ready to join the reading revolution?
You can access the Pickatale National Year of Reading platform and claim your free digital library by visiting the link below, or clicking here to test Pickatale for FREE through Skolon.
This is Skolon – we gather the best digital educational tools and make them work in the classroom.
Skolon is an independent platform for digital educational tools and learning resources, created for both teachers and students. With Skolon, accessing and using your digital educational tools is easy – security increases, administration decreases, and there’s more time for learning.
The digital educational tools come from both small and large providers, all of whom have one thing in common – they create digital educational tools that are beneficial for the school environment.
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