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Through our products and partnerships, we play an important part in helping people to learn to read and to enjoy reading.

According to the most recent figures from 2009, nearly 800 million adults lack basic literacy skills - two‑thirds of whom are women. Good reading skills are the basic cornerstone that help all of us progress throughout our lives.

Our businesses all depend on the premise that people can read, want to learn and enjoy doing it. We therefore have a keen interest in doing all we can to nurture enthusiastic readers.

Our approach

We play a part in three main ways:

  • Our reading programmes – both print and digital – are found in classrooms the world over.
  • For many, the first story that they read or that is read aloud to them will be a Penguin title.
  • We partner with others to run projects and campaigns to give books and to promote reading.

Reading in the classroom

We have a full range of reading programmes designed to help students to learn to read. Whether these are print or online, whole-school or for students that need extra help, they all reflect our commitment to improving reading standards for individual learners.

Reading in the home

Enthusiastic readers are inspired by great stories, well designed. Our Penguin books for children – Puffin, Frederick Warne and Ladybird books – all provide plenty of options. Reading today is changing. Children today read in many ways; at home and on the move. We believe in offering stories that are beautiful, engaging and fun, regardless of format.

Partnering with others to encourage reading

A parent reading aloud with their children is one of the most powerful ways to boost vocabulary and language development, according to research we commissioned as part of our Booktime programme. Access to books providing opportunities for shared reading is vitally important.

This year, we have brought together a range of initiatives to give books to promote reading under the We Give Books banner. 2011 saw us achieve some important milestones. We gave our six millionth book under our Booktime programme, which sees every child in England starting school receive a book pack containing two free books from Penguin and Pearson Primary to take home, read and keep. And we are about to give our one millionth book to Book Aid, the charity that supports the development of libraries in schools and local communities in sub-Saharan Africa. One in five of the books donated to Book Aid came from Pearson, helping benefit more than 2,000 libraries last year.

Case study: iLit

Pearson's iLit programme is like no other reading programme. Designed for struggling readers, it is the first reading programme built and delivered completely on the iPad. It supports, rewards, engages and instructs based around the learning needs of the individual student.

Reading in the home

Enthusiastic readers are inspired by great stories, well designed. Our Penguin books for children – Puffin, Frederick Warne and Ladybird books – all provide plenty of options. Reading today is changing. Children today read in many ways; at home and on the move. We believe in offering stories that are beautiful, engaging and fun, regardless of format.

Case study: DK My first ABC

One of the great opportunities presented by mobile devices is to reach learners at home and on the move. As part of the launch of Apple's education iBookstore, we published four interactive DK titles including My first ABC. Through widgets, video, animations and questions, the book breaks new ground for parents to help a child to learn their first words.

Partnering with others to encourage reading

A parent reading aloud with their children is one of the most powerful ways to boost vocabulary and language development, according to research we commissioned as part of our Booktime programme. Access to books providing opportunities for shared reading is vitally important.

This year, we have brought together a range of initiatives to give books to promote reading under the We Give Books banner. 2011 saw us achieve some important milestones. We gave our six millionth book under our Booktime programme, which sees every child in England starting school receive a book pack containing two free books from Penguin and Pearson Primary to take home, read and keep. And we are about to give our one millionth book to Book Aid, the charity that supports the development of libraries in schools and local communities in sub-Saharan Africa. One in five of the books donated to Book Aid came from Pearson, helping benefit more than 2,000 libraries last year.