EasyJet has launches summer European-wide on-board lending library

EasyJet has launched its popular summer European-wide on-board lending library with over 60,000 books stocked on more than 300 aircraft.

EasyJet is teaming up with publisher HarperCollins Children’s Books to put books in the passenger seat-pockets of flights departing the UK. The featured titles include; Dinosaur Juniors by Rob Biddulph, Mog and Bunny by Judith Kerr, Paddington Abroad by Michael Bond, The Boy Who Could Do What He Liked by David Baddiel, and Geek Girl by Holly Smale.

According to research commissioned by the airline to mark the launch of the 300 ‘Flybraries’ initiative, over half of British children (59%) aged 6-12, would choose being read a story by their parents over an extra 30 minutes screen time.

Rob Biddulph, author of the Dinosaur Juniors series and official illustrator of the annual World Book Day, said: “Flybraries is such a great idea! I have three daughters, and so I know from experience how excited children get when it’s holiday time. Keeping little ones calm, yet entertained, in a confined space can be really, really tricky. So, to me, it makes total sense to take advantage of the time you have together by sitting quietly and sharing a story. It’s actually a great opportunity for a child to enjoy some quality one-on-one time with a parent without too many distractions.”

Jonathan Douglas, director of the National Literacy Trust said: “Reading books is a great way to widen horizons and set children on the path to a successful future. Parents play an important role in getting their children excited about reading and it’s great to see that over half of British parents plan to share stories with their children this summer. easyJet’s Flybrary initiative is a fantastic way of helping thousands more children keep up their reading skills during the long break and giving families the chance to enjoy stories on holiday.”

On landing, passengers can also download free samples of books at www.easyjet.com/en/flybraries.