A gift that keeps on giving : the idea behind the bookstart programme

The aim of the article is to present an incredibly signifi cant phenomenon, such as social programs that encourage reading to and for children. A children´s book has its own, separate rights and characteristics that differ from young adults literature. It is justifi ed by the process of a child’s development which requires triggering different stimuli. In the paper several campaigns with widest reach in Europe are commented upon, with special emphasis placed on British campaign Bookstart founded in 1992 and the Polish one Cała Polska czyta dzieciom (All of Poland reads to Children) founded in 2001. Both projects aim to promote reading aloud to children, and hope to create a habit of reading among the youngest.