Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD
Get unlimited access to 10,000+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just
Try GOLD - Free
Library card plan to help write newborns' first chapter
The Observer
|December 14, 2025
New mothers receive a modest bundle of gifts from the state, from nappy packs to the NHS “red book” in which to chart their baby’s health.
Now popular British authors including Philip Pullman, Richard Osman and Joanne Harris are lobbying for every newborn child to receive the gift of lifelong access to free literature. The adoption of a national library card scheme, they argue, would also be a significant lever of social reform.
This story is from the December 14, 2025 edition of The Observer.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Observer
The Observer
A nutty idea to sell equities
Will Savvy Squirrel get British savers investing again?
1 min
April 26, 2026
The Observer
Arms race to exploit personal data exposed by Biobank breach
UK Biobank's data breach is part of a global arms race between research bodies and criminals seeking to exploit personal data.
3 mins
April 26, 2026
The Observer
Tucker Carlson turns his ire on Trump as Maga split rattles the White House
In the woodlands of rural Maine, a rebellion against Donald Trump's administration is gathering strength, splitting the Maga movement and triggering unease in Washington.
4 mins
April 26, 2026
The Observer
Unity isn't meant to be easy – it's difficulty that brings a country together
Ten years ago this week, Barack Obama stood in London beside David Cameron and said something Britain has not quite forgotten.
3 mins
April 26, 2026
The Observer
Rental reform driving out private landlords and letting companies in
The UK’s rental market faces its biggest shakeup in decades when the Renters’ Rights Act takes effect next week.
2 mins
April 26, 2026
The Observer
'Everyone is so scared': the housing free-for-all threatening Cotswold town
Labour has relaxed planning rules to achieve its aim of 1.5m new-builds in five years. For one community it means lost fields, and properties flooded with sewage, writes Rowan Moore
5 mins
April 26, 2026
The Observer
Fossil fuel non-proliferation will be a tougher sell than nuclear
With the election of Donald Trump, the pendulum swung far away from international efforts to tackle climate change.
1 mins
April 26, 2026
The Observer
President roots for tree that could cure
Gabon is being asked to grant the US access to a hallucinogen that can banish addiction - and may heal the Maga rift.
5 mins
April 26, 2026
The Observer
Fix it
Starmer — or his successor — must find the courage to commit to rejoining the EU
2 mins
April 26, 2026
The Observer
King was 'bouncing up and down' in fury at Trump's slur against British troops
The king was “absolutely furious” when Donald Trump suggested in January that British troops had stayed away from the frontline in Afghanistan.
4 mins
April 26, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size