New chapter in TV duo's campaign to get nation reading

I remember my father reading Fantastic Mr Fox and later The Hobbit, which sent me to sleep dreaming of Bilbo Baggins and his intrepid adventures in Middle Earth. For others it will be Alice in Wonderland, or Peter Pan that stick in the mind, but the point is these books, and the warm memories we associate with them, remain with us as we grew older.

It's impossible to imagine a world without these and all the other children's classics, but at the same time there is no doubt that in recent years reading has struggled to compete with the seductive worlds of computer games and Hollywood action films.

However, in an attempt to help parents and get more youngsters reading, Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan are planning to launch their own children's book club. The former daytime TV hosts have teamed up with WH Smith and reading charity Booktrust to launch the scheme, designed to encourage an appreciation of books.

The club is made up of three different categories with six book titles in each. Their choices include Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder, by Jo Nesbo, Horrid Henry and the Football Fiend, by Francesca Simon, alongside classics like The Wombles by the late Elisabeth Beresford.

"Reading from an early age is something that we always encouraged with our own children and we feel very strongly that this addition to the Book Club is an important and exciting one," says Finnigan. "Getting children to engage with their favourite books and share their thoughts with friends is a great way to enjoy books and we hope that we can help give parents the suggestions they need to get the most out of the amazing stories that are out there."

The idea is to highlight books that youngsters can read themselves as well as titles that adults should enjoy reading to their children. If it proves even half as popular as the Richard and Judy adult book club, then it will have publishers and authors rubbing their hands with glee. Such was the club's impact that even making it on to their Summer Read list was worth more in terms of sales than winning the Man Booker Prize.

Yorkshire-based writer Emma Barnes, author of the widely praised Jessica Haggerthwaite series, is impressed with the new book club.

"What really pleases me about Richard and Judy's list is the number of funny books on it, it's not a worthy list. Reading is about entertainment and it's nice to see books like these because they don't always get highlighted."

Emma, whose latest book, How (not) To Make Bad Children Good, comes out in May, says reading for fun improves literacy levels among children. "If you can get children reading for pleasure they will become more literate as a natural side-effect. That's why I like the Horrid Henry series, because children love reading them and if a child finds a series, or an author, they really like it encourages them to keep on reading."

She believes it is important to make books as accessible as possible. "There are lots of children's books that get published each year, but getting them into children's hands isn't always easy because there aren't as many independent bookshops as there used to be and children don't go to libraries as much."

Despite all the digital attractions available to children, she believes books still have the power to transform young minds. "Reading books takes you into a character's mind and allows you to see something from someone else's point of view in a way that a film can't quite do. It also draws families together and parents often read their favourite stories to their own children like I've done with the Narnia books."

Sonia Benster, who owns The Children's Bookshop, in Lindley on the outskirts of Huddersfield, is delighted that Richard and Judy have launched their children's book club.

"When you look at their track record with adult books it has been phenomenal and they have such a sure touch with regard to what they choose. So hopefully it will encourage children to read books as a form of entertainment, rather than turning to the digital world which seems to be flavour of the month at the moment," she says.

"The connection between the reader and the person being read to is crucial. Because by reading a story to a child you are sharing that experience and in later life you have these memories which are priceless."