Kids can check out flying libraries on summer holidays

EasyJet are launching a Flybrary scheme.

EasyJet's new 'flybraries' are taking off this summer. The firm says the scheme will give more than 20 million passengers the chance to share stories over the holidays.

In total, more than 300 EasyJet aircraft will be stocked with 60,000 copies of kid's books in seven European languages.

The initiative - which encourages parents to read the books with their kids and leave them for the next passenger - was launched by TV presenter Katie Piper.

Research commissioned by the airline has revealed 59% of British children would choose being read a story by their parents over an extra 30 minutes of screen time.

Harper Collins Children's Books have put together a series of titles for the project. These 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.

Dinosaur Juniors author Mr Biddulph 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."

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.”

And Katie Piper added: "I hope that families across Europe will be entertained on board as they get hooked on a book together.”

The scheme will be operated by EasyJet from airports around Europe including in Scotland.