How Books Rocked Taylor Swift's World

Did you know 1 in 5 kids in the UK think reading is not cool? They're embarrassed to even be seen with a book.

Pop artist Taylor Swift is seeing RED. She's not angry or embarrassed. RED stands for "Read Every Day," an initiative launched by Scholastic to encourage global literacy. In a live webcast aired this Wednesday, Taylor spoke to millions of students about how books made her the singer she is today. Poised and articulate, she shared how fables, fairy tales, and poetry inspired her imagination and taught her to be a stronger person.  

“I think it’s important to read as many kinds of books as you possibly can,” Taylor told students, from short to long, easy to difficult, fiction to nonfiction — “so you can find out what your favorites are.” And, “I think it is good to read every day, definitely!…I try to read as much as I can.”

Taylor answered students' questions, and capped off her appearance with a performance of "We are Never Ever Getting Back Together," from her new album entitled—RED. Of course!

Here's the webcast to watch with your children, in case you missed it. I'm so glad that Taylor Swift is a role model for so many kids. Our children need to know that cool celebrities think reading is cool!

Find out what Taylor and other celebrities picked as their top 5 books, under "Celebrity Bookprints." You can also join Scholastic's campaign—it's easy to do—and help kids across the world read every day.