Who We Are
Booktime is a global initiative from the Hindawi Foundation. We believe that every child — no matter their background, language, or location — deserves access to beautiful, enriching books.
Launched in 2024, Booktime has already reached children across continents, opening doors to imagination, learning, and joy.
We come with experience. Since 2008, the Hindawi Foundation has worked to make literature more accessible in the Arabic-speaking world. Now, with Booktime, we're going further, offering free, high-quality children's books in multiple languages to readers aged 12 and under, everywhere.
Our goal is simple yet powerful: to create a world where every child can grow up surrounded by stories that reflect who they are and who they dream of becoming.
Our Impact
Donate Today
At Booktime, we believe reading is more than a skill, it’s a bridge to new worlds, ideas, and futures. We’re proud to share our passion and strive to place a library in every child’s pocket.
Together, we can bring the joy of reading to every child.
Donate NowWhy We Created Booktime
At Booktime, we believe every child deserves the chance to fall in love with reading, no matter where they live, what language they speak, or what resources they have.
Our team has spent decades working to make literature more accessible. We combined our experience with a shared passion for childhood literacy to build Booktime — a simple, joyful way to get quality books into the hands of children everywhere.
Reading isn't just a skill. It's a launchpad for imagination, education, empathy, and opportunity. But for millions of children around the world, books are still out of reach:
- 1 in 3 children globally lacks access to age-appropriate reading materials (UNESCO, 2023).
- Over 617 million children are not achieving minimum reading proficiency (World Bank, 2023).
- Around 50% of children in low-income countries have no books at home (GPE, 2022).
- 61% of low-income families in the USA don’t own a single children’s book.
- In a study of 100,012 children aged 36–59 months across 35 countries, only 51.8% had even one children’s book at home.
- In the UK, 1 in 5 children aged 5–8 and 1 in 12 aged 8–18 don’t have a book of their own (National Literacy Trust, 2023).
These numbers aren’t just statistics; they represent real children missing out on the magic of stories, the joy of discovery, and the power of possibility.
The Power of Reading
Early access to books doesn’t just entertain; it changes lives.
When children read from a young age, they're not just learning letters and words. They’re building brains, unlocking emotions, and opening up whole new worlds. Reading:
Boosts Brain Development — strengthens memory, focus, and problem-solving skills.
Supercharges School Success — early readers often perform better academically.
Sparks Creativity — books feed the imagination and encourage new ideas.
Builds Emotional Intelligence — stories help children understand themselves and others.
Supports Language Growth — exposure to words improves vocabulary and communication.
Whether it's a magical bedtime story or a book about astrophysics, every page turns into a stepping stone for a brighter future.
Looking to the Future
Although our journey to bring the joy of reading to every child around the world is just beginning, we already have some exciting plans for the road ahead. Your support will help turn these dreams into reality:
Connect Generations through Stories
We believe stories bring families closer. Our books are designed to be read together, whether by a child and a parent, a grandparent, or a sibling, because stories are meant to be shared.
Build a Worldwide Network
We're joining forces with schools, charities, libraries, and partners around the globe to spread the power of books even further.
Inspire Future Authors
Today’s readers are tomorrow’s storytellers. We're working on ways to help children imagine, write, and share their own stories.
Make It Accessible for Every Child
We will continue to develop tools and experiences that make reading more engaging, accessible and fun for every child.
Grow Our Global Library
We're expanding our collection so that every child, no matter their age or reading level, can find books they love and grow with.
Supercharge Our Techs
New features mean new fun! We're always improving our app to make reading more interactive, joyful, and accessible.
Translate Every Story
We’re working to translate our books into as many languages as possible, even less common ones. Every child deserves to hear stories in their mother tongue.
