Kids living in houses without books?

[ButterfliesAreWeird]

My son just received another of those books we get given by the government (funded by them atleast). My Mother said that they started this scheme because around 1 in 4 children were starting school without a single book in their household. Is this right? That sounds like a lot, but then again it would need to be for them to start handing out books I guess.

'A house without books is like a body without a soul'
Attibuted to Cicero

'A house without books is like a room without windows. No man has a right to bring up his children without surrounding them with books, if he has the means to buy them.'
Horace Mann

Kids got at least 30 books for Xmas between them, ranging from early readers and Lego books for DS2 to cook books and and Geography and science books for the slightly older ones.

When I browse the photos of houses on sale at all our local real estate agencies and they look so pristine, tidy, light, minimalist and I keep thinking - what's the difference between this living room and ours? Then I click: no books to be seen! In 90% of them!