Purpose:So far,there have been few studies that discussed children’s reading environment in China’s poverty-stricken areas,this study aims to explore differences existed in extracurricular reading environment between urban and rural children in Chongqing Reservoir Area with empirical evidence.Design/methodology/approach:Using a questionnaire survey,empirical data was collected from 105 participants.Then proposed hypotheses and the reliability of the observation variables were respectively examined with ANOVA and factor analysis.The statistical analysis software SPSS 19.0 was used to analyze the data.Findings:Our results showed that 1) differences did exist in school and social reading environment between urban and rural children in Chongqing Reservoir Area;2) differences in family reading environment between urban and rural children in Chongqing Reservoir Area were not obviously observed.Research limitations:The empirical data were collected from only one county of Chongqing Reservoir Area,which may have partially affected the generalization of our conclusions.In addition,the response rate of questionnaires was comparatively low due to a relatively limited research period.Practical implications:This study would provide some reference for govments,libraries,schools and families to consider how to jointly narrow the gap in the extracurricular reading circumstance between urban and rural children in Chongqing Reservoir Area.Originality value:This is one of the first studies to explore similarities and differences in extracurricular reading environment between urban and rural children in Chinese poverty-stricken areas,which will help research communities to gain a deeper understanding of children’s reading environment in Chinese Reservoir Area.