BookTrust

26 Feb

"Books bring us together" 🩵 We're proud to share our new short film Stories That Connect Us, based on real conversations with children in adoption, foster care or kinship care. Thank you so much to all the children and families who took part, and to the wonderful Lemn Sissay for the voiceover!

📢 We're announcing a new research project to help children in temporary accommodation enjoy the connection, comfort and continuity of shared reading. Stories that Connect is funded by @ukri.org through the Research and Development Missions Accelerator Programme. More info 👇 https://bit.ly/4Af55t1

Reading doesn't have to rest with one parent or carer alone. If the responsibility of sharing books with a child is shared by more adults in their life and in their community, this expands the opportunities they have to connect with books. 👇

That's why story times, like this very special one at Bath Central Library with Gruffalo creators Dame Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, are so powerful. #StorySharerWeek

bit.lyTop tips: helping families develop a reading habit during a child’s…BookTrust’s National Family Survey 2026 identified five conditions that make shared reading easier for families. Drawing on these, here are some simple,…

Our National Family Survey 2026 identified five conditions that make shared reading easier for families. Find out what they are - plus tips for practitioners supporting families: bit.ly/47CDGoo

And from our most recent National Family Survey, we know that this shared responsibility is one of five enabling factors that make it easier to embed reading in a child's daily life.

During the early years, libraries, librarians, and other trusted people in the community can create those additional opportunities for children to experience stories, whatever their family circumstances.

Meet Vicky Hough, Library Early Years Co-ordinator for Bristol Libraries and one of last year’s BookTrust #StorySharerOfTheYear Award finalists. ✨ For #StorySharerWeek, Vicky is sharing some of her top tips for a brilliant story time.💙 See the full video for more tips: https://bit.ly/4z3TTz7

Explore our #Bookstart impact report for 2025/26 and find out how we are working in every community in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to get families with young children reading. https://bit.ly/4zNXph6

Meet Rhian Green, Cymraeg i Blant (Welsh for Kids) Officer and one of last year’s BookTrust #StorySharerOfTheYear Award finalists. ✨ Find out how Rhian's inclusive, creative, bilingual sessions introduce families to the power of stories and rhymes: https://bit.ly/4yu7ZIY

observer.co.ukFrank Cottrell-Boyce: The ‘childhood lottery’ is stealing...Rachel de Souza’s shocking report reveals children in England face a cluster crisis of poverty, education, wellbeing and inequality, but local, targeted action offers a way out

Don't miss @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social's fantastic piece in @theobserveruk.bsky.social, responding to the #ChildhoodLottery report from the Children's Commissioner. As Frank says, at BookTrust we work across the country with programmes that are responsive to local needs 👇 bit.ly/4jwZzNc

📢 Nominations for our #StorySharerOfTheYear Award are now OPEN! We want to celebrate a brilliant early years practitioner who uses #Bookstart resources to help families get reading together. Do you know someone who fits the bill? Get all the info here 👇 https://bit.ly/4yQggrF #StorySharerWeek

We've teamed up with Wandle English Hub to create Sharing Stories at Home, helping schools host workshops about reading for pleasure with Reception families. Here, Matthew Courtney from Wandle English Hub shares what he hopes families will take away from the workshops! 👉 https://bit.ly/4yPDiPm

If you want to start your day with a little joy, go and check out the star of today's Google Doodle 🍯

@mostlybooktalk.bsky.social

Author and Early Years Specialist Sue Meikle shares why funny books are essential in early childhood. https://bit.ly/4jhHeDH

BookTrust reposted

Mostly Book Talk

We're back with our series for the National Year of Reading and in this episode, we talk to Rachel Boden who is the lead children's book promotion and content editor at @booktrust.org.uk Have a listen and find out more about what they do and how to get involved. #NationalYearofReading #KidLitUK

Books can help children find ways to understand and express their feelings. And the very act of sharing a book together can provide a source of happiness and comfort. For #WorldMentalHealthDay, explore what the evidence says about reading and children's mental wellbeing. https://bit.ly/3JNgfjT

"Having a book that’s yours to keep is an anchor" We're proud to work with Kinship to support kinship families to share stories. For #KinshipCareWeek, we're sharing why this work matters to Bennet, whose love of books brought stability and comfort when it was most needed. https://bit.ly/4AQot0h

We all know how powerful reading can be. But in the context of kinship care families, where relatives or friends care for a child because their parents aren’t able to, the benefits of reading are even more profound.

Sharing stories becomes a tool for nurture and connection – opening up conversations, regulating emotions and reinforcing self-worth for children who may have experienced disruption or trauma.

bit.lyThe relational value of reading: insights from kinship care familiesThis briefing provides insights into the role reading and sharing stories can play in kinship care families’ lives and the types of support they find most…

It's #KinshipCareWeek and we're reflecting on our work with Kinship, exploring the role of sharing stories in the lives of kinship care families. Explore our insights: bit.ly/4hK5NGP

We've had a great time working with Brent Council on a project exploring how artist-led creative storytelling can help bring the benefits of early years reading to children under two. The project, funded by @artscouncilengland.bsky.social, found that creative storytelling has some real potential👇

“Sometimes I struggle reading with my daughter," said one mum. "But here, I can get an idea of how I can sit with her and read a story." Another added: "My son was really going for it and getting involved... We’ll definitely be coming again. We wish it was on longer. We’d come every week.”

bit.lyExploring the impact of artist-led creative storytelling for children…Funded by Arts Council England, BookTrust collaborated with Brent Council to explore the potential of artist-led creative storytelling for bringing the…

Find out more about what we learnt about creative storytelling in Brent here 👉 bit.ly/4jIkvk9

4. Practitioners gained confidence and new approaches to storytelling. The pilot supported 20 library and early years practitioners through training and shared learning opportunities delivered by the artists – and they later described feeling more confident and more able to be creative.

5. Stronger partnerships created a lasting legacy. The project brought together libraries, family hubs, creative practitioners and cultural partners around a shared goal of exploring the impact of creative storytelling for children aged 0-2 - including some new, ongoing partnerships.

2. Families felt more confident to share books and be creative at home. The project successfully gave families practical ideas they could use to help nurture their child’s creativity and relationship with stories at home.

3. High-quality book ownership extended the impact of the storytelling sessions. The artists used books expertly selected by BookTrust as the basis for planning their storytelling. Families received copies of the books to take home and consistently said this was a positive experience for them.

1. Including live music, sound effects, movement, puppets, and sensory play in storytelling was engaging for children and families. Parents and carers described the sessions as “creative” and “fun” and it supported participation among families who speak English as an additional language.

BookTrust reposted

Jon Biddle

@jonnybid.bsky.social

If you haven't yet seen @booktrust.org.uk's Great Books Guide 2026-27, do take a look. It's a collection of 100 carefully selected, recently published children's books, including fiction, graphic novels, poetry and non-fiction. You can download it here: www.booktrust.org.uk/book-recomme...

"Books bring us together" 🩵 As Kinship Care Week kicks off, we're sharing our short film Stories That Connect Us, based on real conversations with children in adoption, foster care or kinship care. It captures some beautiful moments between families, showing just how powerful sharing books can be.

📚 Research shows that reading and sharing stories supports bonding, stability, identity, wellbeing, social and emotional growth and attainment. In many ways, reading can be seen as a protective factor against the adversity some children experience.

therelationalsocialworkpodcast.comNew Page — The Relational Social Work Podcast

We were delighted to be on the @relationalsw.bsky.social podcast alongside Debbie, one of the kinship carers featured in this film, to talk about how books can support connection. Catch the episode here: www.therelationalsocialworkpodcast.com/listen-now

New children's books we love 😍 Every month, we review dozens of books for children and teenagers. Here are the ones we like best in October... https://bit.ly/487zIVT

Our research shows that children are more likely to become independent readers when they experience reading with and are inspired by multiple people or ‘reading influencers’ from the earliest moments in childhood. Find out more: https://bit.ly/4pP6FN6

📚 NEW: Our #GreatBooksGuide 2026-27! Explore 100 recommendations from the past year for primary school children, covering a range of age ranges, accessibility levels, formats and genres. A physical copy of the guide is being sent to primary schools, take a look online⤵️ https://bit.ly/4hl3Di2

📢 Let’s make early years reading a long-term national priority for Wales…

➡️Please share and show your support for long-term funding for early years reading support for every child in Wales.

booktrust.org.ukBuilding strong foundations for children across Wales through books…Now is the time to strengthen support for early years reading, so every child in Wales can experience the benefits of books and shared reading from the…

Discover the difference our programmes make, including how Denbighshire library service uses BookTrust Cymru’s Bookstart programmes to boost families’ confidence in sharing books together, in both English and Welsh: bit.ly/3VocwPe

📢 Let’s make early years reading a long-term national priority for Wales…

📚At a time when concerns about literacy standards are growing across Wales, investing in early years shared reading has never been more important.

We’re calling on the Welsh Government to guarantee long-term investment in BookTrust Cymru’s reading programmes, so every child in Wales can benefit from books, stories and reading from the very beginning.

📢 Let’s make early years reading a long-term national priority for Wales…

BookTrust Cymru's evidence-based, bi-lingual programmes help more children experience the life-changing benefits of reading, supporting families to share stories, build confidence, develop early language and literacy, and create meaningful moments together from the earliest months of life.

What a story time we had yesterday - with none other than Dame Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler, and the Gruffalo! 💫 It was a joy to join children in Bath for this very special event, made possible thanks to our partnership with Macmillan Children's Books. Find out more: https://bit.ly/3Vc7ghE