There are so many excellent initiatives, awards, events and research projects taking place all the time in the children's book world. Welcome to our weekly round-up of the news that you don't want to miss!
Branford Boase Shortlist: The shortlist for the 2025 Branford Boase Award, given annually to the author and editor of the year’s outstanding debut novel for children, was announced on Thursday 24th April. Chosen from a longlist of 20 books, the judges have narrowed down a shortlist of 6, featuring “refreshingly different” stories that demonstrate the strength of publishing for children. Shortlisted titles The Boy in the Suit by James Fox, edited by Lauren Fortune (Scholastic) and Glasgow Boys by Margaret McDonald, edited by Alice Swan (Faber) were both chosen as Editor's Picks in the Winter 2024 issue of The School Librarian. See our reviews below:
Empathy Day Festival: Running from 2nd - 12th June, with Empathy Day on Thursday 12th June, EmpathyLab are on a mission to raise an empathy-educated generation, and want us all to get involved. The festival programme includes a nationwide assembly with Children’s Laureate, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, an exclusive empathy-themed Draw with Rob session and a live event on Empathy Day with Elle McNicoll & Joseph Coelho, as well as daily empathy inspiration from Hannah Gold, Phil Earle, Smriti Halls, Ashley Hickson-Lovence, Tom Percival, Rashmi Sirdeshpande and more. The programme is flexible meaning you can take part whenever you can. Teachers, parents and librarians can also benefit from three free professional development webinars with expert guests and authors, focusing on empathy and wellbeing, empathy and neurodivergence, and talking to children and young people about books.
Members can watch our recent webinar with EmpathyLab here. Find out more about the 2025 Read for Empathy book collection and the festival.
National Share-a-Story Month: The FCBG has announced the theme for National Share-a-Story Month (NSSM) 2025: Saving the World, One Book at a Time. Held annually throughout May, National Share-a-Story Month (#NSSM2025) celebrates the power of storytelling and the joy of reading together. Organised by the FCBG, a national charity dedicated to bringing children and books together, NSSM offers a wealth of opportunities for reading, writing, and sharing stories. This year’s theme highlights the transformative power of stories in building awareness, changing attitudes, and inspiring action to protect our environment. A specially curated booklist of environmentally themed children’s titles will be published on the FCBG website on Thursday 1st May 2025, where you can also find details of several competitions and other resources.
Bradford Literature Festival has launched its 2025 Education Programme, that invites leading writers, performance poets, illustrators, scientists, historians and journalists to share their skills through live shows, performances and interactive workshops. This year's programme will take place from Thursday 26 June to Friday 4 July 2025, and is free to all non-fee-paying schools, education groups and home educators across the North. Teachers, course leaders, and parents or carers who home educate children can register and book for events. BLF also welcomes fee-paying schools to enjoy this fantastic opportunity at a set ticket price per student. See the full programme here.
HarperCollins UK will release new research connected to understanding children’s disengagement with reading at an event in London this afternoon. As a part of the announcement, they will also share details of a new study into Social Reading Spaces, which was conducted in collaboration with the School Library Association and several of our member librarians. Keep an eye on our website and social media channels for more information on this in the coming days!