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July’s Title Pick for Children: The Blue Umbrella by Emily Ann Davison
The illustrations are really beautiful, and full of life and detail. While you’re turning the pages and telling the story,...
Julys Title Pick for Adults: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Robin is a warm, inclusive and inviting guide to these worlds. The message of many of the essays is that...
July’s Monthly Stories and Poems
Through pieces in this month’s stories and poems pack we’re dipping into the huge subject of family and drawing out...
Reader Leader Recommendations
Our wonderful Reader Leaders are a fountain of knowledge when it comes to stories and poems that spark inspiration, connection...
The Reader’s Response to National Literacy Trust’s Annual Literacy Survey
We’ve taken some time to digest the most recent findings from the National Literacy Trust’s 2025 Annual Literacy Survey which reports a modest rise in children’s...
June’s Title Pick for Children: Heidi by Johanna Spyri
‘But Heidi did not stir; she had no need now to wander about, for the great burning longing of her…
June’s Title Pick for Adults: Stand By Me by Wendell Berry
I remember very well joining an online Shared reading session for staff during one of the Covid lockdowns and reading…
June’s Monthly Stories and Poems
Making a home isn’t a one-off, one-time activity, even if you live in the same place all your life. The…
May’s Title Pick for Children: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
As a child, this is probably one of the books that made me a reader. In a way, the book…
May’s Title Pick for Adults: Brotherless Night by V. V. Ganeshanathan
‘In this country of grief, the best kind of shelter is to be understood, to have someone stop next to…
May’s Monthly Stories and Poems
Though The Reader Bookshelf and its theme is designed to be a ‘golden thread’ holding the different areas of The…
April’s Title Pick for Children: The Very Noisy House by Sally Nicholls
‘SQUEEEAK’ goes the garden gate, ‘RING RING’, ‘KNOCK KNOCK’, ‘DING DONG’ at the door. Readers are invited to pay a…
