These activities and events aim to improve children’s access to high-quality engaging books before starting school, which can make a big difference to their school experience and outcomes. We run storybook reading groups, parent book clubs and summer schools to help children and their families to get involved with books from early in life. We also run research projects to find out what are the best ways to encourage a love of reading and to enhance children’s reading skills. Find out more:
From Storytime to Lifelong Readers: Event for policy makers
On 12th June 2025, we hosted a special event showcasing our recent work delivering storybook sessions for parents and toddlers in South Reading. These sessions have aimed to inspire a love…Read More >
Whitley Wood Playgroup
The Whitley Wood Playgroup initiative was funded by the Research England Participatory Research Fund. Our team worked collaboratively with parents and other community leaders to co-create storybook sessions for parents and children under 5 in the Whitley Wood area.
Hexham Road playgroup
Find out more about our regular storybook playgroup at Hexham Road Community Centre. This was set up following the success of our playgroup in Whitley Wood after community consultation.
Our participatory research
Find out more about how our participatory approach helps us to learn about communities and what will work in different contexts
Parent book club
The research team ran a book group for parents in the Whitley area to promote a love of reading. The group met once a month to discuss a book that they had chosen.
How it all started
Read about how we started our very first set of storybook reading sessions in Whitley Library