Archives: News & Views

This year we have been delighted to welcome Stellantis UK as a significant funder of the charity, helping to build our grassroots delivery and drive regional expansion.

The leading global automaker Stellantis has become a major new corporate partner of the Children’s Literacy Charity. Stellantis, which designs, manufactures and markets vehicles under 14 brands including Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Peugeot and Vauxhall, will partner with us in three regions important to the corporation’s UK presence, as well as providing wider support across all our literacy programmes.

With the generous Stellantis funding, we have started delivery of our specialist literacy intervention across nine schools in Coventry, Ellesmere Port and Luton. The Stellantis grant will also support our core delivery, help to build the charity’s parental engagement programme and develop literacy resources for families. Furthermore, Stellantis is boosting our Reader Leader training programme in which older students learn how to become reading mentors for younger pupils.

Read more about why Stellantis chose to support us here.

“We were struck by the incredible impact The Children’s Literacy Charity tutors can have in supporting those children who are the furthest behind and we know from the feedback we receive from right across our business that, post Covid, the catch-up needs of many children are still great. At Stellantis we have a long history of philanthropic support and felt that by partnering with this high impact charity, we could make an important contribution to closing the attainment gap.”

Isabel Greenwood, CEO, The Children’s Literacy Charity, added:

“This new partnership with Stellantis represents an important milestone for the charity, not only enabling us to expand our delivery into new regions but also allowing us to work hand in hand with a corporate supporter at a grassroots level. We have long believed that working closely with supporters to build longer term involvement with local schools and communities is a powerful model, ensuring the children who need the most help can thrive in the secure setting of one of our Literacy or Reading Lab spaces in their school”.

Sparking Young Imaginations on National Poetry Day.

Each October, our tutors and children come together to celebrate National Poetry Day. Poems are a powerful tool for our tutors to use in our Literacy Lab and Reading Lab sessions. Their rhyme, rhythm, and repetition help children hear patterns in words, strengthening reading and spelling skills. Reading or performing them aloud builds fluency and self-expression, while writing simple verses helps children experiment with language in a manageable way, and memorising poems builds confidence and encourages creativity. Poems also spark discussion and connect with emotions and experiences, deepening comprehension.

At Mauldeth Road Primary School in Withington tutor Andrea said:

“We have had a lovely day reading poems and acting out The Terrible Ten. The children loved acting out the actions. They chose an animal each to act whilst we took photos for a display.”

Acting out James Carter’s book ‘The Terrible Ten’.

Children’s work displayed to celebrate National Poetry Day at St Mark’s Primary School.

Children used the poems they read as inspiration for their own poems,

We’re pleased to share a blog post from our Education Lead, Julie Taylor: Closing the Literacy Gap – Opening Doors.

Drawing on over 30 years of teaching experience, Julie highlights how reading isn’t just about skills – it can transform lives. In the article, she describes how our specialist programmes work in partnership with schools to support children falling behind. She also emphasises the importance of early intervention, and strong connections with families. Have a read to discover how these strategies are helping to level the playing field and open real opportunities for every child. 

‘Book Squad’ from Collins is a teacher-friendly, no-cost platform offering curated books, classroom tools, expert research, author interactions, and celebratory awards, all to help primary school children foster a lasting love of reading.

https://collins.co.uk/blogs/the-book-squad-blog/closing-the-literacy-gap-opening-doors

This summer The Children’s Literacy Charity invites families, schools and supporters to join our Summer Reading Campaign — sparking imagination, encouraging reading, and raising vital funds to support children who are struggling with literacy.

We’ve created inspiring summer reading lists for children, filled with stories of big adventures and unforgettable characters from diverse voices.

One in three children from a disadvantaged background leaves primary school unable to read well. With your help, we can change that. The Children’s Literacy Charity provides specialist one-to-one and small group tutoring to children in school who are the furthest behind, closing their literacy gap and allowing them to leap ahead with learning.

Open a Book, Open a World

Summer is the perfect time to relax with a great book, but it’s also a vital opportunity to keep young minds active and engaged. Without regular reading, many children experience the ‘summer slide’, where literacy skills slip back. That’s why we’ve pulled together a list of recommended summer reads: exciting, inclusive, and designed to keep imaginations alive and reading confidence strong over the summer holiday.

These books have been carefully selected to capture the interest of the children while also encouraging shared reading experiences with parents of younger children. They are perfect for sparking conversations, deepening understanding, and bringing stories to life through meaningful book talk.

PRE SCHOOL / NURSERY
	We’re Going on a Lion Hunt by David Axtell follows two children exploring the savanna as they journey through tall grass, lakes, and dark caves in search of a lion. When they finally find it, their courage turns to worry, and they race home very quickly.
	The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Nick Sharratt retells the classic tale of three hungry goats who need to cross a bridge guarded by a grumpy troll. They cleverly trick him one by one until even the biggest goat can cross safely.
	The Foggy, Foggy Forest by Nick Sharratt is a fun picture book where readers peek through misty pages to guess which fairy‑tale creatures are hiding ahead. Each page reveals a silly surprise, like an ogre doing yoga or Red Riding Hood selling ice‑cream, mixing fun with mystery .
	Mr Gumpy’s Outing is about a man who takes animals and children on a boat ride. When they all misbehave, the boat tips but they still have fun in the end.
	Whatever Next! by Jill Murphy is about Baby Bear who uses a cardboard box, his wellies, and a colander to fly to the moon. He meets an owl, has a picnic in space, then safely returns home for his bath and bedtime.

RECEPTION
	Shark in the Park by Nick Sharratt follows Timothy Pope, a boy with a telescope, who is convinced he sees a shark in the park but learns it’s usually something harmless. The playful, rhyming story with peek-through holes shows how imagination can make ordinary moments exciting .
	Mr Big by Ed Vere is about a huge but lonely gorilla who feels invisible because his size scares everyone away until he buys a piano and fills the streets with beautiful music. The people are drawn in by his talent so he joins a jazz band and finally finds friendship and belonging.
	In Bert and the Bubble Bert the frog finds a shiny bubble that all his friends want to play with. He learns that sharing is tricky but fun when everyone takes turns.
	We’re Going to Find the Monster! is about two siblings who use their imagination to go on a big adventure. In the end, the “monster” is really their playful big brother.
	The Pet Potato by Josh Lacey and Momoko Abe is about a boy, Albert, who gets a potato as a pet and learns to care for it like a real friend. When it starts to rot, he buries it with love—and the potato surprises him one last time with a magical trick.
	The Lonely Beast by Chris Judge tells of a gentle, fuzzy creature who lives alone tending his garden until loneliness leads him on a grand adventure to find others like him. He visits cities and oceans, wins hearts, but still returns home, only to discover many other beasts have come to join him in friendship .
	Bog Baby by Jeanne Willis and Gwen Millward tells the story of two sisters who discover a tiny, magical creature by a pond and secretly care for it in a bucket. When it becomes ill, they learn a loving lesson: true care means letting wild things go back home

YEAR ONE AND YEAR TWO
	Beegu by Alexis Deacon tells the tale of a small, three-eyed alien who crashes on Earth and feels lost and alone. Though most grown-ups ignore her, a few kind children and puppies befriend her, giving her hope until she’s finally rescued .
	The River is about a boy named Rowan whose feelings change like a river. When he’s sad, the river stops flowing—but as he heals, it starts to move again.
	The Runaway Pea is about a little pea who jumps off a plate and goes on a fun adventure around the kitchen. He rolls past all sorts of trouble looking for excitement and adventures/
	The Snail and the Whale is a rhyming story about a tiny snail who travels the world on a whale’s tail. When the whale gets stuck, the snail finds help and saves him.
	How to Be a Lion is about Leonard, a kind lion who likes poems and makes friends with a duck. When others tell him he should be fierce, he shows it’s okay to be different.
	Billy and the Minpins by Roald Dahl tells of a young boy named Billy who sneaks into a dark forest despite his mother’s warnings. There, he discovers tiny tree-dwelling Minpins and bravely helps them defeat the fearsome Gruncher using clever thinking.
	Our Tower by Joseph Coelho and Richard Johnson tells of three children living in a tall, grey tower block who follow a magical call into an enchanted tree and meet a mysterious green man. Through their adventure, they learn that true wonder and community magic already exist in their own neighbourhood.
	The Rainbow Bear by Michael Morpurgo is about a lonely polar bear who dreams of catching a rainbow and turns into a colorful bear—only to find that his bright new fur makes it hard to stay safe in the icy wilds. With help from a kind boy and wise friends, he learns that being himself, an ordinary white bear is what truly keeps him home and happy.
	The Great Explorer by Chris Judge follows young Tom as he bravely journeys across the icy North Pole to find his missing explorer father. Along the way, he faces snowy challenges but never gives up, driven by hope and family love.
	The Jasmine Sneeze tells the story of Haroun, a grumpy cat in ancient Persia who’s annoyed by the smell of jasmine’s. After angering a mischievous spirit, he learns about kindness, gratitude, and seeing beauty in unexpected places through a magical, humorous journey.
	Yokki and the Parno Gry is a tale of a Traveller boy who lifts his struggling family’s spirits with magical stories. When hope seems lost, his imagination brings the mythical flying horse, the Parno Gry, to life, transforming their future.

YEAR THREE AND YEAR FOUR
	The Wild Robot tells the story of Roz, a robot that washes ashore on a deserted island and learns to survive by adapting to the local wildlife. She befriends and adopts an orphaned gosling named Brightbill, forming a family and building a caring community with the animals .
	Too Small Tola is about a small girl in Nigeria who shows she’s strong and brave in everyday life. She helps her family and neighbours in clever and caring ways.
	Leonora Bolt: Secret Inventor is about a clever girl who secretly builds inventions on a remote island. When she learns her uncle is stealing her ideas, she sets off on a daring mission to stop him.
	Tomas discovers a magical dragonfruit tree in his grandfather’s garden that hatches into a tiny, mischievous dragon he names Flicker, leading to chaotic adventures.
	The Creakers by Tom Fletcher is a children’s novel about a brave girl named Lucy who discovers a hidden world beneath her bed, inhabited by mysterious creatures called Creakers who have taken all the grown-ups. As Lucy ventures into this strange upside-down world, she learns about courage, friendship, and the importance of understanding others who seem different.
	Claude in the City by Alex T. Smith follows a small, dapper dog named Claude and his scruffy sock friend, Sir Bobblysock, as they explore the city on a day out. During their visit to a café, shops, and a museum, Claude accidentally foils an art robbery and becomes the unexpected hero of the day .
	The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton follows Joe, Beth, and Frannie as they discover a magical tree in the Enchanted Wood, where strange lands appear at the top. With their new friends, they climb the tree and have exciting adventures in places like the Land of Take-What-You-Want and the Land of Do-As-You-Please.
	Charlie Changes Into a Chicken by Sam Copeland is about a boy who starts turning into different animals whenever he gets too stressed. As he and his friends try to figure out what’s causing it, Charlie learns to face his worries and accept who he is.
	Ottoline and the Yellow Cat is about a clever girl named Ottoline and her friend Mr Munroe who solve a mystery about stolen pets and jewels. They discover the thief is a sneaky cat in disguise.
	The Thirteen-Storey Treehouse is about two friends, Andy and Terry, who live in a wacky treehouse full of fun things like a bowling alley and a lemonade fountain. They have wild adventures while trying to write a book in all the chaos.
	The Boy with Big Decisions tells the story of a young boy confronted with important life choices. Through guidance and reflection, he learns about responsibility, courage, and the value of making wise, moral decisions that shape his future.
	The Land of Roar follows twins Arthur and Rose as they return to a magical world they created as children. Facing danger and adventure, they must confront fears, rediscover imagination, and embrace bravery to save Roar from a dark threat.

YEARS FIVE AND SIX
	Pugs of the Frozen North by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre follows a young boy named Shen and his friend Sika as they enter a thrilling sled race to the North Pole—powered by 66 pugs. Along the way, they face yetis, sea monsters, and snow trolls in a whimsical, fast-paced Arctic adventure full of heart and humour.
	The Nowhere Emporium by Ross MacKenzie tells the story of Daniel, a lonely boy who stumbles into a magical shop that appears and disappears without warning, filled with rooms made from dreams and stories. As Daniel becomes part of the Emporium, he must uncover its secrets and protect it from a dark force that threatens to destroy everything.
	Keisha Jones Takes on the World by Natalie Denny follows bold and big-hearted Keisha, a young girl determined to make a difference in her community. With the help of her friends, family, and her own unstoppable drive, Keisha tackles local issues and learns how powerful one voice can be.
	The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf tells the story of a kind-hearted child who befriends Ahmet, a new classmate and refugee from Syria. As they learn about his past, the group of friends come up with a brave plan to help reunite Ahmet with his family.
	Children of the Benin Kingdom by Dinah Orji follows a young girl named Ada, who discovers her true heritage as she journeys through the powerful and vibrant ancient Benin Kingdom. As she uncovers secrets about her past, Ada must find the courage to embrace her identity and fight for what is right.
	Zombierella by Joseph Coelho is a spooky and funny version of Cinderella. When Ella dies in an accident and comes back to life, she goes to the royal ball as a zombie and finds out surprising secrets.
	The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo is about a toy rabbit who learns about love and loss as he travels from one owner to another. Through his adventures, Edward discovers what it means to care for others and to have a true heart.
	The New Famous Five by Enid Blyton (reimagined by various authors) brings back the classic characters in a modern setting, where they tackle mysteries with updated gadgets and today’s challenges. The group still shares the same spirit of adventure, friendship, and clever problem-solving that made the original stories so loved.
	Windrush Child by Benjamin Zephaniah tells the story of Leonard, a young boy who moves from Jamaica to England with his family as part of the Windrush generation. As he grows up, Leonard faces racism and struggles with identity, but also learns about resilience, belonging, and the importance of family.
	Kensuke’s Kingdom is about a boy named Michael who gets stuck on an island after falling off a boat. He meets an old man named Kensuke, and they become friends and help each other to survive.

YEARS 7,8 & 9
	The Crossover is about twin brothers Josh and JB who love basketball and play on the same team. As they grow up, family problems and growing apart challenge their bond.
	The Girl Who Stole an Elephant is about a brave girl named Chaya who steals from the rich to help the poor. When she gets caught, she escapes into the jungle on an elephant and has a wild adventure with her friends.
	When Life Gives You Mangoes by Kereen Getten is about a girl named Clara who can’t remember what happened last summer and feels left out in her Caribbean village. As she uncovers the truth, she learns to face her past and begins to heal.
	Northern Lights by Philip Pullman follows a brave girl named Lyra who travels to the Arctic to rescue her kidnapped friend and uncover a secret about Dust, a mysterious substance. Along the way, she faces danger, meets armoured bears and witches, and learns her journey is part of a much bigger battle.
	The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson is about Matthew, a boy with severe OCD who rarely leaves his room and spends his time watching the world from his window. When a toddler goes missing, Matthew becomes an unlikely detective and must face his fears to help solve the mystery.
	A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll follows Addie, an 11‑year‑old autistic girl in a Scottish village who campaigns for a memorial to the women persecuted as witches centuries ago. While facing bullying and misunderstanding, she finds her voice, stands up for justice, and learns to embrace who she is .
	Skulduggery Pleasant is about a girl named Stephanie who meets a talking skeleton detective and discovers a secret world of magic. Together, they fight an evil sorcerer and go on dangerous adventures.
	The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd is about Ted, a boy with Asperger’s, and his sister Kat, who help solve the disappearance of their cousin Salim after he vanishes from a capsule on the London Eye. Together, they unravel clues across London and piece together a clever plan that explains how Salim slipped away .
	Ghost by Jason Reynolds follows Castle “Ghost” Cranshaw, a seventh-grade boy haunted by a traumatic childhood where his father once shot at him and his mother. When Ghost joins a track team, he learns to channel his pain into running, finds community, and starts believing in a better future .
	The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster is about a bored boy named Milo who drives through a magical tollbooth and enters a strange world full of wordplay and number puzzles. On his journey, he learns to appreciate learning, curiosity, and the wonders of the world around him.
	The Hobbit follows Bilbo Baggins, a reluctant hobbit hero, who joins a group of dwarves on a quest to reclaim their treasure from the dragon Smaug. Along the way, he discovers courage, wit, and a magic ring that changes everything.

To download the list please click here.

Last month we launched our Life-Changing Literacy Big Give match funding campaign and we are delighted to announce we successfully reached and exceeded our campaign target of £50,000!

With the attainment gap the widest it has been for a decade, our work supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds is needed now more than ever before. We can only do this though with the generous support of our funders and the hard work of the fundraising team here at the charity and that’s why we launched a Big Give Match Funding Campaign aiming to raise £50,000. From 5 March until 5 April, every pound donated through the Big Give platform, the donation was matched.

We have been overwhelmed by the incredible response to our campaign and would like to thank everyone who made a donation. Your generosity will help us to support even more children with our life-changing literacy work.

Thank you to everyone who supported our Life-Changing Literacy Big Give Campaign!

Find out more about why we launched this important campaign.

This month we have launched our Big Give match funding campaign. The campaign lasts for one month and for every pound donated through the Big Give platform up until 5 April, the donation will be matched until we reach our campaign target, helping us to support even more children with our life-changing literacy work.

Over the last five years, The Children’s Literacy Charity has gone from strength to strength and this year we will be working in over 40 partner schools, delivering our expert programmes to more than 1100 children.

However, we remember only too well that five years ago, in March 2020, schools across the country closed at the start of the Covid pandemic. While children, families and all those involved in education have worked hard to make up for lost time, sadly, the impact of lockdowns and missed schooling is still being felt today. A 2023 Centre for Social Justice report showed that 57% of children from disadvantaged backgrounds are leaving primary school without the necessary literacy skills.

In response to the increased need for specialist literacy support, in 2021 we launched Reading Lab, our 1:3, 10-week catch up programme for older pupils and in 2022 started delivering a 1:3 Literacy Lab option, to help schools support more younger primary school children needing extra help. Both interventions have remarkable outcomes in closing the literacy gap and our goal is to help as many children as we can who need our expert support, giving them the opportunity to engage with learning, grow in confidence and realise their full potential.

One Donation, Twice the Impact!

To mark the achievements of our charity over the last 5 years, as well as celebrate our partnership with schools and funders on 5 March we launched our Big Give Match Funding ‘Life-Changing Literacy’ Campaign. The campaign runs until 5 April and for every pound you donate through the Big Give platform, the donation will be matched!

With the attainment gap the widest it has been for a decade, our work supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds is needed now more than ever before. We can only do this though with the generous support of our funders and the hard work of the fundraising team here at the charity and that’s why we are running a Big Give Match Funding Campaign aiming to raise £50,000.

Big Give Campaign – Donate Here

Do please share the news of our campaign with friends, family and colleagues and follow us on social media for updates.

National Storytelling Week celebrates the power of telling stories and this year’s theme, ‘Reimagine Your World’, encouraged creativity and exploration.

February in our Literacy Labs kicked off with an immersive journey into storytelling!

The children who attend our Literacy Lab sessions had the opportunity to celebrate the week and enjoy a variety of storytelling activities. Our tutors were equipped with a diverse set of books and resources—including story dice, story maps, and images of portals and extraordinary doors—to spark imagination and inspire storytelling.

With the guidance of our creative tutors, children brought their stories to life in various ways. They crafted story boxes, designed zig-zag books, used puppets to narrate their tales, and wrote their own original stories!

In our Literacy and Reading Labs we are passionate about promoting reading for pleasure. As well as building literacy skills through our expert and tailored tuition, we also want children to experience the joy that can come from reading, whether it’s being swept up in a story or marvelling over mind-boggling facts. National Storytelling Week is a great opportunity to immerse children into the wonderful world of books.

We’ve had so much fun celebrating National Storytelling Week and we’re thrilled to share some of the highlights with you!