Mostly Book Talk

In this episode we talk with poet Nicola Davies about the Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award (CLiPPA). The CLiPPA is the UK’s leading prize for poetry for children and each year highlights outstanding new collections for the young and very young. She takes us the through the 2026 Shortlist and we also talk about her her role as the Children's Laureate for Wales and quite a bit about birds too. The CLiPPA Shortlist is as follows: Five Little Friends: A Collection of Finger Rhymes, by ...

For the National Year of Reading, we are sharing a series of short conversations with people who are involved in promoting reading with young people. This could be a programme, resources or a literary event, and we're giving them the opportunity to share what they do and how people can get involved. In this episode we are joined by Sarah Satha the Chair of Inclusive Books for Children. Inclusive Books for Children is a charity whose vision is for every child in the UK to grow up reading...

For the National Year of Reading, we are sharing a series of short conversations with people who are involved in promoting reading with young people. This could be a programme, resources or a literary event, and we're giving them the opportunity to share what they do and how people can get involved. In this episode we are joined by Imogen Bond from EmpathyLab EmpathyLab develops, activates, and celebrates the power of stories to increase real-life empathy. Through reading, they help children ...

For the National Year of Reading, we are sharing a series of short conversations with people who are involved in promoting reading with young people. This could be a programme, resources or a literary event, and we're giving them the opportunity to share what they do and how you can get involved. In this episode we are joined by Amy Lewis, Head of Coram Beanstalk. Coram Beanstalk work with primary, secondary and virtual schools to enable children to grow a love for reading. They provide one-t...

For the National Year of Reading, we are sharing a series of short conversations with people who are involved in promoting reading with young people. This could be a programme, resources or a literary event, and we're giving them the opportunity to share what they do and how people can get involved. In this episode we are joined by Andrea Reece who is the Managing Editor of the children's book magazine Books for Keeps. Started in the 1980s, Books for Keeps is a treasure trove of information a...

In this episode we talk to author Sophy Henn about her new picture book I Want Everything! - which is about how sometimes it might feel like you want everything, but when you really think about it you probably don't... We also discuss the latest installment in her action packed and madcap Happy Hills graphic novel series, Cheesy Bob Strikes! Sophy can be found on Instagram here And the books we mentioned can be found through these links I Want Everything! Cheesy Bob Strikes! Pizazz Bad Nana -...

We are joined by author Sarah Crossan to talk about her new verse novel, Gone for Good . It is a read in one go thriller about the troubled teen industry. Sixteen-year-old Connie is kidnapped in the middle of the night and taken to a 'behaviour modification programme' at Silver Lake and quickly gets drawn into the mystery of where missing resident Belle has gone to. We also talk about Sarah's thoughtful posts on social media about putting away our screens and reading for pleasure. Sarah can b...

For the National Year of Reading, we are sharing a series of short conversations with people who are involved in promoting reading with young people. This could be a programme, resources or a literary event, and we're giving them the opportunity to share what they do and how people can get involved. In this episode we are joined by Tanja Jennings, who is the joint Northern Ireland Representative on the Youth Libraries Group. Information about the Carnegies can be found here. Information about...

In part 3 of our mini series about 'The Reading Crisis', we hear more about access, but also about who decides which books get published, how they're marketed, and how they get into children's hands, as well as the lack of coverage in the media of children's literature. For this series we interviewed the following people (not all feature in every episode): Dapo Adeola - Author and the illustrator of many books including Look Up!, Clean Up!and My Dad is a Grizzly Bear. Sita Brahmachari ...

In part two of our mini series about The Reading Crisis, we look at how testing, technology and access to books are affecting reading for pleasure. For this series we interviewed the following people (not all feature in every episode): Dapo Adeola - Author and the illustrator of many books including Look Up!, Clean Up!and My Dad is a Grizzly Bear. Sita Brahmachari - Author of many books including Artichoke Hearts, When Shadows Falland Phoenix Brothers Dr Darren Chetty - Lecturer at UCL Instit...

In in this episode we talk to AM Dassu about her latest book, Wild Journey. This is a collection of five interlinked stories about children around the world all connected by the sight of a murmuration of starlings. Fully illustrated by Joe Lillington. AM Dassu's website can be found here and links to the books we discussed are below: Wild Journey Boy, Everywhere Fight Back Can You Find my Eid Presents? Show Racism the Red Card (out Sept 2026) Send us a message

We are back and have an episode all about libraries. First up is an interview with Rebecca Gediking who is the Head of Libraries at GLL and also the Chair of the GLL Literary Foundation - which does lots of great work supporting children's authors in the areas in which GLL have libraries. Events there for schools to look out for and ideas for how other libraries might work with authors. After that we talk to Barbara Band about her new book Championing Your School Library - a practical guide t...