Stories that connect us: How books foster belonging in the early years
About this episode
Laura Henry-Allain discusses the importance of storytelling in fostering a sense of belonging in early childhood education.
In early childhood, stories are more than words on a page. They are bridges—between experiences, identities, and possibilities. This idea sits at the heart of a powerful conversation with Laura Henry-Allain MBE: award-winning early education specialist, author, and creator of the ground-breaking CBeebies series JoJo and Gran Gran . In this podcast episode, Laura shares her insights on the transformative potential of books in early childhood settings, and how storytelling can offer every child a sense of belonging. Read the article here: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/ s tories-that-connect-us-how-books-foster-belonging-in-the-early-years/ This episode is sponsored by Ladybird Books: We make growing up the best story ever! From your baby's first book to starting school, at Ladybird we publish something for every milestone. Discover a range of your little one's favourite characters, from Peppa Pig to Topsy and Tim, and much more. To find out more visit: https://www.penguin.co.uk/discover/ladybird Our 2026 conference info & tickets: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/early-years-conference-2026/ Listen to more: If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like: · The value of…
People in this episode
Guest: Laura Henry-Allain MBE
Topics covered
- storytelling
- early childhood
- belonging
- literacy
- education
Keywords
- early childhood
- storytelling
- belonging
- literacy
- books
Sponsors
Ladybird Books
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: JoJo and Gran Gran
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