Each year as part of their Empathy Day celebrations, EmpathyLab pull together 60 recommended children’s books in their Read for Empathy collection. There are some brilliant, inspiring and important books on this year’s Read for Empathy list and we highly recommend exploring the collection in full. If you’re not quite sure where to start, here is our pick of 10 of the best titles for family reading.
It is widely recognised that reading fiction is an enormously powerful tool in increasing levels of empathy in our children. But how does it work? And is it really better than non-fiction? We explore this an more and share some amazing research findings.
Our Parakeet subscribers are in for some magical surprises this month withThe Marvellous Granny Jinks and Meby Serena Holly. Serena Holly is in fact the pen name for the series creator Jasmine Richards and writer Sareeta Domingo. They are passionate about creating stories that delight readers and reflect the world. We talked to Jasmine to find out more about the Marvellous Granny Jinks!
To mark National Shakespeare Day, we've teamed up with Britannica Magazine to celebrate William Shakespeare’s unrivalled talent for inventing new words. Plus, don't miss your chance to create your own new word and enter it into a brilliant competition!
The second book in our Macaw boxes this month is the wonderfully inventive Oddity by Eli Brown. Here the author tells us more about what inspired the book and it’s brilliant cast of characters, plus which fantasy books with historical backdrops he recommends you read next.
This month our Macaw subscribers are heading into a dystopian world that is both unsettling and fascinating with The Blue Book of Nebo. Here author Manon Steffan Ros tells us more about what inspired the book and which dystopian reads she recommends you turn to next.
The book we've sent our Cockatoo subscribers this month is a powerful and thought-provoking dystopian thriller. Here No Man's Land author Joanna Nadin answers a few questions for us about what inspired the book and her top recommendation for what to read next.
In The Boy Behind the Wall, a collaborative team of writers explore life on either side of the Berlin wall in the 1960s. It’s a gripping thriller and a real page-turner. Here, the author team behind the book tell us all about what inspired the book and which other historical books they would recommend you read next.
Clementine Florentine is a laugh-out-loud romp with a creative and hugely relatable lead character. Plus its packed with three of our favourite things: poetry, punk music and parrots! Here author Tasha Harrison tells us all about her favourite funny books, inspiring teachers and writing gross poo stories for kids.
It’s shocking to watch events unfolding in Ukraine and, understandably, many children have a lot of questions and concerns about what is happening. We’re huge advocates of books for helping children to explore their feelings, practise empathy and develop their understanding of the world around them. With that in mind, we’ve put together this list of 13 books that you might find a useful starting point for talking with children about the war in Ukraine and its impact:
To mark the release of Monster Max and the Marmalade Ghost, we invited author Robin Bennett to tell us about his own reading journey as a child and how he thinks we can best encourage reluctant readers.
This month our Macaw subscribers are heading into deep water with the mysterious, imaginative and hugely original The Monster Belt by Ruth Estevez. Here we quiz Ruth on what inspired the book, what she learnt about mythical creatures from her research, and which books inspired by myths and legends she would recommend you read next.
