With World Book Day just round the corner I’ve seen quite a few teachers asking about good books to share in assembly. For this week’s #KidsBooksFriday, what books do you think work well across age groups and/or with a mixed group of kids? #KidLitUK #UKKidLit #KidLit

The longlist for the 2026 #KlausFluggePrize is out! 18 talented debut picturebook illustrators are in the running. Congratulations to them all and to the editors, art directors and designers who helped create these books 🎉 #booksky #kidlituk booksforkeeps.co.uk/longlist-rev...

Booking for the YLG 2026 conference is now open! Join us in Oxford for 2 days of CPD, networking, author/illustrator talks & more. Early Bird ticket available til 31st March. #YLGOxford26 #libraries #nationalyearofreading2026 #goallin #KidLitUK @ylglondon.bsky.social www.cilip.org.uk/events/Event...

Gah! On top of everything else, Brexit has stolen dresses with massive pockets from us. Always in our hearts, Joanie! www.business-live.co.uk/retail-consu... Please share your ethical, quirky alternatives with responsible fabrics and pockets! I'll start with Sugarhill Brighton: tinyurl.com/5bkzcxve

t has been a hard week. In truth, it has been a hard few years. For many trans+ people, the noise, the headlines, the debates and the hostility can feel relentless. So this Valentine’s, we wanted to do something simple. So we've launched our 'Letters of love to the trans community'...

Happy #Valentines! This is the only story you need today. @nadiashireen.bsky.social brings Rachel Bright's words to life - reading it with classes last week I had young TAs gasping at the twist, really taking it to heart, reflecting on their own romantic paths 😁 #KidLitUK #InternationalBookGivingDay

We owe it to these kids to keep fighting for truth to prevail.

This is always a great day

Last week @littleislandbooks.bsky.social sent me a copy of this verse YA novel by @rurooie.bsky.social & I have devoured it today over 2 heartbreaking bus journeys. Shorelines is a retelling of The Little Mermaid & completely not was I expecting, full of rage & injustice.

Support every trans, non-binary or questioning person you know. Speak out for those you don’t. Vote for politicians who want to expand humanity, not shrink it. And for god’s sake, stop buying Harry Potter or the works of those who want to ruin the lives of our loved ones out of their own ignorance.

Earlier this week, @alomshaha.bsky.social was chatting about how the message of loving each other should inform more public discourse (beyond religion). So, for #KidsBooksFriday this week what kids books help kids to understand the importance of love in all its forms? #KidLitUK #UKKidLit #KidLit

Bea & I just finished this as her bedtime story, she really enjoyed it #KidLitUK

#KidLitUK a great book!

Would you like a signed, SPECIAL EDITION HARDBACK of Piper at the Gates of Dusk? Waterstones is offering it exclusively via pre-order. Out April 7th, but pre-orders help an author like you wouldn't believe. Link here: www.waterstones.com/book/piper-a...

Very pleased to see that my 2 nominations have been longlisted 🥳 A couple of disappointing omissions & a couple that I wouldn't have longlisted (in fact 1 that I absolutely *loathed*), but I've read 3/4 of them already & there are definitely some absolute gems on both #Carnegies2026 lists! #KidLitUK

This is such a shame, but understandable. Hopefully there's funding out there to make 2027 a brilliant year coz @littlerebsprize.bsky.social is one of my favourite awards! #KidLitUK

Super thrilled to speak at the @ylglondon.bsky.social Unconference for the National Year of Reading! Like so many writers, the local library was my happy place, a refuge from life’s travails & a second home. Here I am in the wonderful school library at Queensbridge School in Brum!

Lots of people I know use substack and it’s depressing because the only thing we can do to fight the evil billionaires is to not use their products and yet we seem incapable of inconveniencing ourselves even slightly to fight evil.

Boosting! #KidLitUK

The 2026 Read for Empathy collection of 65 books for 3–16-year-olds has been revealed. Find out more about @empathylabuk.bsky.social, download the free reading guides and register for the 2026 Empathy Day Festival. #KidLitUK #BookSky #ReadForEmpathy booksforkeeps.co.uk/2026-read-fo...

I thought I should try and tidy up the #KidsBooksFriday tag list whilst I’m recuperating. So do let me know if I currently tag you and you’d rather I didn’t, or if I don’t normally tag you but you’d like me to. Do join us if you enjoy a chatting about kids books. #KidLitUK #UKKidLit #KidLit

Very pleased with my new badge

The first books from the new imprint at @sweetcherrypub.bsky.social are really cute. Salaam Cherry has been created to "celebrate joyful, meaningful and faith-filled stories for young Muslim readers, with books that reflect everyday experiences". #KidLitUK

The Diverse Book Awards include non-fiction categories for the 1st time this year, I'm helping longlist, so if you're involved in inclusive information books (for any age) then be sure you're nominated by your publisher! #KidLitUK #TheDBAwards #BookSky www.thediversebookawards.co.uk/enter-the-db...

I got a copy of @joshuaseigal.bsky.social's latest books in the post today (thanks @bloomsburyed.bsky.social), it really is a lovely mixture of thoughtful & funny poetry #KidLitUK

Book 1 is a fave of mine! #KidLitUK

There's an astonishing cruelty in trying to make the world even more hostile for trans kids by suing schools that want to include them. But that's where 'gender critical' Britain is. We're acting for a school that is being sued - and we could really use your help with funding.

✨HELLO HELLO I am having a big sale on my website for the month of February - 15% off all original limited-edition linoprints! very grateful for any sharing! #art #artsky #printmaking #witchsky shop.frankduffy.co.uk

It’s time 👀 The EHRC wants a bathroom ban policed by appearances and guessing who’s trans ⁉️ Wear a badge and help confuse the gender cops: www.zeffy.com/en-GB/ticket...

This will be a great day!

Or! We can have a collective watch of something by a good creator that won’t tell Amazon we’re watching this 😭 — hate watches are still good metrics unfortunately (Sorry I know I am being a party pooper but I know too many people with good work that doesn’t get seen 😭😭😭)

JUST OVER 2 MONTHS, PEOPLE #KidLitUK

This is one of my favourite books to share with classes, always part of Numbers Day celebrations at my school (which just happens to be next week)!

I've started a 2nd job as a bookseller! Or, well, for the #NationalYearOfReading YLG have started a bookshop.org store as a good looking and simple way to share up-to-date booklists 🤓 Starting with @ylglondon.bsky.social sharing their favourite local books #KidLitUK www.cilip.org.uk/blogpost/163...

Finished this #UKYA thriller from @littletigeruk.bsky.social on the train home. Helen Price has written a page turner with so many twists I couldn't tell if my suspicions were correct until the very end. #KidLitUK.

Had a great evening at the launch of @puffinbooksuk.bsky.social's new imprint: Puffin Press. Dedicated to feeding voracious middle grade readers, the first few titles announced for this year & next sound great! #KidLitUK

@russellmlfranklin.bsky.social Hello! Hopefully you'll start up with Bluesky proper when you're ready to promote The House of Dusk, there are a few librarians here that might be interested 😊

1/2 The Past, Present and Future of Children’s Books & Antiracist Education. ⭐️Jan 28th⭐️ 5-6.30pm See you there! @darrenchetty.bsky.social @engmediacentre.bsky.social @theclpe.bsky.social Registering essential- see link in post below:

Yourself, but as a cartoon. (I am a lot more enthusiastic about kids books than I ever was about anything else)

Exciting! Great to see a #BrandfordBoase account on bluesky #KidLitUK

Thanks @zuntold.bsky.social for recently sending me a copy of 'Searching for the Remarkable in Things' by Natalie Lucy. An engaging read & the source of a lot of generational wealth in the UK (ie: slavery) is something well worth highlighting & reflecting on. #KidLitUK

My books cartoon for this week’s @theguardian.com

This motion is a transphobic dog whistle. If Reform really cared about women's rights, they'd be calling for investment into services, and action on misogyny. This diverts attention away from the real issues that impact women. Please sign and show solidarity with our trans siblings.