National Year of Reading 2026

The National Year of Reading 2026 aims to change the nation’s reading culture, both during the year and beyond. It is a Department for Education initiative, delivered in partnership with major UK reading charities including BookTrust. 

This year’s theme is ​‘Go All In’, which relates to how reading can connect you more deeply with the things you already love. 

BookTrust is the UK’s leading children’s reading charity, reaching 1.4 million children and families each year. Our vision is to help more children and families build a regular reading habit and experience all the benefits that shared reading brings.

We have a number of plans in place to support the National Year of Reading throughout 2026. 

Here we list some highlights from our calendar of early years activity for the National Year of Reading, connected to BookTrust’s ongoing cycle of programmes and activities to get families reading. 

We will celebrate the National Year of Reading 2026 launch across our network of delivery partners and community champions. We will share our calendar of early years activity for the year ahead, announcing inspiration, ideas and support for early years partners to run a Summer of Stories in the National Year of Reading. 

Together with Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Waterstones Children’s Laureate, we will host the second Reading Rights summit, bringing together key partners to inspire and accelerate action towards greater shared reading in the early years. 

We will also launch ​‘Share your Story’ for early years partners. Throughout 2026, partners will share examples of Bookstart reading activities in their communities, to connect and inspire their networks

BookTrust Storytime Prize announced, celebrating the best book for reading aloud with under 5s in the National Year of Reading. BookTrust will make copies of this book and four other finalists available in 2,700 public libraries for early years families to enjoy through the BookTrust Storytime programme. 

Frank Cottrell-Boyce celebrates the progress the Reading Rights campaign has made, and the transformative difference shared reading makes for early years children and families. More details to come. 

Roll out of Bookstart programmes (Baby, Pre-schooler, Toddler and Storytime) with special additions for 2026, to support reading with nearly 600,000 babies and 450,000 early years families during the National Year of Reading. The Children’s Laureate will host a special online event for partners. 

National Year of Reading early years webinar and Story Sharer Week 2026, showing how early years partners can use reading to build family relationships, bringing together representatives of our network of early years partners. This will include opportunities for keynote/​other engagement from Government and senior National Year of Reading ambassadors.