Join us on 2 June 2026 for an engaging webinar, designed for KS2 teachers, primary school English and literacy leads, librarians and headteachers who are passionate about nurturing a lifelong love of reading in their pupils.
This webinar explores the importance of book choice and how building children’s enabling skills in this area can inspire their passion for books and reading motivation.
Date: Tuesday 2 June 2026
Time: 4 – 5 pm
Accessibility: A video recording will be available two days after the event.
Suitable for: KS2 teachers, primary school English and literacy leads, librarians and headteachers.
Recent research highlights a worrying trend: children’s enjoyment of reading drops sharply between the ages of 7 and 11, just as independent reading becomes more important.
Hear from our panel of experts about how access to diverse, inclusive and representative books can motivate children to read and help schools reverse the decline in reading for pleasure while creating a vibrant reading culture, even with curriculum pressures.
In this session you’ll:
Speakers will all share their knowledge, experiences, and actionable tips.
Don’t miss this chance to connect with fellow educators, access expert insights, and be inspired to spark a love of reading in every child. Secure your place now – spaces are limited.
A member of BookTrust’s books team and lead for our BookTrust Represents programme
Emma Zipfel is a member of the books team at BookTrust, responsible for our BookTrust Represents programme and project managing authors and illustrators. Before joining the team, she worked for many years as a secondary school English teacher.
A primary school teacher with 20 years of experience
Esther Brown has been a primary school teacher for 20 years, leading English for the majority of that time across different settings across Yorkshire and the North East. Her book blog on Instagram @mrsbrownsbookbox introduces educators to a wide range of texts that are useful across the curriculum and for supporting emotional literacy.
An experienced primary school teacher and English lead
Jon Biddle is an experienced primary school teacher and English lead, currently teaching in Belton. Jon won the 2018 RfP Experienced Teacher of the Year award and the 2021 RfP School of the Year award. He coordinates the national Patron of Reading initiative, is an advisor for Empathy Lab and is part of the UKLA national council. Jon writes for the NEU Educate magazine, and for English 4–11 magazine. Find him at @jonnybid
Author, podcaster, and Deputy Programme Director for the Masters in Publishing programme at City St George’s, University of London
As a boy Eric Huang loved dinosaurs. When he went to university, he studied palaeontology. Field work didn’t live up to his Jurassic Park dreams, though, so he spent a year doing odd jobs before becoming a secretary to the Creative Director at Disney Publishing Worldwide. The temp job turned into a career in publishing spanning three decades and three continents! Today Eric is an author, podcaster, and Deputy Programme Director for the Masters in Publishing programme at City St George’s, University of London. He lives in London with his partner Brian and their cat McNulty.
BookTrust’s Lead Children’s Books Promotion and Content Editor
Rachel Boden was a children’s books editor for 23 years before becoming BookTrust’s Lead Children’s Books Promotion and Content Editor. She has worked with many authors and illustrators across many formats and genres, and loves recommending books that will get children reading.