Webinar: Developing a Culture of Reading for Pleasure - Why book choice matters for children

Matt Goodfellow was a primary school teacher for over a decade, before becoming a full-time poet and author. He has written poetry collections spanning Key Stages 1 to 4, and his debut verse novel The Final Year, illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton, went on to win and be shortlisted for multiple major awards. Matt often delivers workshops to teachers, where he talks about how he feels poetry allows educators and young people a space away from curricular constraints, in which young people can express their own feelings, thoughts and ideas in their own voice. 

Debbie Thomas is a lecturer in Reading for Pleasure at the Open University. She has over 20 years of experience as a teacher and a consultant and is the co-founder of the Spark! School Book Awards, where children choose the winning books. 

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 a wide range of formats and genres, and loves recommending books that will get children reading. 

Amy is one of BookTrust’s Research and Impact Leads, leading on our primary schools research. She also manages BookTrust’s Learning Oversight Group, working with academics and other experts to inform BookTrust’s schools-based – and also wider – research, learning and evaluation activities.