Bookstart for families

Sharing books, stories and rhymes with your child from an early age can help create a lifelong reader. Bookstart is here to guide you on your child’s reading journey from 0-5 years.

Every child in England and Wales is entitled to a free Bookstart pack before they are 12 months old and again aged 3-4 years (27 months in Wales). Bookstart also gifts additional needs packs for babies and toddlers, as well as black-and-white booklets for newborns and dual language books.

Find out how you can get your packs and explore our website. You'll find amazing pages for all the family, including interactive storybooks, themed booklists, a bookfinder to give you inspiration, activities to make and do at home and much more.

Happy reading, singing and rhyming together.

An image of BookTrust's best new books for 0-5s September 2018

New books for 0-5s - check out our September selection

In this section

About Bookstart

Bookstart is the world’s first national bookgifting programme, giving free books to all children in England and Wales at two key ages before school.

What Bookstart can offer you

Find out about free Bookstart packs for children aged 0-12 months and 3-4 years, plus additional needs packs, newborn packs and more...

Bird Boogie fun at Belfast's Window on Wildlife

Bookstart in Northern Ireland

Find out about Arts Council NI Author Tours and catch up with the latest news from Bookstart Northern Ireland.

Bookstart in Wales

Through Bookstart, BookTrust Cymru give every child in Wales their own books to have at home and supports families to read together regularly.

Ore Oduba peeking over A Busy Day for Birds

National Bookstart Week 2018: Bookstart Bird Boogie

The dancing may be done, but the fun just carries on. With our crafts, rhymes and storytimes, your Bird Boogie can last all year long...

Do you work with children aged 0-5?

Visit our Bookstart for practitioners section for tailored information, guidance and resources to help you deliver our flagship early years programme.

Explore Bookstart for practitioners

Need some inspiration? Our Bookfinder can help

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Why not share some of these stories?

Our themed booklists are full of great picture book ideas for little ones. Just print them out or jot them down and see what you can pick up at your local library.

Funny books

From bottoms and pants to kung-fu pandas and monsters, there is a story for every child in this great list of funny books that will have you and your child rolling about with laughter.

Summer books for babies and toddlers

Come rain or shine, these wonderful books capture the feelgood fun of sunshine and holidays.

Bookshine books

Great books to share with deaf children. The Bookshine booklist aims to introduce ideas for books for children up to the age of five, based on ideas given to us by parents, teachers, children and experts.

More to explore

Storybooks and games

Have some fun

Read along together with our brilliant interactive storybooks and play counting, colouring and drawing games.

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