Bookstart packs in Wales

With your help, children across Wales receive their Bookstart Baby and Early Years packs. Find out more about the current Bookstart packs and tips for gifting them to families.

A Bookstart Baby pack including the envelope, a copy of Baby's Very First Lift-the-Flap Peek-a-boo, a guide for parents and carers, a library leaflet, and a finger puppetThe Baby pack

Who is the pack for and when is it gifted?

The pack is for babies in Wales. Packs are usually gifted by health visitors at health checks when the baby is 6 months old.

The pack contains a bilingual book, carefully chosen to appeal to very young children, a special booklet with ideas for sharing books, stories and rhymes, a double-sided finger puppet and a leaflet with information about joining your local library.


A Bookstart Early Years pack including the envelope, a library leaflet, a guide for parents and carers, and a copy of Best Friends, Busy FriendsThe Early Years pack

Who is the pack for and when is it gifted?

The pack is for toddlers in Wales. Packs are usually gifted by health visitors at health checks when the toddler is 27 months old.

The pack contains a bilingual picture book, a booklet full of ideas for sharing books, stories and rhymes and a leaflet with information about joining your local library.

Please note that books contained within the packs may differ from those pictured.

Find out more about this year's Bookstart Baby and Early Years books


What is the best way to gift these packs?

When presenting a family with the gift of a Bookstart pack, it's essential to:

  • Give a high quality, warm and encouraging message about the joy and benefits of sharing books
  • Show the contents of the pack
  • Invite them to join the library
  • Let them know about any local events, such as rhymetimes, or relevant family learning opportunities

Gifting the packs image

Pori Drwy Stori

Find out more

Pori Drwy Stori is the national programme for Reception-aged children in Wales, brought to you by BookTrust Cymru. It is fully bilingual and is funded by Welsh Government.

Health Visitor training

Find out more

A full overview of each of the Bookstart Baby and Bookstart Early Years programme contents, with key messages you can use when gifting the packs.

Do you work with children aged 0-5 in Wales?

Sign up to our newsletters for regular updates about our activities, resources and training for practitioners and teachers.

Sign me up...