Audiobooks are valuable, inclusive and powerful — but they are not the same as reading. For young children especially, decoding print is a skill that can’t be replaced by listening. In our rush to keep reading alive, we risk blurring a distinction that really matters.

Publishing leaders offer predictions for 2026—AI, audio, BookTok, the Year of Reading. But what if we treated them like Roman chicken-liver omens: not certainty, but judgement? An essay on the real signs, the contradictions, and what growing up might look like for the trade

A generation is arriving at school unable to speak. The UK faces a “Language Recession” — and until we restore talk, play and storytime, the reading crisis will deepen.

To get your children's book into UK schools and libraries, ensure high-quality content, gather positive reviews.