Read for Empathy 2025 Book Collections Announced
This Year’s Read for Empathy Collections Unveiled
Today EmpathyLab has launched the 2025 Read for Empathy collection, featuring 70 books for 3- 16-year-olds, alongside calling for empathy and emotional skills to be prioritised, as recently highlighted by the Princess of Wales. She writes that this will “let us build a more loving, empathetic and more compassionate society together.”
This is EmpathyLab’s ninth collection, with 40 books for 3-11-year-olds and 30 for 11-16- year-olds. Each offers different ways of experiencing, understanding and building empathy. The collection features books by a diverse group of new and established authors and illustrators, including George the Poet, former Children’s Laureate, Joseph Coelho, Phil Earle and Hannah Gold.
Contemporary themes highlight the big social issues our children face, including characters affected by poverty, prejudice and racism. Many books underline the importance of understanding other people’s points of view, and respecting differences. Others address the urgent need for empathy for the environment, the conflicting expectations placed on young people, and empathy’s power to build stronger communities. There is a special section devoted to books which help young readers understand and share emotions.
Take a look at the primary read for empathy collection booklist here and the secondary collection here.
Free Guides to the 2025 Read for Empathy collection can be downloaded from the Empathy Lab website.
The Empathy Movement
The Read for Empathy books have been chosen by an expert judging panel of teachers, librarians and academics. They will be used in homes, schools and libraries in a targeted way to help build children’s ability to understand other people’s feelings and points of view.
“Empathy is a skill, not a trait. It is learnable” said the judging panel. “Without it, children can’t develop the relationships they need to thrive. Society needs to pay much greater attention to the way books develop empathy understanding and skills. Let’s urgently scale our unique UK book-based empathy education movement”.
The 2025 Read for Empathy Collections
The full lists are as follows:
Read for Empathy books for children aged 3–11
Understanding & sharing emotions
- April’s Garden Isla McGuckin & Catalina Echeverri Graffeg
- Grandad’s Star Frances Tosdevin & Rhian Stone HarperCollins
- Terrible Horses Raymond Antrobus & Ken Wilson-Max Walker
- The Cat Who Couldn’t Be Bothered Jack Kurland Frances Lincoln
- The Grand Hotel of Feelings Lidia Brankovic Cicada
- Troll Frances Stickley & Stefano Martinuz Magic Cat
Picture Books
- A Better Best Friend Olivier Tallec Gecko
- Best of All Smriti Halls & Chaaya Prabhat Two Hoots
- Dance Just Like So Annemarie Anang & Natelle Quek Five Quills
- Elki Is Not My Dog Elena Arevalo Melville & Tonka Uzu Scallywag
- Flower Block Lanisha Butterfield & Hoang Giang Puffin
- Grandpa Kuma Michelle Maiden & Michelle Maiden Wacky Bee
- Luna Loves Gardening Joseph Coelho & Fiona Lumbers Andersen
- My Name Is a Gift Zeshan Akhter & Åsa Gilland Templar
- We Are Here Kate Rafiq Dune
- Where? Jordan Collins & Phil Lesnie Allen & Unwin
Early Readers
- Destiny Ink: Sleepover Surprise Adeola Sokunbi Nosy Crow
- Sidney and Carrie Have a Party Lisa Thompson, illus. by Jess Rose Barrington Stoke
Early Graphics
- Bumble and Snug and the Jealous Giants Mark Bradley Hodder
- Gordon the Meanest Goose on Earth Alex Latimer Oxford University Press
Graphic Novels
- Nina Peanut Is Amazing Sarah Bowie Scholastic
- Rune: The Tale of a Thousand Faces Carlos Sánchez Flying Eye
Novels
- Angel of Grasmere Tom Palmer Barrington Stoke
- Bird Boy Catherine Bruton Nosy Crow
- Bobby Bains Plays a Blinder Bali Rai, illus. by Daniel Duncan Barrington Stoke
- Flora Stormer and the Golden Lotus Isabella Harcourt, illus. by Hannah McCaQrey Orchard
- Norah’s Ark Victoria Williamson Neem Tree
- On the Wall Anne Fine Old Barn
- One Chance Dance Efua Traoré, illus. by Micaela Alcaino Chicken House
- The Cheat Book Ramzee Hodder
- The Last Dragon Polly Ho-Yen, illus. by Charis Loke Knights Of
- The Letter with the Golden Stamp Onjali Q. Raúf Orion
- The Wrong Shoes Tom Percival Simon & Schuster
- Turtle Moon Hannah Gold, illus. by Levi Pinfold HarperCollins
Poetry
- And I Climbed, And I Climbed Stephen Lightbown, illus. by Shih-Yu Lin Troika
- …And I Hear Dragons Ed. Hanan Issa, illus. by Eric Heyman Firefly
- Find Peace in a Poem Various Little Tiger
- Who Let the Words Out? Joshua Seigal, illus. by Chris Piascik Bloomsbury
Read For Empathy books for young people aged 12–16
Novels
- A Sudden Storm Bali Rai Barrington Stoke
- All That It Ever Meant Blessing Musariri Zephyr
- Glasgow Boys Margaret McDonald Faber
- If My Words Had Wings Danielle Jwando Simon and Schuster
- Keedie Elle McNicoll Knights Of
- King of Nothing Nathanael Lessore Hot Key Books
- Little Bang Kelly McCaughrain Walker
- Northern Soul Phil Earle Barrington Stoke
- Only This Beautiful Moment Abdi Nazemian Little Tiger
- Running Away for Beginners Mark Illis Scholastic
- Sh!t Bag Xena Knox Hodder
- Sister Spirit Efua Traoré Zephyr
- The 10 p.m. Question Kate De Goldi Old Barn
- The Boy in the Suit James Fox Scholastic
- The Djinn’s Apple Djamila Morani, translated by Sawad Hussain Neem Tree
- The Fights That Make Us Sarah Hagger-Holt Usborne
- The Girl Who Couldn’t Lie Radhika Sanghani Usborne
- You Could Be So Pretty Holly Bourn Usborne
Verse Novels and Poetry
- Louder Than Hunger John Schu Walker
- Where the Heart Should Be Sarah Crossan Bloomsbury
- Wild East Ashley Hickson-Lovence Penguin
- Part of a Story That Started Before Me Chosen by George the Poet Penguin
- The Door of No Return Kwame Alexander Andersen
Non-fiction
- Everyday Action, Everyday Change Natalie & Naomi Evans Wren and Rook
- Rise Up and Sing!: Power, Protest and Activism in Music Andrea Warner, illus. by Louise Reimer Greystone
- The Body Confidence Book Prof. Philippa Diedrichs, illus. by Naomi Wilkinson Frances Lincoln
Graphic Novels
- Cross My Heart and Never Lie Nora Dåsnes Farshore
- Drawn to Change the World Emma Reynolds, illustrated by sixteen artists Harper Alley
- Homebody Theo Parish Macmillan
- Tosh’s Island Linda Sargent, Joe Brady & Leo Marcell David Fickling
Head to our Primary Empathy for Empathy booklist or Secondary Read for Empathy Booklist to find out more about the books in the collection, or visit the Empathy website to explore all of the selected books and related resources.
Schools and libraries can register now for free Empathy Day Festival resources and events. Running from 2-12 June, with Empathy Day on Thursday 12 June 2025, this major Festival is free and open to all to get involved and inspired. Register here.
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Where next?
Visit the Primary Read for Empathy collection here and the Secondary Read for Empathy collection here.
> Visit our Reading for Pleasure Hub.
> Browse our Topic Booklists.
> See our Books of the Month.
> View our Year Group booklists