Penguin Children's Bookshop Grant
Supporting independent bookshops in the National Year of Reading
The Penguin Children’s Bookshop Grant is a major new initiative to support independent bookshops in their important work of inspiring young people to enjoy reading.
44 bookshops have been awarded funding of between £1,500-£5,000 to run special projects throughout the National Year of Reading that ignite and foster a love of reading amongst young people and help them build lifelong reading habits.
The wide range of projects funded include a young footballers’ reading club, courses to help parents and guardians increase their reading confidence; book gifting for children in care; a graphic novels and manga reading programme; and a published collection of translated stories from local families for whom English is an additional language.
Stay tuned throughout 2026 to see winning projects in action and follow each winning bookshop on social media for more information on how you can get involved.
Applications for the grant are now closed. Thank you to the 150+ bookshops who applied.
The winners
About the grant
The Penguin Children’s Bookshop Grant will fund projects that help children and young people develop a positive, lasting relationship with books. We are no longer accepting applications to the grant programme.
Independent bookshops can apply for funding between £1,500-£5,000 to support initiatives that:
- Encourage children and young people to read for pleasure
- Help young readers to discover books that connect to their interests
- Increase access to books and reading experiences
- Engage families, schools and local communities in reading
- Promote social connection and cohesion through reading
Projects could include (but are not limited to):
- Reading clubs, workshops or holiday programmes
- Outreach initiatives with schools, libraries or community groups
- Children and young people’s events, author visits and festivals
- In-store or community installations that celebrate reading
- Creative activations that remove barriers to reading
- Book gifting programmes
- Events that use specific hobbies and interest areas as a route to introduce young people to books
Project summaries
Below is a small selection of the exciting and innovative projects that bookshops will be delivering throughout 2026.
Helping parents love bedtime reading
Red Lion Books in Colchester aims to help parents overcome anxiety about reading aloud to their pre-school children by helping them explore relaxed, playful and exploratory approaches to shared reading. Delivered through free pop up sessions in community hubs, families will receive guidance, books and a reading passport to record their favourite reading memories.
Celebrating visual formats
The Children’s Bookshelf in Hereford will use visual storytelling formats such as manga and graphic novels to engage reluctant readers and neurodivergent children through short, informal workshops and personalised reading packs. The project will create an accessible pathway into reading for children who may feel like books aren't for them, helping to develop a positive relationship with reading at their own pace and build confidence.
A social teenage book club
Harbour Books in Whitstable will launch a peer-led book club for ages 11–16. Designed to make reading socially meaningful for teenagers, the book club sessions delivered in schools will explore themes like identity, truth and power through a wide variety of text formats. The programme aims to foster empathy, critical thinking, and communication amongst participants.
Footballers reading club
Together with a local football club, The Harbour Bookshop in Kingsbridge will create a Footballers Reading Club which will encourage 300 children aged 7–15 to develop a love of reading through their shared passion for football. In time for the World Cup, each player will receive football-themed books linked to players and stories they admire and will be encouraged to swap books within their teams, helping embed a social reading culture within the club.
Personalised peer recommendations
Bookbag Bookshop in Exeter will work with pupils to recommend books to pupils from other nearby schools based on descriptions of their hobbies and interests. The personalised books will come with handwritten notes explaining the selection. The programme aims to make reading feel personal and help children develop their recommendation skills using real-life interests as entry points.
Supporting children in care
Holdfast Bookshop in Leeds will work with Leeds Children’s Services to gift books to children in care or vulnerable situations who may not be in school full-time or able to visit the library. Key workers, play therapists, social workers and foster families will carefully select bespoke books. The initiative aims to create meaningful reading experiences for children facing instability or living through difficult circumstances, seeking to offer comfort, confidence, and a positive relationship with reading.
