Mostly Book Talk

About Mostly Book Talk

A podcast for teachers, librarians, and parents who are passionate about supporting children's and teenagers' reading for pleasure. We dive into the vibrant world of children’s and YA literature, offering expert book recommendations, engaging author interviews, and practical advice on how to nurture a lifelong love of reading. Whether you’re looking to expand your classroom or library collection, discover fresh titles for your students or children, or explore proven strategies for creating reading-rich environments, you will find it here. From picture books to young adult novels, we highlight new releases, hidden gems, and must-read favourites that are sure to grow your 'To Be Read' pile. Tune in for thoughtful conversations and inspiring ideas that make reading irresistible for every young reader. - Perfect for educators, school librarians, and book-loving families - New episodes regularly featuring authors, reading experts, and literacy advocates - Build reading cultures, spark book buzz, and celebrate the joy of stories Subscribe now and join a community committed to making reading a pleasure.

Publisher

Katy Donnelly and Alison Palmer

Category

arts · education · kids & family

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Mar 2024

Latest episode

19 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

95 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   19 Oct 2026

   National Year of Reading - Letterbox Library

   For the National Year of Reading, we are sharing a series of short conversations with people who are involved in promoting reading with young people. This could be a programme, resources or a literary event, and we're giving them the opportunity to share what they do and how people can get involved. In this episode we are joined by Dr Fen Coles from the Letterbox Library. Letterbox Library offers the very best in diverse and inclusive books for children. Founded over 40 years ago, they have a...

2. 

   18 Oct 2026

   Fred the Very Demanding Deer - with author and illustrator Pépé Smit

   In this episode we talk with Pépé Smit about her picture book Fred the Very Demanding Deer which is published by Scallywag Press and translated from Dutch. We were lucky enough to go to the launch at GOSH comics and met Pépé, loved the book and of course wanted to chat to her about the book and Fred. Pépé trained as a visual artist at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and the Sandberg Institute. Her illustrations have appeared in several leading magazines and newspapers, but she has increasin...

3. 

   16 Oct 2026

   National Year of Reading - Literacy Hive

   For the National Year of Reading, we are sharing a series of short conversations with people who are involved in promoting reading with young people. This could be a programme, resources or a literary event, and we're giving them the opportunity to share what they do and how people can get involved. In this episode we are joined by Sian Hardy, founder of the Literacy Hive. Literacy Hive is a comprehensive library of literacy resources for primary and secondary teachers categorised so that the...

Who has been a guest on Mostly Book Talk

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Tom McLaughlin
• Jasbinder Bilan
• Cath Howe
• Teresa Cremin

Podcast Authority Score: 12 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

12

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

27

Contact Mostly Book Talk

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.