What is it?
Throughout 2026 (National Year of Reading), we hope to encourage participants to read a new-to-them picture book every month, and consider them through a more critical lens. The primary audience for this challenge is adults, though of course you can also share the books with your children.
How does it work?
The Picture Book Challenge includes monthly reading lists built around a specific theme. Each list is carefully curated to include books from a wide range of picture book makers and publishers.
Participants will choose a book from the list to read in that month. Once they have done so, they will be asked to complete a short rating form. An optional prompt will also be included for participants who are interested in looking at the form in more detail.
Lists will be available on the third Monday of the month (so on the third Monday of December for the January list), apart from the Award Winners list as the Carnegie Medal announcement won’t be until the 23rd June (we will try to make it available as quickly as possible on that day). You can check the themes and schedule below.
Can I follow the challenge and themes but choose my own books?
Each list has been carefully curated and we hope every one will discover something new-to-them and interesting each month. However, we understand that sometimes choice on the list might be limited because of participants’ prior reading and/or access issues, so for some of the themes, there will be a Wild Card option, allowing participants to choose a book themselves. We do ask participants to stick to a book that fits the theme if they opt for the wild card.
A note on accessing books
Our booklists offer a diverse selection of picture book makers and publishers and as a result some of the books included are American and Canadian imports. However, the majority of the books on each list are from UK publishers to facilitate access through the public library service. We have used our local public library service to access the books to build this list so we know many are already available.
Imports are not always easy to get hold off. Even if you are tempted to use the “big river” site, you’ll find they are not always much help anyway. Here are two reliable options:
– SHELF EDITIONS ! Helen has the most amazing selection of picturebooks from around the world and will have a lot of the titles mentioned, and whenever possible, will try to get hold of a title if it’s not in stock. Shelf Editions is also a great place to browse for a “wild card” book!
– Blackwells
Monthly themes and schedule
Links to each theme will appear here on the specified date. Sign up below to receive the links straight into your inbox
| MONTH | THEME | FEEDBACK |
|---|---|---|
| January | 25 from 2025 – available 15/12/25 | Tell us about your book! |
| February | Coming together: community, family, friendship – available 19/01/26 | Tell us about your book! |
| March | Board, Pop-up and unusual formats – available 16/02/26 | Tell us about your book! |
| April | John Burningham – available 16/03/26 | Tell us about your book! |
| May | Radical picturebooks – available 20/04/26 | Tell us about your book! |
| June | Indie Bookshops’ Picks – available 18/05/26 | Tell us about your book! |
| July | Award Winners – available 23/06/26 | Tell us about your book! |
| August | Summer vibes – available 20/07/26 | Tell us about your book! |
| September | Picturebooks in translation – available 17/08/26 | Tell us about your book! |
| October | Folklore and fairy tales – available 21/09/26 | Tell us about your book! |
| November | Informational picturebooks – available 19/10/26 | Tell us about your book! |
| December | Winter and Holiday season – available 16/11/26 | Tell us about your book! |
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