Connecting people through books

Schools across Wales are receiving free books that reflect more of our stories, people and communities as the Rhyngom scheme of books for children and young people is completed.

The Books Council of Wales is sending over 49,000 free books to schools across the country this term, as part of the Rhyngom scheme funded by Welsh Government and Adnodd.

Rhyngom is a three-year, £810,000 project to publish more reading books for pleasure that celebrate and promote diversity, for children and young people. Since it started in 2022, the project has supported the creation of brand-new original books in both Welsh and English, as well as the adaptation of English-language books into Welsh, to create books that reflect more of our stories, people and communities.

The twenty new, original books, which were specially commissioned for the programme, include works by first-time writers as well as established authors, some of which have been shortlisted for or won awards since their launch in November 2024.

These were followed in spring 2025 by Welsh-language adaptations of 28 existing English-language titles that promote and celebrate diversity – including Windrush Child by Benjamin Zephaniah (Un o Blant y Windrush, adapted/translated by Rhys Iorwerth) and Boys don’t Cry by Malorie Blackman (Gormod o Ddyn, adapted/translated by Manon Steffan Ros).

The themes for the original books and the titles for adaptation were chosen by members of an independent panel who represented a variety of organisations and backgrounds, and who are keen ambassadors in their fields of expertise. All the books in the series come with educational resources to help teachers and learners to explore the themes and questions they raise in more depth.

After three years this ambitious project is now drawing to a close as the final book-gifting phase of the scheme ensures the books reach young readers across Wales. Every state primary school will receive a free copy of the books for readers aged 3–11 years, and every state secondary school will receive a copy of the books for readers aged 8-16 years. Schools will also receive printed educational resources to accompany the 20 original books. Educational resources for all 48 titles are available digitally through Hwb.

Learners attended a special event at Ysgol Hamadryad Primary School in Cardiff to celebrate the free books arriving in schools across the country and to mark the successful completion of the project.  Rebecca Wilson, author of one of the original books The Winter Festival / Gŵyl y Gaeaf, led Year 2 pupils in a creative workshop to explore the themes in the book. They were also joined by Emyr George, Chief Executive of Adnodd, and Delyth Ifan, Rhyngom Project Manager at the Books Council of Wales.

Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle, said: “We want children to enjoy reading and key to this is providing books that children can enjoy and stories that represent them. The Rhyngom scheme aims to capture a modern Wales, telling stories that children and young people can see themselves, their family and their friends reflected in the books they are reading.

“I want to congratulate the authors and thank everyone who has contributed to this project. It is so important for our schools to have new reading books, in both Welsh and English, that support the teaching of diversity across the curriculum, supporting our learners with their literacy and empathy skills, and contributing towards their mental and emotional well-being.”

Helgard Krause, Chief Executive of the Books Council of Wales said: “We are very grateful to Welsh Government and to Adnodd for embracing our vision for this important programme, which has made such a huge impact – enabling us to commission books in Welsh and English that celebrate all of our communities in Wales.

“I would also like to thank our many partners who have contributed their experience and expertise throughout this co-produced project; including the members of our panel who helped select the books for adaptation; the mentors and sensitivity readers who have supported authors; the panel to create the educational resources, and of course the publishers throughout Wales that have supported the project, and the authors themselves. We could not have done any of this without them, and young readers across Wales now have more fantastic books to enjoy that reflect more of their own stories and experiences.”

Lowri Gwyn, Reception-Year 2 Leader at Ysgol Hamadryad, said: “It was a special experience for our Year 2 pupils to meet The Winter Festival author Rebecca Wilson. They all enjoyed the workshop discussing the variety of celebrations in our community and within our school. It was also lovely to hear the author read part of her special story which will appeal to children across Wales.”

Emyr George, Chief Executive of Adnodd said: “At Adnodd, we’re proud to have supported the Rhyngom project. These books reflect the diversity of Wales today and offer learners stories they can see themselves in, whether through language, culture, experience or identity. We know that when learners feel seen, they engage more deeply in their learning.  And when teachers have high-quality, inclusive resources, they can spark powerful conversations in the classroom, school yard and beyond. Rhyngom is a celebration of creativity, inclusion and co-production, things that Adnodd is focused on through our strategy, and we are thrilled to see these books reaching schools across the country.”

All of the books published under the Rhyngom scheme are available to buy from your local bookshop. You can find out more about Rhyngom on the Books Council of Wales website: Rhyngom: Rhestr teitlau / List of titles