Showcasing Wales at Frankfurt Book Fair: Publishers from Wales to visit the world’s largest content fair

Publishers from Wales will once again be promoting Welsh literature on an international stage at Frankfurt Book Fair this October. This is the third consecutive year that Wales has had a presence at Frankfurt, funded by Welsh Government via Creative Wales, and co-ordinated by the Books Council of Wales.
Frankfurt Book Fair takes place each year over five days in October and is the largest content fair in the world, with representation from countries from across the globe travelling to Germany to showcase the very best of their books and literature across all genres.

In 2024, this key cultural event attracted around 230,000 visitors with 4,300 exhibitors from 92 countries[1]. This year, 15 Wales-based publishers will be attending to meet representatives from other creative industries such as film and games, as well as other publishers, to discuss collaborations, rights and licensing, and build relationships.

 

Helgard Krause, Chief Executive of the Books Council of Wales said: “Thanks to funding from Welsh Government, the Wales in Frankfurt stand will return to Frankfurt again this year. The bilingual publishing sector in Wales forms part of the foundational economy which is a Welsh Government priority sector within the Creative Industries, and we’re delighted that we have been able to secure Wales’ presence at this major international event in the publishing calendar to promote the very best of our books and authors from Wales on an international stage.”

Jack Sargeant, Culture Minister said: “It’s great that Welsh publishers will once again have such a prominent presence at Frankfurt Book Fair, one of the world’s most important cultural events. Creative Wales and Books Council support for this important trade mission helps establish Wales’ vibrant publishing sector on an international stage, all whilst showcasing our rich literary heritage.

 

“With a mix of Welsh and English language literature and a wide array of content, our publishers represent the very best of Welsh creativity, and our presence at Frankfurt provides an invaluable platform for them to build new partnerships and reach global audiences. This is exactly the kind of support that helps our creative industries to continue to grow and thrive.”

Frankfurt Book Fair is open from 15–19 October 2025. You can find out more about the fair here: Frankfurter Buchmesse | Home

[1] https://www.buchmesse.de/en/about-us.

Announcing the Winners of the Wales Children’s & Young People’s Book Cover of the Year Awards 2025

Today, Friday 26 September, the Books Council of Wales has announced the winning titles of its Children’s & Young People’s Book Cover of the Year Awards 2025.

The awards have two categories – English-language Book Cover and Welsh-language Book Cover. The winners are:

English-language category winner:

Fishfolk (Firefly Press). Cover illustration: Hannah Doyle. Author: Steven Quincey-Jones.

Welsh-language category winner:

Nos Da Blob (Y Lolfa). Cover Illustration: Huw Aaron. Cover design: Opal Roengchai. Author: Huw Aaron.

Hannah Doyle said: “Thank you so much for choosing Fishfolk for the Children’s Book Cover of the Year Award! I am thrilled. Thank you to Firefly Press, and especially to Becka Moor for working her design magic to make the cover really stand out. And obviously to Steven Quincey-Jones for writing such an inspiring and atmospheric book. It was a wonderful project to be involved in.”

Huw Aaron said: “They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover… but everybody does, because care given to a cover indicates that the inside’s been cared for as well. So it’s great that we have these prizes celebrating the important craft of cover design. And, of course, I’m over the moon that little Blob has won this year! Huge thank you to Clare Doughty for steering this cover to its final form.”

The awards were established to celebrate the contribution of illustrators and designers in bringing stories to life, and creating eye-catching, attractive books that appeal to young readers. They were awarded for the first time in 2024.

The six shortlisted books and the winning titles were selected by members of the Books Council of Wales’ Young People’s Panel. The designer/illustrator of the winning cover in each category wins or shares a cash prize of £500.

Helgard Krause, Chief Executive of the Books Council of Wales, said: “Huge congratulations to the winners of this year’s awards. It’s wonderful to be able to showcase the hard work of designers and illustrators in this way and to celebrate the incredible talent we have working in the sector in Wales. Many thanks also go the members of our Young People’s Panel who had the difficult task of judging this year’s prize from so many worthy contenders.”

The other shortlisted titles were:

Shortlisted – English-language:

• Colours of Home (Graffeg). Cover illustration: Miriam Latimer. Author: Miriam Latimer.
• The Street Food Festival (Atebol). Cover illustration: Valériane Leblond. Cover design: Tanwen Haf, Whitefire Designs. Author: Gail Sequeira.

Shortlisted – Welsh-language:

• Gwen ac Arianrhod (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch). Cover Illustration: Lleucu Gwenllian. Cover design: Eleri Owen. Author: Lleucu Gwenllian.
• Ysgol Arswyd (Y Lolfa). Cover Illustration: Sian Angharad. Author: Catrin Angharad Jones.

The Awards are supported by the Welsh Government Education Department under the Curriculum for Wales Grant Support Programme.

Story Garden Summer Reading Challenge launches in Wales, helping young readers to grow their reading skills

Children from schools in Blaenau Ffestiniog, Newtown and Cardiff joined top children’s authors last week at special events in their local libraries to launch the Summer Reading Challenge in Wales.

The events celebrated this year’s Challenge theme, ‘Story Garden’, where magical creatures, wild tales and the wonders of nature come to life. Children can sign up to the scheme at their local library and discover new reading adventures all summer long.

At Penylan library in Cardiff, pupils from Roath Park Primary School enjoyed a workshop with author Ian Brown, the creator of the Albert the Tortoise and the Hugg ‘n’ Bugg book series, while at Newtown Library Claire Fayers, author of award-winning Welsh Giants, Ghosts and Goblins, joined pupils from Ysgol Calon y Dderwen to discover the magical creatures that lurk in forest and valleys, and in our own gardens.

Bethan Gwanas and pupils from Ysgol Maenofferen discussed the much-loved Cadi series at Blaenau Ffestiniog Library. Bethan was awarded the Mary Vaughan Jones Award in 2024 for her outstanding contribution to children’s literature.

Author Ian Brown said: “It was a ‘Tortal’ privilege to help launch this year’’s Summer Reading Challenge. Telling the stories of Albert and his garden gang to an amazing group of children at Penylan Library was very special indeed. Supersize thanks to everyone involved. Happy reading to all.”

Author Claire Fayers said: “I had a wonderful time at Newtown Library, launching the Summer Reading Challenge. It’s such a great opportunity to spread the love of stories. Everyone should take part.”

Helgard Krause, Chief Executive of the Books Council of Wales, said: “Thank you to all the authors, libraries, schools and pupils for getting this year’s Summer Reading Challenge off to a brilliant start! Libraries are fantastic places to discover books of all kinds, and thanks to the support of Welsh Government, we’re so pleased that children across Wales can take up the Challenge and keep reading over the holidays.”

The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle, said: “We are once again funding the Summer Reading Challenge to ensure all children have the opportunity to enjoy reading during the summer holidays. The Challenge helps capture children’s imaginations and discover new authors and books, alongside developing their reading skills throughout the school holidays.”

Produced by The Reading Agency and delivered with public libraries, the Summer Reading Challenge aims to keep children reading over the summer holidays with events, activities and brilliant books – all available to access for free from local libraries. It provides a free, fun way to keep young minds active, ready for a great start to a new school year in the autumn.

From Saturday 5 July, young readers aged 4–11 can sign up at a local library, or online at summerreadingchallenge.org.uk. Read at least six books to complete the challenge – you can choose stories, graphic novels, non-fiction books, or listen to audio books – anything goes! Unlock rewards, discover new reads, and receive a medal and certificate once the challenge is completed.

With a new theme every year, the Challenge is aimed at children age 4–11. It supports this age group and their families by:

• Preparing children to get back to the classroom in the autumn.
• Supporting the move into a new year group or key stage.
• Boosting children’s confidence and self-esteem by supporting independent reading.
• Providing free access to books and fun family activities during the summer.

The Summer Reading Challenge is delivered by The Reading Agency. It is supported in Wales by the Books Council of Wales and funded by Welsh Government. From 2025 this project is funded by the Curriculum for Wales Grant Support Programme, thanks to Welsh Government.

Open call for Welsh-langauge primary school teachers

The Books Council of Wales is encouraging primary school teachers from Welsh-language schools to register for the Teachers Love Reading scheme and benefit from a free training and mentoring opportunity during the 2025/26 academic year.

The scheme is perfect for primary school teachers, wherever they are in their teaching career, to help them to develop reading provision in the classroom, celebrate reading for pleasure and to inspire young learners to read.

So, if you’re a teacher working with learners age 8-11 in a Welsh-language primary school and:
–  looking for support to embed reading in the classroom and inspire learners
–  enjoy meeting other teachers to exchange ideas and share experiences
–   keen for development opportunities, training and to build confidence in the field of literacy and reading
then, register to be part of the scheme before Tuesday 15 July on the Books Council’s website: HERE

This three-year project is funded by the Welsh Government Education Department under the Curriculum for Wales Grant Support Programme. It’s a partnership between the Books Council of Wales, Bangor University and CYDAG to hold a series of workshops over the academic year to expand practitioners’ professional learning to support them to equip learners with effective reading strategies and to help them to enjoy reading.

Over the course of the year the teachers will have the opportunity to join four workshops, both virtual and in-person, with a lecturer from Bangor University to discuss 6 books from Wales covering a variety of topics. The reading list features a broad range of genres, styles, authors, publishers and themes.

Bethan Jones Head of Children’s Books and Reading Promotion at the Books Council of Wales said: “We’re very pleased to be able to offer this scheme thanks to the support of Welsh Government’s Education Department.

“The main aim of Teachers Love Reading is to nurture a love of reading amongst teaching professionals so that they can then inspire their pupils to do the same. With support and expertise of a lecturer from Bangor University, this bespoke training will build and reinforce practitioners’ understanding of the pedagogical principles and approaches to the foundations of literacy.

“Support will be available to release teachers to attend these sessions and so it’s a great opportunity for free professional development that will have a lasting positive impact on teachers, schools and learners. We’re looking forward to welcoming the class of 2025 in September!”

Registration is open until Tuesday 15 July on the Books Council’s website – HERE. There are 50 places on the 2025/26 scheme for teachers from Welsh-language primary schools. There will be opportunities for Welsh-language secondary and teachers from English-medium schools to take part as the scheme develops in the second and third years.

Love books? Buy books!
Celebrating Independent Bookshops Week
If you’re lucky enough to have an independent bookshop on your local high street, Independent Bookshops Week (14–21 June) is the perfect excuse to pop in and pick up your next read.
As booksellers across Wales take part in the campaign, which is run annually by the Booksellers’ Association, the Books Council of Wales is highlighting some of the new titles that have been published this year and encouraging booklovers all over Wales to support their local bookshop.

Helgard Krause, Chief Executive of the Books Council of Wales said: “Independent bookshops in Wales are often at the heart of their high streets and communities, and we’re very fortunate to have a network of dedicated booksellers who are passionate about books and who work tirelessly to keep books on the high street and in shop windows.

“This year is shaping up to be a fantastic year for books from Wales in both Welsh and English, and by choosing to buy books from our local bookshops, we can all make a difference. Your next £10 paperback will support shops, jobs and help publishers print their next book – so we say, if you love books, buy books!”

Author Fflur Dafydd said: “There is something unique about independent bookshops, they create their own universe; each one a special treasury where the bookseller’s personality can be felt in the way the books have been placed and displayed, where the love of books seems to shimmer on every shelf.”

Here are some of the books available:

• Afonydd: Poems for Welsh Rivers / Cerddi Afonydd Cymru Sian Northey, Ness Owen (Arachne Press)
• Boundary Waters by Tristan Hughes (Parthian)
• Wales As Is by David Hurn, Richard King (Seren)
• One Woman Walks Europe, by Ursula Martin (Honno)
• Loud Medicine – Dispatches from the Music Industry Underworld by James Kennedy (Calon)
• Beyond / Tu Hwnt – anthology of Welsh Deaf and Disabled Writers, ed. Bethany Handley, Megan Angharad Hunter and Sioned Erin Hughes (Lucent Dreaming)

• Ewro 2025, Y Swistir by Ffion Eluned Owen (Y Lolfa)
• Hiraeth Neifion by Simon Chandler (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch)
• Y Twr by Rebecca Thomas (Sebra)
• Y Cyfan a fu Rhyngom Ni by Iestyn Tyne (Gwasg y Bwthyn)
• Y Caeth yn Rhydd by Jim Parc Nest (Barddas)

You can find your local independent bookshop in Wales on the Books Council of Wales website Bookshops of Wales | Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru

Independent Bookshop Week is a celebration of independent bookshops across the UK and Ireland. It aims to highlight the vital role independent bookshops play in their communities, and to encourage consumers to shop for their summer reads with their local independent.