A children’s bookshop in Hereford, England, is putting manga, graphic novels and illustrated fiction at the centre of a new reading-engagement programme for pupils who may not see themselves as readers yet.
The Children’s Bookshelf is among more than 40 independent shops selected for Penguin Random House UK’s 2026 Children’s Bookshop Grant. The wider scheme has a £150,000 fund, with individual bookshops able to seek between £1,500 and £5,000 for locally designed projects. Hereford’s funded initiative is aimed at Year 5 and Year 6 children who are reluctant or disengaged readers, including neurodivergent and dyslexic pupils and children who find more conventional book formats intimidating.
Its approach is refreshingly direct: rather than treat comics and manga as a detour from reading, it treats visual storytelling as a valid, potentially welcoming route into it.
A visual route into reading
The shop’s programme is called the Visual Reading Pathway. Participating children will visit in small groups with their schools for informal sessions built around manga, graphic novels, illustrated fiction and other visually driven books. The sessions are intended to let pupils explore at their own pace, rather than impose a single prescribed format or reading experience.
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Each of the 30 funded participants is expected to leave with a book to keep and an individualised take-home reading pack. Places are school-nominated, not booked individually by parents or carers, which places teachers and school English leads at the heart of identifying pupils who could benefit.
That structure matters. A reading programme can offer a strong selection of books, but access still depends on getting the material in front of children who have become disconnected from the idea that reading can be for them. School nomination creates a defined route to the sessions for pupils whose needs might otherwise be missed by a general public event.
The Children’s Bookshelf said it had begun speaking with local schools and English leads, with sessions planned for after the Halloween half-term and through December. It asked schools to make nominations by September 30, while stressing that funded places were limited.
What “visual storytelling” means here
Visual storytelling is an umbrella term for books that build meaning through the relationship between words and images. In a graphic novel or comic, panels, page layouts, expressions, backgrounds, pacing and dialogue all work together. Manga uses the same broad comics language, while also referring to a major body of comics traditions and publishing from Japan and beyond. Illustrated fiction generally retains more conventional prose passages while using illustrations as a substantial part of the reading experience.
These formats are not interchangeable, and the programme does not present them as such. What joins them is the possibility of giving a reader multiple ways to enter a story. A pupil may respond first to character design, action, humour, atmosphere, a striking page turn, or a short sequence of dialogue. From there, the text can become less forbidding because it is supported by visual context.
For a child who feels overwhelmed by a dense block of prose, that can change the first encounter with a book. It does not remove the act of reading; it changes the design of the reading experience. Readers still follow narrative sequence, interpret dialogue, connect images with language and make inferences about what happens between panels. The grant-funded project is built around creating an accessible starting point, not around declaring one kind of book inherently easier or better than another.
Why the programme is focused on confidence
The project’s stated objective is to help children form a positive relationship with reading at their own pace and build confidence. That is a notably different emphasis from treating reading solely as a test of speed, endurance or a fixed idea of difficulty.
“Reluctant reader” can cover many experiences. Some pupils may have not found material that matches their interests. Some may associate books with frustration. Others may be put off by the appearance of traditional novels before they have the chance to discover a story’s characters or ideas. The programme specifically includes neurodivergent and dyslexic children, while avoiding the assumption that every participant needs the same book or the same kind of support.
Personalised reading packs complement the shop visit in practical terms. A visit can introduce a child to a format or series; having a book to take away creates an opportunity for that interest to continue beyond the session. The supplied information does not detail what will be in every pack, so it would be premature to assume a standard list or a particular curriculum. The key confirmed point is that the material will be tailored to the individual participant.
Independent bookshops as community partners
The grant is part of a broader effort involving independent bookshops around the UK. More than 40 recipients will use their funding for different projects, while The Children’s Bookshelf’s plan stands out for its explicit focus on comics, manga and other image-led storytelling.
Independent shops can connect books, schools and families in a more local setting than a nationwide campaign can easily provide. In this case, the bookshop is not simply a place where titles are stocked. It becomes the venue for a small-group programme, a source of tailored take-home materials and a point of contact for schools seeking a different way to engage specific pupils.
Penguin Random House Children’s managing director Francesca Dow described the response to the programme as enthusiastic and pointed to independent booksellers’ commitment to their communities and young readers. She said the expectation is that the funded work will have a lasting effect on children, families and communities, while also encouraging further ideas that help young people read for pleasure.
That broader ambition should be understood as an aim rather than a guaranteed measured outcome. The announced details establish the number of funded places in Hereford, the intended audience, the formats being used and the planned sessions. They do not yet provide results about attendance, reading habits or long-term impact. Those are the outcomes a programme like this hopes to influence, not figures that have already been demonstrated.
Comics are part of the reading conversation
The Hereford programme offers a useful corrective to the lingering idea that comics, manga and graphic novels occupy a lesser category than prose. The project is not asking children to abandon conventional books. It explicitly includes illustrated fiction alongside manga and graphic novels, and frames the selection as “different ways into reading.”
That phrase is central. A reader’s entry point does not have to look identical to someone else’s. One child may find a favourite series through a richly illustrated world; another may respond to an emotionally expressive character; another may appreciate the manageable rhythm of pages broken into panels. For some, a graphic novel may be a continuing preference rather than a bridge to prose—and there is no evidence in the programme’s description that this is viewed as a problem.
The immediate practical value is equally clear. Thirty Year 5 and 6 pupils can attend fully funded school-group sessions, select or receive reading material, and take home a book of their own. The larger value is the programme’s premise: that children who believe books are not for them may deserve a broader shelf, a lower-pressure space and permission to discover what kind of reading connects with them.
For schools participating in the initiative, the deadline and booking details were supplied by The Children’s Bookshelf as part of its original call for nominations. With places limited and sessions tied to the stated autumn and December schedule, interested schools would need to contact the shop directly to establish whether any capacity remains.
