Community library in the U.S. There was a card in that box with my childhood loans - my handwriting. My reading memories rushed back - from 1982 maybe.

8 Children's Books About Alzheimer's buff.ly/9XHnQvg via @pragmaticmom #ReadYourWorld #AlzheimerandBrainAwarenessMonth #KidLit

People need people by Benjamin Zephaniah & @Bruneluni

This sentence from Carl Jung hits hard. “No matter how isolated you are and how lonely you feel, if you do your work truly and conscientiously, unknown friends will come and seek you.”

'Literature is how we make our hearts grow bigger, and that’s how we change the world.' Barbara Kingsolver Three years ago today, Demon Copperhead won the Women's Prize for Fiction, making Barbara Kingsolver the first author to win the award twice 💫

Emma Thompson’s Golden Globe speech for SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (1995) remains one of the funniest acceptance speeches ever. Accepting the award, she hilariously “channeled” Jane Austen, delivering a witty tribute that completely stole the show.

Mayowa's journey continues in the second instalment of Chibundu Onuzo's spellbinding trilogy, as Mayowa arrives in Nigeria to visit relatives and discovers new dimensions to her book-jumping magic... Shop here: waterstones.com/book/mayowa-…

If you're currently reading Ann Patchett's new novel, Whistler, you may be wondering if she's going to be over in the UK - SHE IS! Ann will be signing copies at our King's Road shop in London on 3 Sep and you can book your place with tickets here: waterstones.com/events/meet-…

Laughter is anti-inflammatory. Crying is regulating. Hugging is immunoprotective. Singing is vagal toning. Dancing is neurogenic. Joy is a biological necessity.

A candle lit. A story shared. A loved one remembered. 🕯️🌿 As Pedrito and Pipay journey through the cemetery on Undas, they discover families of all shapes and sizes united by love, memory and connection. Preorder 🇬🇧💚 uk.bookshop.org/a/291/978183…

From the return of Matt Goodfellow and Janice Hallett and the colourful masterpieces Charley Rabbit and John Patrick Green, June is bursting with brilliant new books for all ages! Discover all of our favourites here: waterstones.com/blog/the-wat…

‘For me, the basis of art is love ..’ David Hockney ‘With his joie de vivre, until his final days, he marvelled at the world ..’ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_…

What was your favourite book, when you were a child? Mine:

We dragged our 14-year-old along with the little ones to Mudchute Farm today. A pig farted and she accidentally smiled for 0.4 seconds. Forced family fun achieved.

“I tell you what freedom is to me: no fear.” — Nina Simone

My timeline today both on here and Instagram is an absolute delight, what a legacy from David Hockney. Very sad he’s died but, my goodness, he’s brightened so many lives with his art and his stories. I hope he’s an inspiration to the young with two fingers to the misery of today.

The reading conversation doesn't have to happen at a desk. In the car. In the queue. Over dinner. What are you reading at the moment? Not as a test. Not as a check. Just as the kind of question you ask someone whose opinion you value. That is the question that tells a child their reading life matters.

To truly reach every child, we need to recognise that there is more than one way to engage with words and stories and provide practical support for neurodivergent readers, writes Greg Stobbs. 👇 ebx.sh/FPKFMn

ICYMI: Sales of Sarah Wynn-Williams’ book Careless People (Macmillan) have shot up by 304.5% week-on-week, according to the latest charts data from NielsenIQ BookData. 👇 ebx.sh/g2QRav

Serve and return perfection! 🎾 If you want to light up your baby’s developing brain, think like a tennis star - and volley back and forth. Start by getting up close, face to face. Repeat their vocalizations. Mimic facial expressions. And importantly, allow for wait time. This “tennis pro” dad - shared to IG by lydyaloha - is teaching a master class here. Notice how baby and dad “serve and return” on the “oh-ku” sound baby is making - trading it back and forth several times. It begins as a rapid exchange, but then when baby pauses, dad doesn’t rush to fill the silence. Instead, he allows for processing time - which is not only critical, but eventually yields a new sound with which to extend the game. Serve and return is something you can start at birth that gets better and better over time as your baby’s vision, vocal experimentation, and social skills advance. Give it a try!

I’m excited to share that the Out of My Mind Trilogy is now available together in a collectible paperback boxed set! Every child deserves the chance to be heard. 💙📚✨ #OutOfMyMind #OutOfMyHeart #OutOfMyDreams #MelodyBrooks #SummerReading