Empathy Collection: Landmark new research finds children who are better at understanding others’ emotions become stronger readers – a double win for the National Year of Reading

EmpathyLab launches the 2026 Read for Empathy collection of 65 books for 3–16-year-olds – a key moment for the UK’s National Year of Reading and for educators, families and cultural leaders seeking to counter social division through the power of stories.

Selected by an expert panel of teachers, librarians and academics, the books will be used in homes, schools and libraries to help children and young people build their ability to understand other people’s feelings and points of view, as part of a rapidly-growing Empathy Education movement.

Now in its tenth year, the collection includes 40 books for 3–11-year-olds and 25 for 11–16+ year-olds, each offering powerful, age-appropriate ways for children and young people to Go All In for connection during the National Year of Reading, to experience, understand and practise empathy – a learnable life skill at the heart of strong relationships, wellbeing and social cohesion.

The list features a diverse range of new and established voices, including former Children’s Laureates Michael Rosen and Michael Morpurgo, alongside award-winning and nominated authors such as Patrice Lawrence, Benjamin Zephaniah, Manjeet Mann and Matt Goodfellow.

Reading with an empathy focus creates connection – helping children and young people better understand themselves, others and the world, and these titles, reflecting the realities young people face today, explore urgent societal issues including the division and hatred on our streets, social and economic inequalities, and the pressures of a fast-paced, volatile world.

A new Empathy Education movement

EmpathyLab is leading a national movement that places empathy at the heart of reading and education. Drawing on a decade of work translating neuroscience and psychology research into everyday classroom practice, new research in partnership with the University of Sussex now shows that not only does facilitated reading build empathy, but that “Children who are better at understanding others’ emotions become stronger readers.”

The three-year longitudinal Reading Feelings project – the first study of its kind in UK primary schools – reveals that empathy development, reading engagement and reading ability are tightly intertwined, creating a powerful “double win” for the National Year of Reading.

When diverse and representative stories are read with an empathy lens – drawing attention to characters’ feelings and experiences – children’s engagement increases, reading ability strengthens, and a love of reading grows. More on the initial findings here.

A response to social division – and a call to action

Imogen Bond, Managing Director of EmpathyLab, commented, “Every day, young people are negatively impacted by the growing divisions in our society and the pressures they encounter at school. The Good Childhood Reports suggests young people’s wellbeing is declining year after year, and that children in the UK have some of the lowest levels of wellbeing across Europe. Empathy is a powerful antidote, and it brings me great hope that it is learnable. The National Year of Reading offers a fantastic chance to share and develop this understanding of reading’s empathy-boosting power, and to act much more systematically to make empathy a core value within our education system.

EmpathyLab’s mission is to raise a generation of empathy-skilled children who grow up as engaged, global citizens who want to make the world a better place for everyone – and we believe reading is the most accessible and effective way of doing that”.

Elaine McEwan, Head Teacher at Carrick Academy, currently part of the EmpathyLab Schools programme added, "As a head teacher, I have always believed that academic success and emotional intelligence go hand in hand. EmpathyLab has given us the tools to nourish both. It's helped create an environment where students don’t just learn about empathy, they live it".

One million children, one transformative year

Continuing its work, as part of the 2026 National Year of Reading, EmpathyLab aims to reach 1 million children and young people, using reading in new ways to build empathy skills and increase reading enjoyment. Parents, teachers and communities can access:

•The Read for Empathy Collection of 65 empathy-rich titles, alongside free guides and online learning to explore the books and how to use them
A year-round Schools Programme embedding empathy as a core value, practised through reading, supporting wellbeing, citizenship and social and emotional learning
•The Empathy Day Festival, 4–11 June – a free, week-long festival for schools, libraries, bookshops and families - featuring a world-class line-up of authors and illustrators, and including empathy-themed creative activities, daily digital content, live and online author & illustrator events, to bring communities together. Register now for early access to the resources here.

Celebrating 10 years: New author ambassadors announced

Marking EmpathyLab’s 10th anniversary and the National Year of Reading, the organisation has newly announced nine new ambassadors – authors and illustrators whose work embodies EmpathyLab’s values of hope and connection: Jo Cotterill, A.M. Dassu, Hannah Gold, Sue Cheung, Patrice Lawrence, Tom Percival, Bali Rai, Rashmi Sirdeshpande and Jion Sheibani.

View the full Read for Empathy Collection on the Empathy Day website here

@EmpathyLabUK