Avenue

A thousand stories and counting

As we reported in ‘Books of my Life’, Dr Elizabeth Nelson was named one of Scottish Book Trust’s National Reading Champions this year for the pioneering UofG initiative Reading With Children. With co-investigator Dr Nicole Smith, Libby has partnered with the University nursery to read stories with 3–5-year-olds every Friday – totalling close to 1,000 books over the four years since the project began.

The interdisciplinary project explores how intergenerational book sharing can shape young children’s reading practices and how we can try to reverse the steep decline in reading among this generation. And the benefits extend well beyond the nursery. Over 40 PhD and MEd students have been involved, gaining first-hand experience of working with young children by reading to them on a regular basis – something the students say has had a major influence on their own reading and research.

The project team have developed training materials to help parents, carers and nursery practitioners to read aloud in various settings such as libraries, museums and outdoor spaces. University Nursery Manager Caroline McVeigh is clear about the impact the sessions are having: “Their literacy skills have really been developing ... their interest in reading as well.”

Highlight of the week

For Hannah Cool (below, fifth from left), who is studying for an MEd in Children’s Literature & Literacies, the project has become one of the high points of her degree. “There’s something really special about watching ideas you’ve only read about actually play out in a room full of kids,” she says. “It’s grounded my own academic work and made it feel far more meaningful. Working with children directly every week has also shaped how I think about my own research and dissertation, giving me a much richer, more human sense of what the theory is describing.”

Her fellow MEd student Ayano Nakagawa (below, third from right) hopes to work in a children’s library or in children’s literacy development after graduating. For her, the weekly sessions have brought an equally valuable dimension to her studies. “Reading with the children every Friday has helped with my wellbeing. It’s a deeply fulfilling break from my studies, but at the same time, I could see moments where my studies and this project connected and helped my understanding of the concepts I learned in class."

Some of the dozens of students, staff and alumni who have contributed to the Reading with Children project. Photo: Abigail Morris

"I hope the children grow up to love reading of all kinds and be curious about others and the world … and that they just have fun!” Ayano Nakagawa

And for Nayanika Ponanand, who is also studying for an MEd, the experience stood out as a way of giving library ownership to the children, "with attention to small things like always making sure we weren't towering over them, but sitting down and speaking to them on their level; and waiting while they picked the books they wanted to read. It showed me what it means to truly facilitate reading, and our roles in the process."

As the National Year of Reading – as 2026 has been designated in a major UK-wide campaign – comes to a close, projects such as Reading with Children show the kind of civic engagement spirit that the University is renowned for.

Would you like to be involved in the Reading with Children project? Email elizabeth.nelson@glasgow.ac.uk or nicole.smith@glasgow.ac.uk to find out more.

Budding newshounds

This spirit of shared curiosity is also behind the project’s Kid Reporters initiative led by Libby, Nicole and Charlotte Morris, Communications Manager at the College of Social Sciences. Ninety Primary 3 children (aged 6–7) from Hillhead Primary School were invited onto campus earlier this year and given the opportunity to interview University researchers about their work and interests. They even put their questions to the Principal and learned about how to produce media for different audiences, demonstrating that asking questions, listening to answers and being curious about the world are all part of what reading can inspire.

A selection of the incisive questions put to our academics by the Kid Reporters:
• What inspires you about your job?
• Why do you eat?
• What’s your favourite colour?
• Why did you want to become an archaeologist?
• Do you like Harry Potter?

This article was first published in October 2026.