Place2Be partners with The Week Junior Book Awards – ‘Wellbeing Category’

Building on previous activity to spotlight the mental health and wellbeing benefits of reading, Place2Be is delighted to be partnering with The Week Junior Book Awards 2025.

Whilst The Week Junior Book Awards highlight the very best in books for young readers, the Wellbeing category specifically celebrates books supporting the emotional, physical and developmental needs of children. These books can give young people the confidence they need to take an active and informed role in their own wellbeing.

Shortlisted books in the Wellbeing category have been praised for imparting information accurately and simply. People and experiences are portrayed authentically and with sensitivity, and attitudes to wellbeing are emphasised to prioritise self-care, promote resilience and encourage empathy.

These books were shortlisted because they provide children with tools that will help them understand their emotions, empower them to make healthy choices and equip them to cope with the challenges of growing up in the 21st century.

Winners will be picked by a panel of inspiring individuals who are passionate about books and reading. Representing Place2Be on the Wellbeing judging panel are two of the charity’s Ambassadors: Sophie Dahl and Rhys Stephenson.

Rhys is best known for his presenting antics across children’s TV (hosting shows such as Blue Peter and the CBBC Book Club) – as well as his ‘Strictly fitness’ segment and outside broadcasts on BBC’s ‘Morning Live’. As a dedicated Ambassador, Rhys regularly helps to raise awareness and funds for Place2Be through social campaigns, in-person events, and media activity.

Alongside Rhys is writer Sophie Dahl, whose bestselling books for children have been named in both The Guardian's and The Sunday Times' Children’s Books of The Year. A passionate reader and champion of books, Sophie has previously served as a judge for several literary awards, including the Orange Prize for Women's Fiction and Vogue's Young Talent Contest.

Sophie is a long-time supporter of Place2Be and a passionate advocate of mental health support for children, using her ambassador announcement to write about her own childhood, where reading was her life and books a ‘sanctuary’. In a piece announcing her ambassadorship for Place2Be she wrote: "Good children’s books acknowledge the universal truth that bad stuff can happen. But they offer other, gentler truths; that pain co-exists with joy, and loss - love."

Sophie began her advocacy for Place2Be as the public face of our Times Christmas Appeal in 2007. Since then, she has been a loyal supporter, doing everything from making auction winners a picnic and hosting them in her garden, to working the trading floor with our corporate sponsors. She was a judge on last year's Week Jr competition, has served on the panel of our Wellbeing in Schools Awards, and as our Carol Concert Champion, has helped raise hundreds of thousands of pounds through her curation of this much-loved annual event. She also wrote the forward for Place2Be's book, ‘Splitting Up, A Child's Guide To A Grown-Up Problem’.

In addition to the panel-judged awards, there are two categories open to public vote: ‘The Children's Choice Award’ and ‘The Children's Book Cover of the Year Award’.

Find out more and cast your votes now

Mental Health, Wellbeing and Reading

Earlier this year, Place2Be partnered with The Book Trust to co-create a guide for teachers on the wellbeing benefits of reading, which are multi-faceted and impact both a child’s relationship with themselves (self-awareness, self-regulation, perception and insight), as well as relationships with others (empathy, social skills, and navigating different social contexts).

One of the most effective ways of helping children process trauma or work through difficulties in therapy is through creative methods, including play and metaphor. At Place2Be, our practitioners are passionate about integrating books throughout their practice.

Most works of fiction involve the main character overcoming a challenge or danger in order to grow and become more resilient. This ‘hero’s journey’ maps well onto the therapeutic journey, where a child often comes with a problem to overcome or a difficult experience to process.

Books can be selected to work with specific issues or challenges a child might be experiencing, such as bereavement, anxiety, identity and sadness. Practitioners also use books and stories as metaphors for the child’s own life, helping them explore their own emotions.

This recent partnership with The Book Trust builds on previous collaborations between Place2Be and The National Literacy Trust. Our research report ‘Mental wellbeing, reading and writing’ determined that children who are the most engaged with reading and writing (i.e. those who enjoy it, do it daily and have positive attitudes towards it) are three times more likely to have higher levels of mental wellbeing than children who don’t.

This was followed by another joint project during COVID-19, to create resources built around four key themes: self-efficacy, hope, gratitude, and connectedness. This helped support school communities in their recovery from the pandemic, highlighting the strong link between reading and positive mental health and wellbeing.

See which books have made this year’s shortlist and have your say on who should win ‘The Children's Choice Award’ and ‘The Children's Book Cover of the Year Award’ on The Week Junior Book Awards website.

Vote here