See Myself in Books Festival 2026
After an exciting launch the previous year, the See Myself in Books Festival returned in 2026.
The festival celebrated diversity in children’s literature and introduced children across Manchester to inspiring books with characters they can relate to.
In March 2026, 13 bestselling authors visited schools and libraries across the city, taking part in a vibrant programme of talks, readings and interactive events designed to spark a love of reading. This included:
- A flagship primary school event at Stoller Hall, welcoming 350 pupils to hear from three headline authors
- Satellite events in Manchester libraries, inviting pupils, teachers and families to explore the See Myself in Books collections
Families could also explore our carefully curated book recommendations and borrow featured titles for free from their local Manchester library.
Teaching resources
Schools can access teaching resources to support the ethnic diversity and neurodiversity collections and the use of these books in the classroom.
Highlights from the 2025 launch
The first See Myself in Books Festival welcomed hundreds of pupils to Stoller Hall, schools and community venues across the city.
Watch four brilliant young reporters from Birchfield Primary School, who came to Stoller Hall, talk about the campaign and its importance, and interview some of the authors involved.
The impact on teachers and children
We received some fantastic feedback about the festival and how it has inspired local schools and children.
We came back to school and had a big chat about our favourite authors, and unpicked how diverse (or not!!) they were. We all agreed that diversity and representation in books is really important…We voted for our next class text and chose Onyeka by Tola Okogwu - the 2 Nigerian children in my class were besides themselves! They love teaching us how to pronounce the Nigerian words in the story.
Teacher, Manchester
The authors were very inspiring because they made me want to be myself and stand up for myself.
Pupil from Manchester school at the Stoller Hall event
It was great to see Black authors and illustrators. It made me remember I could be whatever I want to be when I grow up.
Pupil from Manchester school at the Stoller Hall event
Why is See Myself in Books important?
Reading for enjoyment brings so many benefits, but too many children are missing out on them because they don’t feel represented in the books they read.
