Blog

Support Emerging Readers

Era Books is dedicated to helping children build strong English literacy skills through quality resources that inspire a love of reading.

Support for Every Reader: Includes award-winning decodable phonics for sound recognition and sync-audio read-alongs that highlight words as they are spoken—providing essential support for emerging readers and English language learners.

Guided Learning Journeys: Children can explore and learn independently. The journeys take children through 10 structured levels, building reading and comprehension at each stage. Each level combines listening, vocabulary, reading, and comprehension through a series of engaging activities, including word searches and comprehension quizzes.

Get started in seconds:

  1. Download the Era Books app (or visit the website).
  2. Find your local library.
  3. Enter your library barcode and start exploring for free!

Accessible Reading with PressReader

Every hour, another person in the UK goes blind; and around 2 million people in the UK are living with sight loss, and estimates suggest that this number could double by 2050.

The PressReader service, available free from your local library, ensures enewspapers and emagazines are accessible to all.

The fantastic ‘Listen’ function allows users to listen to their chosen publications. Either select the Listen option to have the whole publication read to you, or select the article of interest and listen to just that article.

Shows the icon you need to select the Listen option, and then shows what the page looks like while it is narrating the article to you.

A visual impairment is not longer a barrier to enjoying thousands of publications from around the world. Sign up to your libraries PressReader service today.

Encourage Youngsters to Take Part

From 7pm to 8pm on 23 April, people across the UK will dedicate time to reading.

Encourage your youngsters to take part in this wonderful national event by accessing Lote4Kids, the brilliant free service available at your local library.

It doesn’t matter if your first language is not English, with Lote4Kids your youngsters can still take part. This service enables them to read stories in the language of their choice.

So why not take a look at the thousands of stories available, and enjoy joining in with The Reading Hour.

Enjoy Shakespeare Week with ComicsPlus

Shakespeare Week 2026 runs from Monday 23rd to Sunday 29th March 2026, and aims to bring Shakespeare’s world to life for school children across the UK.  

You can find many of the Shakespeare classics beautifully recreated as graphic novels at ComicsPlus – a free service available from your library.

Classics like ‘Comedy of Errors’ for example. The works of William Shakespeare come alive in these stunning graphic novels adaptation using the original Shakespearean dialog. The world-class art, comedy, disguises, and romance of The Comedy of Errors will capture the attention of reluctant readers. Supplement your traditional Shakespearean sources with the graphic novel adaptation that will help readers imagine the action like never before.

Pop into your local library today to find out more.

Keep Your Kids Reading

Looking for a fun, free way to keep your kids’ reading? Your local library card is now a passport to a world of stories! 🌍✨

LOTE4Kids is a digital library that lets children explore over 7,000 digital books in more than 100 languages. Whether your family is maintaining a native language or starting a brand-new learning journey, our collection offers an incredible variety of stories to keep little ones engaged.

Why families love it:

  • 100% Free: Access everything through your local library’s online service using your library barcode.
  • Earn as you Read: Reading becomes a game! Kids earn feathers as they finish stories, which they can swap for fun accessories to personalise their Lekti avatar.
  • Safe & Ad-Free: The LOTE4Kids app is secure and easy for children to navigate on both iOS and Android.
  • Authentic Voices: Every story is narrated by native speakers, allowing children to hear the natural rhythm and melody of different languages from around the globe.

Get started in seconds:

  1. Download the LOTE4Kids app (or visit the website).
  2. Find your local library.
  3. Enter your library barcode and start exploring hundreds of stories for free!
    From interactive flipbooks to printable activities, there is so much to discover. Happy reading! 📚🤟

A Comical Time of Year!

Comics Plus is your free, all-access pass to a world of comics, graphic novels, and manga—with over 25,000 titles to choose from. With unlimited, simultaneous use and no waiting for a copy of your favourite to become available. New stories land every week, so there’s always something exciting to discover!

And just in time for the season… enjoy 60 merry and bright Christmas comics—perfect for holiday relaxing and cozy winter reading. Visit your local library to get signed up to this brilliant free resource.

Handling Grief at Christmas

National Grief Awareness week is approaching on 1st to 8th December and with the festive season upon us this a very hard time for those who have lost loved ones.

There is a great article this month in Psychologies (available free via your library’s PressReader service) which addresses this issue, follow the link to read it in full. https://pressreader.com/article/281621016608439

Motivate Your Youngsters to Read More

Enjoy even better reward-driven reading and learning on the LOTE4Kids App – available from your local library.

Your youngsters can build reading and learning streaks across four areas: the number of days they use the app, books read, activities completed and languages explored. As streaks grow, so do the rewards – children earn feathers for their Lekti avatar and collect special books that celebrate their progress.

Even better, every child gets a personal bookshelf in the app. It’s their home base to see streak progress, view rewards, and proudly showcase what they’ve been reading and learning! Perfect for sparking motivation and keeping the habit going.

Speak to your local library to find out more about Lote4Kids. This great service enables your children to enjoy over 7000 digital books in over 95 languages together with English translations, from the comfort of home.