EmpathyLab’s 2025 Read for Empathy Collection has been announced, and we are delighted to share that three of our books have been selected to form part of the collection:
Terrible Horses
From Raymond Antrobus, the multi-award-winning poet and author of Can Bears Ski?, comes a truly authentic and stunningly evocative picture book on brother-sister dynamics and how creativity and storytelling can help resolve conflict and enable better understanding. Beautifully illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max.
Louder Than Hunger
“An intensely affecting verse novel.” The Guardian
A powerful, authentic verse novel by John Schu, exploring a teen boy’s experience with disordered eating, charting the successes and setbacks of his journey toward recovery.
Little Bang
“A smart, deeply moving book.” The Irish Times
A bittersweet Northern Irish romance by Kelly McCaughrain, author of the award-winning YA novel Flying Tips for Flightless Birds, that takes a new look at teen pregnancy, the magic and mess of first relationships, and a young woman’s right to choose her own future.
The EmpathyLab 2025 Read for Empathy Collection consists of 65 books for 3-16-year-olds, split between primary (3-11-year-olds) and secondary (11-16-year-olds). Each title has been chosen by a panel of judges to do a specific empathy-building job.
The list has been created as a practical tool to help young people learn more about empathy and put it into action, giving adults the resources they need to raise an empathy-educated generation.
Empathy Day Festival will take place from the 2-12 June 2025.
You can download the Empathy Collection guides at: empathylab.uk/RFE