Fostering Empathy Through Children's Books - Panel Discussion

What is empathy? How can we build it? And what‘s the connection with reading?

Empathy is needed now more than ever. With the rising  in children’s mental health and behavioural problems after Covid, and society becoming increasingly polarised, empathy is the key to creating a kinder, less divided, world.  In this timely and fascinating panel, we’ll delve into what empathy is (and isn’t), how it’s a learnable skill, and how reading is a powerful tool to build it.

We’re joined by two wonderful authors, Cath Howe and Rashmi Sirdeshpande, together with Sarah Mears MBE, co-founder of EmpathyLab, the charitable social enterprise behind Empathy Day and a new book-based empathy movement.

Cath has a reputation for creating characters whose lives are hard, and who generate enormous empathy in the reader as we watch them find their way forward. Look out for Ella in Ella on the Outside. Rashmi writes award-winning picture books and non-fiction and in spring 2023, she worked with EmpathyLab to create We’ve Got This! an inspiring non-fiction empathy handbook for children, full of creative ideas to help them build their empathy superpower.