The Summer Reading Challenge begins in England and Wales on Saturday 10 July and this year the theme is 'Wild World Heroes'. 

Developed with WWF, the world's leading independent conservation organisation, Wild World Heroes is a celebration of reading for pleasure that will inspire children to stand up for the future of our planet. With ideas from WWF, the Challenge focuses on taking action for nature and tackling real-world environmental issues, from plastic pollution and deforestation to wildlife decline and nature loss. 

Through taking part in the Challenge, with free packs from public libraries or online, children will be able to join six fictional characters - 'wild heroes' - to help solve some of these threats, learning about the importance of the environment  while helping to restore nature levels in the neighbourhood of 'Wilderville'. The characters and landscape are illustrated by award-winning children's author and illustrator Heath McKenzie.

Over the summer term, WWF will be offering opportunities and resources for UK public libraries and primary schools to engage with the nature theme in the Summer Reading Challenge and to explore some of the most important issues of our time through the power of reading.

Libraries can find resources for this year's Challenge on The Reading Agency website. 

Illustrations © Heath McKenzie 2021