We are proud to announce the availability of Reading Well for families, a new collection supporting the mental health and wellbeing of families during pregnancy and the early years (from conception to age two). Available from 10 June 2025, this evidence-based book collection provides crucial mental health support for parents, carers, and their wider networks during the first 1,001 days of a child's life.
The Reading Well for Families collection, developed by The Reading Agency in partnership with Libraries Connected and Society of Chief Librarians (SCL) Cymru, recommends helpful reading on topics such as parental wellbeing, perinatal mental health problems (including anxiety, depression, OCD, and birth trauma), and coping with loss (including miscarriage, stillbirth, and neonatal death).
The launch of Reading Well for Families responds to an urgent need for accessible perinatal mental health resources. At least 1 in 5 women experience mental health problems during pregnancy and after birth, with anxiety and depression being the most common serious maternity health considerations affecting 10-15% of women.
Reading Well is a high-impact community intervention that delivers quality-assured information endorsed by health professionals. Previous Reading Well collections have shown remarkable success, with 91% of users finding their Reading Well book helpful, and 92% of health professionals reporting that the programme increased the range of support they could offer.
Reading Well for families joins the broader Reading Well Books on Prescription programme, which includes lists on mental health for adults, children and teens, and dementia. Since the programme's inception, more than 3.9 million Reading Well books have been borrowed across England and Wales, supporting individuals in managing their health and wellbeing through the power of reading.
Take a look at Reading Well Books on the Library Catalogue or visit The Reading Agency