Beyond Words Book Clubs
Deal Book Club visits the Turner Contemporary Gallery
Book Clubs give people with learning disabilities somewhere to make friends, have fun, and tell their own stories.
A Beyond Words Book Club is a group that meets up regularly to read word-free picture stories from the Books Beyond Words series.
People in a Book Club read the pictures together. There are no words, so they make up the stories between them. Everyone tells each other what they see. Each session lasts 45 minutes to one hour. They can run anywhere you have space to meet and people who want to read together. Some run in libraries, some in community cafes, some in day centres, and more. Some meet online, over Zoom or similar meeting websites.
“Not only do the Book Clubs provide the space for people with learning disabilities to have fun and make friends, but they also bring them into contact with their communities, breaking down barriers and building real connections.”
Why are Book Clubs important?
Everyone knows pictures are powerful. Visual literacy is what helps us draw connections and understanding. It tells us that a smile means someone is happy, or that a green light means go.
People who find written words challenging are often very good at reading pictures. Our Book Clubs use word-free picture stories to create a safe space where people who can read pictures can make friends, have fun, and talk about their lives - as well as enjoying a good book!
Beyond Words Book Clubs help people share their own feelings and experiences in their own way. They are great for all sorts of people, from people with learning disabilities to refugees, people living with dementia, d/Deaf people, and more.
Tori and Doris with a knitted Ginger from Ginger is a Hero
Amanda and Celia help run a Book Club
Beyond Words Book Clubs Near You
Book Club Resources
