Beyond Words Book Clubs
“I think Book Clubs are brilliant. The books are good, the people are good and you make new friends as well! It makes me feel good to do Book Club.”
Deal Book Club visits the Turner 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.
Want to start your own Book Club?
Our Book Club in a Box project is designed to give people and organisations who want to run their own Beyond Words Book Clubs everything they need to get started - 30 free books, group membership cards, lanyards, a How To guide, and more. Find out more.
“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.”
Book Clubs near you
Find a Book Club in your local area. Don’t see one nearby? Read down to find out how to start your own for free. 👇
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
The Book Club in a Box project
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Our Book Clubs are life-changing. They provide a safe space for people who communicate differently, including people with learning disabilities, to have fun, make friends and develop a sense of community.
Because we know how much of a difference they make, we’ve created a special starter kit with everything you need to build your own. The Book Club in a Box project includes books, promotional materials and more to make it as easy as possible to bring a life-changing Book Club to your area.
Best of all, if you’re located in England, thanks to funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, we can send you a Book Club in a Box for free.
We want to create over 300 new Book Clubs across the country by 2026.
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Book Clubs are simple. People with and without learning disabilities come together to read books from our word-free picture story series Books Beyond Words, building their own story by describing what they see in each of the pictures. Each story is unique, bringing together everyone’s experiences and encouraging them to talk about their own lives.
All you need for a Book Club to thrive is people who want to read, a place they can come together, and books to read together.
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Our Book Club in a Box kit includes everything you need to start your own Book Club:
30 books from the word-free Books Beyond Words series - enough for six months of Book Clubs
A How-To guide with top tips
Posters and leaflets to promote your Book Club
Emotions charts to see the impact your Book Club has
Lanyards and member cards for your members
A free license to our BW Story App, giving you access to our whole range of books
Free e-training in visual literacy
The option to attend an in-person training event about visual literacy and Book Clubs
We are looking for libraries, colleges, local authorities, charities, self-advocacy groups and any other group or organisation that might be interested in hosting a Book Club to get in touch. Use the form below to get in touch with no obligation to commit and someone will be in touch.
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Want to find out more about the project? Book an appointment to speak with one of the team.
You can also email us at bookclubs@booksbeyondwords.co.uk, sign up for one of our free online information sessions or use the form.
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Curious about the Beyond Words Book Club? Come try a fun, friendly online session at the First Thursday Club!
We meet once a month on Zoom, on the first Thursday of each month—and everyone is welcome.
Whether you're a self-advocate, a facilitator or just interested in learning more, we'd love to have you join us.
It's a relaxed space where we explore the pictures in our word-free books, learn about our unique library, and build skills together.
No experience needed—just bring yourself and a cuppa!
Email us and we’ll send you the Zoom link for the next session – bookclubs@booksbeyondwords.co.uk
Start your Book Club
Contact us for more info
Book Club resources
