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Mark Mental Health Awareness Week with Rutendo Tavengerwei

Book of Hopes

It's important to give your mind a break every now and then. This Mental Health Awareness Week, encourage your child to look after their mental wellbeing and speak about whatever is on their mind.


Watch the video

Rutendo Tavengerwei is the author of the poem The Store Full of Magical Things featured in The Book of Hopes, which aims to instil children with hope and help them to feel better.

Watch Rutendo Tavengerwei read her poem and be inspired by her challenge to write a short letter to a friend or family member who you'd like to send a smile that can never fade.

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More pages about writing letters

Letter writers are better writers! Writing a letter is a great way for your child to stay in touch with friends and family who live far away. It's become more popular in the last year as we haven't been able to go and visit the people we care about as much.

Take a look at these pages for more inspiration on putting pen to paper.


The Book of Hopes

Edited by Katherine Rundell, The Book of Hopes is a collection of short stories, poems, essays and pictures with contributions from over 130 children’s writers and illustrators. It is dedicated to the doctors, nurses, carers, porters, cleaners and everyone working in hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing, The Book of Hopes is available to read for free on the National Literacy Trust's website until 31 December 2021.

Read The Book of Hopes.