PARS CPd

PARS Book Club

The aim of the PARS Book Club is to share a wide range of literature relevant to the theory and practice of working with children and young people. PARS Book Club is for anybody who wants to develop their knowledge of literature about children and childhood.

Our next book club is Friday 5th December, 2025, 13.00-14.00 UK 

Write your awesome label here.


About Book Club

Global sharing

Each PARS Book Club includes  international speakers talking about different pieces of literature, such as academic papers, practitioner blogs, novels, textbooks and even cartoon strips! This enables you to sample a diverse range of literature which may be helpful to follow up in your own work and to discuss the literature with the presenters and other participants.

Meet the authors

Each Book Club opens with a talk from a guest author about their own work. Two other presenters review a piece of literature which has affected their practice. There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion.

Get involved!

If you are an author on children and childhood, or if you have a favourite piece of literature you would love to share with an international audience, you are very welcome to present at a future PARS Book Club - please do get in touch.

Meet our Presenters

Yvalia Febrer
Associate Professor in Social Work, Kingston University
Yvalia Febrer is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Kingston University London. She worked in child protection across several London boroughs before becoming the founding Programme Director of a social enterprise to transform social work training in England. She is the Treasurer of the Social Pedagogy Professional Association for the UK & Ireland, has published within both social work and social pedagogy, and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Yvalia was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2023 in recognition of her work to transform social care education. 
Yvalia will be speaking about a book she has coauthored:
Student Guide to Social Pedagogy Practice

Fi Jones
EDd Student, Oxford Brookes University

Fiona Jones starter her career in a variety of early years settings 
before teaching roles in FE/HE. With an MA in Education and Technology 
she currently works as a trainer, designing and delivering workshops and 
is the author of Embracing Technology in the Early Years: A Practitioners Guide. 
She is also at the beginning of the Doctorate in Education.

Her book Embracing Technology in the Early Years: A Practitioners Guide 
is out now: https://www.routledge.com/9780367902148 

Her work on PlayMatters, a free, downloadable resource:
https://www.early-years-reviews.com/play-matters
Fi will be speaking about Reflective Practice by Gillie Bolton, and how the Bolton book led her to reflect on her understanding of play and playfulness, for herself and in her work. 

Karolina Bloom
I am a passionate and open-minded advocate for inclusive education and playwork, with over 15 years of experience specialising in revalidation and holistic child development. My mission is to ensure that every child has access to a wide range of meaningful, play-based, and developmentally rich learning experiences.

With extensive hands-on experience across the UK, Poland, and Singapore, I design and facilitate environments that nurture curiosity, creativity, and emotional growth through play. I value a collaborative and solution-focused approach, working alongside educators, families, and community organisations to promote inclusion and empower children's voices.

I believe that every child is unique, and the role of a playworker and educator is to recognise, support, and extend each child's potential through active exploration and shared experiences. By fostering a strong sense of belonging, confidence, and well-being alongside learning, I aim to help every child flourish-both in play and in life.

Karolina will speak about Inclusive Classroom by Daniel Sobel and Sara Alston.

Meet our Book Club Host

Dr Linda Shaw, UK 
Senior Lecturer in Child Development and Education

Linda Shaw (PhD) is a senior lecturer in early childhood and education studies. She is a qualified teacher with experience of primary, post 16 and family learning. Previous roles also include leading early years care and education projects at a local authority as well as carrying out training, development and support as an early years' teacher consultant. Her Masters and PhD focus on work relating to public and third sector policy and practice. Her research and publications focus on play, playwork and ethics with a current interest in intergenerational and multigenerational play spaces.