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.

This book club is Wednesday 11th November, 2026, 1-2pm UK

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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 Book Club Host

Dr Linda Shaw, UK 
Associate Professor Sociology of Childhood and Education, Oxford Brookes University

Linda Shaw (PhD) is Associate Professor Sociology of Childhood and Education at Oxford Brookes University (UK). Linda 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.

Speakers & books

Ben Kingston-Hughes (UK)

Ben Kingston-Hughes is an international keynote speaker, author and multi award-winning trainer. He delivers inspirational training to schools, nursery settings, out of school settings and for parents, as well as for local authorities and national charities. He is also the Managing Director of Inspired Children and has worked with vulnerable children across the UK for over 35 years. He has appeared on television several times working on a variety of children’s projects and his distinctive blend of humour, neuroscience and real-life practical experiences have made his training invaluable for anyone working with children. His game-changing book about play, “A Very Unusual Journey into Play” has gained widespread acclaim and his new book, “Why Children Need Joy” was a finalist for a Nursery World Award for best professional book 2024, where it was awarded “highly commended”.

Ben will discuss his book  - A Very Unusual Journey into Play

Play has the very real power to transform children’s lives. It has a unique and profound impact on the neurological, emotional and physical development and wellbeing of children - from therapeutic play and overcoming anxiety, to positive behaviour, mental health and even life expectancy. This book brings together two hot topics - play and neuroscience – breaking them down in an accessible way and offering a new perspective and voice on the topic of play. Weaving theory and practical examples together, and based on over 30 years’ experience of working with children, Ben presents a compelling argument that play is not merely an optional extra to childhood but a vital developmental process and one of the most important things a child ever does. 

Professor Sue Jennings (UK)

Professor Sue Jennings PhD is an anthropologist, therapist, performer, and author. She is Visiting Professor at the University of Derby, Honorary Fellow of the University of Roehampton, and Professor of Play - awarded by the European Federation of Dramatherapy. She is Senior Research Fellow of the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham, Distinguished Scholar of the University of the Witwatersrand, and Honorary Fellow of Roehampton University. Sue is the founder of Neuro-Dramatic Play Ltd.

Sue will discuss - The Black Riders  by Violet Needham

The Black Riders is a children's book first published in 1939. It tells of an eleven-year-old hero's thrilling experiences among conspirators in a European state. The state is ruled by Count Jasper, Governor of the citadel, and his troop of Black Riders. Dick, the young hero, falls in with Jasper's enemy, known as Far Away Moses, because he is always far away when the police and secret service think they can catch him. The password is "Fortitude" - and Dick needs it. He has to journey alone among dark forests and castles and unknown hills. Sometimes he finds a shepherd to help him; another time he finds friends among the circus people. Sometimes he travels by train, sometimes by wagon, sometimes on a donkey. But whatever happens his messages must get through.

Bara Vojáčková (Czech Republic)

Barbora Vojáčková is a social pedagogue, adult educator, playworker and the manager of the Adventure Playground Vypich, the first permanent adventure playground in the Czech Republic. Within the Child Friendly City association (Město přátelské k dětem), she utilizes her pedagogical background to manage the playground, focusing on risk competence, free play, and creating a free, child-led environment. She also runs woodworking workshops for both kids and adults.

Bara will discuss the book Architecture of Adventure Play (published in Czech)

Architecture of Adventure Play is an artist book and visual journal capturing the creation of the first two Adventure Playgrounds in the Czech Republic, established in Prague by the association Child Friendly City (Město přátelské k dětem). Rather than relying on text, which occupies only the first three pages, the book speaks almost entirely through a photographic and artistic lens. It explores the raw aesthetics of adventure play, the structures of free play and the creativity of both children and adults. The book was produced using a dynamic red-and-blue risograph overlay print and won 1st Place in the Artist Book Category at the Most Beautiful Czech Books of the Year 2025 awards.