"Reading together gets us thinking together"

Watch a film about the school’s reading promotion work

Here, some Hjulsta teachers share their top tips to get everyone excited about reading!

Carolina Öystilä, Grades 4–6

– Form a reading group for teachers where you can read, discuss, and learn from one another. Start by sparking teacher enthusiasm and curiosity—then use it to get students interested in turn. A teacher group can also help incorporate books and reading across the entire curriculum. At Hjulsta, for example, students paint and create characters in art class. Then, in Swedish class, we write a text together based on the pictures. The signal to students is that teachers and school are united around this important subject.

– Another tip to encourage reading is to discuss together, and in your discussions, let your students come to the fore. Follow their lead, make space for their perspectives. Reading together gets us thinking together.

Marion Brunet, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award laureate for 2025, opened the student exhibition.

Maria Engmark, Grades 4–6

– Find fun and creative ways to work with the laureates’ books in the classroom. Our goal is to make books and reading a fun activity. Creative activities help students enter into the book in a whole new way. They get to know the characters and the books come to life.

– At Hjulsta we have students from many different backgrounds who speak many different languages. Focusing on books from other countries is a way to introduce them to literature and cultures from the entire world.

Marion Brunet was highly impressed by the students’ creativity and enthusiasm.

Heidi Gavelfält, Teacher

– Listen to what your students want to do and make space for them to use their own imaginations. Books are an incredible tool for unlocking other worlds.

– Talking about the books is also very important, especially for many of our children who may not have all the vocabulary yet. We usually review hard words before we read. Then we read together. Afterwards, we discuss again to make sure they understood everything.

The highlight of the year is the big gala where student work is displayed. Here, Maria Alyasso shows Marion Brunet her contribution.

Fatma Ayranci, Grades 1–3

– Don’t be afraid to get creative and let students shape the activity as you go along. Pick up on their questions and their sense of curiosity. This gets them interested in books and inspires them to do more reading.

– Another tip is to visit the website of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award at alma.se. It’s full of inspiring videos, reading material about all of the amazing laureates, and reading guides to their books. A great way to kick-start any reading initiative!