One of the most positive things to come out of the last few months, has been the free book resources that authors, publishers and illustrators have made available for families during lockdown.

1. draw-along with illustrator Rob Biddulph

Rob has been running a fantastic series of draw-along #DrawWithRob videos every Tuesday and Thursday during lockdown, even setting a new world record for the largest online art lesson!

Ranging between 10- 20 minutes, these can all be found on his YouTube channel and are very easy to follow.

If you enjoy these, you might also want to check out Ed Vere's website and Sarah McIntyre's YouTube channel, Chris Riddell, Steve Antony, Emily Gravett.

2. listen to ANTHONY HOROWITZ READING STORMBREAKER

Videos of authors reading their books can be a brilliant way to get kids into audiobooks and to discover a new favourite series.

Watch Anthony Horowitz reading Stormbreaker, the first book in the fabulous Alex Rider series, a chapter at a time.

Other fantastic author readings include Cressida Cowell reading How to Train Your Dragon, Piers Torday reading The Last Wild, David Walliams reading Gangsta Granny and Jeff Norton reading Alienated.

3. WATCH Author Interviews with Anna James

Anna James, author of Pages & Co, set up the Bookwanderers Club on her Youtube channel at the beginning of lockdown.

Every week, she chats to bestselling middle-grade authors about their latest books, including SF Said, Robin Stevens and Sharna Jackson, amongst many others. Each half-hour episode includes a reading, a Q&A with the author, questions from viewers and a creative activity set by the guest.

If you enjoy these, you might also want to check out At Home with 4 Indies and bookshops like The Book Nook in Hove, who run author interviews on their Facebook pages.

4. Listen to james and the giant peach read by Taika waititi & friends

Film-maker and actor Taika Waititi has been reading James and the Giant Peach over on the Roald Dahl HQ channel. 

Each episode, Taika is joined by a variety of famous friends helping bring the adventure to life, including Meryl Streep, Benedict Cumberbath, The Duchess of Cornwall and Lupita Nyong'o. 

Why not also check out stars like David Tennant, David Beckham and Whoopi Goldberg reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone on the Wizarding World website?

5. hachette schools and reading rocks show how Books can be used in the Classroom

Reading Rocks and Hachette publishing have teamed up to deliver a series of book-based online lessons and activities on Youtube, to support all the families who are homeschooling.

The Reading Rocks at Home videos feature readings and activities linked to the books and are suitable for primary school aged children. You can download the accompanying resources from the Hachette Schools website.

6. picture book storytime with waterstones 

Every day at 11am Waterstones Story Time is showcasing an author reading their picture book. Some of the featured books include Elmer, The Pirates Next Door and The Worrysaurus. There are even a few draw-along videos with illustrators too. 

Booktrust is also hosting author read-alongs on their channel and Puffin Storytime has some brilliant author readings and draw alongs for the Under 5s.

7. Look inside a book 

More and more publishers are sharing videos showing the insides of the book, which is particularly useful for early readers, chapter books and novelty books. 

Check out this great early reader from Usborne, written by Zanna Davidson and a spin-out from the popular Sticker Dolly Dressing series. Nosy Crow are also doing this on their YouTube channel.

8. Book trailers & more!

Lots of publishers have fantastic videos over on their YouTube channels, filled with book trailers, author readings, interviews, activities and more. 

Check out some of our favourites below.

Usborne https://www.youtube.com/c/Usborne

Walker https://www.youtube.com/user/WalkerBooksUK

Hachette https://www.youtube.com/c/HachetteKids/videos

HarperCollins https://www.youtube.com/c/HarperCollinsChildrensBooks

Macmillan https://www.youtube.com/user/MacmillanPublishers

Bloomsbury https://www.youtube.com/c/BloomsburyPublishing/videos

Andersen https://www.youtube.com/user/AndersenPress

Simon & Schuster https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyK02hpIHfPA1ZkVGy7MiiZ-ey0VnsDwJ

Puffin https://www.youtube.com/user/puffinbooks1

Ladybird https://www.youtube.com/user/ladybirdbooks

Nosy Crow https://www.youtube.com/user/NosyCrow

Egmont https://www.youtube.com/user/EgmontVideos

Little Tiger Press https://www.youtube.com/user/LittleTigerPressUK

Faber & Faber https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvqjskRY40csyHogw0b4JAKNygV80m4dA

9. Attend a virtual book festival like the Barnes Children's Literature Festival

Authors and booksellers aren't the only people in the books community who have succesfully moved online.

Book festivals like the Barnes Children's Literature Festival have also been providing fantastic online events for families to enjoy.

Packed with author interviews, read alongs, draw alongs and more, literary festivals are a great way to discover a new author or illustrator and find out more about new books coming out.

10. Not a youtube channel but...

Authorfy 10 Minute Challenges are fantastic for inspiring creativity at home. They have a new author or illustrator each day and a simple 10 minute video to watch. 

If you enjoy these sorts of challenges, you should also check out Justin Somper on Instagram.