Anywhere Book Club

Companion Book

A fun, on-the-go educational tool for parents

We are delighted to have Any Trout About? selected to be part of the Anywhere Book Club (ABC). This means that, with the addition of The ABC Companion Book, Any Trout About? has yet even more value, and we now, proudly join a prestigious group of authors and publishers.

The ABC companion books are a great tool for parents, offering on-the-go, fun educational games through playing, talking and connecting. These books encourage engagement, reimagine how parents can support their children, and spark a life-long passion for reading and writing.

What is the Anywhere Book Club?

The Anywhere Book Club is a club of like-minded people with a love for learning and design. It has been created by two experienced teachers (and mums) who want to reimagine how adults can support children’s reading and writing. Natasha has been a primary school teacher since 2008, leading on curriculum development and whole-school English teaching; Saskia has been a secondary school English teacher since 2009, teaching GCSE and A Level as well as supporting pupils with special educational needs. They have four primary age children between them and see on a daily basis how reading for pleasure genuinely makes children (and teenagers) happier.

How do companion books work?

The Anywhere Book Club believe that there are three things that get in the way of successful carer-led literacy activities: lack of time, lack of resources and resistant children! Together with The Anywhere Book Club, our objective is to offer opportunities for incidental learning and happy connections that can be done on-the go and fit easily into busy family life.

Activities are flexible, can be done anywhere and can last as long as you want them to – two minutes or twenty – and so they don’t feel like just another chore. They don’t require any resources or expensive ‘extras’.

We also recognise how difficult it can be to encourage your child to sit and complete reading and writing tasks without tears and tantrums. Instead of creating conflict, we want to help parents and carers connect with their children in a positive and impactful way. Children enjoy doing ABC games because the activities are fun and creative, all ideas are valued and they like sharing their thoughts with their adult(s).

What is the key to good engagement and incidental learning?

  • Talking about books and words improves reading skills and reading enjoyment and also fuels imaginative and confident writing. ABC games empower children to come up with and articulate ideas. The focus is on collaboration and creativity rather than competition.

  • Studies have shown that sharing books with significant adults can create meaningful memories that lead to a lifelong love of reading. It is also proven that children who read for pleasure have better outcomes in later life, including improved mental wellbeing.

  • The ABC philosophy is all about the benefits of incidental learning: five minutes here and there, on a journey, around the supermarket or waiting in a queue. Once you have shared the companion booklet together, all of the activities can be done on-the-go and none of them require any equipment – not even a pen and paper.