Wild Reads returns to libraries this autumn!

By Lucy Neill | 21 September 2026

Suffolk Community Libraries is delighted to be bringing back its popular Wild Reads programme in collaboration with Suffolk Wildlife Trust this autumn.

Wild Reads encourages readers across Suffolk to discover the beauty of the natural world through the power of words. The three-month campaign which launches on Saturday 20 September and runs until Monday 30 November includes the Wild Reads book collection featuring six nature-themed fiction and non-fiction titles which can be reserved and borrowed from any library in the county.

Special Wild Reads collections will be hosted at our libraries in Bury St Edmunds, Woodbridge, Brandon and Southwold.

Our 2026 Wild Reads titles are:

• A Flat Place by Noreen Masud
• Haweswater by Sarah Hall
• What the Wild Sea Can Be by Helen Scales
• Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor
• Precious Bane by Mary Webb
• Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton.

Younger readers can enjoy a specially curated Go Wild! list of recommended books to inspire the next generation of naturalists. There will also be colouring sheets available to collect from libraries, and a series of wildlife activity sheets and spotter guides from Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Wildlife Watch and Woodland Trust can be found on our website.

Nature-themed events and activities will be taking place at several libraries throughout the Wild Reads programme, including Like a Tree theatre performances by Hocus Pocus, ceramics workshops for adults at Kessingland Library, biodiversity data detectives workshops for children at Newmarket and Lowestoft, and much more.

The full list of events is available to view on the Suffolk Community Libraries website.

Sophie Green, Content and Collections Lead, said:

“Every year, Wild Reads encourages people of all ages to explore their relationship with wild spaces through books, events and activities, and celebrates and the positive effects that getting outdoors, being creative and connecting with the rest of the natural world brings.”

This year’s Wild Reads programme is also part of the Festival of Nature, a debut festival from Suffolk Wildlife Trust celebrating nature and wildlife across Suffolk. The festival takes place from 20 September to 11 October and features workshops, literary events, community celebrations and hands-on creative activities.

Wild Reads will also coincide with Green Libraries Week run by CILIP, the Library and Information association. Green Libraries Week runs from 21 to 28 October and focuses on the role of libraries caring for nature and promoting sustainability an understanding of the importance of or protecting the natural world.