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For World Book Day on 5 March 2026, Spread a Smile hosted two very special hospital visits with bestselling children’s author Hannah Gold, to mark a year since the launch of the charity’s Intensive Care Library Project.

Hannah Gold, multi award-winning author of The Last Bear and The Lost Whale, accompanied Spread a Smile Chief Executive, Lucy Jackson and our team of entertainers on visits to our NHS hospital partners, King’s College Hospital and Evelina London Children’s Hospital, to see firsthand the difference the libraries are making to families with children on intensive care and high dependency units.

During the visits, Hannah visited the libraries and watched Spread a Smile’s entertainers in action, with Fairy Melissa providing soothing music and professional storyteller, Posey on hand with gentle stories and support for parents around reading with their children whilst in intensive care. Hannah kindly took time to read an excerpt from her World Book Day Book, ‘Bear Rescue’ with families from across the paediatric wards, providing some wonderful moments for everyone who joined us. She also had the opportunity to meet members of the ward and play teams along with some of the children and their families receiving treatment.

Hannah said, “Spending time with the children and families supported by Spread a Smile this World Book Day means more to me than I can properly put into words. Books have always been a source of comfort, imagination and hope in my own life, and to be able to share that love, even in a small way, feels incredibly special. It is a real privilege to sit with these children, to read together, to listen and to simply be present. I feel very humbled to be invited into their world, and I hope the stories we share bring a little light and joy to their day.”

In the last year, Spread a Smile has introduced 20 libraries at 15 of our NHS hospital partners, providing families with easy access to a wonderful range of books suitable for all ages and abilities. Families are welcome to borrow the books to read with their children, enjoying special moments together and over 2,000 books have been donated and supplied by Spread a Smile for the libraries over the past year.

Just £5 could help us replace a well‑loved book and ensure our libraries continue bringing joy to as many children as possible, for as long as possible. Sponsor a book today

Lucy Jackson said, “Since launching the Spread a Smile Intensive Care Library Project for World Book Day in 2025, the initiative has gone from strength to strength, providing an invaluable reading resource for families with children on intensive care and high dependency units in NHS hospitals across the country.

“We have received wonderful feedback from families and also the hospital teams and it’s fantastic to know that our libraries are providing welcome opportunities for parents, carers and their children to find moments of distraction and engagement during what can be an extremely stressful and worrying time.”

When a child is diagnosed with a serious illness, life can become very unsettled, scary and unfamiliar, controlled by schedules, treatment plans and prolonged hospital stays away from family and friends. Through our libraries, Spread a Smile is providing a way for children and their families to find comfort and calm through the familiar activity of reading together. It was wonderful to be able to share this work with Hannah, touching on how the libraries are supporting families with ways to bond, reduce stress, find emotional comfort, connection and distraction during difficult and isolating times.

Sue Pruden, Therapeutic Play Service Manager at Evelina London said, “We are so grateful to Spread a Smile for organising this fantastic event for World Book Day. It was a joy to welcome Hannah Gold, who visited families in our Sky ward and then read to babies, children and young people in Beach ward.

“Spread a Smile is a charity that has supported Evelina London Children’s Hospital for many years. They help us to create relaxing and fun experiences for the families we care for by regularly bringing wonderful entertainers to our hospital. Last year, they generously donated two libraries of children’s books, which are available to families using our paediatric intensive care services. These libraries allow parents to read to their child, whatever they might be going through, and they make a huge difference to their experience here. Reading offers a wonderful escape into other worlds, away from the hospital environment. It is a wonderful activity that families can share together.”

We are incredibly grateful to Hannah Gold for joining us this year and helping us bring the joy of reading to young patients in hospital. Our thanks also so Emmie’s Books for their initial donation of books for the project launch and Expect Amazing for their continued support of our intensive Care Library Project, including packing and delivering the books for our most recent deliveries of books to coincide with World Book Day 2026.

Projects such as these are only possible thanks to the generosity of our supporters, donors and fundraisers. By donating just £5, you’ll be sponsoring a book to help us keep our intensive care libraries well-stocked and available for children in intensive care to enjoy for years to come.

Sponsor a book today

If you would like to find out more about getting involved with Spread a Smile – as an individual or a company – please do get in touch at fundraising@spreadasmile.org

Thank you.