When: Saturday 5 July until Saturday 13 September 2025
Audience: Aimed at children aged 4+
Croydon Libraries, in partnership with The Reading Agency, is excited to share the theme for the 2025 Summer Reading Challenge: Story Garden – Adventures in Nature and the Great Outdoors. This fun theme will inspire children to dive into a world of imagination through reading.
The Summer Reading Challenge is free and will take place in all Croydon Libraries from Saturday 5 July. Children who join ‘Story Garden’ can read new books and take part in free activities, exploring the connection between storytelling and nature.
This year’s challenge features artwork by award-winning illustrator Dapo Adeola. His incredible illustrations bring the ‘Story Garden’ to life filled with magical creatures, plants, and flowers to spark children’s imaginations.
How to complete the Challenge
Children across the borough, aged 4+, are invited to visit their local Croydon library to sign up to Story Garden and complete the Challenge by reading six books. Find your nearest Croydon library.
Croydon Libraries offer a wide range of books to borrow or download e-books or e-audiobooks from our digital library.
All children who complete the challenge will recieve a medal, certificate and be entered into the prize draw!
Prizes include:
- a tour of Selhurst Park Stadium with Palace for Life
- family ticket to Godstone Farm
- Family ticket to Beauty and the Beast at Fairfield Halls
- Family ticket to Robin Hood at New Wimbledon Theare
- Wild Ones Forest School session
- The Arc Centre tour of mini zoo and feeding session
- Better Leisure centre membership
- Better Leisure Swim vouchers
- Flip Out session
Palace for Life - School Award
To help encourage children to complete the Summer Reading Challenge, Palace for Life are kindly providing a special school award. The Croydon Primary School who has the highest number of children completing the challenge this year, will be offered a special event at their school or at the Crystal Palace Academy Ground.
Volunteer with us this summer.
We are looking for volunteers aged 13+ to help with this year's Summer Reading Challenge 2025: Story Garden. For more information and to apply click here
About Croydon Libraries
If you would like to join the library but do not have a card find out how here.