The popularity of Andy Lee’s picture book series ‘Do not open this book’ indicates children being part of the story and that physical books can be interactive. I hope to see this trend grow, with more and more books engaging with children creating moments to spark creativity and thinking outside the box. Children’s demand for this will bring about this change, as publishers will want to profit from the potential sales.

The ‘own voices’ movement will continue to grow. Children will hopefully gain greater understanding of authentic stories from diverse authors to enrich their understanding of the world around them. Indigenous people and ethnic groups continue to drive change to have their voices heard.

Climate change, amongst other contemporary issues, will continue to be interwoven within and dominate stories. Though this is not what children necessarily want. While educators purchase these books to support the curriculum, from my experience these are not in high demand from children. They are after stories that they can’t put down, that entertain them, with fantastic illustrations, characters that become familiar or exciting. Series fiction will continue to grow. There will be links to Netflix shows and various other streaming platforms that will get students hooked on that book series.