Keynote 1  – Steve Antony

Steve Antony is an award-winning author and illustrator of children’s books, best known for the internationally loved Mr Panda series, Queen’s Hat series and Rainbowsaurus, the latter awarded Picture Book of the Year 2024 by the School Reading List. He is Patron of the School Library Association and was their School Libraries Champion for three years, illustrating real-life school librarians on the covers of its quarterly magazine. Steve illustrated Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, tours extensively in the UK and internationally and is passionate about creating playful, accessible and inclusive experiences that bring children and adults together through books. His work has sold over one million copies, been translated into 24 languages and includes 30 children’s books.

Keynote

Steve Antony reflects on play as the starting point of reading and a thread that runs far beyond the Early Years. Drawing on his experience as an author and illustrator, and from 11 years of touring schools and libraries, he shares how humour, repetition, pause and visual storytelling invite children into books – often before they see themselves as readers. From a cat who won’t nap and a windswept hat, to a sing-along dino hunt and a deadpan panda, Steve explores how playful stories open the door to shared reading.

The talk is shaped by what Steve has learned from teachers, librarians and children in real classrooms and shared reading spaces. He also shares how one of his books can be sung – and how teachers and librarians now sing it with their classes – before inviting the audience to join in and learn how to sing a story themselves. The session celebrates reading as something playful, inclusive and shared and the vital role adults play in creating joyful moments of connection through books

Keynote 2 – Amber Ogunsanya-William

Amber is an Inclusive Playworker & Consultant and the NSPCC Champion of Childhood, celebrated for her vibrant, joyful advocacy for children’s right to play. Rooted in the world of adventure playgrounds, she champions play as a catalyst for equity, belonging, and transformation in children’s lives.

Working across community, education, cultural, and brand sectors, Amber partners with organisations to embed inclusive, child‑led, rights‑based approaches that amplify every child’s voice. Her work stretches from grassroots initiatives to global campaigns, always centring creativity, participation, and the power of play to reshape environments.

Amber has been invited to Parliament to support the launch of the National Play Strategy, advocating for policies that protect and prioritise children’s play spaces, especially adventure playgrounds, which shaped her own childhood and continue to fuel her practice. She also proudly was invited to open the Story Explorers exhibition at the British Library, celebrating imagination, storytelling, and children’s lived experiences.

Across every collaboration, Amber inspires teams to see play not as an optional extra, but as a vital pathway to resilience, creativity, communication, and lifelong learning. Her mission is bold and beautifully simple: to build a world where every child feels seen, heard, included… and free to play.

Instagram: Playworkeramber

Keynote

Get ready for a joyful, high‑energy celebration of play and its extraordinary power to shape children’s lives. In this uplifting keynote, Amber invites delegates to rediscover play as the spark that ignites language, imagination, and human connection. A message that feels especially vital in the National Year of Reading, when the stories children live matter just as much as the stories they read.

Drawing on her roots in adventure playgrounds and her work across education, community, and cultural spaces, Amber brings the world of play to life with colour and curiosity. She explores how play becomes a child’s first storytelling laboratory, a rehearsal room for big ideas, a training ground for communication, and a creative engine that fuels confidence and expression. Through vivid examples and real‑world practice, she shows how play transforms environments, relationships, and the way children see themselves.

This is a session filled with movement, imagination, and possibility. A reminder that when children play, they don’t just learn… they shine.

Practitioners and professionals will leave with:
Fresh, joyful insight into play as a literacy and oracy superpower

Creative, child‑led strategies to bring play into reading‑rich spaces

Practical tools for building inclusive, rights‑based play environments

Approaches that strengthen confidence, communication, and narrative skills

Renewed energy and inspiration to champion play in every setting