The Little Giants of Reading is an initiative that promotes reading among schoolchildren through a public-reading aloud competition, while also introducing them to the publishing world and bringing them closer to their favorite authors. In its latest edition, more than 20,000 students from across Spain participated. The fifth edition, which will feature France as the guest country, will culminate in June 2027 at the Madrid Book Fair. The registration deadline will remain open until October 23.
In this making of Carlos Alonso Pérez-Fajardo explains how The Little Giants of Reading works.
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The image has repeated itself for five years at the Madrid Book Fair: the excitement of 4th-year elementary students representing each Autonomous Community; the nerves of the authors who accompany them on stage and whose texts are about to come to life through read-aloud performance in the national final of The Little Giants of Reading.
Before that, they have spent the year sharing readings, first with their class and with their 5th and 6th grade classmates who appoint the school’s representative, and later in the various rounds of the game, provincial semifinals and regional finals where they cross paths with representatives from across the entire book chain: authors, editors, booksellers, librarians, translators, illustrators… everyone is part of the community of The Little Giants of Reading and everyone collaborates to ensure that children live an unforgettable experience through reading.
The Little Giants of Reading, coordinated by the cultural innovation company Palimpsesto, is a project of artistic and cultural education whose objectives include promoting reading in a playful way, fostering bibliodiversity, and strengthening ties between schools and the book sector as a cultural and creative industry. It has been developed annually since 2022 and is expanding year after year across all regions of Spain. In the previous edition, around 20,000 students from 12 Autonomous Communities participated. The writer of children’s and young adult literature Santiago García-Clairac is the patron of this edition, succeeding Begoña Oro.
The dynamics of the game turns reading into an oral and collective experience. Freely seeking “their” book to share, the participants discover Spanish and international children’s literature, work on reading comprehension and strengthen their literary tastes and critical spirit. When they have chosen the work, they read a passage aloud for three minutes. By conveying their emotions in public, they gain in oral fluency, concentration and self-confidence. They also enjoy reading.
The enrolled schools can also participate in the video contest, an initiative that allows them to interview professionals from the sector and discover the journey a story makes from the author’s mind to the reader’s hands and understand the fundamental role of each link in the book’s chain. It also raises awareness about the importance of respecting intellectual property.
In its fifth edition, The Little Giants of Reading will for the first time have a guest country: France, a pioneer in artistic and cultural education programs, and a major reference in its institutionalization. Thanks to this cultural twinning, the participating classes will be able to discover titles and authors of children’s literature from the neighboring country, among them the French writer Timothée de Fombelle who will participate in the national final, magical and generous, which no one wants to miss.
We encourage 4th-grade teachers to participate with their class in the 2026-27 edition. They can register at the website www.pequenosgigantesdelalectura.com until October 23.