Manchester City Council and Read Manchester are pleased to announce this year’s transition read to support children starting school reception classes in September.  

Moving up to school is a big step for children, and the idea behind the transition read is to support and encourage families to chat and spend time together. The Same but Different Too by Karl Newson, illustrated by Kate Hindley does just that!  The fun illustrations of animals encourages children to talk to their parents and carers about what is happening in the story, as well as what things are different about us all, and what things are similar. They have something in common – they all love a good bedtime story!

Children starting reception in a Manchester Local Authority primary school in September 2026 will be gifted their free copy of The Same But Different Too during their transition day visits in the summer term.  Registered childminders, nurseries and Sure Start Children’s Centres in the city have also been sent a copy so that they can share the story in their settings. 

We have two great resources to share:

‘New for this year, ‘Getting ready to start school with The Same But Different Too’ has fantastic activities linked to the story as well as some great tips and advice.

The ‘Take 10 Minutes Everyday’ leaflet has lot of top tips for families about sharing stories. These are available to download in English and nine other community languages – Arabic, Bengali, Farsi, French, Kurdish, Oromo, Polish, Romanian and Urdu.

Scroll down for both resources which you can download or print.

The Same But Different Too is written by Karl Newson and illustrated by Kate Hindley, it is available to borrow from Manchester Libraries. 

Thanks to publishers, Nosy Crow for their generous support this year.

Where to find more information 

Getting ready for school 

You might like to look at another leaflet, Starting-Reception produced by Kindred². This will be given to children alongside the book and the ‘Take 10 Minutes Everyday’ leaflet.  This leaflet is brimming with practical tips and things you can do together at home. 

Resources in community languages 

The National Literacy Trust’s Words for Life website is filled with fun, free activities and resources to improve children’s speech, language and communication skills. Lots of the resources are available in additional languages too. The walk and talk trail is a great place to start. Visit: Words for Life – Walk and Talk Trail 

Join the Summer Reading Challenge in Libraries 

The Summer Reading Challenge is a great way to get into a regular reading habit.  Visit your local library to join this summer’s challenge to read books during the school holidays. The Challenge runs from 1 July – 12 September and it’s free to take part and borrow books.  Find out more information about the Summer Reading Challenge on our website. 2026 Summer Reading Challenge, Read to the Beat | 2026 Summer Reading Challenge, Read to the Beat | Manchester City Council