Explore more on World Book Day

• Exploring books for children: words and pictures

  Many people have fond memories of the stories they encountered in childhood, perhaps especially of those wonderful picture books and illustrated tales which fired our young imaginations and transported us to magical worlds. To an adult’s eye, some picture books may seem remarkably simple, even oversimplified. However, in this free course, ...

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• George Orwell and Nineteen Eighty-Four

  This course will introduce you to the work and writings of George Orwell through a study of his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984). By studying the book, well-known for its depiction of a totalitarian state, and the techniques, language and oppressive methods used by such states, you will gain a wider understanding of the meaning of ...

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• Harry Potter and the Translator’s Challenge

  How did translators go about converting the anagram 'Tom Marvolo Riddle'? Fernando Rosell-Aguilar explores the tricky business of translating J.K. Rowling's fun and creative words into 80 other languages.

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• Encouraging book talk in the school library

  As adults we sometimes struggle to justify our feelings about particular books, but children are quite clear about what they like and don't like. It is possible to get children to discuss why they liked or did not like particular books and to encourage them to think more deeply about the books they've read. This free course, Encouraging book ...

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• Introducing the psychology of our relationships with fictional villains

  This free course, featuring interviews with famous crime fiction authors, explores psychological theory and research on the relationships we form with fictional characters.

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• Mary Shelley: the expert view

  Stephanie Forward outlines the life and legacy of the author of 'Frankenstein', Mary Shelley.

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• Literacy and Social Justice Hub

  Welcome! Delve through a range of resources to support you in widening your knowledge and understanding of literacy, language, literature and social justice.

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• Agatha Christie and the golden age of detective fiction

  In this free course you’ll examine one of Agatha Christie’s most significant works, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926), and explore the evolution of British detective fiction in relation to Christie’s background, literary modernism and the development of middlebrow fiction.

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• Quiz: Which Brontë sister wrote it?

  Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë had very different writing styles but can you tell their writing apart from the other?

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• Exploring Virginia Woolf’s Between the Acts

  This free course introduces Virginia Woolf’s last novel, Between the Acts (1941), with the aim of understanding how she writes about time, memory, and ideas about identity. It also considers why Woolf’s fiction is often considered difficult. Selected extracts from her essays on writing help to clarify some of these perceived difficulties, ...

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• How does JK Rowling use Latin and other classical languages in Harry Potter?

  To create a sense of the long history of wizardry in the Potterverse, JK Rowling drew heavily on classical languages. The OU's Joanna Paul explores.

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• Understanding Alice

  Professor Kimberley Reynolds explores how Lewis Carroll transformed logic, literary traditions and ideas about childhood into the superbly inventive and irreverent Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

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• Approaching literature: reading Great Expectations

  This free course, Approaching literature: reading Great Expectations, considers some of the different ways of reading Great Expectations, based on the type of genre the book belongs to. This is one of the most familiar and fundamental ways of approaching literary texts. The novel broadens the scope of study of a realist novel, in both literary ...

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• What happens to you when you read?

  Ever wondered about the psychology of literature or stories? Or how a certain narrative might change our attitude or perspective?

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• Charles Dickens: Celebrity Author

  Charles Dickens was not only the most famous writer of his day, but, during the second half of his career, also a prominent public figure known through his readings and speeches. He cultivated, and relished, a close relationship with the vast audiences who came to hear him, in towns and cities throughout Britain, and in the USA. His readings ...

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• Does fiction make people more empathic and is that a good thing?

  Does reading fiction make people more empathic or do more empathic people tend to read more fiction?

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• How can digital books support children’s learning?

  E-books and interactive apps can ensure that all children expand their reading range but they must be high quality. Professor Natalia Kucirkova explains more...

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• Crime fiction

  Explore the world of crime fiction with The Open University, a world leader in distance learning. Discover free courses, articles, video and audio resources, and interactive activities, free to study and available to start right away.

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