As part of the BBC’s Caring Matters Week, actor Natalie Cassidy, best known for playing Sonia Fowler in EastEnders, read Young Carers in Space on CBeebies Bedtime Stories on Monday 26 May. The episode is available to watch on BBC iPlayer and the CBeebies YouTube channel.
Created by illustrator and storyteller Ana Graça and the Young Carers Illustration Project, Young Carers in Space was developed in collaboration with primary school-aged young carers, including young carers supported by Kingston Carers Network.
Young carers are children and young people who look after or help care for a family member who may be living with illness, disability, mental health challenges or substance misuse.
Through interactive workshops with Ana, our young carers shared ideas that helped shape the story, characters and illustrations. Their experiences also helped inspire Honey, the book’s six-year-old main character, including choosing her name.
Young Carers in Space follows Honey as she travels into space with the help of a fairy while learning that she does not have to face challenges alone. At home, Honey helps care for her older brother and struggles to share her worries with her teacher at school. Along the way, she discovers other young carers like her and learns that support is available.
The Young Carers Illustration Project has now published two of Ana’s books and aims to increase representation of young carers in children’s literature, helping young children reflect on their own feelings and experiences. It believes that children’s literature has an important role in supporting better recognition of the needs of young carers, including very young children.
Young Carers in Space builds on the success of Young Carers in Bunnyland, which was also developed with input from our young carers. The original book was launched at our Dream Big event at Chessington World of Adventures in 2024.
Both books are now available free to download below, helping more children, families, schools and professionals access stories that reflect and celebrate the experiences of young carers.
Read the books
Download Young Carers in Bunnyland
Download Young Carers in Space
Learn more about the Young Carers Illustration Project and Ana Graca’s work