The Flitlits: Fun Literacy Reading Scheme

Read, Laugh and Learn

Have you ever wished reading could feel like an adventure? Welcome to the world of The Flitlits — a magical land where characters flit and float and stories spark imagination. Each story takes children on a journey through a vibrant landscape at a land lost in time — all designed to improve literacy skills in the most joyful way. So open the books, lift off, and watch learning take flight.

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Overview

Information on this page is provided by the innovator and has not been evaluated by HundrED.

Updated February 2026

2012

Established

4.6K 2017

1K 2026

1

Countries

All students

Target group

Improved literacy skills that contributes to my vision of schools and childhood, with community, inclusion, and socio-emotional development being essential pillars. Reading, especially reading for pleasure is suffering a steep decline. The Flitlit books bridge a divide between picture books and early chapter novels, serving 8+ year old learners/ Interest age 7-11. The need is acute.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

Following evidence-based research, I created The Flitlit Fun Literacy Scheme to satisfy the following criteria:
The need to improve literacy standards
Celebrating reading
Encouraging reading for pleasure
Introducing strategies to increase language proficiency for study, leisure and personal enrichment
Enhancing knowledge, skills and attitudes
The evolving needs of the multicultural classroom
Interventions that contribute to lifelong learning
Due to determining a lack of provision of advanced picture books for 8+ readers as found during school/s pilot work and collaboration with educators, parents, librarians and the target audience: the children.
The need for books that offer tiered instruction.
A lack of targeted glossary provision for second/ additional language learning

What does your innovation look like in practice?

Please see here for comprehensive details: https://theflitlits.co.uk/. Videos of the overwhelming success of the Flitlit concept during pilot work has been captured on film, This includes an end of term school celebratory day featuring art art written works by the children, stage performances, costumes depicting the fictional characters and a tea party organised by the parents. The videos are available for viewing on a restricted basis.

How has it been spreading?

The concept was originally developed as a series of multi award-winning trilingual apps, thanks to the support of the Welsh Government and the Welsh Joint Education Committee. The apps featured on the App Store for a period of 5 years. Thereafter, I have been adapting the concept for presentation as print and digital books. This has been an intensive process that is now complete. I made the decision to self-publish due to the volume of books required as UK & US versions and later, Welsh language editions. Pilot work at schools in the UK and beyond led to my decision to create both confident and supported reading versions, complete with guide books for educators. The Flitlit concept was chosen by the Frankfurt Book Fair Awards as the UK winning entry to feature at Gamescom, Cologne, which garnered interest relating to edutainment prospects, including gaming. Progress in this respect was thwared due to the Covid epidemic but continues to be a work in progress.

How have you modified or added to your innovation?

Additions that have been labour intensive but thoroughly worth while are page by page stand- alone glossaries to accompany all of the supported reading titles. Collaborating with teachers, support workers, parents and the target audience - the children - find the glossaries to be especially beneficial for second/ additional language learning.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

The details found on https://theflitlits.co.uk/ provide in-depth guidance with details of the Flitlit series of books, guides for educators and pending resources, including Flitlit games . The books currently feature on multiple platforms / under my own IP in its totality

Implementation steps

Familiarise with the concept on https://theflitlits.co.uk and the Flitlit Guide Books For Educators

As described by a pilot school teacher: "We are deeply embroiled in Flitlit Fever in the classroom. In fact, it has taken over our lives somewhat! We have read the stories, analysed the language, looked for poetic devices, written reviews, composed Flitlit anthems, designed book covers, written raps, de-constructed characters, examined story lines… and even tried creating new characters and plots! It has been a thoroughly enjoyable time that has truly harnessed the enthusiasm of the children."

Engagement and Blended Learning

Read well and read for pleasure. Make full use of the page-by-page illustrations for juxtaposition exercises,
illustrated by award-winning illustrator, James Field. Encourage the large numbers of visual learners to enjoy the Flitlit stories. Read at home and at school and involve the parents in reading, storytelling and having fun, thus encouraging blended learning Create maps, characters and adventures of your own. Collaborate as couples, groups and communities.

Become Confident Digital Citizens

Through the cross-curricular Flitlit concept, setting and characters, learn about tools and technology in order to develop effective, self-directed learning skills.
These will help you to identify what you need to learn, find and use online. Digital learning will provide you with an element of control over time, place, path and︱or pace.

Tracking Emotions

Challenging you to track a character’s emotions on a graph may be followed by deciding what you deem to be the most crucial moments on the graph.
Evidence from the text can be looked at to confirm your decisions. Such exercises can draw out excellent reasoning. The Images will prove especially useful for this purpose.

Decision Making

Debating the pros and cons of making a decision related to a book’s character or characters can really encourage you to make decisions, much like the characters would in a book. Once your views have been explored, you can then explain what you would do if you were one or more of the Flitlit characters. The use of Ponder Plot, Mistake Break, Share Square and
Share-a-Secret Lake, as depicted on the map, are particularly useful when thinking about decisions.

Perception︱Perspective Writing

Imagining yourselves in situations experienced by different Flitlit characters helps to explore thoughts and feelings. By selecting a character that you know well, for example, you may be encouraged to think about how the character is feeling and how the behaviour of other characters may affect this.

Front, Back and Inside Cover Inference

Discuss predictions, chosen character or characters, use of colour, style and setting.

This information can be used to challenge or support the predictions that were previously made.

Map Work Inference

Maps are invaluable tools for supposing, guessing or hinting. Referring back to a map at intervals will allow you to think about what you have already read and to produce better inferences ( supposing, guessing or hinting).

Reading Guides

Reading Guides can help you through a text that they are about to read. (The guides help young learners to monitor their comprehension while reading). Guides can help you to think as you read about the Flitlits and to have a purpose for reading. Discuss new vocabulary During reading, work with your teachers to respond to statements and questions on the reading guides. As you gain confidence in completing reading guides, you may design your own guides and provide support for one another.

Example Activities in a Whole Class Setting

Learn about anticipation guides. The guides will help you to check what you know about the Flitlits before you start reading and to help you think about a new topic. Before reading, listen to, or read as much as possible about the what the story may be about. You may decide to agree or disagree. (Anticipation guides stimulate pupils' interest in a topic).

Topographic Features On the Map,

Discuss the topographic features on the map, such as: . Shock Rocks
. Surprise Rise
. Muddle Maze
. Mistake Break
. Share Square
. Puzzling Pit
. Ponder Plot
. Share-a-Secret Lake
. Wonder Plot
. Wonder Border
. Pride Stride
. Bored Ford
. Wriggle Reach
. Moaning Stone Span

Exercise, Health and Well-Being

Learn how the Flitlit characters enjoy outdoor play and games and about the role played by Star Shift. Enjoy listening to 'The Fussbut Fling'©️. Sing along and dance to the tune at the end of a busy day.

About the Author

Discuss the author and her purpose and aim in writing the text Discuss the author's use of language. As you create artwork, poetry, rapping and scripting you can compare these to the the choices made by the author. What tools has the author used to create mood and atmosphere? Reflect on the way in which the author uses language to create effect. What is the principal idea of the current Flitlit book from the series? What have you learned as a result of reading this book?

The Flitlit Illustrations/ Juxtaposition

Placing two elements such as texts and illustrations side by side allows you to compare and contrast them. This act can show, for example, humour or sadness. Think about language choice, the author's intent and how the Flitlit character or characters are responding. Discuss how the illustrations help imaginative writing and free role-play, Discuss how the illustrations make dressing-up a joy.

Diversity

Discuss the diverse nature of the characters. Discuss diversity and how the Flitlit characters celebrate differences (The Flitlit crew includes two fully engaged characters with disabilities).

Imagination︱Play

Discuss your ideas about imagination. For example: How imagination allows us to grasp what is possible in all things. Discuss pretend play, role play, imaginative play and make-believe. Think, dream and be creative in every possible way. Use your imaginations to bring your favourite dreams and stories to life.

Interaction

The Flitlit characters flit about and float freely. Discuss whether this might depict a sense of movement and freedom. Might this also be true of the language used by the author? The Flitlits interact by telling jokes, squabbling and plotting, How does this affect their friendships and rivalries?

Understanding Motivations and Decision Making

Have fun creating an emotions web. The web would cover how the Flitlit characters may think and feel differently. This will help you to understand the text and the characters involved. Imagine yourselves in similar situations to a character and how you believe the character will behave as the story develops. Track a character’s emotions on a graph and select what you believe to be the most crucial moments on the graph.