‘If I were Prime Minister…’ is a feel-good story which looks at how our country is run through the eyes of a kind, thoughtful and playful child.

The story follows a young child’s imagination and their desires for the community and country that they live in. They go through numerous wishes including changing the sea to water that swallows plastic, making sure everyone has at least two friends, that every garden has a swimming pool and that woolly jumpers would not feel itchy. The real question is, ‘What would you do if you were Prime Minister or Team Captain?’

This feel-good picture book is a beautifully illustrated story which gets the reader thinking about what they would change if they were in charge. It covers major socio-political themes including the environment, education and immigration in a child-friendly way. The designs of the pages are playful and eye-catching with an easy-to-read font with the words strewn around pictures, making it fun to read and keeping big themes light-hearted to encourage creative and imaginative thinking.

My favourite line in the book is ‘Because playing is for everyone, even the people who have forgotten how.’ The story made me stop and think as an adult and see the world through a child’s eyes, which is a lovely thing. I would recommend this book for all ages, as it could be used in so many ways: reading for pleasure, a stimulus for a writing piece or even a prequel tale before a class debate.

A new rhyming picture book from the popular Questioneers series (popular for Rosie Revere, Engineer & Iggy Peck, Architect). Sofia Valdez is a Mexican-American girl who campaigns for improvements in her local area, showing the difference that individual voices can make when they engage and get involved with their communities.

Make More Noise!’ is a book created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first women in the UK gaining the right to vote. ‘Make More Noise!’ is a collection of short stories for KS2, written by well-known female authors, including Emma Carroll, M.G. Leonard and Kiran Millwood Hargrave among other celebrated writers. Each story features the strong voice of a real or fictitious female character and has been specially written to celebrate the equality that the Votes For Women campaign represented.

Effie is starting at a new school part of the way through Year 8. Almost by accident, Effie ends up running for School Council and the story takes the reader through her campaign against a seemingly unpleasant adversary. At first Effie is friendless, but she is then joined by a group of entertaining and interesting individuals as she challenges the status quo. The book is immensely readable and full of humour while also covering big topics of justice and women’s rights. Suitable for Upper KS2.

This is a popular and funny story about one boy’s unexpected rise to power. When Joe tells a local news reporter exactly what he would do if he were in charge of the country, his video goes viral all over the world. Soon, people are calling for the current leader to resign and before long Joe ends up with the most extraordinary new job. The Accidental Prime Minister is a big hit with KS2 and a great springboard for helping pupils to reflect on the responsibility of leaders in democracies like the UK. You may also like The Accidental President by the same author.