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Age Group: EYFS

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In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the true story of ballet dancer Anna Pavlova.

Little Anna fell in love with ballet after watching a performance with her mother. At the age of just nine-years-old, she auditioned for the famous Imperial Ballet! But… she was rejected.

The set-back didn’t stop Anna – she auditioned again a year later and was accepted into the company. Although ballet was her passion, it didn’t always come easily to her, and she worked fiercely to become the best.

After her training was complete, she performed across Russia and later formed her own company with which she toured the world. The story of Anna Pavlova, one of the greatest dancers to have ever lived, teaches us that with hard work, our talents can take us wherever we want to go.

This inspiring book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the star’s life.

Picturebook

Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse’s debut picture book, now in paperback!

It’s time for Oti’s dance class! Join Oti in her dance studio and learn “The Bird Jive” in ten easy steps.

There are lots of children in Oti’s dance class – and lots of feelings, too. Meet Fikile in her sparkly new shoes and Naira who is SUPER excited to get started! Gan is feeling a little worried about joining in whilst Martin can’t wait to show his parents what he can do! But in the middle of their dance routine, an unexpected visitor disrupts the class. Not to fear, Oti is here! Soon they are back on track, getting ready for the performance of their lives.

Written by Strictly Come Dancing superstar Oti Mabuse, this debut picture book will dance into the hands of families who have loved watching Oti on-screen.

Watch a step-by-step dance tutorial and listen to “The Bird Jive” when you scan the QR code in the book!

Picturebook

In an encore performance, Angelina Ballerina returns in this refreshed picture book from acclaimed author Katharine Holabird and celebrated artist Helen Craig!

Angelina is a pretty little mouse who wants nothing more than to be a ballerina. She dances all the time—at home, at school, even in her dreams! In fact, she’s so busy dancing that she forgets all about the other things she’s supposed to do, like cleaning her room and joining her family for breakfast!

Her parents don’t know what to do—especially after her arabesques in the kitchen knock over the milk! Then one day they come up with an idea that will change Angelina’s life forever…

With Katharine Holabird’s lively writing and Helen Craig’s charming illustrations, the original story, now refreshed and re-released, will continue keeping a whole new generation of young ballerinas leaping with delight.

Picturebook

Follow the adventures of Sugarlump the rocking horse and a magical unicorn in this delightful rhyming story from the stellar picture book partnership of Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks, creators of What the Ladybird Heard.

When Sugarlump the rocking horse longs to see the world, a magical unicorn with a silver horn and sparkling blue eyes grants his wish and turns him into a real horse. But after trotting around the farm, galloping around a racetrack and even dancing at the circus, Sugarlump learns to be careful what he wishes for. Luckily the unicorn has one more wish to grant . . .

With brilliant rhyming verse and bright and distinctive illustrations, Sugarlump and the Unicorn is a perfect story for reading together.

Enjoy all the stories from Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks: Sharing a Shell, The Princess and the Wizard, The Rhyming Rabbit, The Singing Mermaid, Sugarlump and the Unicorn, Princess Mirror-Belle and the Dragon Pox, What the Ladybird Heard, What the Ladybird Heard Next and What the Ladybird Heard on Holiday.

50 Books for Primary School Children

Newly Updated – April 2024

Browse our reading list of 50 recommended books for Primary Schools. Update your class library or home book collections with our list of the best Primary School books, featuring everything from intergalactic snail adventures and unexpected unicorns to secret agent chameleons and mountain explorers.

This primary reading list includes books to read with children alongside books for them to read themselves. Featuring popular storytime reads like Gigantic and Pop!, early chapter books like Magic Faces, action-packed adventure books like The Glorious Race of Magical Beasts and top-notch non-fiction like How Do Meerkats Order Pizza?, this list really does have something for everyone.

This list has been put together based on a mix of titles taken from our popular individual year group reading lists and with the help of the team of librarians and booksellers at Peters.

If you’re a parent or teacher looking for the best books for Primary School children, look no further than our list. Whether you are looking for funny read-alouds, new releases or educational reads, we have something to suit every young reader’s interests. Our Primary School booklist includes both fiction and non-fiction recommendations to offer primary school children a deliciously tempting offering of reading-for-pleasure choices.

There is also a downloadable checklist and a printable poster, and schools can purchase full packs of these books from Peters or select packs of the KS2 books or KS1 books from the list.

 

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If you are looking for more specific recommendations, you may like our Year Group Lists (see below) or Curriculum Topic Booklists.

Browse the primary school reading list below or scroll down to find more purchasing options and printable resources.

We’re so excited to see the launch of these brand new awards by the charity Inclusive Books for Children. Recognising the best new inclusive books, these awards fit into Inclusive Books for Children’s wider aim to make mainstream books inclusive, and to bring inclusive books into the mainstream. We’re thrilled to see some of our favourite titles, authors and characters among the 13 shortlisted books.

Three books are shortlisted in the Baby and Toddler Books category: Too Green!, Zeki Goes to the Park and Zeki Hikes with Daddy. Zeki is a popular character among younger readers and we’re delighted to see him return.

The Picture Books for ages 3–7 category shortlist includes Dadaji’s Paintbrush and Faruq and the Wiri Wiri, which both feature on our Recommended Reads lists. The other titles shortlisted in this category are The Missing Piece, To the Other Side and You’re So Amazing!.

A host of our favourite characters feature in the Children’s Fiction for ages 5-9 category shortlist, and we’re excited by the return of Lizzie and Lucky in The Mystery of the Lost Chicken, Sona Sharma in Wish Me Luck, and Too Small Tola in Too Small Tola Makes It Count. Budgie and Meet the Maliks, Twin Detectives: The Cookie Culprit make up the rest of this category shortlist.

The judging panel boasts educators, authors, broadcasters, illustrators and advocates, and the awards ceremony will take place in London on the 28th of February.

Picturebook

Joining the Feelings & First series: a young child helps his Mum and Mama cook a green vegetable soup, but then emphatically refuses to eat it. After carefully watching his parents enjoying the meal, the child finally agrees to taste it and discovers that he likes it after all! Full of humor and sound effects, this adorable and relatable tale offers a positive model for handling food reluctance. Also available in bilingual Spanish.

Picturebook

Zeki and Mummy are off to the park to cool down. They meet up with Zeki’s friend Yu and her mummy. Zeki and Yu play, dig in the sandbox, play on the splash pad and have a picnic. A perfect summer celebration, an energetic companion to Zeki Hikes with Daddy.

Picturebook

Zeki and Daddy are off on a hike! They explore the trail, from tall trees to tiny leaves and everything in between. Zeki gets up close to nature – he finds smooth stones, delicate feathers and slow snails! An exciting day of discoveries and an energetic companion to Zeki Goes to the Park.

Picturebook

The most magical things can happen even on the rainiest of days… How many people can you fit under one umbrella? It wasn’t even meant to rain the day the blue umbrella turned up, but for the people who used it that day, they found something more than just shelter: something truly amazing had happened. A community had come together, bound by kindness and friendship.

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