Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

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Age Group: EYFS

Non-fiction

Come and celebrate some of the world’s biggest festivals with us! We will take you on a step-by-step journey through each celebration, teaching you all about the stories and traditions we follow, as well as all the tasty food we eat. So, come and celebrate with us!

Non-fictionPicturebook

Discover the celebration of Diwali with this bright, interactive lift-the-flap book.

Lift the flaps to reveal the rangoli pattern, look inside the temple and light the diyas!

Featuring simple text, gorgeous illustrations and satisfying lift-the-flaps, this book explores common Diwali traditions and helps young children understand the importance of this special holiday.

The First Festivals series invites children to explore the world’s culture from the comfort of their home, encourages the development of hand-eye coordination and is recommended for children aged 2 and over.

Non-fiction

Learn all about the traditions of Diwali with this third book in the delightful board book series Celebrate the World, which highlights special occasions and holidays across the globe.

Each autumn we gather with our friends and family and light our brightest lanterns. It’s time for Diwali, the festival of lights! In this lovely board book with illustrations from Archana Sreenivasan, readers learn that the five days of Diwali are a time to pray for a bountiful season, celebrate the special bonds between siblings, and rejoice in the victory of light over darkness and good over evil.

2023 Reading is Magic Festival: Monday 2nd – Friday 6th October

Back for its fourth year, the Reading is Magic Festival brings a unique programme of free, digital events directly into classrooms around the world. This exciting, inclusive collaboration brings together Europe’s largest dedicated children’s literature festival – Bath Children’s Literature Festival – with literary festivals from around the world.

Here at BooksForTopics, we are delighted to be an official ambassador for the 2023 Reading is Magic Festival, which will present a world-class line-up of best-selling writers – including several who have appeared in our Year Group Recommended Reads lists, like Laura Ellen Anderson, BB Alston, Helen Rutter and Cressida Cowell – whose Children’s Laureate Charter was the inspiration for the Reading is Magic Festival.

Many of our favourite authors, poets and illustrators will be among those featured this year, and this booklist highlights some of their key titles.

Picturebook

A dazzling wordless picture book celebrates creative problem-solving, teamwork, and the sun-splashed wonder of a day at the beach.

The creators of the acclaimed Over the Shop evoke a perfect summer beach day – and themes of creativity, cooperation, flexibility, and persistence – all without a word in this sun-warmed, salt-stained delight of a story. A busload of beachgoers spills out onto the sand for a day of fun and frolic. Three siblings begin work on a castle, patting and shaping the sand as the sun arcs over the sky. Time and again, their progress is halted: a windswept hat topples their creation; a toddler ambles through it; the tide creeps close, and then too close. Meeting each demolition with fresh determination, the builders outdo themselves time and again, until the moment arrives to pile back into the bus for home. An authentic portrait of sibling cooperation – and glorious inspiration for creative people of all ages – A Day for Sandcastles channels the thrill of surrendering expectations on the path to infinite possibility.

Picturebook

When people meet Joe, they often treat him as Amazing Joe or Poor Joe. But can’t he just be . . . Joe?

One-legged Joe is ‘amazing’. He knows this because wherever he goes people always tell him he’s amazing. Amazing for sliding down the slide, for kicking a ball . . . even walking to get an ice cream, or even just eating an ice cream. Of course, being Amazing Joe is better than being Poor Joe . . .

A groundbreaking picture book which explores how we respond to disability.

Picturebook

A powerfully moving and beautiful picture book about the voyage of HMT Empire Windrush from national treasure, Benjamin Zephaniah. The hopes, dreams and bravery of the Windrush generation are expressed in this vivid story through the real-life experiences of Trinidadian musician, Mona Baptiste.

Written as a brand-new poem by Benjamin Zephaniah, the book is beautifully illustrated by the extraordinary artist, Onyinye Iwu.

The arrival of the Windrush in 1948 is celebrated each year on Windrush Day, 22 June

Benjamin recently won a BAFTA for his Sky Arts show, Life & Rhymes, a showcase of some of Britain’s finest poets

This book is perfect for teaching young children about inclusivity and diversity.

Picturebook

No one knows who exactly invented the wheel, but in the inventive hands of illustrator Tom Schamp young readers will have great fun learning about all the ways wheels have rolled through history.

From prehistoric carts to cars of tomorrow, this big, fun book takes a historic journey through a world where everything has wheels, from the Trojan horse to the Harley Davidson; from the stagecoach and the steam train to the Vespa and the Ferrari; from skateboards to electric scooters.

Every spread of this deliriously entertaining and educational book is filled with Tom Schamp’s quirky and colorful art. His sly, subtle texts will make older readers smile. Younger readers will return again and again to these playfully crowded pages to discover what different countries’ emergency vehicles look like; to learn about buses of every imaginable dimension and weight; and to choose which bike they’d use to win a race.

Each viewing will reveal charming new details that are as absurdly funny as they are educationally rewarding.

Picturebook

Waterstones Children’s Book Award Winner and British Book Awards Nibbies Children’s Illustrated Book of the Year 2023! Celebrate love in all its forms, as Grandad tells his granddaughter about the adventures he used to have with Gramps. A long time ago, Grandad and Gramps spent many happy days travelling the world together in a camper van. But now Gramps isn’t around any more, Grandad doesn’t feel much like having adventures. As she listens to his wonderful stories, Grandad’s granddaughter has an idea to cheer him up… A perfect story for Grandad on Father’s Day. A School Library Journal Best Book of 2021!

Picturebook

A glimpse of three women dressed as mermaids leaves one boy filled with wonder and ready to dazzle the world.

While riding the subway home with his Nana one day, Julian notices three women spectacularly dressed up. Their hair billows in brilliant hues, their dresses end in fishtails, and their joy fills the train carriage. When Julian gets home, daydreaming of the magic he’s seen, all he can think about is dressing up just like the ladies and making his own fabulous mermaid costume. But what will Nana think about the mess he makes – and even more importantly – what will she think about how Julian sees himself?

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