Discover The Polar Express, a true Christmas classic. “Magical” Guardian “Evocative and atmospheric” Sunday Times “A thrilling tale” Independent All aboard the Polar Express to the North Pole! Follow one boy’s journey to receive a very special gift from Santa himself: a bell that only true believers in Father Christmas can hear ring. Discover the beloved Christmas classic that inspired the blockbuster family favourite movie starring Tom Hanks.
We love to hear about which books are popular among our community of primary teachers, TAs, librarians, authors and children’s book lovers.
We searched for your top children’s books published in 2021. Browse the SHORTLISTED books in each category below or head to the Books of the Year page to see the category winners.
If you are looking for a library top-up of new books for your school, you can purchase the full selection in one pack.
See the 2022 version of this list here…
Looking for some good children’s books to get stuck into during the summer holidays? We’ve put together a list of some of our favourite new children’s books out this summer, listed by age group. Our summer selection includes stories of adventurous getaways, creatures of the deep, treasure quests, seashore escapades and plenty of exploration of the great outdoors. For more recommendations by age, check out our Reading for Pleasure hub or our Year Group booklists.
If you are looking for our Summer Reading Bingo activity, you can find it here.
Download Printable Summer Reads Poster (PDF)
In this book from the critically acclaimed Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch of modern times.
Little Elizabeth loved dogs and horses and dreamt of living on a farm. But, one day, she heard chants on the streets. Her uncle Edward had renounced the crown, which meant her father would be the next king, and she heiress to the throne. From that day on, she had to learn how to one day be the queen.
When she was only 13, World War Two broke out across the globe. Elizabeth bravely served as an ambulance driver, and after the war ended, she fell in love with and married the charming Prince Philip. In 1952, she was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, and for the next 70 years she would serve as a beacon of continuity, looking after her subjects and serving the country she reigned over.
This moving 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 monarch’s life.
Discover five different cars in this series of interactive board books with easy-to-use moving parts – a car, a sports car, a racecar, a four-wheel drive and a taxi! Learn vehicle vocabulary with simple first words, clear diagrams and helpful text prompts to encourage discussion.
Take a closer look through the seasons in this incredible board book about trees, with see-through acetate pages.
Have you ever thought about all the amazing things that trees can do? How do they grow and why do they change through the seasons? How do trees help us and how can we help trees? Children will love discovering the answers with amazing see-through pages and clear, friendly text. With labelled acetate diagrams of a tree throughout the year, alongside minibeasts and animals that live in trees, this is a fantastic first look at nature for curious children everywhere.
From leaves changing colour to underground root networks, The Tree Book is an exciting way to explore all the amazing things trees can do.
A stunning book about colours full of gorgeous, breathtaking landscapes, with amazing flaps to lift and holes to peep through. From Julia Donaldson, bestselling author of The Gruffalo, and Sharon King-Chai, who together created the award-winning Animalphabet and Counting Creatures.
Follow a little girl as she paints her own adventure with her bright blue tree frog companion. With luscious green trees to climb and red hot air balloons to sail away in, children will delight in the rhyming text and vibrant artwork while learning about different colours.
Welcome back, stargazers! Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered what a star looks like up close? Ever wondered how long it would take you walk a light year? Join Professor Astro Cat and friends on another stellar mission! In this new addition to the best selling science series, we learn all about the stars in our universe, including our own sun! From scientific discoveries to the constellations dreamed up by humans centuries ago, Ben Newman’s beloved illustrations bring these fascinating facts to life for young readers.
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Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
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