Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

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Age Group: KS1

Best Books for Each Year Primary Group

New Additions for 2024

Each of our Year Group Recommended Reads lists contains 50 books specially picked out for reading for pleasure in each primary year group, from Preschool to Year 6. The lists are designed to provide recommendations of age-appropriate and accessible books across a range of genres and styles. These lists differ from our topic booklists, as the books are purely selected to read for pleasure at each age group. The Year Group lists also come with printable posters and checklists.

We update our lists annually in April and schools can purchase sets of the packs from Peters. As well as the full book packs, schools can also purchase a top-up pack containing just the newly added titles for 2024.

Some of the titles are newly published, whereas others are older favourites that have just been added to the Year Group lists for the first time. Browse the lists below to see the new additions for each year group, launched 16 April 2024.

 

 

Best Books for Y2 (Children Aged 6-7)

NEWLY updated – April 2024!

Our team has hand-picked 50 recommended books for Year 2 (children aged six and seven). Find the best books to top up your Y2 reading collections with our selection of storytime picturebooks, chapter books, funny stories, illustrated poetry collections, non-fiction texts and more. Keep an eye out for the odd mad-cap babysitter with rainbow hair, aliens in jam factories and texting-obsessed goats along the way…

We understand that finding the perfect book for children can be challenging, so we have carefully curated a list of recommended reads especially suited for Year 2 children. Our selection of books includes themes such as adventure, friendship, animals, mystery, and lots of laugh-out-loud favourites too.

The experts at BooksForTopics have hand-picked each book based on its age-appropriateness, quality content, engaging illustrations and ability to spark children’s imagination and creativity. This booklist includes popular Year 2 stories such as The Proudest BlueFlat Stanley and Traction Man, as well as some lesser-known storytime delights that we recommend for Y2, like The Eyebrows of DoomEinstein the Penguin and Jory John’s hilarious gadget-obsessed spud, The Couch Potato.

So, if you are looking for top recommended books for your Year 2 children, our specially selected reading list has got you covered with books that have all been carefully matched to the age, developmental stage and interest level of children in Year 2.

As well as the Y2 booklist below to browse, we’ve also got a printable poster and downloadable checklist for you, and schools can purchase full sets of the books via Peters.

 

year 2 recommended reads printable poster 2024

year 2 recommended reads checklist 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Browse the Y2 booklist below or scroll down to find more purchasing options and printable resources.

best books for fans of the 13 storey treehouse

If you like the 13-Storey Treehouse Series, try these…

The Treehouse books form an enormously popular children’s book series by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton. The series features a fun-loving pair of friends who live in an imaginative treehouse with lots of fun extra rooms. As the series progresses, the treehouse expands and before long contains everything from a movie theatre, dinosaur petting zoo, marshmallow-toasting volcano and a ninja snail academy. Highly illustrated with comic-style line drawings, treehouse diagrams and speech bubbles, these books are popular with children aged 7 to 10. The high image-to-text ratio coupled with its wacky sense of humour have helped the series to earn its reputation for hooking children into reading.

It’s no surprise that many teachers and parents whose children are hooked ask us for what to read next after the Treehouse books. We’ve put together a list of ten books like the 13 Storey Treehouse. Readers who love getting silly with the absurd humour of the Treehouse stories could also try Dave Pigeon or Bunny vs Monkey. For children looking for more stories featuring plenty of comic-style line illustrations and not too much writing on each page, try Max and the Midknights or Murray and Bun. If you like laugh-out-loud action to entertain you while you read, try A Monster Ate My Packed Lunch and Fairy vs Wizard, or you might like to try the graphic novels Stitch Head or Peng and Spanners.

Browse the full list below of books for children looking for what to read next after the Treehouse Series…


Download Printable Poster (PDF)

Picturebook

best books for children who love you chooseIf you’re looking for books like You Choose, try these…

The You Choose books have seen enormous popularity and are well-loved by children because of the premise of letting the reader choose items from an appealing illustrated scene on each page. Readers are invited to select their favourite food, destination, clothing, hobby and family from a mix of plausible and not-so-plausible cartoon options, illustrated by the inimitable Nick Sharratt. These engaging books have mileage to be read over and over again, and children love interacting with them together with friends or family as they discuss their choices.

Although there is nothing that can quite take the place of these fantastically engaging books, we’ve compiled a list of ten similar books for fans of You Choose. Children looking for more books that put readers’ decisions at the heart might like to try Pick a Story or Which Food Will You Choose. For more books with pages filled with a multitude of smaller pictures to pore over and choose between, try the transport-themed We Catch the Bus or Why Do We Wear Clothes?. If you’re searching for more read-it-again books with interactive mix-and-match elements try Mixed Up Fairy Tales or Story Path, or for a simple this-or-that discussion, dive into all the fun of John Burningham’s Would You Rather.

Browse the full list below of books for children looking for more books like You Choose…

best books for fans of daisy by kes grayIf you like Daisy by Kes Gray, try these…

The Daisy and the Trouble With… books by Kes Gray are a hit with younger readers getting to grips with the independent reading of chapter books. Children enjoy the funny, illustrated adventures recounting the ups and downs of Daisy’s life as she gives her take on visits to the zoo, going on holiday, having a birthday or taking part in sports day. Mishaps seem to follow Daisy wherever she goes and she finds herself in plenty of sticky situations to sort out. Kes Gray’s line illustrations add a familiar warmth and humour to these popular chapter books.

We’ve put together a list of ten similar books for fans of the Daisy books. Readers who love the humour of well-meaning mischief and misadventure might enjoy the madcap babysitter in Marge in Charge or the Naughtiest Unicorn series. If you are looking for another highly collectable series after Daisy, try Anisha Accidental Detective or The Naughtiest Girl. For those looking for a brand new adventure coupled with plenty of fun illustrations alongside the story, try Rainbow Grey or Sophy Henn’s super-cool Pizazz series. Finally, for another story with a feisty female lead at its centre, try The Princess Rules or Leonora Bolt.

Browse the full list below of books for children looking for what to read next after Daisy…

books for children who love elmer

If you like Elmer, try these…

Making his first appearance in 1968, Elmer the Patchwork Elephant has been entertaining young readers for decades and remains one of the most iconic and well-known children’s book characters of all time. The Elmer stories feature a bright and multicoloured main character who inspires readers to embrace inclusivity, connect with friends and find joy in celebrating difference.

We’ve compiled a list of ten similar books for fans of Elmer. Readers looking for more stories about larger-than-life elephant characters might enjoy Ernest the Elephant or Lo Cole’s Doris. For more characters who love spreading colour and joy among their friends, try The Rainbow Fish or The Artist. Some readers want more books about celebrating individuality, and we recommend The Bumblebear or the classic Dogs Don’t Do Ballet.  If you’re searching for more fun EYFS stories about animal friends, try Lots of Dots or Giraffes Can’t Dance. You can also head over to our Animals topic booklist or our list of children’s books about colours.

Browse the full list below of books for children looking for what to read next after Elmer…

Chapter book

Jack-Jack, the world’s coolest dog, looks after orphaned chimpanzees in Africa; he’s about to embark on his biggest adventure ever!

I spend my days playing with baby chimps. When I meet Ben, suddenly, I have more baths than ever (previously none). I wave goodbye to my pet fleas,and prepare to fly thousands of miles. I’ve never been on a lead or in a car, so what will an aeroplane be like? T

The first in a new series of four books illustrated in black and white on every spread.

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