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Age Group: KS1

Picturebook

A BIG ISSUE BOOK OF THE YEAR

A beautifully illustrated story, written with a light and humorous touch, that celebrates nontraditional families and captures exactly what lies at the heart of family life — love.

‘Elvi, which one is your mum?’
‘They’re both my mum.’
‘But which one’s your real mum?’

When Nicholas wants to know which of Elvi’s two mums is her real mum, she gives him lots of clues. Her real mum is a circus performer, and a pirate, and she even teaches spiders the art of web.

But Nicholas still can’t work it out! Luckily, Elvi knows just how to explain it to her friend.

Picturebook

A sensitively-told story that addresses the tricky subject of divorce with care and understanding, from Clare Helen Welsh and Åsa Gilland.

Laughing and playing together as a family on the beach, it seems the happy, warm days of summer will never end. Then, everything changes. Mummy and Daddy say they can’t live together anymore, and sad, worried feelings begin to emerge – It’s not fair! Was it all my fault? But, as time passes and the seasons change, it becomes clearer that hard times won’t always be quite so hard . . .

A lyrical book about the difficult emotions a child can feel when their parents break up, with an optimistic message of hope and resilience. Gorgeous illustrations and an emotive colour palette perfectly capture the nuances of emotion felt by both the child and parents during a separation. Much like Pat Thomas’s My Family’s Changing, Claire Masurel’s Two Homes and Patrice Karst’s The Invisible String, Everything Changes offers a way to help children understand their feelings during big changes in their family unit.

Picturebook

Aston’s Grandad Roy played in a steel band and Grandad Harry played the trumpet in a brass band. Aston always enjoyed going to visit them and listen to them practise. But soon he wanted to join in. So he asked Grandad Roy to teach him to play the steel drums and then he asked Grandad Harry to teach him to play the trumpet. He loved practising both instruments. Then the school needs a band to play at the school fair, and both grandads want their own band to play. Finally Aston had an idea – both bands join together to make one big band, and Aston joins in first on steel drums and then on trumpet. This delightful story of a mixed-race family reconciling their very different cultures is a wonderful celebration of diversity. Written by one of Britain’s foremost campaigners and media personalities and illustrated by a highly regarded illustrator, this book is sure to build on the success of My Two Grannies.

Best Children’s Books about Australia

Australia’s enchanting landscapes – from the Outback to the Great Barrier Reef – are brought to life in this list of the best children’s books about Australia. These titles offer vibrant illustrations and engaging narratives to help young readers to discover Australia’s unique wildlife, indigenous cultures and fascinating history. Start young explorers off on their journey “down under” with this inspiring collection of books.

Hearing Loss and Deafness Booklist

Our hearing loss booklist is designed for anyone seeking to promote diversity and inclusion in their personal or school settings, including parents, teachers, and those looking for personal development.

This varied booklist of picturebooks, chapter books and graphic novels includes relatable stories for children with hearing loss, as well as books that help all children to understand what it is like for deaf and hearing impaired people to navigate a world that isn’t always designed with them in mind.

From the inspiring real-life story of deaf musician Evelyn Glennie to the moving story of sudden hearing impairment in Stewart Foster’s chapter book Can You Feel the Noise?, there’s something for all primary ages on this booklist.

Best Children’s Books About South America

South America boasts a rich cultural heritage and history alongside stunning landscapes. Introduce young readers to this fascinating topic with this list of the best children’s books about South America.

From the lush Amazon rainforest, through the majestic Andes mountains, to the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu, the geography of South America offers much to explore, as does the history of its people from ancient times to the rich diversity of its modern population.

Whether you are looking for an exciting chapter book adventure set in the Amazon like Katherine Rundell’s The Explorer, or unique picturebooks like the beautiful tale of The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay, we’ve got you covered. This booklist features the best children’s books to help young explorers study the topic of South America…

Chapter book

Chichico is thrilled when a talent scout spots him during a kick-about with his friends Davi and Ana, and he is asked to try out for Santos Brazil. But without a pair of football boots, how will Chichico ever been taken seriously? Loyal Davi steps in and sets out on a mission to solve Chichico’s problem. But Davi’s actions soon risk ruining Chichico’s dreams forever…

A little football story with a big heart from award-winning author Geraldine McCaughrean.

Non-fiction

Simon is packed and heading off to a region of the Amazon Basin in northern Bolivia. Despite its size, it’s a fragile biome, of mixed forest and river habitats. Simon plans to document his journey down the River Enatahua, but things go wrong right from the start: a rucksack is missing, along with his canoe …

Simon Chapman, winner of the Blue Peter Book Award, brings geography to life, and his Expedition Diaries are a great way to introduce the world’s biomes and habitats to children, direct from someone who’s actually been in them – sometimes up to his neck! These books are perfect for sparking interest in this key school topic.

Chapter book

G’day, Stanley!

Flat Stanley and his brother Arthur have just won a trip to Australia! They fly down under on a private jet and go diving in the Great Barrier Reef. But when Arthur launches him into the air for a game of boomerang, Stanley is accidentally sent spinning off into the heart of the Australian outback!

Non-fiction

Where on Earth is the UK? Where are koalas from, and who lives on Antarctica? From landscapes to animals, cities to people and languages to food, this series will let readers take a trip to each continent. It’s time to travel around the Earth.

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