Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Home > Books

Age Group: KS1

Non-fictionPicturebook

This richly illustrated concertina book takes the reader from the top of a mountain spring, through varying landscapes, and follows a river’s journey from its source to the sea. With a focus on the important role waterways play in human and environmental survival, The River That Flows Beside Me explores the changing landscapes along a river’s journey and the habits and ecosystems that call the river their home.

A follow-up to The Street Beneath My Feet, The Skies Above My Eyes and The Sea Below My Toes, this visually stunning book finds the river in the rocky peaks, and tracks it as it winds its way through coniferous forest, gushes through v-shaped valleys, and roars down magnificent waterfalls. Further downstream, readers will journey with the river past beaver dams, floodplains, oxbow lakes, paddle-boarders, bridges and more.

On your journey, meet the animals that call the river home, including:
White-tailed deer
Grizzly bears
Otter
Smallmouth bass
Dragonflies
With a primary focus on the river’s ecosystems, wildlife and geological processesThe River That Flows Beside Me also explores the way that humans interact with the river landscape, using it both to survive and also to enjoy. The beauty and variety of river landscapes are bought to life by Jo Empson’s rich illustrations.

This book is part of the Look Closer series, a set of concertina books that help teach us about the mysteries and wonders that are found in the world around us.

Picturebook

The adorable new story starring Gertie, The Littlest Yak!

In this brand new adventure from award-winning duo Lu Fraser and Kate Hindley, Gertie the Littlest Yak and her family are moving mountains to pastures new. And for Gertie, that means SQUEEZING all her belongings onto her sledge.

But when someone special gets left behind, will Gertie come to see that home is about so much more than the things that you pack?

A gorgeous and heart-melting story about what REALLY makes a home.

Chapter book

Nikhil and Jay and Amma and Appa are off to India for the Christmas holidays to visit Chennai Granny and Grandad. In Grandad’s garden they are excited to see parrots and Chennai squirrels, a mango tree and a coconut tree. One day they go to the beach, play in the big waves and eat Granny’s Indian savoury snacks. The boys have their first Chennai Christmas, with mango-leaf decorations, Indian sweets for Father Christmas, a basket of beautiful Indian wooden toys – and a special Christmas star. And last but not least, the family see in the New Year the Indian way. They make a Welcome poster, Granny lights a lamp at midnight and they all eat Granny’s delicious Kesala as an Indian New Year treat.

This third book in the Nikhil and Jay series is perfect for children moving on from picture books to longer stories, helped by Soofiya’s lively and characterful illustrations.

Picturebook

The Mellons need to build a forever home that is lean, clean and green!

The Mellon family have outgrown their flat. It’s time to move, but none of the houses they look at are quite right, so they decide to build their own house. Masha is an architect. She designs a house that accommodates the Mellons’ needs, their budget, and most importantly, the environment. It is an eco-house.

The Mellons Build a House is a hugely enjoyable picturebook that takes the reader step-by-step through house design and build. Heat pumps, solar panels, insulation and rainwater harvesting are all clearly explained and brought to life in Nik Neves’s warm, inclusive illustrations. A timely and essential read for aspiring young architects and construction-enthusiasts.

Non-fictionPicturebook

Count along in celebration of Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights, in this luminous picture book from bestselling mother-son duo Surishtha and Kabir Sehgal.

Count up to ten and back down again to the tune of “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe” while learning about the traditions that make Diwali a fun-filled festival! Celebrated during autumn harvest, Diwali symbolizes the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. From sweet treats to intricate henna designs to exciting firework displays, kids will delight in this vibrant glimpse into the Festival of Lights.

Chapter book

The GIGANTIC magical new adventure from Ben Miller, the bestselling author of The Night We Got Stuck in a Story.

Marcus has just started Merlin’s, a very unusual school…

He doesn’t like it and is doing everything he can to get into big trouble and be sent home. When a midnight prank accidentally wakes a sleeping giant called Crom, things take a turn for the magical.

But there are other giants on the move, bigger and angrier than Crom. Realising that Merlin’s and the whole country are in danger, it’s a race against time for the two new firneds to find the magic of their own bravery.

Picturebook

An empowering retelling of Little Red Riding Hood about challenging the traditional narratives we are told, with a confident, autistic character at its heart.

Gina Kaminski is here to tell you three facts.

1 – Little Red Riding Hood is full of BIG mistakes.
2 – She is off to fairy tale land to fix them.
3 – She WILL save the wolf.

Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? Certainly not Gina as she takes the narrative lead and tells the story in her own distinctive way. With fantastic illustrations from Francis Martin, and an innovative use of pictorial emoji language, this is the ideal book to empower every child to be the hero of their own story. Fans of Little Red by Bethan Woollvin, Luna Loves Dance by Joseph Coelho and Fiona Lumbers and Look Up! by Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola will love Gina Kaminski Saves the Wolf.

Picturebook

A thought-provoking picture book inspired by the idea that there is beauty to be cherished in imperfection.

What is imperfectly perfect?

It’s a flower growing from a cracked pavement.
It’s the memory of a happy time, etched in a wrinkled smile.
It’s taking something broken, mending it with love,
and making something new. Something unique.
Beautiful. And imperfectly perfect.

A story that cherishes beauty in imperfection.

With a lyrical, meditative text from Perry Emerson and stunning illustrations from the wonderful Hoang Giang (The Christmas Department Store) this book explores what it means to be perfect through the eyes of a little girl at a tumultuous time in her relationship with her older brother. With a powerful message that lingers beyond the final page, Imperfectly Perfect encourages readers to embrace imperfection, whether in physical objects or in a more metaphorical way, as part of the unique beauty of the world around us. This uplifting picture book is the ideal companion for readers of The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires, What Do You See When You Look at a Tree? by Emma Carlisles and The Station Cat by Stephen Hogtun.

Non-fiction

This exciting introduction to the human body is brimming with super senses, marvellous medicine, and record-breaking feats.

The world is so much bigger than young minds can fathom and there is always more to learn. My Very Important Human Body is a vibrant encyclopedia for curious 5-9 year olds with a unique approach to the human body. Little learners can easily digest scientific information with this breakdown of how our bodies work and all the complex mechanisms that are inside us.

Full of fun facts, colourful illustrations, and games that will keep them entertained, this children’s encyclopedia is filled with age-appropriate knowledge on a range of topics that support the curriculum. Get ready for a scientific adventure and investigate the ins and outs of the human body from the top of your head to the tips of your toes!

Non-fiction

Following on from the incredible Invented by Animals and Built by Animals, Powered by Plants introduces us to the wondrous plants whose ingenious features have inspired innovations in human technology.

Plants exhibit an incredible range of diversity in their shape, structures and how they interact with other living things and their environment. Some of this great diversity is being increasingly studied and copied, inspiring innovation in science, design, engineering and technology.

This book guides readers through a startling collection of fascinating vegetation, from towering cottonwood trees with wind power potential to slippery, meat-eating assassins of the plant world and the fast-growing aquatic plant which helps propel ships farther using less energy. Learn surprising applications and spin-offs of both exotic species including the world’s largest flower that generates its own heat and more familiar plants such as bamboo, coconut and maize, all depicted in colourful, engaging fashion.

Colourful and lively illustrations and pop-out fact boxes bring the science in this book to life, and Powered by Plants shows us how much we can learn from studyin the myriad magnificence of the natural world.

Other fascinating books in this series are Built by Animals and Invented by Animals.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Your Review

Stone Girl Bone Girl

review

Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:

Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:

Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?

yes

Curriculum links (if relevant)

Curriculum links (if relevant)

Any other comments

Any other comments