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Age Group: KS1

Chapter book

Autumn Moonbeam loves gymnastics and dance so when Sparkledale Dance Academy have try-outs for their competitive dance team, Black Cats, she thinks it’s the most broom-tastic opportunity ever! Just one problem, Autumn is nervous and worries she won’t make it onto the team. And then she discovers that her nasty neighbour Severina Bloodworth is trying out too. But with her best friend Batty by her side can Autumn overcome her shyness, lack of confidence and magical mishaps to be chosen to join Sparkledale Dance Academy?

Enchanting, fun and full of heart, this is a story about growing into yourself, following your dreams and making new friends along the way. With added stunts and magic, of course!

Picturebook

It’s party time at The Number Tower in this hilarious new story about a group of number friends. Three is very excited about having a birthday party. But when the other Digits arrive, things don’t go to plan. There isn’t space for everyone to sit or enough cake to go around. Can the Digits find a way to save the party and give Three the best birthday ever? Perfect for understanding greater and less, double and half – you can count on the Digits to make numbers fun!

Picturebook

A hugely uplifting and full-of-heart picture book by CBeebies sensation George Webster and bestselling illustrator Tim Budgen!

Meet George and his friends!

This is me. I am George. My eyes are sparkly, just like my mum.

Like my dad, I’m determined and brave, and like my sister, I’m full of FUN!

This is Me celebrates our differences and is perfect for every child and every family. It’s a beautiful, heartfelt and positive story, with illustrations that are guaranteed to make you smile.

This is Me will bring out the glow in everyone!

Our differences make us special. We don’t all have to be the same.

Imagine how boring the world would be if everyone had the same name.

With bright and engaging illustrations alongside a genuine and heartfelt story, This is Me is the perfect picture book for any child. So, get ready to read all about George, a little boy with the biggest heart!

George Webster is an actor, BAFTA-winning presenter, Ambassador for Mencap, and a star of Strictly Come Dancing 2022, including its Christmas Day special. George was catapulted into the public eye when he spoke about Down syndrome in his myth-busting video for BBC Bitesize, and was later asked to be a presenter on CBeebies. George was the first ever CBeebies presenter to have Down syndrome.

Tim Budgen is the outstanding illustrator of bestselling books such as Twenty Dinosaurs at Bedtime, Twenty Unicorns at Bedtime and The Magic Pet Shop series. Tim’s illustrations are bright, engaging and perfect for children!

With a joyous rhyming story and a whole host of children alongside the main character, this powerful picture book is the perfect way to show children that not only are they amazing, but their friends, family and even people they haven’t yet met are amazing too!

Picturebook

A beautiful, moving celebration of what it truly means to be family, from the brilliant new picture book duo Patrice Lawrence and Diane Ewen.

Every family is different. Every family is special.

Josie loves her family. Her mum, dad, brothers and sister – they’re all the best and they all look different.

But people always seem to ask Josie “Is that YOUR mama?”, and soon she starts to wonder if her family are actually supposed to look the same.

When Josie shares her worries with her family, they find a way to help her see what truly matters.

Heartfelt and empowering words by Patrice Lawrence, multi-award-winning author of Orangeboy.

Bright, gorgeous artwork from Diane Ewen, winner of the Jericho Prize and The Queen’s Knickers Awards, 2021.

Picturebook

From Daniel Bernstrom, the acclaimed author of One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree, comes a charming and irresistibly fun picture book about a young blind girl and her grandmother who experience the vibrant everyday music of their busy city.

A young girl, filled with the sounds of her beloved city, shares a song with her grandmother that changes the two forever. After helping Grandma realize that the city makes music as beautiful as the sounds they hear in church on Sunday morning, the two sit down and take in all the sounds of the city…together.

Song in the City bridges the gap between generations of music and family, while centering love, understanding, and joy.

A Bank Street College of Education’s Children’s Book Committee’s Best Children’s Books of the Year pick!

Picturebook

In this uplifting picture book, you imagine a world where everyone looks identical, where all food tastes the same, where we all speak the same language. A world that is…well, pretty boring. But with an explosion of colour, the pages soon come to life. This joyful picture book encourages children to imagine the world as a vast library, with room on the shelves for everybody’s story. It is a celebration of our incredibly diverse world as it really is: home to 195 countries with thousands of different cultures, 10 million colours and 4,300 religions.

Written by Uju Asika, author of Bringing up Race, this beautiful picture book celebrates the beauty and joy of living in a wonderfully diverse world.

Picturebook

Pablo’s friends meet their families at the zoo – but Noasaurus the dinosaur can’t find his family.

Pablo and the book animals help Noasaurus realise even though he might feel lost, family is where you find it.

All Pablo books are written by writers on the autistic spectrum and are grounded in the real-life experiences of autistic children. These books help all children understand the world and face the world with confidence.

Picturebook

When you joined our family, I knew you were just who I’d waited and wished for.

Full of heartwarming illustrations, this emotive picture book showcases the unconditional love between an adopted child and their adoptive parents.

A gentle exploration of the adoption experience, from first meetings to creating new family traditions.

Chapter book

Sam is sick, and Ella is sick of Sam. Life seems to revolve around his hospital appointments, his medication and his need for peace and quiet. No one thinks about what Ella wants or needs, no one cares. They don’t even know what day she was born on. In the end, Ella decides she doesn’t care if Sam gets sicker, but when it happens, she finds she cares an awful lot….

A touching exploration of family love and the challenges of being a younger sibling, from multi-award-winning author Sally Nicholls.

Graphic Novel

Imagine you made something that was so beautiful and powerful that everyone wanted to take it for themselves. And then you had to watch them destroy it. Would you fight for it? Meet Gaia, the ancient Greek goddess who created the Earth and the universe that stretched beyond it. She raised trees from their roots to the sky, sent waterfalls tumbling over cliffs and created the tides that sloshed on the shore. She gifted her creation to animals and mortals, and watched as they made it their home.

But she also created a force she couldn’t control: the ambition of gods. Gaia watched as the gods fought brutal wars and manipulated mortals such as Hercules and Achilles, disturbing peace on Earth. Storms raged, fires blazed and people, animals and plants suffered. Gaia begged the gods to look after her creation, but no one listened. But Gaia never gave up fighting for a better world. This is her story. Written and illustrated by two remarkable sisters, Imogen and Isabel Greenberg, this story is an exciting and action-packed adventure, with a poignant environmental message at the heart of it: the pursuit of power damages our natural world, and we all have to work together to protect it.

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