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Age Group: KS1

is that your mama

Is That Your Mama?

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.

song in the city

Song in the City

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!

a world for me and you

A World for Me and You

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.

pablo at the zoo

Pablo at the Zoo

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.

when you joined our family

When You Joined Our Family

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.

all about ella

All About Ella

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.

the pandas who promised

The Pandas Who Promised

Picturebook

High on a misty mountainside, red panda cubs Popo and Ketu live happily with their mama. As the sisters grow, they promise that they will ALWAYS stay close to home. But while Popo is content to stay in the family’s cosy treetop nest, bold Ketu dreams of excitement and exploration. And so when Ketu creeps off down the mountain in search of adventure, Popo must make a choice: will she keep her promise to Mama, or look after her sister?

An epic tale about family, love and the power of keeping a promise.

the incredible adventures of gaston le dog

The Incredible Adventures of Gaston le Dog

Chapter book

A funny and fantastical adventure from former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen and award-winning illustrator Viviane Schwarz.

Gaston le Dog longs to return to the beautiful beach he remembers from years ago. So he sets off on an adventure – but mystery and danger lurk at every turn, and Gaston will need all the help he can get from the friends he meets along the way. But can they all be trusted? And will Gaston’s odyssey bring him everything he hoped for? This playful new tale from national treasure Michael Rosen sprinkles myth, magic and fairy tale to create a brilliant story, illustrated by award-winning artist Viviane Schwarz, perfect for fans of the Grimwood series.

stones and bones fossils and the stories they tell

Stones and Bones: Fossils and the stories they tell

Non-fiction

Excavating four billion years of history from the ground beneath our feet!

Over the past four billion years, life on our planet has evolved from microscopic single-celled organisms to the incredible array of flora and fauna today. In the course of this time, layer upon layer of life was buried in sediment, turning into a fossilised record of the planet’s history.

This highly-illustrated, large-format book looks at all the incredible things that scientists have learned from the fossil record: The ways in which continents have drifted, merged and fragmented again. The life forms that have evolved and the great extinction events that wiped them out. Clear, concise texts are accompanied by Sophie Williams’ warm and entertaining illustrations, making this a book to cherish and return to. A worthy follow-on from Earth-Shattering Events.

poetry prompts all sorts of ways to start a poem from joseph coelho

Poetry Prompts: All sorts of ways to start a poem from Joseph Coelho

Poetry

A compendium of poetry prompts from Joseph Coelho (Children’s Laureate 2022-2024).

Each fun and engaging prompt for writing a poem helps children discover how to write poems and then read them out loud. This is a book to build confidence and literacy skills through channeling children’s imaginations.

This is a book for the whole family to enjoy, bright, cheerful but cool illustrations will appeal to children of all primary ages.

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Stone Girl Bone Girl

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