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Age Group: KS1

Picturebook

A beautiful picture book about the ways in which animals sleep in the Serengeti, written by award-winning author Clare Helen Welsh and illustrated by the winner of the 2019 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, Jenny Lovlie.

On the dry, grassy plains of the Serengeti, a little mongoose makes his way home to his burrow. On his way, the mongoose passes giraffes, zebras, monkeys, elephants, storks, lizards, butterflies and cheetahs, all sleeping in their own unique ways.

A stunning, lyrical and reassuring bedtime story, perfect for young animal lovers, with non-fiction facts at the end.

Every Nosy Crow paperback picture book comes with a free ‘Stories Aloud’ audio recording – just scan the QR code and listen along!

Chapter book

The first book in a BRILLIANT new series brimming with adventure, friendship and an amazing array of magical creatures! A must-read for fans of Beast Quest , The Boy Who Grew Dragons and The Naughtiest Unicorn – and ideal for children aged 7-9.

Aisha and Jayden are definitely not fans of Outside.

Aisha would rather be home playing on her tablet or messaging her friends.

Jayden thinks the worlds inside his books are much more exciting than the real one beyond his window.
But when they are asked to join the Secret Beast Club, a centuries-old secret group that protects mythological creatures, Aisha and Jayden discover that real magic could be closer than they think . . . you just have to know where to look . . .

Inspired by the real life story of Pablo Fanque – the first Black circus owner – and featuring fun facts about the magical creatures within each story, this exciting new series for 6+ readers is not to be missed!

Non-fiction

From the dense rainforests of the Amazon to the chill of the snowy Arctic, come on an intrepid adventure to the world’s most extreme places, and find out just what it takes to survive there.

Discover how to navigate the vast Australian outback, keep yourself alive in a sandstorm in the Arabian desert, avoid a bear attack in a North American forest, explore the dark depths of the Atlantic Ocean and even perform a spacewalk up in orbit!

In this beautiful and bright fully illustrated hardback book, visit 12 incredible and diverse habitats: the Arctic Circle, a North American forest, the Amazon Rainforest, a Pacific desert island, the Alps, the Arabian desert, the African savannah, the Himalayas, the Australian outback, Antarctica, deep in the ocean and high up in space on the International Space Station. Find out how the people, plants and animals who live in these incredible places have learnt to survive, pick up top tips for your own explorations, and discover what you can do to help protect these amazing environments for the future.

A thrilling adventure around the world that you won’t want to miss! Have you got what it takes to survive?

Non-fiction

A beautifully illustrated collection of 20 ancient Egyptian myths retold for children aged 7-9.

Delve into a world of monstrous creatures, magical spells, and warring gods in this thrilling compendium of ancient Egyptian myths. With 20 exciting tales alongside fascinating historical information, this is a must-have introduction for young readers interested in one of the world’s great early civilizations.

From the creation of the world to the first pharaohs, this book charts the full sweep of ancient Egyptian mythology, revealing fascinating elements of culture and religion along the way. The enthralling stories introduce mighty gods and wicked villains, while a handy reference section is packed with information about the ancient Egyptians themselves. Learn how Ra fought daily battles to make the Sun rise, how trouble-making Set brought chaos to the kingdom, and how Osiris became the first mummy. Perfect for children aged 7 to 9, this collection contains more than 20 enthralling new retellings of favourite myths as well as some you might not have heard before.

Non-fiction

Take time to connect with the world as you embark on 40 slow adventures. Each of these journeys are on foot, bike, boat or train, allowing you to take in the history, absorb the landscape and meet extraordinary people along the way. Whether you roam the ‘Rose City’ of Petra, feel the magic of the Great Stones Way or sail back in time on the River Nile, these journeys, illustrated step-by-step through each location and accompanied by texts from bestselling author ‘Godfather of the Slow Movement’ Carl Honore provide young readers with a feast for the senses and food for the soul.

Books of the Year 2023

books of the year 2023We love to hear which books are most popular among our community of primary teachers, TAs, librarians, authors and children’s book lovers.

Our Review Panel searched for the top children’s books published in the last year. We looked for the best classroom read-alouds, the most popular books with children and the best books to support the school curriculum.

Browse the SHORTLISTED books in each category below – perfect for topping up your library with the best new children’s books from the past year!


See your winners!

Members of the BooksForTopics website have voted for their favourites to find the winners of the Books of the Year 2023. Voting is now closed – Click here to see the winning books!

 

 

 

Chapter book

Bear wakes up early from hibernation. If she can’t sleep, then at least she can make a snowman. Rabbit has never made a snowman, but he definitely wants to make one that’s better than Bear’s.

But with an avalanche and a hungry wolf heading his way, Rabbit soon realises that it might be nice to have a friend on his side.

From novelist and playwright Julian Gough, and the winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, Jim Field, this is a tale of friendship, gravity, and just a little bit of poo.

Non-fiction

At home? Wondering what to do? Join thousands of children around the world and #DrawWithRob – staying at home has never been so much fun!
Winner of the Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Awards ‘Book of the Year 2020!’

DRAW WITH ROB is now an incredible activity book for every family to share, so join Rob and learn to draw your favourite characters – from Penguin Blue to a very Hot Dog, and many more!

The bestselling and award-winning author/illustrator Rob Biddulph is the genius behind the phenomenal, viral sensation that is DRAW WITH ROB – bringing joy to families everywhere with his easy to follow instructions and warm-hearted humour. So whether you’re in home education, home-schooling, learning to draw or just having fun, let Rob show you that anyone can learn to #DrawWithRob!

Non-fiction

From castles to animal masks, pirate ships and even dinosaurs! You will be amazed how much you can do with a simple cardboard box.

A DIY projects book for kids that uses recycling as a way to build creativity, imagination and interactive play for kids aged 7-12. It features clear step-by-step instructions and detailed photographic explanations that will inspire imaginative minds.

The sky is the limit with Out of the Box! This book is designed to help kids learn and play. They will learn about the idea of upcycling and reusing materials that otherwise would be thrown away.

This book has 25 brilliant projects for them to choose from. Detailed instructions and photographs along with colourful inspiration sheets will delight and inspire for hours of endless fun. Out of the Box will help kids develop their creativity and imaginations through interactive play and inspire them to find a thousand more projects to build.

Non-fiction

Great explorers have one thing in common – a desire to leap into the unknown, no matter the dangers it presents. This book will take you through Ferdinand Magellan’s first circumnavigation of the world 500 years ago to Barbara Hillary’s treks to the North and South poles while in her seventies, and beyond.

This non-fiction book provides an introduction to history’s most famous trail blazers – people whose courage opened frontiers, turned voids into maps, forged nations, connected cultures, and added to humankind’s knowledge of the world by leaps and bounds. Packed with jaw-dropping fun facts about the world and written so beautifully it will get your heart racing. Explorers is the perfect kid’s book for any young mind with an avid sense of adventure!

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