Autism Awareness
Autism Awareness Booklist Browse our booklist of recommended children’s books that foster awareness and understanding of autism. Our selection of books offers a range of perspectives on neurodiversity, exploring different experiences of autism including personal accounts and experiences of supporting family and friends. Books and stories can play an important role in raising awareness and […]
King’s Coronation
Best Children’s Books about the King’s Coronation Coronation Day is coming! Get ready for the first coronation in over 70 years with this list of the best children’s books about King Charles III. From runaway crowns to visits from old favourites like Winnie-the-Pooh, there’s something in this collection for everyone. So hang out your bunting […]
New Beginnings
Best Children’s Books about New Beginnings Whether it’s books to begin a new year, stories that explore fresh starts or tales of resolutions and new challenges, we’ve put together a list of picturebooks about new beginnings and starting afresh. These books could be used in school assemblies, at home or as classroom stories.
Summer Reads 2022
Looking for some good children’s books to get stuck into during the summer holidays? We’ve put together a list of some of our favourite new children’s books out this summer, listed by age group. Our summer selection includes stories of adventurous getaways, creatures of the deep, treasure quests, seashore escapades and plenty of exploration of […]
Books About Books
Emma Perry shares her top five books about… books! It should come as no huge surprise that I adore books about books. I’m a little bit obsessed with them… the ones that do it right. I don’t like to be bonked over the head with the message about how AMAZING books are, but I do […]
Books about Words
Words, words, words! Language has a power like no other, and many budding linguists begin to develop a fascination during childhood with words and their origins. Author Patrick Skipworth picks 5 fantastic non-fiction titles for children sure to kickstart a broader interest in languages, just like our own.
Books About Dads
Five Books That Celebrate Dads! With Father’s Day just around the corner, BooksForTopics founder Alison has picked out five favourite children’s books all about fabulous fathers.
Books About Pancakes
Five Flippin’ Great Books about Pancakes! Mix a pancake, stir a pancake, pop it in the pan; fry the pancake, toss the pancake, catch it if you can! With Pancake Day just around the corner, BooksForTopics founder Alison has picked out five great children’s books all about pancakes!
Books About Easter
Best Easter Books for Children Our Easter booklist features books that celebrate the traditional Easter Story as well as stories about springtime, new life, Easter bunnies and chocolate egg hunts. Enjoy our egg-cellent selection of the best children’s books for Easter time, featuring cracking stories to be given as Easter gifts or to snuggle down with after […]
Football
Children’s Books About Football Football books are hugely popular with young readers from the earliest years all through primary school. From soccer superstars to famous fouls, there’s no end of football facts and figures to absorb in our collection of non-fiction and fiction books about the beautiful game. We’ve put together a list of the best […]
Books About Art
Natascha Biebow, author of The Crayon Man: The True Story Of The Invention Of Crayola Crayons, has picked her top five recommended children’s books about the love of art. Natascha Biebow’s favourite crayon colour is periwinkle blue because it makes her heart sing. She loves to draw and make stuff, just like the inventor of […]
Olympics & Paralympics
Booklist: Olympic and Paralympic Games Now’s the time to inspire young readers with books all about the Olympic and Paralympic Games! From pentathlons and Paralympians to javelins and judo, there are plenty of facts and figures to be inspired by in our medal-worthy selection of top children’s books about the Olympic games…
Whole School Picturebooks
Five Picturebooks Suitable for the Whole School With whole-school assemblies and book days to organise, lots of you have been asking us for suggestions of single books that can be used across the whole primary school age range. BooksForTopics founder Alison Leach gives us five recommendations for books that make great whole-school projects.
Dyslexic Readers
Booklist: Dyslexia Friendly Books On this booklist, we feature a selection of recommended books that have been specially designed for dyslexic readers by the experts at Barrington Stoke. All of the books on this list have a dyslexia-friendly layout, typeface and paperstock, so that even more readers can enjoy them. Scroll down to find the […]
Top-Notch Non-Fiction
Best Non-Fiction Books for Children It’s time to celebrate all things factual with our selection of recommended children’s non-fiction books for readers that have a passion for information and knowledge. We’ve picked out non-fiction books filled with interesting facts and strong visual elements to keep young readers engaged, informed and entertained. We’ve put together a list of […]
Primary Poetry
Primary Poetry Booklist On this booklist, we have picked a selection of poetry suitable for primary school classrooms. Scroll down to find the best children’s poetry collections recommended for EYFS, KS1 and KS2.
Inspirational Real Life Stories
Zoë Armstrong, author of Find the Spy, has selected five books featuring inspirational real life stories. Zoë says, “I have a huge soft spot for picture books that explore the lives of real people – especially those that inspire us or teach us something new. I’ve always been curious about other human beings – I think […]
British Values
British Values Booklist Since November 2014, the DfE and Ofsted are asking schools to demonstrate that they are promoting British Values, specifically the values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. We recommend some key books for your classrooms that help to […]
Books About Kindness
Simon James Green, author or Fabulous Frankie, has picked out five favourite books for children all about being kind. Simon told us, “In my new picture book, Fabulous Frankie, a rather ostentatious flamingo learns it isn’t the glitz and glamour that makes him fabulous, it’s being kind. In a world that can often feel like kindness […]
Books About Germs, Handwashing & Viruses
Five Books That Explain Germs, Hand Washing & Viruses Topics of germs and the importance of hand washing are not always easy for children to understand. BooksForTopics founder Alison Leach has picked out five books that help to address these concepts with children.
Back to School Picturebooks
As children return to the classroom in September, books about mental health, class transitions and coping with change are more important than ever. We’ve handpicked a list of picture book recommendations to share with children returning to school – grouped into themes of community, resilience, rules, being yourself, starting a new class, feelings, friendship etc….
Class Transitions
Class Transitions Booklist Moving up a class can be a big deal for many children and transition days are a wonderful opportunity for teachers to break the ice and get to know a new class. With transition day just around the corner, we’ve handpicked a list of picture book recommendations to share with children to […]
Bereavement & Loss
Bereavement & Loss Booklist This list includes children’s books that explore the topic of bereavement, with the emphasis on stories that support children and families to talk and think about the loss of a loved one. Books can help children to empathise with others, explore big emotions and gently open conversations about difficult experiences including […]
Books About Friendship
To celebrate the launch of her pre-school book series Mini Monster, author Caryl Hart has picked out five recommended books about friendship.
Developing Empathy
Read for Empathy Booklist “Science shows that empathy is learnable and that reading is an important empathy-building tool. This collection will help parents and educators to surround children with empathy experiences, inspiring them to understand others better, and tackle societal problems like racism.” EmpathyLab Founder Miranda McKearney OBE. The aim of the Read for Empathy […]
Cultural Diversity
Cultural Diversity Booklist On this booklist we have picked some of the best books for primary schools to help promote cultural diversity. Books can act as both windows through which to see the world and mirrors for readers to see themselves reflected in the pages. The books on this list are selected to help children […]
Growth Mindset
Growth Mindset Booklist The term ‘growth mindset’ has seen a recent trend in education, but the principles behind it are ones that many parents and teachers have tried to cultivate in children for years. Teaching children to embrace new challenges, learn positively from mistakes, persevere with difficult tasks and develop resilience in learning are all […]
Anti-Bullying Books
Anti-Bullying Booklist On this booklist we have picked a selection of recommended books for primary schools to explore the topic of bullying, including picturebooks, longer texts and non-fiction. Our list of best children’s books about bullying can be used for Anti-Bullying week or for PSHE work all year round. Many thanks to primary school librarian Kate […]
Emotional Literacy & ELSA
Emotional Literacy Support Booklist From mental health first aid to specialist work with Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSA) there’s no doubt that stories can be a key tool in helping children to develop emotional literacy. Chosen especially for their value in dealing with mental health issues, feelings and emotions, the books on this list can […]
Queen Elizabeth II Topic
Queen Elizabeth II Topic Booklist Queen Elizabeth II was the longest-reigning monarch in British history and we were saddened to hear of her passing after 70 years of service as Queen. From coronations and corgis to jewels and jubilees, we’ve put together a list of the best children’s books to help to learn more about […]
Internet Safety
We’ve picked out five recommended children’s books for exploring the concept of e-safety with primary school pupils.
Celebrating Science
Celebrating Science Booklist We’ve put together a list of our top recommended children’s books that celebrate science! We have hand-picked the best children’s science books that examine key concepts from biology, chemistry and physics – as well as stories that explore scientific thinking and shine a spotlight on famous (and not-so-famous) scientists.
Plastic Pollution Topic
Plastic Pollution Topic Booklist Is plastic fantastic or the cause of something drastic? Children are used to seeing plastic all around, but what happens when our planet becomes so full of plastic that it causes problems to the environment? Our hand-picked list of recommended children’s books about plastic pollution can help to explore the topic […]
Environmental Sustainability
Best children’s books about the environment Caring for our planet and protecting the environment are important topics for today’s children to explore. In the face of difficult news about climate change, plastic pollution and deforestation, books about the environment can be a great tool for empowering children to understand their choices and to find hope […]
Frozen Worlds Topic
The Best Children’s Books About Frozen Worlds Brrr! Our recommended children’s books feature stories that will whisk you away to icy landscapes and frozen worlds. Look out for exciting polar expeditions, adventures of ice queens and curious penguins… If you are looking for stories set in polar regions, we’ve found the best children’s books for this […]
United Kingdom Topic
United Kingdom Topic Booklist England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland too…these are the UK countries! Take a trip around the United Kingdom, from forests and highlands to rivers and cities. Whether you’re looking for famous landmarks, capital cities, regional specialities or UK maps, we’ve got the topic covered with our list of the best children’s […]
Africa Topic
Africa Topic Booklist Africa is a large and diverse continent with over a billion people including thousands of different cultural groups and indigenous languages. From stretches of desert and mighty mountains to impressive waterfalls and wonderful wildlife, the geography of Africa offers much to explore, as does the history of its people from ancient times […]
Black History, Black Lives & Anti-Racism
Black History and Black Lives Booklist We’ve put together a list of the best children’s books that celebrate black lives and that explore black history both in the UK and around the globe. We’ve also included some key titles that support conversations about systematic racism in a child-friendly way. These books can be used for […]
Black British History
In this booklist, we look at a selection of children’s books to use in the classroom for teaching elements of Black History that are unique to the UK. With Black History Month gaining increasing interest each year, we often receive an influx of requests for books that celebrate Black lives and that explore Black history […]
Moon Landings
Blast off with some brilliant books about the Apollo 11 Moon Landing! Review Panel member and librarian Carol Carter takes a look at some astro-themed children’s books to explore the topic.
Mental Health
Mental Health Booklist Browse our booklist of recommended children’s books that open up conversations about mental health in age-appropriate ways. We asked our community of primary teachers, TAs, children’s authors, librarians and book lovers to nominate the best books about mental health for children. This is what they told us…
