Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Author & Illustrators

Angela Brooksbank Books

A beautiful first L book of words perfect for pre-schoolers learning their ABC, reading aloud at storytime and for gifting to new babies or parents.

A whole family set off to sell their luscious lemons at the market in Lagos. They leave before dawn with lamps in hand and loads on heads. They have quite an adventure ahead of them … over logs, on a leaky lorry, through lightning, past lions and leopards until eventually reaching Lagos. The city is bustling and loud – there are lots of legs to get lost between! – but they can finally sell their luscious lemons. Children will love sounding out the words in this playful, adventurous and vibrantly illustrated story set in West Africa.

This classic story for toddlers and very young children is absolutely pitch perfect for EYFS classrooms.

Mama is focused on shopping for rice, oil, chilli peppers and flip flops. Meanwhile, her curious Baby, strapped to her back, is busy entertaining the stallholders and making his own collection of tasty treats. The story subtly introduces simple subtraction as Baby nibbles his way through bananas, oranges, sweetcorn and coconut. Early readers and listeners can busy themselves counting up and taking away one each time he charms a new stallholder.

Threading everything together is a beautifully told narrative. Rhythmic and repetitive sentences and carefully judged word choices (Baby ‘grins’ and ‘beams’ as well as laughs and claps) encourage joining in and would adapt well to role play and writing.

Meanwhile, Angela Brookbank’s colourful and vibrant illustrations add yet another dimension, capturing the cheerful buzz of a bustling West African market, the warmth of a loving mother and the mischief of a lively baby.It’s lovely to be able to recommend a story that develops language and numeracy and all the while is great fun to share. Don’t pass this one up!

A bedtime lullaby for the special baby in your life.

Baby, sleepy baby, I’ll sing down the stars
Till they dance right into your room.

A beautiful and lyrical book that celebrates the warmth and tenderness of wrapping baby in night-time’s embrace. Based on a Nigerian lullaby sung to Atinuke by her father, this story delights in the magical moments shared with a whole family and their baby at bedtime.

Lami loves chickens. She’s the best chicken catcher in the village. She’s fast, she’s brave and she always catches that chicken. Until the day she chases one up the baobab tree, slips … and falls. How can she catch chickens with a sore ankle? Could there be another way to catch that chicken? Told with great humour by Nigerian storyteller, Atinuke, this story of the headstrong, impetuous Lami will strike a chord with all children. The gentle message – to use quick thinking not just quick running – gives an incredibly satisfying ending, while Angela Brooksbank’s beautiful artwork captures the energy and the beauty of the West African setting perfectly.

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