Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Author & Illustrators

DK Books

Look I’m a Maths Wizard

Non-fiction

A great introduction to learning maths, this book teaches children the magic of numbers through play. Inside they’ll deal with number bugs, creating a hungry adding robot, learning about subtraction by playing skittles, crafting 3D shape aliens, and even making a repeating pattern fruit wand.

Covering a comprehensive range of maths topics, from counting and numbers, to shape and size, and measurements and time, this is the perfect first maths book for children. Every fun project features a mixture of bright photography and charming illustrations that support the easy-to-follow activity instructions. These creative hands-on activities support Early Years and Key Stage One maths curriculums taught in schools.

Look I’m A Maths Wizard allows little readers to do what they do best – imagine, create, learn, problem-solve, and play their way to maths magic!

Around the World in 80 Ways

DK & Katy Halford

Non-fiction, Picturebook

A fascinating and engaging picture book exploring 80 exciting ways to travel, both past and present – from the obvious, to the crazy!
Travel around the world by yacht, tram, train, unicycle, jetpack, camel… any way you can imagine, in this non-fiction children’s book.
Every mode of transport is part of a charming scene. See how astronauts travel around space, watch surfers ride the waves at the beach, and race to an emergency with the firefighters. Illustrator Katy Halford’s beautiful drawings brings the scenes to life and fun complementary facts will prompt discussion and laughter between readers. How would you choose to travel? Donkey, pedalo, moon buggy? From the small to the big, the familiar to obscure, take your pick from the amazing 80 shown in DK’s Around the Way in 80 Ways!

My Encyclopedia of Very Important Animals

Non-fiction

We highly recommend DK’s ‘My Very Important Encyclopedia’ series, which also features volumes on dinosaurs, oceans and sport. It is not easy to find comprehensive non-fiction books that are suitable for the younger age range, but the spacious pages, simplified text and high ratio of images (both photographs and illustrations) make this is a brilliant choice for Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 children.

Each page in this animal book features a different animal, giving information in simple language with bright colours, speech bubbles and text boxes to break up the information into bite-sized chunks. It feels like a real encyclopedia, but is perfectly pitched for the youngest readers without having any overwhelming chunks of text or overly complicated diagrams.

This absolutely super young non-fiction series will become a go-to for animal-loving children who are curious to learn more.

My Encyclopedia of Very Important Dinosaurs

Non-fiction

We highly recommend DK’s ‘My Very Important Encyclopedia’ series, which also features volumes on animals, oceans and sport. It is not easy to find comprehensive non-fiction books that are suitable for the younger age range, but the spacious pages, simplified text and high ratio of images (both photographs and illustrations) make this a brilliant choice for Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 children.

Each page features a different dinosaur or dino-themed word or topic (like fossils or carnivores) and there is a handy pronunciation guide to less well-known words or dinosaur names. It feels like a real encyclopedia but is perfectly pitched for the youngest readers without having any overwhelming chunks of text or overly complicated diagrams.

This absolutely super young non-fiction book will become a go-to for dinosaur-loving children who are curious to learn more.

Sports Heroes

DK & Lucy Semple

Non-fiction

How do little kids become sporting superstars? Find out in this inspiring board book for little ones.

Everyone, from Usain Bolt to Simone Biles, was once a small child learning about the world. Read how a diverse array of sporty kids found what they loved to do, worked hard, and followed their passions all the way into adulthood.

With adorable illustrations of top sports stars as typical young kids, then as superstar adults, sporting greats will seem like friends to your little one, and kids will see that sporting greatness is achievable.

Meet Lionel Messi when he was a small child learning to play football, Usain Bolt before he became a super sprinter, Ellie Simmonds as she developed a love of water, and figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu when he joined his sister on the ice and became a figure skater.

Let your child turn the pages and see that, like their heroes, the experiences and passions they have now can lead to incredible achievements.

First Facts: Seasons

Non-fiction

A simple information text bursting with clear photographs and fun facts about seasonal change. The information is presented in a simple, attractive and accessible way, making it a great choice for Early Years classrooms.

The DNA Book

Non-fiction

This book introduces children ages 7-9 to the amazing science of DNA, genetics, and what makes you you.

It’s inside every living plant and animal, from the tiniest seed to the person standing next to you, but how much do you know about DNA? This book gives children an in-depth look at DNA and its role in all living things–from why we have different-colored eyes to why we age. Discover what DNA is, what it does, and how it shapes our lives, including inheritance and why we look like our parents; forensic science and how DNA evidence helps catch criminals; and genetic engineering and if we could bring dinosaurs back to life. With fun illustrated DNA characters, clear diagrams, and astonishing photographs, children will love learning about themselves and this all-important molecule.

The DNA Book is packed with colorful illustrations and mind-boggling facts, perfect for curious young minds. It’s a great addition to any STEAM library and decodes how DNA underpins life on Earth.

Scientists

Non-fiction

The biggest scientific breakthroughs in history have something in common: super smart people who kept looking for the answers to some of the world’s most interesting questions! The pages of this science book are filled with the stories of famous scientists such as physicists Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Stephen Hawking, biologist Marie Curie, palaeontologist Mary Anning and lesser-known trailblazers such as Chika Kuroda, who became Japan’s first female Bachelor of Science.

Filled with great detail and following a storytelling format, this is a thrilling book that will capture the imagination of young children and encourage them to explore the world of science. Beautiful descriptions of the scientists’ lives are brought to life through stunning watercolour illustrations and fantastic photography highlights the detail of their discoveries.

The Science of Goo

Non-fiction

Get to grips with the glorious world of goop and gunk, from pus, snot, and mucus to mud, snail slime, and sticky plants, in this compendium of gunk.

If you’ve ever wondered how much snot you make, or how spider silk is made, this is the book for you. Full of strange but true science, The Science of Goo! explores all manner of gunge, sludge, ooze, and goo!

Awesome CGI illustrations and stunning photography will show goo in all its glory, while fun trivia and scientific explanations will make you an expert in all things sludgy. For example, did you know that sea cucumbers can vomit their sticky insides when threatened, yet still survive?

The Science of Goo! is here to give you a new appreciation of the weird and wonderful world of gooey matter, in all its many kinds and wherever it shows up.

A Street Through Time

DK & Steve Noon

Non-fiction

This wow-factor history book takes the reader on a 12,000-year journey to find out the story of a single UK street, showing the street during a different historical period on each page.

Many young readers love any non-fiction books that explore or peek behind closed doors. A Street Through Time does this in the best possible way and over thousands of years. You can see what people’s kitchens and bedrooms (and loos!) looked like from the Romans to the Victorians (Roman toilets I’d avoid….!).

We also love how busy this book is, so many brilliant details to explore again and again and how it shows the change in a single place over a long period. A classic among children’s non-fiction – and for good reason.

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