Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Author & Illustrators

Jane Ray Books

This is a unique picturebook by celebrated poet Carol Ann Duffy and illustrated by Jane Ray.

A witch steals a girl’s sack of happy endings, which she has collected to carry through the forest before bedtime. Now, without the happy endings, children all around are sad and distressed because their bedtime stories are ending unhappily. Resourceful Jub finds a golden pen and creates her own happy endings instead.

With fairy tale motifs and an original concept, this fascinating picturebook is well suited for KS2.

Daniela the glassmaker’s daughter is grumpy and never smiles. Her father promises a beautiful glass palace to anyone who can make her laugh. People come from far and wide to try their luck in amusing Daniela. But mask makers, lion tamers and magicians cannot raise a smile from the princess. It is only when a young apprentice makes the first looking glass that Daniela learns to smile – at her own grumpy reflection! This beautiful fable set in sixteenth-century Venice features stunning illustrations from award-winning artist Jane Ray alongside a poetic text.

A captivating picture book retelling by Shakespeare’s Globe for very young readers.

William Shakespeare’s comedy about four lovers’ mishaps in an enchanted forest is unforgettably re-imagined by Shakespeare’s Globe as a picture book for very young readers. With exquisite and detailed illustrations from the acclaimed artist Jane Ray, who has been shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal, this captivating retelling is a magical way to introduce children to one of the best-loved works of the world’s greatest playwright.

Swallow’s Kiss is a story about the power of community, friendship and the curiosity of children to learn and inspire each other. There are a lot of beautiful birds in the story and I think each wing carries a message of kindness and empathy. These emotions and values fly through the pages of this story set in an unnamed city. It focuses on seven year old Blessing and her family as she discovers a bag of lost paper birds with wishes written in different languages on their wings. Blessing’s mother arrived in the city as a refugee from the Congo and every night she sings her daughter a beautiful Lingala lullaby but the paper birds bring songs and wishes in many languages. Blessing embarks on a quest to discover what is written on the wings of these paper birds and the refugee people who made them.

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Stone Girl Bone Girl

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