Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Author & Illustrators

Karen George Books

‘Mama Car’ is a beautifully illustrated and wonderfully written story. This story is perfect for children of all ages and helps represent families with members with disabilities. The story follows the Mama Car, detailing the fun had around the house and the park. This book would be perfect to read in KS1 or KS2 to help children see wheelchair users positively represented in a story. It was great to see a ‘Dear Adults,’ message at the back and get to hear from Lucy, the author, who puts it brilliantly about how wheelchairs can provoke strong feelings, not all of them positive and how important it is for children to see how the child in the story plays with the wheelchair, is comforted and is so used to being around it they call it Mama Car.

My friend Mr Mornington has always lived next door to us.

His favourite things are gardening and eating cherry cake and playing his saxophone.

He’s not the best rememberer, though.

A little girl lives next door to Mr Mornington, who has played saxophone all over the world. These days, he’s a bit tired of all that travelling, so now he plays it just for her. Together, they have a favourite song: one that conjures up memories of all their favourite things. But when Mr Mornington moves into a care home, his young friend wonders if he’ll be able to remember her – or any of his favourite things at all… perhaps there’s something she can do to help?

This heartfelt and gently humorous picture book explores the subject of dementia in an original way. Drawing on themes of music therapy and the value of community and intergenerational friendship, it has a warm yet realistic ending that will help readers to process their own feelings of loss.

Includes Mr Mornington’s famous cherry cake recipe at the back of the book, so you can try one of his favourite things.

Joe is widely admired for his presence, whether he’s playing on the playground or enjoying a treat – after all, he’s SO AMAZING! Despite his admiration for his athletic friend Simone, Joe constantly receives compliments from onlookers. Wanting to shift the focus to Simone, Joe attempts to blend into the background, only to be mistaken for feeling sorry for himself.

Reluctantly, Joe participates in activities, feeling the pressure to maintain his “Amazing Joe” persona, a struggle that resonates with disabled individuals. As playground visitors gawk and point at his physical disability, Joe becomes exhausted with the attention. Seeking solace, he engages in soccer with a friend and discovers the joy of accomplishment through perseverance.

In this picturebook, the authors skilfully portray strangers’ well-intentioned yet patronizing behaviour through vivid illustrations. The narrative paints a picture of the importance of supportive friendships rather than offering direct strategies for handling uncomfortable interactions. Illustrated with diversity in the character portrayal, the story offers a glimpse into the disability experience.

Written by Julia Donaldson, the author of The Gruffalo , and illustrated by Karen George, Freddie and the Fairy is a delightfully witty, rhyming tale.

Freddie wants nothing more than a pet, so when the fairy Bessie-Belle offers to grant his wishes, he knows just what to ask for. But Bessie-Belle can’t hear very well and Freddie tends to mumble, which means the wishes aren’t turning out as planned! Whatever can they do? Luckily the Fairy Queen is on hand to help.

What Happened to You? is a pioneering picturebook addressing how a child might want to be spoken to about a visable disability. The author, James Catchpole, like the main character Joe, has one leg, and uses the story to help readers to understand what it might feel like to be seen as different. The spotlight is given to the main character Joe, who gently explains his viewpoint about always being asked to answer questions about his disability when he encounters other children, when what he really wants to do is just join in and play without interrogation. The story tackles a difficult topic in a manner that is both funny and moving, and this is wonderfully supported by the illustrations by Karen George.
The story is steeped in realism about how children can potentially react to disabilities. What is clever about the story is how the same scene is viewed in two different ways and how this makes Joe feel. Humour is used to balance the story well, and helps children not to feel accused or guilty if their natural inclinations towards curiosity may lead them to ask the same questions as Joe’s playmates, but rather to develop empathy and warmly understand another’s experience…

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