Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Author & Illustrators

Lauren Child Books

I am Wishing Every Minute for Christmas

Picturebook

A completely NEW and original picture book to celebrate 25 years of the iconic Charlie and Lola!

I have this little sister Lola. She is small and very funny.
If Lola even thinks about Christmas she can’t sit still on her chair.
If you BREATHE the word Christmas she hops up and down.
If you say, “Christmas is coming,” she just runs round and round.

Lola is wishing every minute for Christmas, but it is a long way away and too far to wait. Can her brother Charlie think of some clever ways to make the time pass more quickly?

Find out in this hugely relatable and funny story about how to wait for something when you really can’t wait from bestselling and award-winning Lauren Child.

Satisfying, stylish storytelling from a true picture book original
The return of beloved siblings Charlie and Lola, stars of the BAFTA award-winning CBeebies TV series
The perfect book to kickstart your Christmas countdown

Clarice Bean: Smile

Lauren Child

Chapter book

The Clarice Bean books by Charlie and Lola creator Lauren Child are cleverly written, illustrated chapter books. The books are both laugh-out-loud funny and also tinged with mature themes that are suitable for a KS2 audience.

Clarice Bean has a unique voice that readers will find funny and interesting. She is also very ecologically aware, and the sustainability and climate issues are never thrust down your throat, but are just there and explained in the best way. This book covers a child’s perspective on stress, friendship, marriage breakups and old age decline, but the narrator’s warm and sharp observations never make it heavy or a difficult read.

Clarice Bean, narrating the story, is just wonderful. She is so straight-talking and demonstrates how youth see things clearly in a way that adults often do not.

Grey by Laura Dockrill and Lauren Child

Laura Dockrill & Lauren Child

Picturebook

An iconic picture book collaboration about feelings and acceptance from two of the most beloved voices in children’s literature.

Beautifully crafted compositions together with simple die-cut design, reveal the story of a child who feels as though all their colours have disappeared. Despite the joyful orange balloon, the huge yellow sun and the bright green trees, the child still feels grey. That is until a reassuring hand reaches out and shares words of kindness. Soon the child begins to see the warmth of colour again, and understands that their colours will always be there and that they will always be loved, whether they feel grey or sunshine yellow. Laura and Lauren have created a beautiful book full of empathy and understanding that will provide comfort and hope to readers of all ages.

The Little Match Girl Strikes Back

Emma Carroll & Lauren Child

Chapter book

The Little Match Girl Strikes Back reimagines the traditional ‘Little Match Girl’ story and sheds light on the rich-poor divide in Victorian London.

The story is written in the first person with Bridie talking to the reader about her experiences selling matches on the street to support her ill mother. Bridie understands that there is massive inequality in her home city and can see how the rich people around her are made richer by exploiting their poorer neighbours. Author Emma Carroll conveys this in a way that is accessible for younger readers to understand and engage with.

The story is filled with stark black, white and red illustrations which are unmistakably Lauren Child but are far from the light-hearted images we associate with the artist. The book would be a perfect class novel to support ‘Victorians’ topics and would be suitable for KS2 upwards.

Clarice Bean: Utterly Me

Lauren Child

Chapter book

A new 20th anniversary edition of the utterly classic Clarice Bean, Utterly Me, the very first novel by bestselling Children’s Laureate, Lauren Child.

Clarice Bean loves reading the adventures of Ruby Redfort, ace girl detective and secret undercover agent. Ruby is always going on exciting missions, but the most Clarice gets to do is go to the local shop on her own . . .

But when Clarice and her best friend, Betty Moody, decide to do their school project on the Ruby Redfort books, they suddenly start finding mysteries everywhere. Like why are all the coats on the wrong hooks at school? Where has Granddad disappeared to? And just what is going on in the garden shed?

Pippi Longstocking Goes Aboard

Astrid Lindgren & Lauren Child

Chapter book

This flagship gift edition illustrated by Lauren Child is a glorious celebratory tribute to the strongest girl in the world in her 75th anniversary year. Pippi Longstocking lives in Villa Villekulla with a horse, a monkey, and a big suitcase full of gold coins. Pippi and her friends Tommy and Annika have the best time together-going to the fair, buying ALL the sweets in the sweet shop, and getting shipwrecked for the weekend. But the fun might stop all too soon if Pippi agrees to go back to sea with her father.

Mary Poppins: Illustrated Gift Edition

Lauren Child & P. L. Travers

Chapter book

An exquisite flagship gift edition of an iconic classic, illustrated by the former Waterstones Children’s Laureate, Lauren Child.

When Mary Poppins arrives at their house on a gust of the East Wind and slides up the bannister, Jane and Michael Banks’s lives are turned magically upside down.

Who better to reimagine this endearing children’s classic than today’s most instantly recognisable and best-loved artist-illustrator? Lauren Child brings the magic of Mary Poppins into the hearts and imagination of readers and fans new and old.

First published in 1934, Mary Poppins has been delighting readers ever since, both in books and on film. This stunning deluxe edition is published ahead of the release of the hotly anticipated Disney film Mary Poppins Returns.

Pippi Longstocking

Astrid Lindgren & Lauren Child

Chapter book

This classic children’s book introduces the iconic character of Pippi, a delightfully unconventional nine-year-old living independently at Villa Villekula with her monkey and horse. Her bright pigtails, stripy socks and incredible strength make her truly unique.

This edition contains stunning collage illustrations by Lauren Child (best known for the Charlie and Lola books), which perfectly capture Pippi’s happy-go-lucky spirit and bring fresh energy to this timeless tale.

Pippi’s boundless fun and fierce independence continue to entertain at storytime, making this an essential, whimsical read.

Charlie and Lola

Lauren Child

Picturebook

All of the books in this series are packed with humour and charm, not least ‘I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato!’ It’s authentic and relatable to children and adults alike, capturing the frustration, challenges and heart of young children. The care, attention and patience that Charlie has for his younger sister, who is being picky about her food, is a relationship all siblings can aspire to. If you’re lucky, Charlie and Lola might rub off a little on your young readers. The story may even persuade them to try ‘moon squirters!’

I Am Too Absolutely Small For School

Lauren Child

Picturebook

Lola thinks that she is too small for school. Besides, she already knows her numbers to ten – which is all she needs – and she doesn’t need to learn to read words because she has plenty of books in her head. With a little help from big brother Charlie and invisible friend Soren Lorensen, Lola finds that her first day is not quite as scary as she had imagined.

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