Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Author & Illustrators

Michael Foreman Books

Grandad’s World

Picturebook

A beautiful, gentle picture book with an environmental theme. This story is about Jack, who heads to the countryside for a summer of den building, making model boats and wildlife watching with his Grandad. The peace is short lived, however, when the pair discover a pile of rubbish dumped near their favourite pond. The pair set about to clean it up, and in turn this soon brings together the wider village too.

This is a touching picture book that beautifully captures the intergenerational bond between grandfather and grandson as well as real-world threats to nature. The book offers a clear encouragement to look after the environment, making it a lovely choice for little ones who like to think about the world around them.

The General

Michael Foreman

Picturebook

There was once a general who wished to be famous and rule all the land…

One day, he fell off his horse and landed on the soft grass. It smelled so sweet that he decided to lay there for a while and enjoy the warm sunshine. He saw squirrels, rabbits and hedgehogs and walked through a field of beautiful flowers. From that day on, he vowed never again to march his armies across the land and to change the world around him into one of peace and beauty, for which he became the most famous general of all.

Stubby: A True Story of Friendship

Michael Foreman

Picturebook

Stubby was a brave soldier, a loyal friend…
and a dog.

From an army training camp to the trenches in France, this is the incredible true story of Sergeant Stubby, the dog who served bravely in the First World War, sniffing out gas attacks, catching spies and winning the hearts of his fellow soldiers.

Toro! Toro!

Michael Foreman & Michael Morpurgo

Chapter book

Best-selling author Michael Morpurgo turns his storytelling skills to the drama and tragedy of the Spanish Civil War, illustrated by Michael Foreman.

TORO,TORO is the story of a young boy growing up in Andalucia, Spain, on a farm rearing bulls for the bull ring. Antonito hand rears a little black calf and they become firm friends, but the boy doesn’t yet understand the fate of the black bulls – the corrida and death. Later, when he learns of the horrors of the bull fight, he frees Paco, the black bull, and rides with him into the hills.There they witness the bombing of their village (it’s the year 1936, and the Spanish Civil War has started) and Antonito cannot go back – his family and the farm are destroyed, and Paco has run off, wild with fright. He decides to stay in the hills, where he meets up with the Resistance fighters. During the War, Antonito hears stories round the campfire of the wonderful black bull, who becomes a symbol of freedom for them all. Could this really be Paco? But no-one has ever seen him. After the war, when Antonito is working as a muleteer in the mountains, he falls asleep and dreams of Paco. In the morning, he wakes to see hoof prints on the ground beside him…

A delightful story, full of nostalgia and drama in the author’s own inimitable style. Illustrated by Michael Foreman.

The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips

Michael Foreman & Michael Morpurgo

Chapter book

A heartwarming tale of courage, set against the backdrop of the Second World War, about a deserted village, a lifelong friendship and one very adventurous cat!

It’s 1943. Lily lives in a seaside village and her life is scarcely touched by the war. Until one day when the villagers are all told to move out of their homes.

Soon, the whole area is out of bounds, as the allied forces prepare to invade France. But Tips, Lily’s cat, has other ideas – and returns to the forbidden area. Lily decides to enter the danger zone to look for Tips herself . . .

Cobweb

Michael Foreman & Michael Morpurgo

Chapter book

Michael Morpurgo does it again with this heartwarming and sometimes teary tale inspired by the extraordinary true story of the French Drummer Boy of Waterloo.

A story of friendship, courage and battles. Cobweb is a puppy in 1815, the story journeys through his life and the adventures it takes him on.

Seasons of Splendour

Madhur Jaffrey & Michael Foreman

Chapter book

India is particularly rich in colourful folkore. These stories, told by parents to their children for many generations, make a rich and dazzling collection of mythological tales drawn from a great heritage of Hindu epics – from the life of the great god Krishna to how the monkey god Hanuman helped defeat the Demon King Ravan and a host of other magical and spectacular creatures. The stories are arranged according to the sequence of the Hindu year and each is prefaced with a short personal anecdote from the author’s childhood. Beautifully illustrated throughout in black line and tone by Michael Foreman.

Poppy Field

Michael Foreman & Michael Morpurgo

Chapter book

Michael Morpurgo and Michael Foreman have teamed up with the Royal British Legion to tell an original story that explains the meaning behind the poppy.

In Flanders’ fields, young Martens knows his family’s story, for it is as precious as the faded poem hanging in their home. From a poor girl comforting a grieving soldier, to an unexpected meeting of strangers, to a father’s tragic death many decades after treaties were signed, war has shaped Martens’s family in profound ways – it is their history as much as any nation’s.

This book also includes a full-colour, illustrated afterword that explains the history that inspired the story.

The Boy Who Would Be King

Michael Foreman & Michael Morpurgo

Non-fiction

A beautifully illustrated full-colour tribute to King Charles III, published to mark his coronation – from the bestselling creators of There Once Is a Queen.

There once was a boy who was going to be king one day . . .

From the Nation’s Favourite Storyteller Sir Michael Morpurgo comes a poetic celebration of our new monarch, King Charles III, beautifully illustrated in watercolour by acclaimed artist Michael Foreman.

There once was a little boy, born a prince. Encouraged by his parents, he grew up with a passion for the countryside, wanting to look after it. Then, as the longest-serving Prince of Wales in British history, he dedicated decades of his life to raising awareness for conservation. Now our king, his devoted work will continue to inspire the protection of our planet for future generations.

This allegorical story tells how – with the help of a tiny acorn – a wise old woman gives a lonely boy, who would be king, the courage and determination to change the world for the better, for everyone. An exquisite companion to There Once Was a Queen, this commemoration of King Charles III’s coronation is a gift book truly to be treasured.

Boy Giant: Son of Gulliver

Michael Foreman & Michael Morpurgo

Chapter book

Award-winning storyteller Sir Michael Morpurgo brings his loyal readership a brand new novel this autumn, brought to life with line illustrations by Michael Foreman.

Boy Giant: Son of Gulliver is a heartwarming refugee story about hope and humanity in times of being without a place to call home. Omar is making the perilous journey across the sea to England after his home in Afghanistan has been devastated by war. After seeing his family torn apart, Omar and his mother walk for miles to reach the coastline in order to board a boat heading to a safer place to find refuge. Not having enough money to pay the fare for two, Mother persuades Omar to take the journey to England alone and wait for her there. Uncle Said owns a cafe on Fore Street, Mevagissey and Omar repeats the address over and over so that he doesn’t forget where to wait.

The sea journey is terrifyingly perilous and before long waves are crashing over the sides and Omar watches the boat fill with water as hope of being reunited with mother begins to fade. A powerful sea storm sees Omar losing consciousness and after a while he awakes on the shores of an island. Taking in the crowd of friendly and curious faces staring at him and hearing a few words that he recognises from his limited English, Omar dares to hope that he has reached England’s shores at last. There’s only one problem; the people here are small enough to fit in his hand and he is a mountainous giant by comparison. Omar soon realises much to his dismay that this is not England but the island of Lilliput, which keen-eyed readers may recognise from the story of Gulliver’s Travels set a few hundred years before. Now, the Lilliputians call Omar a ‘Son of Gulliver’ and welcome him with warmth and kindness. But Omar soon discovers that the island is under threat, and the peace-making legacy of Gulliver from the past needs his help to be restored.

This is a gripping story offering an original twist on a well-loved classic. The story of Gulliver is cleverly leaned upon in both structure and narrative and the revisiting of Lilliput is delightful to those familiar with the details and themes of Gulliver’s Travels. Importantly, it does not matter that the majority of young readers will be unfamiliar with the original, as Morpurgo explains all the necessary background through the story.

With important themes of reconciliation, kindness to strangers and the devastating effects of war, this is a thrilling read that raises questions about whether humanity will ever learn from its past as well as being an imaginatively-rendered encouragement to individuals to seek reconciliation over conflict in everyday situations.