Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Author & Illustrators

Sarah Warburton Books

The beloved childhood classic by J.M. Barrie is retold in rhyme in a sumptuous new gift book edition with beautiful new art.

A beautiful picture book retelling for young children in rollicking rhyme by award-winning author, Caryl Hart. With beautiful illustrations by Sarah Warburton this timeless keepsake gift book is a one to treasure and share. With sumptuous details including cloth binding, foil cover, full colour illustrations throughout, textured paper jacket, ribbon marker and head and tail bands.

When Peter Pan flies into the Darlings’ room one dusky evening, he convinces Wendy and her brothers to come with him to the magical world of Neverland, where children never grow old. It’s the beginning of an amazing adventure featuring a cast of classic characters, from the mischievous Lost Boys and jealous fairy Tinker Bell, to the villainous Captain Hook and his pirate band. But will the Darlings choose to stay in Neverland or return to London to grow up like normal children?

Full of magical adventure, this favourite classic is the ultimate bedtime picture book.

If you have read ‘The Boy Who Grew Dragons’ or any of the books in the series, you will love this Christmas adventure with favourite characters from Andy Shepherd’s series and, obviously, lots of dragons. If the series is new to you or your class, then this book would be a good ‘taster’ and introduction to the charming and popular series.

Tomas’ problem-solving has to take centre stage when the car and then the wheelbarrow become snowbound, threatening the delivery of presents. The team of Tomas, Lolli, Grandad and the dragons have to work together as well as use a good a handful of dragon magic!

The illustrations by Sarah Warburton provide a real Christmas feast to explore – each page is crammed with detail from the different dragons to the snow scenes and the inside of Grandad’s shed. If you are reading this book aloud (and this book cries out to be read aloud), you’ll find that the book captures the festive spirit of giving alongside a good dose of dragon mischief and charm.

This offers lots of opportunity for a class to discuss the nature of cooperation, the need to overcome problems and a chance to talk about children’s own experiences of this time of year.

From the highly acclaimed creators of Ten Delicious Teachers and Penguin Huddle comes a vibrant comedy of friendship, bravery and BIG surprises.

Written by the award-winning author of the Waterstones Children’s Book of the Year 2024.

It’s another busy day at the ant hill. The farmer ants are collecting food, the worker ants are building tunnels and the soldier ants are guarding the queen. But for Andy, it’s a very special day: it’s his birthday! Word spreads for his “small gathering” and, in no time at all, thousands of ants arrive to bust their best moves and tuck into dips. But as the party gets into full swing an unwanted guest arrives… The ants must work together to save the day (and the dips!) in this charming, original comedy picture book that will empower even the shyest of us all to shine and make a difference.

‘Ten Delicious Teachers’ is one of those books that instantly feels like a classic. With its terrific pictures and perfectly composed rhymes, ‘Ten Delicious Teachers’ is such a superb read that can be enjoyed time and time again.

The premise of the book is simple, yet expertly delivered. Ten school teachers leave school after a long day of teaching, only to discover that the last bus home has just left without them. The teachers then decide to take the path through the dark woods, much to the excitement of a band of monsters who start picking each of them off one by one.

This is an all-join-in book to be read aloud for classroom giggles and bonding – with plenty of visual humour and in-jokes for teachers too!  In ‘Ten Delicious Teachers’, I enjoyed how all ten monsters have their quirks and characteristics just as the teachers do. Definitely one to be shared!

With the tagline “There’s a bright spark of braveness inside us all!”, who could fail to be won over by this book?

Told in rhyme, this is an utterly delightful story. The quality of the rhyme is just wonderful; when rhyme works like this, nothing forced, just clever use of language, you can tell this is a book that is destined to be a classic.

The story is about finding courage, told through hilarious farmyard escapades with a fun cast of characters. The chicken who knits (her friend Marge wears a fantastic jumper!) is scared of everything. She is such a wonderful character, the reader can’t help but fall for her. The chicken with the tractor ranks as my favourite; no-one would mess with her. It brings to mind the Aardman films with Shaun the Sheep and the Chicken Run, mainly because of the force of personality that shines out from the illustrations.

There is something to enjoy in this book for all ages and I am very much hoping we will see more of Mavis in the future.

There’s something about penguin-themed stories that always seems to charm both children and adults. This Antarctic story is a delightful and amusing tale about penguins that get stuck in their huddle due to a strong wind and then embark on a journey to find help in separating themselves.

Children will love the funny humour of the penguins’ situation (how much fun would it be to be stuck in a hug?). Along the way, the penguins meet a variety of animals and encounter a number of obstacles and giggle-worthy situations. Only an idea from the very smallest penguin of all seems to work in the end. This entertaining storytime hit with a heartwarming ending is sure to be enjoyed by children and adults alike.

This sporty re-imagining of Cinderella is the perfect picture book for any princess (or prince) who prefers muddy trainers to glass slippers.

Princess Jasmine is not like her stepsisters. She hates long dresses and sitting still and would much rather take part in the big cross-country race. So, when a fairy godmother appears with a new pair of speedy magic trainers, well, it looks like her dream has come true! That is, until she loses one of her trainers . . . how will she even finish the race? But when she goes on to WIN, was it the magic trainers or was it Jasmine’s determination and belief in herself?

This feminist rhyming story by award-winning author Caryl Hart is perfect for princesses and princes who don’t need rescuing.

And there’s more! If you like Caryl Hart’s and Sarah Warburton’s witty and warm stories, there’s a whole series of books to discover about princesses who are definitely NOT princessy. Try The Princess and the Christmas Rescue, The Princess and the Giant, The Princess and the Presents and The Princess and the Pea.

Every Nosy Crow paperback picture book comes with a free ‘Stories Aloud’ audio recording – just scan the QR code and listen along!

The first book in a spellbinding children’s fantasy series, with beautiful black-and-white inside illustrations by Sarah Warburton.

Willow Moss, the youngest and least powerful sister in a family of witches, has a magical ability for finding lost things – like keys, or socks, or spectacles. Useful, but not exactly exciting …

Then the most powerful witch in the world of Starfell turns up at Willow’s door and asks for her help. A whole day – last Tuesday to be precise – has gone missing. Completely. And without it the whole universe could unravel.

Now Willow holds the fate of Starfell in her rather unremarkable hands… Can she save the day – by finding the lost one?

Step into Starfell, a world crackling with warmth, wit and magic, perfect for readers aged 8-12.

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