Horrid Henry is determined to win the class football match and defeat Moody Margaret, by whatever means necessary…
Author & Illustrators
Horrid Henry is determined to win the class football match and defeat Moody Margaret, by whatever means necessary…
If you have children in your class who enjoy football and the ins and outs of football teams then this will be a book they enjoy without even knowing that it is a retelling of the classic play. As a teacher, you may decide to use this as a gateway text to the Shakespeare play or just to discuss and reflect on the themes of ambition, loyalty and guilt. Rosen’s engaging and easy style alongside Tony Ross’s illustrations make it an enjoyable read.
The story of Romeo and Juliet has been retold in narrative form, using simple language to make it accessible for children. This series, which includes other Shakespeare titles, provides an excellent way to introduce the plot and characters from each play in a way that young children can follow.
This gorgeous book is an absolute favourite of mine. When a young puppy needs reassurance, a wise dog is there to offer canine tips for living life to the fullest. A lovely rhyming tale, it’s full of joy, but it’s also incredibly moving, dealing with some of life’s biggest moments with a beautifully light touch. With themes of friendship, community and family, this exquisite book reminds me that Rosen and Ross are two of the absolute greats of children’s literature for a very good reason.
The Little Princess doesn’t want to wash her hands – not after playing outside, not after using her potty and not after sneezing! But when she hears about ‘germs and nasties’ from the family maid, the Little Princess begins to think that there might be something even worse waiting for her if she doesn’t head towards soap and water soon…
A useful picture book for discussing the when and why of handwashing, from Tony Ross’s popular Little Princess series.
This book tells the story of a boy who is the victim of an unpleasant bully. The boy questions why the bully might be picking on him, with a repeated refrain of ‘Is it because….?’. After much questioning, the boy decides that he is not the one at fault after all and begins to realise that the bully is unhappy and jealous. This is a picture book that cleverly uses rhyme and visual humour to approach the complex topic of bullying in an accessible way.
A funny tale of a centipede who gets sore feet and needs shoes and socks to help with his problem. Having always thought he had 100 feet, Centipede eventually realises that he doesn’t have that many. In the end he gives up on the footwear and redistributes them to his lesser-footed friends. This would be a great book to look at doubling and halving (pairs of shoes) or sharing (look at how many of his shoes he could give to various creatures).
Troll Stinks makes for an excellent choice of book for today’s children and one with the potential to both entertain and spark meaningful discussions about internet safety with primary children.
Billy the Goat and his friend Cyril are playing with a phone when they decide to send mean messages to the troll living under the bridge. Soon, the two friends discover that their online actions have had a significant impact on the troll’s feelings and that their messages were not such a fun idea after all.
The book is part of a series that spins traditional tales into the modern age and examines the impact of technology on children’s safety. With more primary-aged children than ever having access to online messaging, the book is bound to open impactful classroom discussions. Even for children who have not yet used their devices in this way, the broader themes of bullying, empathy, recognising the impact of words and stopping mean behaviour in its tracks will resonate with even the youngest children.
This important and entertaining story is a modern must-read.
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