Finn is in a horrible mood and doesn’t want to talk about it, but after some persuading, agrees to go for a hike with Grandpa. Throughout their forest walk, they see many different things: big, strong trees with networks of roots growing underneath, still water with schools of fish swimming below, and an expectant bird with eggs nestled under her. Grandpa explains that people also have hidden feelings beneath the surface, and despite appearances, may be feeling the say way you do.
“My dog Sam has a superpower. He doesn’t wear a costume. He can’t fly. And he definitely can’t make himself invisible.
Sam’s superpower is happiness.”
Sam can find happiness in the most unexpected places: a smelly old boot, a deflated ball, even in a muddy puddle! When Dad leaves for work, Sam’s young owner needs a little help to be happy again. Can Sam show his best friend how to be a bit less sad and a bit more dog?
This is a funny and heart-warming picture book about finding joy in the simplest things. With uplifting text from Caroline Crowe and engaging, lively illustrations from Carlos Velez, this feel-good story celebrates the connection between children and pets and encourages us all to be more dog!
The special relationship between a child and his grandmother is depicted in this sumptuous book by an award-winning team.
Inspired by memories of his childhood, Jordan Scott’s My Baba’s Garden explores the sights, sounds and smells experienced by a child spending time with their beloved grandmother (Baba), with special attention to the time they spent helping her tend her garden, searching for worms to keep it healthy. They visit her every day and find her hidden in the steam of boiling potatoes, a hand holding a beet, a leg opening a cupboard, an elbow closing the fridge, humming like a night full of bugs when she cooks. A ritualistic relationship with few words, rooted in feeling and emotion.
This fabulous picture book from superstar author and illustrator Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler is a riot of slapstick fun and silliness. The Baddies are the meanest, nastiest ghost, witch and troll in the land.
They just adore being bad, and fight over who is the worst.
When a little girl moves into a nearby cottage, the Baddies can’t wait to scare her out of her wits.
But the little girl quickly shows them that you don’t have to be big to be brave, and baddies don’t always win.
A brilliant paperback edition for new and old fans alike.
Perfect read-aloud rhyming text and stunning pictures on every page with lots of details to spot.
Julia and Axel are the team that have created picture book favourites such as The Gruffalo, Stick Man, Zog and The Smeds and The Smoos – all of which have been made into animated films premiering on BBC1 Christmas Day.
Start the New Year with this positive wellbeing handbook.
What if we could think of mental health in a positive way? Sweep away the rain clouds. Talk about what’s on our minds. And care for our mental health in the same way we look after our bodies. In this empowering and hopeful handbook, Youth Mental Health Ambassador Dr. Alex George is here to show children how.
A Better Day is a positive, accessible and practical toolkit guiding young readers in how they can care for their mental health with confidence.
From peer pressure and exam stress to online trolls and anxiety, life is full of ups and downs. But there are ways we can stay on top of our mental health – including overcoming stigma, talking about our feelings, developing resilience and switching our mindset.
This book provides all the scaffolding and practical techniques, so readers can look toward their future with optimism and positivity. Because no matter what, there is always hope for a better day.
I knew STRAIGHTAWAY that something was WRONG on Monday morning when Mum didn’t wake me up for school.
With his grandma snoring in the kitchen and his older sister spending hours getting ready for school, it’s up to Jake to discover where his missing mum might be.
Life at home wasn’t perfect, but he can’t understand why she would simply run off like this. And why doesn’t anyone else seem to care?
A heartfelt, funny and unique ode to perfectly imperfect families.
Until the Road Ends is the eagerly awaited new novel from the bestselling author of When the Sky Falls: The Times Children’s Book of the Year, winner of a Books Are My Bag Readers Award, the British Book Award for Children’s Fiction and shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.
Nominated for the Carnegie Medal for Writing
When Peggy saves a stray dog from near-death, a beautiful friendship begins. Peggy and Beau are inseparable: the only thing that can ever come between them is war. Peggy is evacuated to the safety of the coast, but Beau is left behind in the city, where he becomes the most extraordinary and unlikely of war heroes. Night after night, as bombs rain down and communities are destroyed, Beau searches the streets, saving countless families. But then disaster strikes, changing Peggy’s life forever. With her parents killed, both she and Beau are left alone, hundreds of miles apart. But Beau has a plan to reunite them at long last…
Wry, witty and very funny diary-style story packed with doodles and comic strips about the frustration trickster god Loki feels at having to live trapped in the body of a weedy eleven-year-old boy.
After one trick too many, Loki is banished to live on Earth as a “normal” school boy. Forbidden from using his AWESOME godly powers, Loki must show moral improvement. As he records his lies THE TRUTH in his magical (judgemental) diary, it becomes clear Loki hasn’t a clue how to tell good from evil, trust from tricks, or friends from enemies.
A beautiful and uplifting story from L.D. Lapinski, author of The Strangeworlds Travel Agency, about how to make your own place when the world doesn’t think you fit anywhere. For fans of Me, My Dad and The End of The Rainbow.
Jamie Rambeau is a happy 11-year-old non-binary kid who likes nothing better than hanging out with their two best friends Daisy and Ash. But when the trio find out that in Year Seven they will be separated into one school for boys and another for girls, their friendship suddenly seems at risk. And when Jamie realises no one has thought about where they are going to go, they decide to take matters into their own hands, and sort it all out once and for all.
As the friends’ efforts to raise awareness eventually become a rooftop protest against the binary rules for the local schools, Jamie realises that if they don’t figure out a way forwards, they might be at risk of losing both their friends forever…
“The cool on my toes felt kind of nice.
As Mama held me tight, I thought:
Maybe I’ll go in next time.”
A child’s first encounter with the sea leaves them feeling small and scared. What could be hiding in the dark depths below? When the family visits a lake and a river, the child’s fear of water gradually starts to ebb as curiosity begins to flow. But playing in the water still doesn’t feel right. Mama says there is no rush to try swimming, and that the water will wait. Maybe next time?
This gently powerful story about taking your time and listening to yourself, with lyrical words from Emily Joof, reminds us that it’s okay for progress to be gradual. Bold and dynamic illustrations from Matilda Ruta bring the journey to life with warmth and vibrancy. A perfect book for any child who is feeling nervous about new experiences.
© BooksForTopics 2015-2024
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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
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