Oracy Booklist for KS2

Caged is a wordless picture book in which simple, effective illustrations build up in small steps to the final ‘finished’ pictures. The story begins with a bluebird making a nest in her forest and she appears to be watching the actions of two men interfering there. As her nest is growing, she watches these men destroying this forest, which houses colourful parrots. As the men destroy the parrots’ habitat, they cage each parrot they find and build a palatial structure with the caged parrots.

There are some interesting discussions that can be brought up throughout the text. The value of individual liberty is an obvious link: should these men use their own freedom to cage other animals for their own (and other humans’) entertainment? Should animals have the same rights to freedom as people do? This links to the moral question of caging any animal and the illustrations lead to thinking of this from different perspectives: the onlooker, the imprisoner and the caged.

Overall, this is a fascinating picture book that can be read on different levels depending on the age and stage of the reader.

An intriguing picture book for older readers, The Viewer has a sparse amount of words and plenty of fantastically detailed, curious and thought-provoking illustrations. This is a good choice for a picture book to study with Year 6.

The story follows a boy called Tristan who stumbles across a mysterious box filled with strange objects when he is browsing around for interesting things in a scrap yard. Inside the box, Tristan finds a viewing device with lenses and discs, filled with dramatic and sometimes disturbing images past and present – from prehistoric beasts to modern-era war and pollution.

Imagery or circles and spirals reflect the repeated cycles of progress and destruction through history, where the imagery of eyes might cause readers to wonder about the ‘lenses’ through which we come to understand human history. The ambiguous ending invites open-ended discussion. The intricate illustrations by Shaun Tan, the darker themes, the broad historical sweep and the curious repeated motifs make this a perfect picture book for older readers who appreciate a more philosophical book to pore over, and there’s certainly something new to wonder at on every reading.

Varmints is an intriguing and mysterious picture book, with an environmental theme, and images that play with concepts of light and dark. This is not a story to enjoy in the traditional storytime sense, but an intriguing picturebook to offer reward to those willing to ponder over, consider and reflect upon the multi-layered offerings on each page. The ideal age of the audience for this book is Upper Key Stage 2 children.

A once peaceful place becomes darker when varmints turn up. They destroy the bees and plants and bring with them grey buildings and too much noise to think. Peace and tranquillity become lost – as does thinking – and the environment gets darker and more ominous with each page turn. Some of the images are stark and haunting – almost cinematic at times. In one tiny moment, a creature restores hope by nurturing a pocket of wildlife and a little bit of wilderness grows once again.

Being able to clearly and confidently articulate ideas, to engage in discussion, and to listen actively to others are critical life skills that everybody should have, and ‘How to Speak and Be Heard’ is an engaging read, which sets out to provide children with the necessary tools to develop these important skills.

This colourful book provides a relatable rationale for developing oracy skills – it looks at how the way people communicate on a daily basis (not only when they are speaking publicly) impacts whether their voice is heard. Importantly, the book also considers non-verbal form of communication including sign language, facial expressions and body language.

This KS2 book looks at all aspects of oracy and provides clear steps for readers to take and activities for them to engage in to help them to become better communicators in every day life and to be able adapt their communication style in different situations. This is an essential, well-written and informative tool kit for children and an excellent teaching resource for both teachers and parents.

There seems to be a wealth of self-help for children books on the market at the moment and looking for a book that really considers the issue in a suitable way can be is quite overwhelming.

However, ‘You Don’t Have to Be Loud’ pitches itself perfectly in its mission through the gloriously simple yet innovative title.
The book cover looks appealing, with a huge mouth covering the page. The edges of the book itself are curved, rather than pointed, which make it rather soothing to hold.

The book is written in the first person and draws on the experience of the author. It is utterly refreshing to listen to the anecdotes; which are charming, funny and absolutely authentic. There is a balance between advice and support for children and young people who identify as shy, quiet or introverted and insights into Ben’s journey, navigating the world through his ‘quiet’ viewpoint.

There are also some amazing quotes from famous people, some of whom you may never have considered as being shy. Ben drops these into the narrative regularly and they are really effective in reminding the reader that a change of mindset can be helpful in reframing feelings of shyness. The illustrations are in a red, grey and white colour scheme and red is used perfectly; it highlights the shy characters on the page brilliantly.

The book would be a super addition to a Key Stage Two bookshelf and could be used as part of a mental health collection or as part of PSHE or citizenship.

This thought-provoking narrative tells the story of ‘Phoenix Brothers’ Amir and Mo, who have recently arrived in England after a perilous journey fleeing from their home country, Iraq.

Amir has lost his home, his family and now his voice; Mo is alone in the world and has experienced unspeakable horrors on his journey. As they rise from the ashes and build a new life in the UK, they discover their talents and find friends who will stand with them even when others stand in their way.

Told through the eyes of Amir, the book subtly and sensitively explores themes of displacement, prejudice, language barriers and the impact of trauma. Amir’s recollections as he prepares for the George Orwell speech competition reveal the challenges and horrors faced by many vulnerable refugee children in their quest for safety and liberty.

This debut novel from Helen Rutter is inspired by her own son who has a stammer, and it delves into the worries and thoughts that Billy has about having a stammer and how he thinks the outside world will see him because of it.

When eleven-year-old Billy starts Bannerdale secondary school, he wants to fit in and be popular. In fact, he hopes to realise his dream of becoming a comedian and being known throughout the school as ‘Billy Plimpton, the Funniest Boy in School’. One thing stands in his way though – he decides he won’t talk until he’s ‘got rid’ of his stammer.

Each chapter begins with one of Billy’s jokes, and although the issues tackled in the book are serious, it’s a warm and funny read. The story shows that we all have differences, and it is important to accept ourselves as we are.

This is a lovely book with a positive message, as well as being packed with jokes which will make both children and adults laugh.

Talking History is an incredible book. It takes the reader through some of the greatest speeches of the past 150 years and gives insight into why the speech held so much importance, both in the past and today. The range of orators is wide and shows how globally significant some great people have been. From Abraham Lincoln to Greta Thunberg, it is clear that words have immense power to make change happen.

The author has clearly taken time to balance gender, age, ethnicity and sexual orientation within the selection, and has chosen speakers from around the world, enabling younger readers to engage with figures such as Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India after independence; Rene Cassin, who created the Charter of Human Rights, and Angela Merkel, who challenged world leaders to work together to fight disease.

As a resource within Upper Key Stage Two, the book is invaluable. It sets the speeches within history and would be superb to support topic work on all manner of aspects of recent world history; citizenship, LGBTQ+ rights, climate change, health, WW2, Law and exploration are all featured within the book and presented in a way which is accessible yet mature.

Popular children’s poet Joshua Seigal brings a brilliant new book of entertaining poems, offering a great selection of poems to make you laugh, make you think or just let you enjoy for the sheer delight of it.

Using challenging vocabulary and a range of poetry styles, these short poems are perfect for children who like a giggle without having to look too hard to find one. Seigal writes about a range of relatable topics from school to friendships, about pets and even their fleas. The collection will fly off the classroom bookshelf in KS2 and is perfect for dipping in and out of during independent reading time or for teachers to read aloud to a class during spare moments of the day.

With such a range of fun poems, there are lots of opportunities to look at different forms of poetry, playing with words and experimenting with rhyme.

Poems Aloud is a collection of poems that have been written specifically for performance. There is poetry to perform alone and poems to perform as part of a group – either in chorus or by sharing out the parts. There’s also a wonderful poem called The Shockadile Crocodile! which invites audience participation.

There are poems about everyday objects, space rockets, robots and animals. There are even two poems about slime. The poems are accompanied by bold, vibrant illustrations which fill the pages with colour and energy. The anthology contains a wide variety of poems, including tongue twisters, riddles and action poems.

There are also lots of performance tips. We are told how words written in bold are intended to be emphasised when performed. Techniques such as crescendo and diminuendo are introduced and explained. I can see children having lots of fun performing the poem Turn the Radio Up, which starts with a hiss of whispered static and gradually gets louder and louder until there’s roaring, clapping and foot stamping: “a wall of ear-splitting symphony”. There are poems to whisper, poems to shout, poems to speed through and poems to savour.

Children across the key stages could have lots of fun performing them, and they would be enjoyable for sharing with the whole school in a class assembly.

A Poem for Every Question is a clever and entertaining collection that takes the kinds of questions children ask every day and answers them through poetry. Questions such as “What are rainbows made from?” and “What is absolute zero?” are explored in playful, imaginative ways that make learning feel fun and accessible.

Each poem is built around a single question and the topics covered are wide-ranging, including science, geography and history. This makes the book easy to dip into and ideal for sharing, whether in the classroom or at home. The poems often debate and discussion, encouraging children to think more deeply about how to explain the world around them. A particularly strong feature is the short paragraph of factual information that follows each poem. These clear, concise explanations provide a straightforward answer to the question, helping children connect the creativity of the poem with accurate non-fiction knowledge.

The book strikes a lovely balance between being funny and informative. For teachers, it offers a great opportunity to link poetry with cross-curricular learning, while parents will enjoy how naturally it invites shared reading and conversation.

Written in different forms of poetry and told as a flashback, this is a heart-wrenching story that offers many possibilities for engagement and discussion. Dealing with themes of bullying, courage, unlikely friendships, loyalty and betrayal, this book explores a child’s ability to perceive everyday experiences in a multi-sensory way.

Davey is new at school and attracts the attention of the school bully, Sam, who makes fun of the holes in his jumper and his unusual ideas. But then Davey heroically saves Sam’s life and the pair become friends. Davey shares a secret with Sam, but when Sam betrays that secret it puts Davey in a life-threatening situation which changes everything.

This beautiful verse novel follows a girl in the transition period from primary to secondary school. The individual poems that make up the story play wonderfully with shape, rhythm and language and deliver a range of styles mirroring the complex emotional themes.

The book includes topics of domestic violence, bullying and homelessness discussed from a child’s perspective. These are handled sensitively, and there is an overall sense of positivity and optimism.

It’s a powerful, empathetic book, particularly suited to year 6.

Fish are fishy! Have you ever noticed? This phenomenally tongue-in-cheek picture book starts deadpan and dull, explaining that a mammal is a mammal, a bird a bird – predictable features and characteristics, with staid illustrations. But when it comes to fish, the reader is warned that fish are different. Fish are not to be trusted. And things turn wild.

Sharpson’s deadpan tone makes for a fantastically funny book, allowing the reader to read between the lines. The book lends itself brilliantly to discussions about bias and evaluating what we read by considering the reliability of the source and context, perfect for the modern world in which even young children are confronted with fake news and online prejudice.

Dan Santat complements Sharpson’s text with clever wacky illustrations, from the tube that leads from a domestic fish tank to the sea, to the page that will make younger children think twice before sitting on the toilet, to the nightmarish vision of robot fish towards the end. This is a book that will challenge, while poking enormous fun at the whole endeavour.

A picture book that does not condescend to its audience nor preach any kind of sensible message – other than, obviously, don’t trust fish! Brilliantly funny. To be read again and again.

A tongue-in-cheek twist on a well-loved fairy tale. This version of the Three Little Pigs story is retold from the eyes of the wolf, who claims the whole story was a misunderstanding and that he has been wrongly framed for his crime of killing the pigs. This picture book can be used in KS2 to explore themes of objectivity, prejudice and the importance of hearing different sides of the same story before reaching a verdict.

This twisted retelling of The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Mac Barnett is humorous and engaging in equal measure.

The tone is set for this twisted fairy tale within the first few pages with disgusting troll details, which children will love, like scraping earwax and goop from his belly button. The story keeps to the traditional aspects of the tale, at the same time as modernising it too. There is repetition of key phrases, but with a focus on different ways of eating the goat, including curried or poached goat. The biggest twist of the story comes at the time the third goat is introduced, and this is where discussion can be explored with children around the alternative ending.

The illustrations by Jon Klassen are a darker take than many of this tale, but would give lots of opportunity for discussion, especially around the appearance of the troll. I believe children will enjoy this version, as although it does keep the same structure of the more traditional versions, the language used and the illustrations make this a very different version of this classic tale.

This picture book was originally written in Korean and has been translated by Deborah Smith.

Author-illustrator Kim Hyo-eun introduces readers to a typical ride on a subway train around the South Korean capital of Seoul. As we join the author for a ride, we encounter the various individuals making the journey, and we are simply invited to sit back and observe shared humanity during an everyday activity.

The poetic text draws out the rhythmic sounds of the train, and the watercolour pictures introduce a host of characters. Some are highlighted by the author’s comments – the man whose lovely daughter makes him late for work but quick to return home to see her smile, the granny who is bringing fresh fish and octopus for her family in the city, the mother hiding her baby, and exhausted girl on the school journey.

This is the kind of book that captures shared humanity at a given moment in time, while reminding readers that everybody has a story – with individual hopes, dreams, worries and fears. The story invites empathy with the individuals who make up the subway crowds on the rhythmical metropolitan commutes that run like clockwork. It’s easy to forget to care about human individuals when we are faced with crowds of unknown faces, and this book is the antidote to that – an important message for today’s generation where real-life human connection can feel in decline.

Pupils might like to innovate by creating backstories for some of the characters mentioned, or perhaps pick another transport method or crowded place and create their own illustrated offerings.

Real-Life Mysteries is an engaging, inquiry-rich non‑fiction text that invites children to explore unexplained phenomena through a critical, evidence-based lens. Martineau presents mysteries such as strange creatures, puzzling events and unusual natural phenomena, but always grounds the discussion in scientific thinking and scepticism.

For the classroom, it offers a powerful springboard into research skills, critical literacy and evaluating sources.

Full of short but wonderfully detailed stories of the feminine heroes in Greek mythology, this is a perfect addition to any bookshelf of someone interested in history and Ancient Greece.

Every last detail has been considered, including the contents page, which shows a picture of each woman and a short synopsis of their story, for example, Ariadne: the Cretan princess who helped crack the Labyrinth and stop the Minotaur. Who would not want to read such an intriguing tale? Each story is written in first person, from the viewpoint of the female, a side that has not always been told before.

Though the stories are not in full, they give enough details to inspire a love of Greek mythology. It even ends with a section entitled, ‘What happened next?’ with a short insight into the future of these famous women. This book will surely be an inspiration to many and foster that interest in Ancient Greece and the tales from there.

The Barnabus Project is a unique and beguiling picture book that will intrigue KS2 children, with magical illustrations and an original storyline.

Barnabus lives in a lab for genetically engineered pets, but is left hidden away in a jar as a ‘failed project’. He dreams to escape, and calls on an eclectic group of fellow rejects to put his escape plan into action.

If you are familiar with the work of the incredible Fan brothers, you’ll know to except stunning illustrations with details designed to intrigue, delight and challenge. There’s plenty of peril and suspense in the story, and KS2 children will love getting stuck into this ‘older’ picturebook. Ultimately the messages are of teamwork, acceptance and not giving up on dreams – with scope for some deeper discussions about the ethics of genetic engineering and animal captivity, as well as conversations about celebrating difference.

This stunning book is a Key Stage 2 picturebook must-read.

This exciting and unique book by Bear Grylls is perfect for young explorers and any children who crave adventure. Not only is it packed full of interesting survival tips which you would expect from Bear Grylls, but it also offers the reader the chance to go on their own expedition over and over again, with different adventures and outcomes.

Readers are encouraged to use their brain, adapt and think on the go, choosing their next move on their route to survival! Bear Grylls offers advice on choosing the right survival equipment, assessing the weather and terrain, finding food and shelter and understanding the animals that you might meet along the way.

Whilst we hope our children won’t ever be stranded in the mountains, forest or waters, we know that having read this book they will be well prepared for all eventualities and will have enjoyed every step of their ultimate expedition!

A choose-your-own-adventure style story with oodles of fun. The idea sounds simple enough: imagine yourself just finishing a mission to a distant planet, looking forward to getting home, when the ship’s computer detects an alien aboard. You’re stuck until the source has been found. What do you do? Which one of the other crew members, your former friends, has been transformed?

This is a plot to hook KS2 super sleuths, just like TV’s The Traitors. It requires readers to have their wits about them and to question their own values: would I, would you, stay loyal to friends, or would we focus on our own survival?

Just as there are multiple answers to such questions depending on circumstances and personalities, so there are multiple outcomes (endings) to this story, including some particularly creepy ones. In one, you get to escape and go home, in others, you too are infected. And in one (get this!) the computer… no, I won’t spoil it. Read the book! Enjoy the adventure, do the puzzles (mazes, calculations, spot the difference, etc), and follow different routes until finally you’ve exhausted all possibilities.

An interactive and immersive read to be recommended to fans of the ‘you choose’ genre, as well as to those yet to discover its attraction. One for the library and children’s own bookshelves.

A choose-your-own-adventure style story with important, contemporary themes.

Fred is due to start secondary school, and his parents have a controlling nature that doesn’t allow him to be himself – he is often incapable of making even small decisions about his life. They all visit two prospective secondary schools. On his first day, two different school buses pull up to the stop. This becomes the first point at which the reader influences the story as Fred asks which bus he should catch; the two decisions lead to different pages in the story.

Depending on the choices made, there are alternative routes through the book, and various characters are introduced at the two locations. There are eight possible endings, and the length of the whole story depends on the decisions made. It is perfect for year 6 and transitions in general. It emphasises the importance of making good choices and taking responsibility for your actions.