Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Home > Curriculum Topic Booklists > Science, Maths & Computing Topic Booklists > All About Animals (KS1)

All About Animals (KS1)

animals icon

Recommended children’s books about animals and their habitats

Books about animals are wildly popular with young children. In KS1 Science, children learn to identify and name common animals including those living in the local area as well as animals from habitats around the world. Children will learn to group animals according to what they eat or look like, to match animals to their babies and to describe the basic needs of living creatures.

Whether it’s story books about talking animals, funny books about animal escapades or non-fiction books about living things and their habitats, we’ve put together a roar-some selection of the best animal books for children.

NB: This animal topic booklist is aimed at children in Key Stage 1 (ages 5-7). If you are looking for animal books for older children, try our Amazing Animals (KS2) booklist.

SAVE 20% with Peters

Support independent Bookshops

Our favourite animal picturebooks for KS1

Simon James Green
 & Garry Parsons
Picturebook

Fabulous Frankie is a beautifully told and fabulously illustrated story of acceptance and valuing kindness. All Frankie the flamingo wants is to be fabulous! But he’s literally surrounded by so many fabulous flamingos, so how on earth can he stand out from the crowd? He looks to all the latest fashion accessories to achieve his goal of being truly fabulous, but in the end it is Frankie’s friends who will help him learn that the things that really do make him fabulous are on the inside. This flamboyant tale of kindness and learning to be yourself is filled with stylish illustrations and celebrates the joy of learning to value what’s on the inside.

Catherine Rayner
Picturebook

Many of us can relate to the frustration of a sleepness night – especially after this past week of too hot, too stormy or too rainy bedtimes! Arlo the lion is no exception; he is struggling to sleep and feeling helpless at being all out of ideas for what to try next. Arlo meets Owl, who offers a different perspective. He learns that Owl can sleep through the day – even through the sights and sounds of all the other animals being awake. Fortunately for Arlo, Owl has some sleep-inducing tricks of her own that might just help Arlo too. Owl teaches Arlo a bedtime song, which focuses on thoughts of happy places, a relaxation of the body, a slowing down of breathing patterns and meditation about sinking into the soft ground. The song works a treat, but in his excitement over his new found success, Arlo accidentally wakes other animals up! Happily though, they can use the song too to settle back to sleep.

Michael Morpurgo
 & Michael Foreman
Picturebook

This longer picturebook is the story of a polar bear who dreams of exchanging his snowy white coat for new fur that is as colourful as the rainbow he sees in the sky one day. The bear’s conspicuous new appearance leads him to be captured and exhibited in a zoo.

This engaging and thought-provoking story by master storyteller Michael Morpurgo is coupled with beautiful illustrations, making it one of our top choices for storytime in Year 2 and the surrounding year groups.

Kes Gray
 & Nikki Dyson
Picturebook
Ice Cream Cone Worm. Monkeyface Prickleback. Pink Fairy Armadillo. You're called WHAT?!Welcome to the Ministry of Silly Animal Names where all the creatures have one thing in common: they want to change their names.A unique and rip-roaringly funny, tongue-twisting story full of weird and wonderful real creatures and facts at the end that will amaze. Written by Kes Gray, the bestselling, award-winning author of Oi Frog! and illustrated with charm and wit by dazzling new talent, Nikki Dyson.
Clare Helen Welsh
 & Nicola O'Byrne
Picturebook

Slime is so often a winner when it comes to making children laugh. In the absence of make-your-own-slime kits or putty-testing YouTubers, young slime aficionados might be easily persuaded to keep their fingers dry and open the pages of this super-fun text about the animal world.
Lenny the Lemur is taking a trip and decides to track down the source of some mysterious slime. On his quest, he encounters opossums, dolphins, salamanders and sea-lions and finds out about the unique properties of the goo each creature produces.
Plenty of humour coupled with oodles of facts make this a winner with children and offers a fun and unique twist on information books about animals.


Anthony Browne
Picturebook
Celebrate 30 years of the classic award-winning picture book in this stunning new edition. Hannah loves gorillas but has never seen one. Her father's too busy to take her to the zoo - or for anything else come to that. For her birthday, Hannah asks her father for a gorilla - but is disappointed when she discovers that the gorilla she's got is just a toy one. But then something extraordinary happens ... the toy turns into a real gorilla, who puts on her father's hat and coat and takes her off for a magical visit to the zoo...
Elli Woollard
 & Briony May Smith
Picturebook
Little Bear's Spring is a glorious reminder for children and adults of just how wonderful the natural world is, and that, sometimes, the unlikeliest of friendships are the best kind. Little Bear has just woken up from his long winter sleep. But when he pokes his head out of the den, the world around him is vast, white and silent. The only thing he sees is a smooth little stone, just as alone in the snowy wilderness as he is. He nestles it in tight to his fur and off they go in search of friends. Little Bear's Spring is a lyrical story about friendship, with a gentle introduction to spring and what happens to the natural world when the seasons change. Written by star picture book author Elli Woollard and illustrated by Briony May Smith, whose artwork brings a sun-dappled springtime landscape to life with breathtaking beauty.
Nadia Shireen
Picturebook
Norman is a bear. A bear who LOVES honey. According to Norman, there can never be enough honey; he needs to get his paws on more, more, more ! And who has the most honey? The bees, of course! So, dressed up in his very best bee onesie, he thinks he looks quite convincing as he infiltrates Bee School with his eye on their huge honey supply. But how long will his disguise last? And when the hive is endangered, can he finally discover his true destiny and become. . . The Bumblebear ?
Kes Gray
 & Jim Field
Picturebook
The team behind the bestselling favourite OI FROG! is back with another hilarious picture book that is guaranteed to get little ones laughing out loud. Join in with the fun and silliness, and meet a whole host of crazy creatures from aardvarks to zebras, along the way. The perfect riotous read for all OI! fans - the laughter never ends with Oi Frog and Friends...

Our favourite animal chapter books for KS1

Dick King Smith
Chapter book
Unlike most kittens, Martin doesn't like eating mice - let alone catching them. When he catches one by mistake he decides to keep it as a pet and soon Drusilla the mouse is established in an old bath tub in the attic. Martin is kept busy getting food, water, bedding - and then Drusilla's babies start to arrive. How can Martin cope with all his mice? From the number one author of animal magic comes this wonderful new edition of Martin's Mice .
Iona Rangeley & David Tazzyman
Chapter book

When Mrs Stewart invites a small penguin to visit on a spontaneous visit to London Zoo, no one could have imagined that later that day they would find him on their doorstep, rucksack on his back and an adventure about to begin…

Einstein the Penguin is the debut children’s novel for Iona Rangeley, aptly brought to life with the help of the award-winning illustrator, David Tazzyman. A lovely mix of whodunnit with a slightly preposterous story of a penguin who comes to live with our two heroes, Imogen (age 9) and Arthur (age 6), causing them to put aside their sibling squabbles and come to his rescue. Rangeley manages to pull at your heartstrings as you come to understand each of the characters’ insecurities, bringing together the fear of losing a friend with the loneliness associated with never having had one. The grown-ups are scatty at best and young readers will love it as our heroes come to put one over on them.

Lovely as a class readaloud, children will enjoy the parody of incompetent teachers/zoo-keepers/detectives/parents while also prompting several discussion points about right and wrong. This could be a fun next step for readers who have enjoyed Paddington or Erica’s Elephant.

Jill Tomlinson
 & Paul Howard
Chapter book
Plop, the Baby Barn Owl, is like every Barn Owl there ever was, except for one thing - he is afraid of the dark. "Dark is nasty" he says and so he won't go hunting with his parents. Mrs Barn Owl sends him down from his nest-hole to ask about the dark and he meets a little boy waiting for the fireworks to begin, an old lady, a scout out camping, a girl who tells him about Father Christmas, a man with a telescope and a black cat who takes him exploring. Perhaps there is magic in the dark after all . . . Filled with gentle humour and giving comforting reassurance to nightime fears and anxieties, Jill Tomlinson's animal bedtime stories have been enjoyed by children for decades. This edition of The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark is beautifully illustrated by Paul Howard.
Alex Milway
Chapter book

Anna Dupont arrives at the dilapidated Hotel Flamingo after inheriting it from her Great Aunt Mathilda, who left it to her in her will. Shocked at the state of the “sunniest hotel in town”, Anna decides to restore the hotel to its former glory and sets about the enormous task of cleaning it up alongside a team of animal staff. Imaginative, accessible and little bit wild, Hotel Flamingo is a fabulous early chapter book with fun illustrations set in pinks and greys. This is the first title in a growing series that will appeal to readers aged 5-8.

Lynne Reid Banks
 & Tony Ross
Winner of the Smarties Silver medal, and best-selling title, Harry the Poisonous Centipede is the delightfully squirmy story of a little centipede's adventures in the scary world of the dreaded Hoo-Mins! "It's a Hoo-Min!" crackled George. "Walking on its hairy-biter feet!" But now it was Harry who felt brave. "Come on! Let's peep at it!" They crawled the rest of the way up the tunnel towards the light. Harry is a poisonous centipede but he's not very brave. Still, he is the star of this seriously squirmy story. Harry likes to eat things that wriggle and crackle, and things that are juicy and munchy! But there are some things that a poisonous centipede must never try to eat - dangerous things like flying swoopers, belly wrigglers, furry biters and the most dangerous of all... Hoo-Mins! Harry and George's adventures up to the world of Hoo-Mins sparkle with fun and will be a delightfully squirmy experience for all young readers.

Dick King-Smith
Chapter book
A little girl who desperately wants a dog introduces an imaginary Great Dane called Henry into her home. Her wish comes true when she is allowed a real Henry. Was neighbour Mrs Garrow, with her cackling laugh and black cat, responsible for her wish coming true?From the number one author for animal magic comes a wonderful new edition of this much loved classic.

Children's books about animals and their habitats

Penny Worms
 & Hannah Bailey
Picturebook

This is the story of a class of children learning about different animals. At the end of the term, when they have discovered all kinds of amazing things, the teacher asks them to share their ideas about which is the most important animal of all. The pupils share fascinating facts and illustrate how each species fits into a wider ecosystem. We loved this precise perspective and it seems that the British Ecological Society do too, as it is the first children’s book they have endorsed. The book fits neatly into KS1 Science curriculum and is accompanied by school resources to download.

Yuval Zommer
Non-fiction

This award-winning book showcases wild and wonderful beasts, from tigers and brown bears to binturongs and Ice Age beasts. Hugely popular in primary classrooms due to its vibrant, appealing illustrations and accessible and interesting style of text, this informative compendium is the kind of non-fiction that children like to come back to again and again. You may also like the other books in the series, The Big Book of Bugs and The Big Book of the Blue.

DK
Non-fiction
A charming children's encyclopedia bursting with facts about the animals of the world!The world is so much bigger than young minds can fathom and there is always more to learn. My Encyclopedia of Very Important Animals is a vibrant encyclopedia for curious 5-9 year olds with a unique approach to the subject of animals that takes curious kids on an enjoyable, educational journey of discovery.Mixing beautiful photography with charming illustrations, it's the perfect visual language for young readers, and is packed with light-hearted fun, and fascinating facts. Featuring everything from legends and folklore, world history, and creatures from the land, sea, and skies, this series is bursting with all sorts of subjects that early readers will love!
Ella Bailey
Non-fiction
Part of Ella Bailey's acclaimed series of nonfiction for young readers, we follow a young penguin through a day in its life in the Antarctic.From breakfast to dinner, dusk to dawn, children will love spending the day with this curious penguin chick. In the latest volume of Ella Bailey's picture book exploration of the daily lives of baby animals, we head to the ice shelf to meet a young penguin chick. What does she and her family eat? How many brothers and sisters does she have? What do they do for fun?

Ella Bailey
Picturebook
If you love cute baby animals, come spend the day in the Australian outback with this adorable and bouncy kangaroo joey.From Ella Bailey's acclaimed series of beautiful and educational picture books comes another tale of how one young animal friend spends his day. He's only a little kangaroo, but that doesn't stop him being curious and learning all about life in his corner of our big blue planet.
Martin Jenkins
 & Jane McGuinness
Non-fiction Picturebook
A colourful and gentle introduction to the concept of animal babies for young children.Lots of animals have homes, but not all homes are the same! An orangutan builds a new nest every day, a prairie dog lives in its burrow for years - and a reindeer is always on the move! From the award-winning author Martin Jenkins and illustrated by Jane McGuinness, this beautiful picture book is a perfect introduction to different kinds of animal homes.

Children's books about animal babies and life cycles

Sophy Henn
Picturebook

Following on from Lifesize Animals and Lifesize Dinosaurs, Lifesize Baby Animals does exactly what it promises and over the course of its 32 oversize (30x30cm) pages shows the actual size of real-life babies, from tiny baby possums (the size of a full stop) to gargantuan baby blue whales (the size an ambulance at birth).

The illustrations are attractive and often portray the animals within their natural habitats. The text is accessible and clear, suitable from 3+, and introduces basic factual information (“It’s actually seahorse daddies that give birth: to up to 2,000 babies at one time!”) combined with engaging questions (“Imagine having that many brothers and sisters…How would you remember all their names?”).

Reading this book aloud will prompt a chorus of oohs and aahs. A nice finishing touch is the final page, which shows a summary of each baby and adult creature with is length shown in ‘lifesize books’ and an invitation to measure yourself in books to see how you compare – this could make an excellent maths link, measuring out bears, elephants and whales on the classroom floor.

Lifesize Baby Animals is a beautiful classroom book, which would be invaluable during a topic on lifecycles/growth.

Benji Davies
Picturebook
Meet Tad.She's the smallest tadpole in a big pond, and lives there with all her tadbrothers and tadsisters.Although something else lives there too... BIG BLUB! And when everyone else starts to disappear, Tad starts to wonder if Big Blub will get her too...Or is everyone else going somewhere else; somewhere better? And if so, will Tad ever get there too?A big story about a tiny tadpole - about growing up, branching out, and taking a leap into life.Winner of the 2020 Oscar's Book Prize and from the award-winning creator of The Storm Whale and Granddad's Island, Tad is the perfect story for everyone who's ever grown up, or still has a way to go...
Lindsay Camp
 & Momoko Abe
Picturebook
The perfect picture book for dads at storytime... Luckily for Sam, Dad's home just in time for a bedtime story. But tonight there'll be no aliens or super heroes, instead he'll tell the tale of Papa Penguin, who loves his beautiful boy-chick very much, even when he's not always around.
Martin Jenkins
 & Jane McGuinness
Non-fiction Picturebook
A colourful and gentle introduction to the concept of animal babies for young children. All animals have babies, but not all babies are the same! From big babies to little babies, babies that look like their parents to ones that don't, this beautiful picture book is a perfect introduction to different kinds of animal babies, from the award-winning author Martin Jenkins and illustrated by up-and-coming talent Jane McGuinness.
Julia Donaldson
 & Axel Scheffler
Picturebook
"I've lost my mum!"Where is Monkey's mummy? It's not too much fun being lost in the jungle, and little monkey wants his mum. Kindly butterfly is keen to help, but they don't seem to be having much luck and keep finding the wrong animals! But eventually, they find . . . Dad! It's just as well that he knows exactly where mum is, and she's waiting with a well-deserved cuddle.Monkey Puzzle is a clever, funny and charming tale from the unparalleled picture book partnership of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, creators of The Gruffalo. This edition features the classic story with a stunning, redesigned cover and beautiful finish, making it a must-have addition to the bookshelves of all Donaldson and Scheffler fans – big and small!

Ruth Owen
Non-fiction
What life cycle stages does a tadpole go through to become a frog? How do animals such as lambs, puppies, baby mice, blackbird chicks and caterpillars change and grow? Using examples of familiar animals, readers will investigate animal life cycles. How are the life cycles of different species the same and different? How do parent animals care for their young? And what are the life cycle stages that humans go through? Look for the download button throughout the book. It shows there are free downloadable worksheets and other resources available for that topic.

SAVE 20% with Peters

Support independent Bookshops

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