Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

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Rainforests Topic Booklist

Best children’s books about rainforests

Rainforests are warm, wet and dense forest habitats filled with millions of plants and animals (including some yet to be discovered!). Rainforest expeditions can easily capture the imaginations of young readers. From canopies and capybaras to epiphytes and explorers, we’ve got it covered in our selection of the best children’s books for the rainforest topic…

Please note, if you are looking for jungle-themed books for younger readers, try our Jungle EYFS Topic Booklist.

Natural Disasters Topic Booklist

Best children’s books about natural disasters and extreme weather

Natural disasters are usually naturally caused phenomena relating to severe weather changes or geological events. These disasters can happen across the globe and many schools help children to understand the events by planning a related geography topic for pupils to explore in Key Stage 2.

From tsunamis and tornadoes to earthquakes and eruptions, we’ve picked out a selection of recommended children’s books that cover our extreme Earth and help young readers to explore the topic of natural disasters…

Rivers and Coasts Booklist

Best children’s books about rivers, coasts and water cycles

This geography curriculum booklist is designed to help those looking for children’s books about rivers, coasts and the water cycle.

The topics of rivers, coasts and water are components of the National Curriculum in primary schools, covering aspects of both Science and Geography. From erosion and tributaries to precipitation and the water cycle, we’ve got the topic well covered with our selection of the best children’s books about rivers, coasts and water.

Recommended chapter book fiction options include Elizabeth Laird’s Song of the Dolphin Boy, a topical and thought-provoking novel about coastal pollution, and Gill Lewis’s short chapter book Song of the River, about wildlife and river conservation. There is an array of beautiful picture books to support this topic, including Grahame Baker-Smith’s The Rhythm of the Rain, which explores the remarkable journey of the water cycle.

So, dive into the watery world of rivers and coasts with our expertly selected booklist…

Awesome Planet Earth Topic

Awesome Planet Earth Topic Booklist

Our incredible Planet Earth is home to a myriad of plants, animals and people. Filled with a remarkable diversity of ecosystems, habitats and natural wonders, there’s plenty to inspire curious readers. From mountains and deserts to oceans and waterfalls, take a trip around the globe to explore the Earth’s wonders with our selection of recommended children’s books to support the topic of Awesome Earth…

This is a list of children’s books about the wonders of the planet we call home. If you are looking for books about natural disasters or children’s books about the environment, check out our additional booklists.

Mountains and Volcanoes Topic

Best Books For a Mountains and Volcanoes Topic

Mountains are areas of land that are elevated higher than the land around them, usually formed over millions of years. Volcanoes are openings in the Earth’s crust that can let out gasses, ash and lava. From the mightiest of mountains to the most vicious volcanoes, we’ve put together a list of recommended children’s books for budding explorers to find out more about our awesome Earth. Look out for snow-capped adventures, mountain-side flora and fauna, ancient eruption escapes and elevated animal rescues in our hand-picked selection of the best children’s books about mountains and volcanoes…

Rocks, Soils and Fossils Topic

Best children’s books about rocks, soils and fossils

The study of rocks is known as geology and is a component of the science curriculum in primary schools. From rock cycles and different soil types to exciting discoveries of important fossils, learning about how the ground beneath our feet can tell us more about the world is a fascinating topic. We’ve put together a list of the best children’s books about rocks, soils and fossils…

Black History Booklist

Best Children’s Books about Black History

We’ve put together a list of the best children’s books about black history both in the UK and around the globe. We’ve also included some key titles that support conversations about systematic racism in a child-friendly way.

Trace key historical events in Timelines from Black History, explore more about Britain’s Black history in Black and British or join young Nemy as she joins a courageous group of slaves in Freedom Braids. These books can be used for Black History Month, when many schools and families dedicate time to research Britain’s black history and to find out more about particular black people who have made a difference. We believe these books are just as important all year round, too.

If you are looking for more about Black British history, we have a separate Black British history booklist with even more suggestions.

Castles and Knights Topic

Best children’s books about castles and knights

Take a time trip into the past to explore the exciting world of castles. From early Norman defences to splendid Tudor castles, this is a fun history topic to explore with primary school children. Whether you are looking into turrets and trebuchets or drawbridges and dungeons, there’s plenty to discover among our list of the best children’s books about castles and knights.

Crime and Punishment Topic

Crime and Punishment Topic Booklist

Explore the history of crime and punishment in Britain – from gallows and gangsters to jails and juries.

Learn about Scottish witch trials in A Kind of Spark, the Gunpowder Plot in Ally Sherrick’s Black Powder or real-life pirates in Blackbeard’s Treasure. We’ve put together a list of recommended children’s books to support the KS2 topic of how crime and punishment have changed through the ages.

Fire of London Topic

Best children’s books about the Fire of London

In 1666, a famous fire started in a London bakery and spread quickly to burn down large areas of the city. The fire was so impactful that it was called the Great Fire of London.

We’ve picked a selection of recommended children’s books about the Fire of London. From the flea’s-eye-view of the fire in Vlad and the Great Fire of London to the absolutely beautiful non-fiction illustrated compendium in the 350th Anniversary Guide to The Great Fire of London, this booklist will help you to get to grips with the key events of this popular history topic.

Look out for wooden houses, buried cheese, flame-hopping fleas and detailed diaries in our list of the best Fire of London topic books…