Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Home

Format: Picturebook

Recommended Picturebooks for Lower KS2

Picturebooks for Lower KS2

Picturebook

Best Picturebooks for Years 3 and 4 

Picturebooks are wonderful for all ages in primary schools and are not to be limited to the younger classrooms alone. As children’s author Kate Cunningham says, “Telling a child that they are too old for a picture book is like telling them that they are too old for chocolate ice cream or computer games“.

In Lower KS2, picturebooks offer a unique opportunity to enjoy the interplay between images and words, as well as being brilliant for opening discussions on important issues like in The Emerald Forest. Others are perfect for exploring new ideas like If I Were Prime Minister, for boosting empathy like It’s a No Money Day and for developing critical thinking like Fearless. Sometimes they simply provide a fun reading experience that caters to a visual appetite that begins to be increasingly excluded from chapter books for the age group – like in Until I Met Dudley and Professional Crocodile.

This list features our top selection of recommended picturebooks that are most suitable for children aged 7-9….

Best wordless picture-books to inspire writing

Wordless Picturebooks

Picturebook

The Best Wordless Picturebooks for Primary School Children

Wordless picture books are like portals to imaginative worlds where stories unfold without a single written word. Instead of relying on text, these books let the illustrations do all the talking. There’s a superb variety of wordless picturebooks available for children in KS2, Ks2 and EYFS, and we’ve picked out some of the best wordless picturebooks for primary-aged children.

More and more teachers are discovering that wordless picture books can inspire incredible literacy learning across the primary age range, right up to Year 6. Books that tell stories through pictures alone can help develop visual literacy, expand the imagination, start discussions about interpretation and give children space to add spoken or written narratives of their own.

From EYFS right through to Year 6, the role of wordless picturebooks in literacy development and imaginative enjoyment is hugely valuable. Wordless picturebooks help to break down language barriers and invite readers of all ages to craft their own stories based on the pictures before them. Curious details and intriguing clues in the illustrations enable the narratives of wordless picturebooks to be open to a range of interpretations – levelling the playing field for every reader to be the storyteller.

From whimsical wordless delights like the adventure of flying frogs in David Wiesner’s award-winning Tuesday to poignant stories of displacement and migration like Shaun Tan’s The Arrival, this booklist features a selection of the best wordless picturebooks for children aged 4-11. 

Busy Day: Athlete

Picturebook

Join the busy athlete as he goes for gold in this playful, interactive flap book!

Ready, set, go! Can you win the gold medal? Join in and use the flaps to help the athlete to warm up, jump over the pole, dive into the pool and much, much more. With interactive action-flaps, you can do it, too!

Each clever flap provides an action or scene-change to encourage children to actively engage and explore . The playful flaps are perfect for little hands to develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

Original concept and illustration by Dan Green.

Ready Steady Mo!

Picturebook

From Olympic gold medal winner Mo Farah and bestselling author of Oi Frog! , Kes Gray, comes a fun and action-packed picture book that will get kids reading, and running too!

So, what are you waiting for? Warm up, do the MOBOT, and then …

Run on the pavement
Run on the grass
Run in the playground
Perhaps not in class!

Follow Mo on his madcap adventures as his running skills go from strength to strength.

The perfect book to share and read aloud. With vibrant illustrations and a rhyming text.

Splash

Picturebook

Claire Cashmore, MBE and Paralympic gold medallist, was born without a left forearm – but she never let being different stand in the way of her big dreams. Splash is based on Claire’s real-life experience: this gold-medal-winning swimmer really was scared of water … until one day, everything changed!

These are Claire’s big sisters.
They call her Bear and ruffle her hair.
And whatever Claire’s sisters can do,
Claire can do too …

But there is one thing Claire won’t do …The water in the swimming pool makes her feel squirmy inside. Follow her sisters? No thank you! Not today?

Can Claire conquer her fears? Can she set foot in the water – and what will happen if she does?

Flying High

Picturebook

Before she was a record-breaking, world-famous gymnast, Simone Biles spent time in foster care as a young child. Nimble and boundlessly energetic, she cherished every playground and each new backyard. When she was six years old, Simone’s family took shape in a different way: her grandparents, Ron and Nellie Biles, adopted her and her sister Adria. Simone was also introduced to gymnastics that same fateful year, launching a lifelong passion fueled by remarkable talent, sacrifice, and the undying support of her family.

lucas-at-the-paralympics

Lucas at the Paralympics

Picturebook

Introduce your child to the Paralympics–where physically disabled world-class athletes exemplify strength, determination, and courage.
Lucas and Eddie, two physically disabled friends, visit the Paralympics and cheer on blind and physically challenged athletes as they compete in running, swimming, sitting volleyball, para archery, wheelchair fencing, wheelchair basketball, and more.

Readers learn about some of the rules that expedite play and that even the playing field. For example, blind runners wear blindfolds so none of the competitors (some totally blind and some with limited sight) have an unfair advantage. Also, all of the blind competitors are tethered to guides.

Author Igor Plohl, who lost the use of his legs after a spinal injury, is a teacher and passionate advocate for raising awareness of physical disability. As a teacher, he knows the questions children ask and how to answer them.

The Corinthian Girl

Picturebook

“It was time for the first race to begin. The crowed gasped as the Corinthian girl exploded from the starting point!”

The Corinthian girl has no name…abandoned as a baby, she is now a slave in Athens. But her Master is a famous Olympic champion. He spots the amazing athletic talent of the Corinthian girl, and realises she could be a star at the Games in Olympia. From dawn till dusk she trains – running, jumping, throwing the javelin and the discus. One year later she is at the great Olympic stadium for the race of her life.

Can the Corinthian girl win the crown and find a name and a home at last?

Based on the real-life ancient Heraean Games for women and girls, held at Olympia, this is a thrilling story of athletic achievement against all the odds.

Spot Plays Football

Picturebook

It’s a lovely day and Spot and his friends are ready to play football together.

Spot and Helen are captains of the red and blue teams, but who will score the most goals?
Join the group of animal friends and the much-loved Spot as they learn it’s the taking part that counts – and, most importantly, have fun.

Topsy and Tim Play Football

Picturebook

Topsy and Tim are always finding fun adventures in the real world, and this story is reassuring for young children having first experiences of their own.

Topsy and Tim join the local football club. Along with their friends, they practice their skills, including dribbling a ball around cones. Then they play a proper game. It’s so much fun that Topsy and Tim want to play football every day! Children who are starting to be interested in football will love to read about all the details of the club.

What's new on BooksForTopics?

Join our Mailing List

For the latest news on primary books and our booklists, as well as a chance to win in on one of our regular giveaways, sign up to our mailing list!

Subscribe
BooksForTopics
Email: [email protected]
Subscribe to our Mailing List
Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Tiktok

Booklists by Topic

Booklists by Age

More About Us

Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, BooksForTopics earns from qualifying purchases.

As an affiliate partner of Bookshop.Org and Peters, BooksForTopics may earn from qualifying purchases. Click here to learn more.

Website designed by Speckled Frog

© BooksForTopics 2015-2024

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