Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Format: Picturebooks

Whale Song

Picturebooks

A sumptuous non-fiction picture book by two of the most exciting talents in children’s books today.

Listen! Listen! Somewhere in the deep, deep blue, a humpback whale is singing.

In this poignant non-fiction picture book, bestselling children’s author Nicola Davies celebrates the beauty and power of the humpback whale’s song. Humpback whales listen and learn songs from each other – copying the distinctive patterns and sounds. This extraordinary book follows the story of one whale’s song as it spreads across the world’s oceans.

With spectacular artwork by award-winning illustrator Britta Teckentrup, this is a celebration of the beauty and mystery of the natural world.

Ella’s Night Lights

Lucy Fleming

Picturebooks

A dreamy bedtime story for any child who loves magic and fantasy, or stories of fairies and pixies! Now published into 22 languages worldwide!

Through stunning illustrations, child readers will be transported into an enchanting woodland world that stars a tiny little moth girl called Ella.

Ella has always dreamed of seeing the sunrise. But with her delicate gossamer moth wings, she can only come out at night. So when the moon is high, she collects as many shimmering beams of light she can find – a twinkle from a star, the glow from a lamp post… With her light, she guides lost and lonely animals to safety and sends light into children’s bedrooms to soothe them in their sleep.

Ella’s new friends, Sable the fox and Luna the Owl, want to return her kindness and they know the perfect way to do it! They will make something very special that will help Ella to see her very first sunrise…

Full of imagination, this is a cosy and magical tale that celebrates kindness and friendship – taking care of one another and enabling each other’s dreams.

Who Knows the Way to Mr Grimly’s Classroom?

Chris Priestly & Mariachiara Di Giorgio

Picturebooks

The first picture book from the best-selling author of Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror, Chris Priestley, brought to life with incredible cinematic flair by Mariachiara DiGiorgio, winner of the Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Awards for Illustration.

When Grace’s teacher, Miss Flytrap, asks her class, “Who knows the way to Mr Grimly’s classroom?” Grace puts her hand up straight away. “Me, Miss. I know the way, Miss!” But Grace is new to the school and she doesn’t, in fact, know the way. Not one bit. She doesn’t even know who Mr Grimly is. Undeterred, she sets off. But she could never have imagined just how treacherous, wild and epic the journey to his classroom would be, with twists and turns waiting around every dark and gloomy corner… Will Grace ever find Mr Grimly’s classroom?

Dancing Dumplings

Eva Wong Nava & Natelle Quek

Picturebooks

Celebrate the power of love, family bonds, the memory of traditions and sharing truly delicious food with this stunningly illustrated hardback picture book, jacketed with gold foil.

A little girl is shown how to make dumplings by her grandma and they absolutely love the ritual of cooking together: We roll. We fill. We pinch and pleat. We cook! When Grandma gets sick, the little girl takes her turn to make dumplings and help soothe her grandma back to wellness – channeling as much love and comfort as she can into her cooking. Luckily, delicious homemade dumplings hold a lot of goodness inside.

Drawing from her own Chinese heritage, author Eva Wong Nava shows, with lyricism, warmth and poetry, how cooking provides children with a sense of connection to their family, as well as a feeling of community, and how making food can be a hugely healing process. With stunning detailed illustrations from Natelle Quek, this is a delicious celebration of a book for any time of year.

Bunnies on the Bus

Ben Mantle & Phillip Ardagh

Picturebooks

Watch out! Move out of the way! Hold onto your tails! Now in board book edition, there are BUNNIES ON THE BUS! And they aren’t stopping for ANYONE!

The bunnies have taken over the bus and they’re on a wild ride across the streets of Sunny Town! They whizz past the bus stop, swerve around corners and zoom over crossings on a non-stop roller coaster adventure! There are bunnies on the roof! Bunnies in the aisle! DO sit down, bunnies, or you’ll end up in a pile! Eventually, they come to a stop… at the train station. And what’s that they’ve spotted? A TRAIN! Uh-oh, here we go again… A hilarious romp of a book, with a fantastic read-aloud rhyming text and spectacular illustrations.

Sticky Mildred

Alastair Chisholm & Rikin Parekh

Picturebooks

For exasperated parents of sticky children comes a hilariously unexpected and surreal cautionary tale on cleanliness to get even the most reluctant kids excited about bath time.

Mildred Honeyfur LOVES being sticky and REFUSES to have a bath. She sets off to find the stickiest things in the world – doughnuts, pond slime, toffees and glue – until she becomes a ball of stickiness, rolling through the town sticking to everything … and everyone! Stuck in the ULTIMATE sticky situation, will Mildred ever be stopped?

Written by the winner of Blackwell’s Children’s Book of the Year and the Queen’s Knickers Award, Alastair Chisholm, with wildly imaginative pictures by Rikin Parekh, illustrator of Greg Jenner’s Totally Chaotic History series.

Well Done, Mummy Penguin

Chris Haughton

Picturebooks

From Chris Haughton comes a funny, suspenseful celebration of mothers set against an atmospheric Antarctic backdrop.

Mummy Penguin is off to find a fishy dinner for her family. She has to swim very fast, climb a slippery cliff – cu-crunch, cu-crunch, cu-crunch – and even tiptoe past some sleeping seals… Shh! All the while, Little Penguin looks on in awe and says: “Well done, Mummy Penguin!”

The icy – and treacherous! – Antarctic landscapes are breathtaking in this funny and exciting celebration of all that mothers do, and all that mothers are.

Follow Me, Flo!

Jarvis

Picturebooks

We’re off to somewhere new. So stick to me like glue. Follow me, Flo! Come on, let’s go! We’re sure to be there soon…

Flo is a very mischievous little duckling who has a penchant for wandering off… She can’t help it, her curiosity is always taking her off on new adventures! Luckily, Daddy Duck has a trick to make sure Flo stays by his side … he sings the FOLLOW SONG. But on the way to visit Auntie Jenna’s house, Flo decides to sing her OWN louder, higher version of the Follow Song … with surprising and catastrophic results!

From the award-winning creator of Alan’s Big, Scary Teeth comes a hilarious and heartfelt daddy and daughter cautionary tale, sure to get all young readers laughing and singing.

Dragon Post

Emma Yarlett

Picturebooks

A fiery story about friendship and asking for help from award-winning author-illustrator Emma Yarlett.

One day Alex finds a dragon living under his stairs. He isn’t sure what to do – but luckily he knows just who to ask for help. Open the envelopes and read the hilarious letters Alex receives from the fire brigade, the butcher and more as he tries to take care of his new friend. Who would have thought having a dragon for a pet would be so tricky? A joyful, touching and vibrantly illustrated interactive book.

This is Not My Hat

Jon Klassen

Picturebooks

Jon Klassen for the smallest hands! A board book edition of the bestselling, multiple award-winning cautionary tale.

A tiny fish proudly wears a blue hat. It fits him perfectly. Problem is, trouble could be following close behind… So it’s a good thing that the enormous fish he took it from won’t wake up. And even if he does, it’s not as though he’ll ever know what happened, right?

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Format: Picturebooks

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