Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Format: Poetry

A PERFECT new baby gift and an ideal toddler read for Christmas with 34 original poems by award-winning poet and author Sean Taylor that each come with its own accompanying easy-to-follow directions for actions and movement.

Any child is in safe hands with this ingenious one-of-a-kind interactive poetry collection.

Stunningly illustrated by Fiona Woodcock, FIVE LITTLE FRIENDS offers parents and caregivers simple and joyful ways to sing and play with their little ones as well as encouraging both children AND grown-ups to use their fingers, hands, arms, legs and even feet to become a stomping elephant, falling snow or bursting fireworks!

Held in a big, handsomely sturdy picture book format – just right for sharing – this book is sure to help entertain, and engage with, wriggling, rolling babies or busy toddlers. Even MORE than this – finger rhymes are a beautifully simple way to help children develop and work on their fine motor skills while supporting their social and emotional development.

– Create some beautiful Christmas memories with this must have title for any child’s library.
– An ideal title for schools and libraries or any kind of early years setting.
– A stunningly designed and deeply practical new baby gift.

A towering figure in the children’s and YA poetry world, John Agard has chosen favourite poems from eight of his previously published collections: I Din Do Nuttin; Say it Again, Granny; No Hickory, No Dickory, No Dock;
Laughter is an Egg; Grandfather’s Old Bruk-a-Down Car; We Animals Would Like a Word With You; Come Back to Me My Boomerang, and Points of View With Professor Peekaboo.

Over 80 poems are included, reflecting the genius of Agard through a range of poetic forms and styles and most of all his extraordinary ability to connect with children of all ages through poetry.

The ultimate book of poetry for gamers and word nerds alike! It’ll make you laugh out loud, be inspired, and mostly want to play!

Get ready to press start on . . . video games, board games, word games, playground games, card games, and play to make you laugh games!
This brilliantly imaginative, interactive collection of poems is packed full of fun!

Illustrated throughout in black and white. Also contains an added flicker book interactive element.

For fans of Minecraft, Roblox, Mario Kart, Pokemon, Lego, Marvel, Harry Potter, Monopoly and Uno!

The perfect gift for young video gamers!

PoetryVerse novel

Dad has moved out and Ani is struggling to accept his absence. Her mysterious neighbour, Nando, and his secret nocturnal trips provide a welcome distraction.

An enchanting tale of secret nighttime walks, a mysterious fox and finding friendship in the most unexpected of places.

When Ani follows Nando in the dead of night, she doesn’t expect to come face-to-face with the wild fox he has befriended. During each nighttime visit they learn a little more about the fox, and each other.

But are Ani and Nando ready for the new challenges this friendship brings? And can caring for another creature bring more harm than good in this strange secret world?

PoetryVerse novel

Kwame Alexander weaves a spellbinding story of struggle, determination and the unflappable faith of an American family.

Twelve-year-old Charley is set on becoming the first female pitcher to play professional baseball, even if that’s a lofty dream for a Black girl in the American South in the 1920s. Even so, her grandfather Kofi’s thrilling stories about courageous ancestors and epic journeys make it impossible not to dream big. She knows he has so much more to tell, but according to her parents, she isn’t old enough to know about certain things, like what happened to Booker Preston that one night in Great Bridge, and why she can never play on the brand-new baseball field on the other side of town.

When Charley challenges a neighbourhood bully to a game at the church picnic, she knows she can win, even with her ragtag team. Then a dispute on the field leads to Charley making a fateful decision, one that will bring consequences she never could have imagined.

PoetryVerse novel

A powerful verse novel about sexual consent, unplanned pregnancy and the breaking of taboos.

Marnie’s really messed up this time – expelled and forced to change schools, the only empty seat in Marnie’s new school is next to Zed, a nerd with zero tolerance for mistakes. Marnie (skilled at art and Spanish, struggles with numbers) can’t wait to lose her virginity. Zed (brilliant at maths and physics, loathes languages) is a loner who can’t stand being touched. They couldn’t be less alike, but they both need good grades in the subjects they hate.

What starts as a trade in tuition turns into an unlikely friendship – and after Marnie has sex with a boy who lies about using a condom, she needs Zed’s help to make the hardest decision of her life.

In this debut collection for children Sarah takes the reader on a vibrant journey based on her acute observations of everyday life and language. Loosely arranged across a school year – September through Halloween, Christmas, Spring, Summer holidays, a new school year/just before secondary – Sarah’s witty observations, juxtapositions, and playful use of language pervade every poem and bring a vivid charm and freshness to every page.

This debut collection heralds the emergence of a strikingly new and inventive voice in children’s poetry.

PoetryVerse novel

A novel in verse about teenage love and friendships, lost and found.

Daisy can feel like a solo act at home. On the outside of her twin brothers’ intense relationship, she leans towards her parents, particularly her father, for support. As a passionate classical musician, she is not wildly popular at
school, but she has one close friend and a life filled with musical performance. Her life is turned upside down when her boyfriend suddenly breaks up with her, and Daisy is left disconnected from her one true love, music.

When she makes a new friend at school, mysterious Flora, Daisy finds a glimmer of peace in her chaotic life. Just as everything seems to be getting better, they all fall apart. Family tensions heighten as Daisy’s dad falls ill and
Daisy needs to decide should she find her way back to who she was or look towards who she is going to become.

Here, inside a bright and breezy cover, are ninety-three pages of illustrated, imaginative, occasionally quite incisive, and consistently inspiring verse. Inspiring because, if poetry can be this much fun, readers (of any age) will want to have a go themselves. It’s possible some will try to pen a haiku (see p.41), but probably not the problematic triolet (p.59). Or they might simply take some of Simon Mole’s ideas like Mind Map, It Might Not Be OK And That’s OK and Cure for End of the Day Blues (to help them relax) or Us in the Car (as a game to play on long journeys).

There are also fun fabrications of dictionary entries, eg ‘Flooble’, and extrapolations of events like ‘The Last Wee’, which are certain to bring a smile to the face. We’ll all have our favourites, although it’s not easy to choose: will it be Seven Ways to Love a Garden Snail (silly!), the clever You Choose or the touching A Love Poem You Can Read Quietly.

How many of these poems are based on the author’s own experiences, is not clear (did Dad really fill the bath with lemonade?), but it is clear that Simon Mole has a sparkling sense of humour and a real talent for cooking up a feast. Perform them, use them (eg to craft your own version of LOL with a.n.other abbreviation), share them and enjoy them!

Taking inspiration from everything from cat fleas to cloud gazing, FRESH is a lively collection of poems for primary school-age children, which explores starting over, the natural world, expressing your feelings and kindness. As well as the ‘fun stuff’, many of the poems in FRESH touch on mental health and wellbeing, covering subjects such as shifting friendships, sadness, loss, coping with worry, and being left out. Complete with stunning black and white illustrations from former UK Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell.

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