Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Format: Poetry

Find hamsters, dogs, robins and unicorns, little cars and big diggers – and of course Big Red Dragon, in this brilliant collection of 15 action rhymes for young children and babies.

Rhymes celebrate festivals and special events, such as Easter, Halloween, Diwali, Christmas and Chinese New Year. With clear instructions to parents and carers, there are fun activities and lots of joining in for every rhyme, for babies, toddlers and older children too.

This book is a perfect companion to Jane Newberry’s very popular first collection, Big Green Crocodile, which was shortlisted for the CLiPPA award. At home, playgroup or nursery, the rhymes provide fun while also nurturing children’s responses to language, rhyme and images.

Boost your child’s growing vocabulary with 75 hilariously illustrated poems from Colette Hiller, author of the critically acclaimed kids’ poetry book The B on Your Thumb.

Each poem in this funny, funky book teaches a specific important word, as well as its meaning and spelling, in an innovative and accessible format that kids will love. Using rhythm and wordplay, the poems help build a colossal vocabulary, thinking skills and literacy – without kids even noticing! But most of all, this book delights young readers with the joy and silliness of the English language.

Building a colossal vocabulary has never felt so natural, or so much fun! Each word in this collection is defined in a simple rhyme. Using rhythm, humour and logic, each word’s meaning is made clear and accessible. Kids will want to try them out straight away: it’s a ready-to-use collection! You and your kids will love:

Rolling rhymes that will be chanted again and again
Fun and quirky drawings that bring these educational poems to life
Holistic learning premise from Colette Hiller, skilled in writing educational poetry for children

From Ambiguous to Zealous, the words in this book are for 7-to-12-year-olds. It may seem inconceivable for one book to encompass such a wide age span! But in fact, inconceivable – and all the other words in this book – were selected from vocabulary lists intended for older children, so that younger children can challenge themselves and discover a wealth of great new words!

There’s Dad’s disgusting nettle soup and peculiar pancakes, horrible home haircuts, punishing press-ups and scum in the bath tub. BUT then there’s the joy of boxing lessons with Dad, fun family outings, jokes and pranks – and storytelling round the fire. Not to mention a homemade birthday cake like no other!

The author’s real-life childhood – rough, tough but happy – is vividly depicted in this ground-breaking, debut story told in poems.

‘There is a Season’ is the first children’s book from Kerri Cunningham, also known as Murphy’s Sketches.

This is a wonderful collection of poems to guide you through each season of the year, which is essential for every classroom. It takes you on a journey from April showers in spring to the frosty mornings of winter and everything wonderful in between. There are beautiful poems to be shared as the seasons change, during assemblies or just to enjoy with your class to share a love of poetry.

Celebrating all that nature has to show us and the little things that we can enjoy together throughout the year, it encourages readers to get outside and look for and talk about signs of spring, summer, autumn and winter – also linked to the seasonal change topic in the science National Curriculum.

Do you like peanut butter and popcorn? Would you like to find a friend, or give yourself a fright? See what happens when you live next door to a Viking – and read about the boy who ate his school!

This is an inventive and funny new collection from a very popular school performance poet. Entertaining, laugh-out-loud but also thought-provoking, the poems are perfectly matched by Will Hughes’s wild and witty illustrations.

The ultimate beginner’s guide to the magic of Shakespeare, from the award-winning Michael Rosen and Chris Riddell.

Step inside a sparkling celebration of the wonderful words of William Shakespeare. With former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen as your guide, discover how Shakespeare explores love and heartbreak, magic and superstition, jealousy, beauty and much more in a collection of quotes and speeches taken from his plays – plus a selection of Shakespearean insults and one-liners! Michael Rosen’s commentary illuminates the Bard for beginners alongside sumptuous illustrations by Chris Riddell, making this the perfect book to bring Shakespeare to life for all ages.

PoetryVerse novel

Kwame Alexander’s Booked is a sports-themed verse novel for readers aged 12 and above, all about growing up.

Told through verse, the story follows Nick as he learns to navigate bullies, family changes and first crushes with the same energy he brings to the football pitch. The dynamic style of the poetry makes Nick’s real-world challenges relatable and engaging for young teens.

The novel’s undaunting verse format and fast pace ensure accessibility, even for reluctant readers. Nick’s journey, guided by a librarian, spotlights the power of stories to navigate tough times. Booked tackles themes of family, friendship, resilience and the challenges of growing up, making it a relevant and appealing read for this age group.

‘Blue Jelly and Strawberries’ is as delightful as the title suggests. This is a joyful poetry book brimming with short, easy-to-read poems, which are to be enjoyed by anyone aged 3 to 103!

These short poems are best enjoyed when read aloud, as there are many with rhyming couplets (to be read with a rhythm), onomatopoeias (enjoy moo-ing and neigh-ing) and riddles which will leave little ones howling in laughter.

This is a perfect poetry book to bring love and joy to reading. I would recommend this as a first poetry book to promote how poetry can be fun among younger readers.

The outstanding novel from the Carnegie Medal-winning, former Laureate na nÓg Sarah Crossan; thought-provoking and moving, it explores love and family during The Great Hunger.

Ireland, 1846. Nell is working as a scullery maid in the kitchen of the Big House. Once she loved school and books and dreaming. But there’s not much choice of work when the land grows food that rots in the earth. Now she is scrubbing, peeling, washing, sweeping for Sir Philip Wicken, the man who owns her home, her family’s land, their crops, everything. His dogs are always well fed, even as famine sets in.

Upstairs in the Big House, where Nell is forbidden to enter, is Johnny Browning, newly arrived from England: the young nephew who will one day inherit it all. And as hunger and disease run rampant all around them, a spark of life and hope catches light when Nell and Johnny find each other.

This is a love story, and the story of a people being torn apart. This is a powerful and unforgettable novel from the phenomenally talented Sarah Crossan.

PoetryVerse novel

Written in verse. Ronny moves out of London after his friend is attacked, but he struggles to fit into his new town until he discovers spoken word.

Powerful, empathetic, raw, inspiring and creative!

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