Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

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Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Non-fiction

Join Roma Agrawal, the award-winning structural engineer who worked on The Shard, for an exciting behind-the-scenes look at some of the world’s most amazing landmarks.

Meet the extraordinary people who challenged our beliefs about what’s possible, pioneering remarkable inventions that helped build the Brooklyn Bridge in the US, the Pantheon in Italy, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Shard in England and the Sapporo Dome in Japan. Discover the ingenious methods engineers have come up with to enable us to build underground, underwater, on ice and even in space. And learn about the impact different forces and materials can have on a structure by carrying out your own engineering experiments from the ‘Try it at Home’ sections.

Beautiful and detailed illustrations by Katie Hickey, including cross-sections, skylines and close-ups of engineering techniques in action, provide unique and illuminating perspectives of our most awe-inspiring constructions. Get ready to see the built world around you like never before!

Non-fiction

When the first passengers climbed aboard the earliest ever underground train in 1863, it would have been impossible to imagine how the London Underground would change and grow over the next 150 years. From smelly steam trains running along a single track to the innovative electric tube system speeding through a vast network of tunnels beneath our feet today, the London Underground keeps this busy city on the move. The Story of the London Underground tells the extraordinary history of the world’s most famous underground railway. Explore Victorian London as the Brunels dig deep under the Thames. Take refuge in the tunnels during World War II and discover which world leader’s bath was found in an abandoned station. Marvel at the famous fossil wall, deserted ghost stations and unusual spiral escalators that are all part of the London Underground’s fascinating history. Published in association with TfL, this beautiful book from Blue Peter Award-winning author David Long and exceptionally talented artist Sarah McMenemy tells a captivating story of the London Underground that will delight children and grown-ups alike.

Poetry

Blast off into space and explore the galaxies with a constellation of illustrated poems about the sun, moon and stars, black holes and worm holes, asteroids and meteorites, and even weird alien life forms.

From shape poems and free verse to rhymes, kennings and haikus, Spaced Out will take you on an intergalactic adventure. Join Brian Moses and James Carter and a wealth of new and established poets to discover your inner space cadet!

This starry collection is the perfect way to get children interested in poetry.

Poetry

From armadillos, flamingos and umbrella birds to quokkas and iguanas, Elli Woollard presents a lovely collection of poems for younger children about pets which are just a little bit peculiar…

Filled with fun rhymes, quirky black-and-white illustrations and exotic animals, this book is perfect for reading aloud. Some poems are hilarious, some are gruesome and some will make you want to wash your hair, but there’s sure to be a pet poem here for every child and adult alike. With a poem for every letter of the alphabet and tips for children writing their own rhymes, this is the perfect book for budding young poets aged 3+.

Poetry

From acrostics and riddles to kennings and paradiddles, this is a fun anthology of puzzling poems which also encourages children to have a go at writing poetry themselves. I am a Jigsaw is perfect for teachers who want to introduce different forms of poetry to pupils, and ideal for parents looking to entertain their children at home with puzzles and riddles.

Including puzzle poems ranging from easy to difficult, different poem styles and lots of humour, join Roger Stevens as he helps young readers crack the codes and learn to write their own puzzling poems that will baffle even the greatest mind.

Poetry

Shortlisted for the Laugh Out Loud Awards – the UK’s only prize for funny children’s books.

Packed full of silly, funny, or downright hilarious poems (with a few serious ones mixed in) this brilliant collection from exciting young poet, Joshua Seigal is perfect for fans of Michael Rosen and anyone else who needs a giggle. If you like poetry, you’ll like this book. And if you don’t like poetry you’ll LOVE it!

Picturebook

A fantastic first book of feelings that introduces little ones to a wide range of emotions. Why are the animals happy? What has made them feel sad? What do YOU feel excited about?

We feel happy when reading our favourite book. We feel calm when we have a bath. We feel excited when we go to a party! We Feel Happy is the perfect book for starting a conversation about feelings with children. The animals are experiencing lots of different emotions, from the hippos who are excited to visit their friends to the shark who is grumpy about brushing its teeth.

Includes learning hooks such as counting, first words and recognising animals, interactive speech bubbles, prompts and ideas on how to process and understand our emotions and lots of interesting things to spot on every page.

Picturebook

Who am I? I ask myself. What makes me a ME? I think hard with all my might, And look around to see.

What makes you a you? Are you like a sports car – lightning fast? Or maybe you’re like a tree … Do your arms stick out like branches? No? Then perhaps you’re like a snail – very slow (especially when it’s time for school!).

A funny and thought-provoking look at what makes us us, from Ben Faulks (known as Mr Bloom from CBeebies) and David Tazzyman (bestselling illustrator of You Can’t Take an Elephant on the Bus ). Guaranteed to feed the imagination, this celebration of being who we are is perfect for inquisitive (and inventive!) little minds.

Picturebook

Meesha loves making things . . . but there’s one thing she finds difficult to make – friends. She doesn’t know quite what to do, what to say or when to say it. But one day she discovers that she has a special talent that might just help her navigate social situations – and maybe even make new friends. A warm and affectionate look at the joys and difficulties of making and keeping friends, relating to others, and finding your place in the world.

Picturebook

Ruby loves being Ruby. Until, one day, she finds a worry. At first it’s not such a big worry, and that’s all right, but then it starts to grow. It gets bigger and bigger every day and it makes Ruby sad. How can Ruby get rid of it and feel like herself again?

A perceptive and poignant story that is a must-have for all children’s bookshelves. From Tom Percival’s bestselling Big Bright Feelings series, this is the perfect book for discussing childhood worries and anxieties, no matter how big or small they may be.

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