Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Publisher: Flying Eye Books

Ollie, Bea and Ula do everything together. They play in the waves, eat shellfish feasts and snuggle up together to sleep. But there comes a day in every otter’s life when they must find a perfect rock. One shiny and strong enough to crack open shells for themselves. When they find the best rock of all, who will get to keep it?

This picture book about sibling struggles and family love makes a cosy bedtime read that can help with difficult conversations about sharing. Sarah Noble’s gorgeous illustrations bring the world of sea otters to life.

When I was a pirate, I woke up to whale song. A chorus of humpback, beluga and blue. They waved with their tails, as we sailed along. Back when I was a pirate, before I met you. Although these days Grandpa might prefer his rocking chair to climbing the rigging or hoisting the mainsail, he was once a swashbuckling pirate! As he tells his grandchildren tales of his piratical adventures on the high seas, their imagination takes them on an unforgettable journey. Treasure maps and sailing ships come to life in this heart-warming rhyming picture book about the surprising adventures of those you love. This is not only a story about pirates, but also family bonds and building memories.

Professor Astro Cat is much loved in schools for non-fiction guides relating to space, atoms, human bodies and deep-sea voyages. Frontiers of Space was first published in 2013 as the starting book in the series and is now back with a new edition featuring eight new spreads and updated details about how rockets work, recent missions to Mars, space junk, black holes, and many more new insights into the ever-developing science of space and the outer reaches of the universe. There’s something new to learn about on every page.

Fictional guide Professor Astro Cat walks his readers through some of the key questions that children might have about the universe, and many more that they’ve probably never even thought about before. Where does our sun go at night? What are stars made of? If the Earth was a cherry tomato, what size would the other planets be (hint: Mars would be a pea and Jupiter a watermelon).

This is a beautifully designed non-fiction book with illustrations by an artist whose use of bold shapes and retro colours draws readers right in to enjoy soaking up the information. Each page has plenty of varied and interesting information to read and – coupled with the quality, durable feel of the book – the purchase of this text is a good investment as readers are likely to get a lot out of each sitting and still be left with plenty to come back and discover.

If you have yet to fall in love with the Astro Cat series, this is a great place to start.

Part of Ella Bailey’s acclaimed series of nonfiction for young readers, we follow a young penguin through a day in its life in the Antarctic.From breakfast to dinner, dusk to dawn, children will love spending the day with this curious penguin chick. In the latest volume of Ella Bailey’s picture book exploration of the daily lives of baby animals, we head to the ice shelf to meet a young penguin chick. What does she and her family eat? How many brothers and sisters does she have? What do they do for fun?

Greetings, my little Astro Kittens! Are you ready to take off on your first space adventure? Join Professor Astro Cat as we learn all about Cosmic Machines! Advancements in space technology mean that we now know more than ever before about what’s out there in the Universe. From rockets to rovers, this beautifully designed board book introduces young explorers to some of the most innovative and incredible machinery that has opened our eyes and broadened our minds to things we could never have imagined.

Run with the Olympic athletes and sweat it out in the deadly ballgame courts of the Aztecs in this beautifully illustrated and informative guide to the sports and games that have entertained people for the past 2500 years.

How did the Vikings keep themselves occupied between raids? What tricks did medieval Japanese sumo wrestlers have to win their matches? With fascinating facts and detailed pictures, this book is the perfect guide to everything to do with games, from the tiniest chess pieces to the biggest sports tournaments.

He came over the pastures like a mean thunderstorm… fast as lightening was the dirty dog. All of the animals of the valley lived in peace and harmony until the big greedy dog appeared. He was so greedy that he gobbled up everything he could see! Happily for our animal friends, there was plenty of room for them all to live and play in the dog’s big bad belly. Perhaps it’s not so great to be the biggest and baddest animal in the valley after all…

Hilda can never sit still for long without setting off on another adventure. She can’t resist exploring her enchanting worlda place where trolls walk, crows speak, and mountains move. The magic and folklore of the wild, windswept North come alive in this book about an adventurous little girl and her habit of befriending anything, no matter how curious it might seem. While on an expedition to illustrate the magical creatures of the mountains around her home, Hilda spots a mountain troll. As the blue-haired explorer sits and sketches, she slowly starts to nod off. By the time she wakes up, the troll has totally disappeared and, even worse, Hilda is lost in a snowstorm. On her way home, Hilda befriends a lonely wooden man, and narrowly avoids getting squashed by a lost giant. This brand new paperback edition of Hilda and the Troll offers a fresh chance to read the very first outing in Luke Pearson’s ever-popular series of magical Hilda adventures. This brand new paperback edition offers a fresh chance to read the first outing of Luke Pearson’s magical Hilda adventures.

Did you know that under the sea, deep in the forest, and out in the desert there are creatures that make light all by themselves? The Earth is full of curious creatures that really do glow in the dark.

From fireflies and sea turtles to puffins (yes, puffins!), scorpions and squirrels, this beautifully illustrated non-fiction picture book reveals a hidden world of amazing glowing animals. How do they glow? And what is the brightest creature of all? Read on to find out all sorts of fascinating facts about these incredible creatures. Children will discover how and why these creatures glow, and explore how humans have tried to harness their dazzling skills. A perfect book for children with a curiosity to learn more about the wonderful animals we share our planet with.

There is so much detail in this beautiful book – each page stirs heart wrenching thoughts and sparks discussion. An extremely useful book to aid understanding and empathy of the refugee crisis.

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