Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Bear is utterly exhausted and is looking to get a good night’s sleep but his neighbour Duck has other ideas. This hilarious story, illustrated by Benji Davies who is the master of drawing an increasingly knackered bear, has me giggling every time I’ve returned to it. As it turns out, it also happens to be a true-to-life reimagining of my son’s toddler years where I am played by Bear and he is played by Duck.

From the lost boys to the mischievous mermaids and madcap swagger of Captain Hook, there’s so much I love about this book. But what gets me most, every time, is the heart-breaking ending – the disconnect between Peter and Wendy now that she is grown-up and he never will be. I’ve tried to capture something of that painful disconnect in the relationship between my mortal and vampire characters.

You’ve met the Iron Giant, the Big Friendly Giant and the Selfish Giant. Now meet the Green Giant! A young girl, Bea, and her dog, Iris, are staying with her grandad in the country. Bea is bored, but Iris’s adventures lead them to the small and rusty old greenhouse next door. Inside the greenhouse, Bea finds… a giant. A giant made entirely of plants and greenery. Bea is scared, but the giant reassures her and explains that he has escaped from the grey city. Bea and the giant become friends, and together they try and find a way to make the grey city a greener place. This is a lovely picture book and Katie has recently released a follow on, ‘The Blue Giant’, which addresses issues of plastic waste in the oceans.

I love all funny books, but it’s rare for one to make me actually laugh out loud… the Mr Gum books never fail to make this happen. This particular one is probably my favourite in the brilliant series, not least because of the song, ‘Crazy Barry Fungus’, which is a work of total genius. If my daughter and I want to make each other laugh like drains, we just quote the song’s line, ‘You stupid dangerous weirdo’ at each other and proceed to fall about in fits of giggles for the next week or two. Our lives were incomplete before we discovered Polly, Friday O’Leary, Alan Taylor (the best name for a gingerbread man with electric muscles EVER) and of course the always-foul Mr Gum and Billy William. These books always cheer me right up.

Chapter book

If I could only choose one book for this list, it would be I, Robot. It’s a collection of connected short stories written mid-twentieth century, featuring the robots manufactured by Asimov’s fictional organisation, U.S. Robotics and Mechanical Men, Inc. I, Robot explores the ethics and practicalities of artificially intelligent machines, and each story is brilliantly plotted within the strict framework of Asimov’s three laws of robotics. My desert island robot book.

This was read aloud to Beanstalk staff at a recent conference and there were people crying with laughter! A wonderfully funny rhyming book filled with plenty of tongue twisters which children and adults will love trying to read out loud together. Practice also makes perfect with this and often children will refine their technique first before their reading helper. A great book for adults as well as it shows you how many words rhyme with ‘otter’!

Ben hates spending time with his boring granny while his parents go off to their ballroom dancing, but it turns out that there is much more to her than meets the eye! Because Granny is really a gangsta. Together they go on an adventure and become the best of friends.

This vibrantly illustrated rhyming picture book makes for a egg-cellent dinosaur-themed story time. The little band of dinosaurs that emerge from their eggs all have different names and personalities. Can late-comer Greg find a way to be included with the others? You may also like the second book in the series, Give Peas a Chance.

This first new novel in two years from the Nation’s Favourite Storyteller is a sweeping story of love and rescue – an unforgettable journey to the Greek island of Ithaca, and back in time to World War Two…

Australian-Greek girl Nandi travels to her ancestors’ home in Ithaca, and discovers – through a friendship with an extremely unusual flying fish – the extraordinary story of her great-aunt Elena; of how she fell in love, in the hardest of times, and how of how she became an unsung hero of World War Two.

But Elena has gone missing, and Nandi has to find her. In her search, she will discover that Elena was an even greater hero than she thought – and still is…

Nandi’s story is a beautiful and inspiring tale of personal discovery, of love and place and belonging, threaded through with the quiet heroism of everyday people. Stunningly illustrated throughout by acclaimed artist George Butler, and full of magic, myth and mystery, it is a classic Morpurgo novel that will move and thrill every reader who loved Private Peaceful and War Horse , and combines all the hallmarks of this beloved Master Storyteller.

Brand new adventures for Barry Loser in this new series of full colour graphic novels – perfect for fans of DogMan, Bunny vs Monkey and Kitty Quest

Celebrating Barry Loser’s 10th birthday with a new series of graphic novel adventures!

The bestselling, award-winning Barry Loser series is ten years old and Barry, Bunky, Nancy and the gang are off on a series of new adventures – in full colour graphic novel format and with ‘how to draw’ sections to help you make your own comic books!

In the first book, Barry has had enough of being a loser and wants to prove he’s a Total Winner, but when his parents ban him from gaming he has to think outside of the box . . . Barry also has a new cat called French Fries – the keelest cat ever amen.

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