Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Publisher: Otter-Barry Books

The Brave Little Whale

Picturebook

“Be brave, little Uki, be brave,” calls Grandpa Yuka. But Uki doesn’t feel brave at all!

Uki is a young Humpback Whale. Every year his beloved grandpa Yuka leads little Uki and the whale pod from tropical seas to the icy waters of the Arctic. But this time is different – this time Cousin Amka will be the leader….

There are dangers ahead for the whales, terrible storms and hungry sharks. And when sharp-toothed Orcas attack, Amka becomes trapped deep down, in an old fishing net.

Can Uki remember the song of peace his grandfather taught him? Can he save the pod and will he now be brave enough to lead the whales to safety?

This exciting story with richly coloured illustrations, is inspired by the real lives of Humpback Whales, and includes fascinating facts about the whales and their amazing journey.

The Heart of the Storm

Kate Read & Teresa Heapy

Picturebook

Ruby the fox and Growl the wolf live deep in the forest. There’s just one problem – they hate each other…!

But when a raging storm tears through the forest and the animals have to flee, they must help each other to survive. Can Ruby and Growl overcome their enmity and find friendship in the heart of the storm?

An exciting, fast-paced picture book adventure with stunning illustrations, celebrating courage and the importance of helping each other.

Cities Going Wild… to Save the Planet

Catherine Barr & Christiane Engel

Picturebook

Bring nature to the big city! Cities across the world are doing it – making themselves friendlier places for plants and wildlife – and happier, healthier places for all of us.

Find out about Sky Forests and Bird-Friendly Cities, Spongy Spaces and Rain Gardens, Insect Super-Highways, Living Walls, Urban Jungle Food and all the other ways in which cities worldwide are changing.

Have fun spotting the birds, insects and other creatures that share our cities. And look out for lots of activities, so that YOU can make YOUR city green!

Poetry Pizza

Simon Mole & Tom McLaughlin

Poetry

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!

The Big Green: Everyone Can Make a Difference

Ken Wilson-Max

Picturebook

Maryam and Issa live at the edge of the Sahara Desert in Mali, Africa. One day, they go on an outing with their parents, but this is no ordinary outing. At the edge of the hot, dry desert, people are creating something, something big, something special . . . something green!

In the words of their Uncle Cedric, they’re creating a ‘future’; a better future for the birds, for the bees, for everyone. They are creating a better future, one plant at a time, with adults and children working side by side planting plants across Africa to create a ‘Great Green Wall’.

This is a growing plants story about a fictional family, but the Green Wall project they’re involved in is real, and there are information pages at the back of the book for anyone who would like to know more about this immense, ecological project to grow a green ‘wall’ across Africa, as well as guidance on how to plant a tree yourself.

A beautiful, simple picture book with a valuable message at its heart, one that will hopefully inspire a new generation to go outside and grow.

A Cat Called Waverley

Debi Gliori

Picturebook

Born in a city park, Waverley is looked after by his best friend, Donald. Until, one fateful day, Donald signs up to fight in a war-zone far away. Loyal and patient, the homeless little ginger cat waits for his friend at Edinburgh’s Waverley Station. He waits… and waits. Years go by but Waverley never gives up. He knows that home is where Donald is. Will Donald ever return and will he and Waverley find a home at last?

My Book of Classic Nursery Tales

James Mayhew

Short story collection

What is your favourite children’s story? Goldilocks and the Three Bears? The Enormous Turnip? These age-old tales still hold incredible charm and memorable story lines – with many variations. Did your gingerbread man survive or not? Did your tortoise and hare become friends at the end? What happened to your big bad wolf? Nursery tales, handed down from storyteller to storyteller, have countless variations. This new collection contains eight well-known traditional tales retold by James Mayhew with spell-binding storylines and vivid descriptions, each beautifully illustrated with thoughtful, modern and quirky artwork by the author. My favourite part of this book is the double-page spread at the back of the book, giving a potted history of each of the tales. Who knew that the earliest version of The Three Little Pigs was actually about three little pixies? And would you have guessed that The Tortoise and the Hare dates from more than two thousand years ago? Some of these tales you will remember, some you may not know, but all of them are special and worth sharing with the youngest generation.

The Boy Who Loves to Lick the Wind

Fiona Carswell & Yu Rong

Picturebook

The boy next door loves to lick the wind. “You should try it,” says his mum. “All the best winds are at the beach.”

And so begins an amazing afternoon by the sea for two boys. One doesn’t always speak with words and likes throwing stones – the other likes to collect shells and make sandcastles. But the sea works its magic and by the end of the day the boys discover they both love to lick the wind – together.

All Together Now

Michaela Morgan & Nick Sharratt

Poetry

Words with rhythm, words with rhyme,

Words to make you feel just fine,

To clap your hands, tap your feet

Or click your fingers to the beat.

Words to make you grow… or cower.

Have you heard the word… WORDPOWER!

Exuberant, funny, full of surprises! Put on a show, find your favourite food, look out for animals, then find monsters, famous people and nursery crimes…. This exciting collection from award-winning and multi-anthologised poet Michaela Morgan is perfectly matched by the witty and wonderful pictures of world-renowned illustrator Nick Sharratt.

Unity Street School Saves the Planet

Sheena Davies

Picturebook

Unity Street School Saves the Planet is an engaging and informative book about climate change and what we can do to help. The book does not shy away from the scientific aspects of climate change, like carbon dioxide, but it does so in a child-friendly way. This would be an excellent book as a stimulus to encourage more recycling, developing a green space in school or ways to support wildlife. The illustrations in the book are engaging and clear, and the text is simple to understand.

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Publisher: Otter-Barry Books

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