Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Publisher: Penguin Random House Children's UK

The Artist

Picturebook

Looking at the fun, exuberantly coloured monster on the front cover of The Artist, it’s easy to recall countless children concentrating intently on their artwork. That fearless, limitless creativity which can be witnessed in classrooms around the world certainly must have inspired Ed Vere to write his wonderful book!

The book is written about ‘an artist’ and how artists can see the world differently from other people because they take time to really ‘look’. As the story continues, it unpicks how artists work with different materials and media, using their imagination to take them to faraway places or bring them closer to the ones they love.

The artist in this book paints a blank canvas of a town but makes a mistake and loses some of the bravery and creativity it has had; taking advice from a young child to get it back.

As a text to share to support children in regaining some of their bravery around art, it’s a brilliant resource. It also works well as a book for younger readers who are looking at how to use different materials creatively. The illustrations are amazing and would be a brilliant inspiration for class or whole school art projects which focus on creativity and imagination.

That’s Not My Name

Anoosha Syed

Picturebook

An uplifting picture book about loving your name, finding your voice and standing up for yourself.

Mirha is so excited for her first day of school! She can’t wait to learn, play and make new friends. But when her classmates keep mispronouncing her name, she goes home wondering if she should find a new one.

When Mama helps Mirha see just how special her name is, she returns to school the next day determined to help her classmates say it correctly.

Featuring beautiful, vibrant illustrations and with an empowering message at its core, this heartwarming picture book from author-illustrator Anoosha Syed reminds us all just how important our names are!

You Choose: Fairy Tales

Nick Sharratt & Pippa Goodhart

Picturebook

Make up your very own fairy tale adventure where YOU CHOOSE what happens next! Which fairy tale hero would you like to be today? Where will you go on your fairy tale quest? And what fairy tale baddy would you least like to meet?

The possibilities are infinite in this captivating creative toolkit which will inspire children from three up to make their own stories again and again.

The Hodgeheg

Dick King Smith

Chapter book

The 35th anniversary of The Hodgeheg – a timeless classic tale for young children from the master of animal stories, Dick King-Smith. Includes an author profile and interview, and fun facts.

Max is a hedgehog who lives with his family in a nice little home, but it’s on the wrong side of the road from the Park where there’s a beautiful lily pond and plenty of juicy slugs, worms and snails!
The busy road is dangerous but Max is determined to make his way across. If humans can do it, why can’t hedgehogs? His first attempt ends in a nasty bump on the head and, when Max tries to speak, he realises his words are all mixed up. He is no longer a hedgehog but a hodgeheg!

Still determined to fulfil his mission, Max discovers the best way to cross the road – with the help of the lollipop lady and some careful detective work . . .

The Borrowers

Mary Norton

Chapter book

Don’t move!’ said a voice, and the voice, like the eye, was enormous but somehow, hushed – and hoarse like a surge of wind through the grating on a stormy night in March. Arrietty froze. ‘So this is it,’ she thought, ‘the worst and most terrible thing of all: I have been “seen”!

The Borrowers live in the secret places of quiet old houses; behind the mantelpiece, inside the harpsichord, under the kitchen clock. They own nothing, borrow everything, and never forget their most important rule: you must never, ever be ‘seen’ by the human beans.

Arrietty is desperate to be an expert Borrower like her father, Pod. But it’s dangerous work, and girls are forbidden to venture Upstairs. Arrietty is thrilled to be given a chance to prove herself – but disaster strikes on her very first outing: she is seen by The Boy! But to everyone’s surprise, a wonderful, unlikely friendship is formed. But soon the Borrowers find themselves in terrible danger, and only The Boy can help.

Full of wonderfully inventive details and beautiful, gentle humour, The Borrowers is a timeless tale of bravery, friendship and borrowing . . .

Little Red Riding Hood

Mandy Ross

Picturebook

The classic fairy tale – Little Red Riding Hood – from Ladybird!

A perfect introduction to the classic story Little Red Riding Hood. Find out why grandmother has such big teeth! Part of the Ladybird First Favourite Tales series – a perfect introduction to fairy tales for preschoolers – it contains amusing pictures and lots of funny rhythm and rhyme to delight young children. Ideal for reading aloud and sharing with 2-4 year olds.

Ladybird’s First Favourite Tales series is hugely popular and is a great introduction to the most important fairytales. 2011 brought a new look and great covers to the series, but the books are still just as fun to read as ever.

The Pea and the Princess

Mini Grey

Picturebook

Once upon a time there was an enchanting fairytale about a prince who was looking for a real princess to be his bride. The only way to tell whether the many princesses who applied for the post were really royal, legend had it, was to see if they would be able to feel a tiny little pea through dozens of luxurious mattresses as they slept. Only the princess who emerged the next morning complaining of the extreme discomfort in which she had passed the night, could possibly be good enough to be the prince’s bride . . . All well and enchanting, but has anyone stopped to think about how all this might have felt for the pea in question? No. So here, for the first time, straight from the pea, is the truth about this much-loved, oft-repeated fairytale.

Each Peach Pear Plum

Allan Ahlberg & Janet Ahlberg

Picturebook

The classic storybook Each Peach Pear Plum is an ideal choice for Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) due to its fun rhyming verses, lovable illustrations by Janet and Allan Ahlberg and familiar fairy-tale characters that children enjoy spotting. Readers who recognise the characters will have fun guessing the rhymes, using the pictures for clues (Where is Cinderella? In the cellar! Who is in the wood? Robin Hood!).

The book has stood the test of time and remains a firm favourite with Preschool and Reception children.

Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy

Lynley Dodd

Picturebook

Lovable canine Hairy Maclary sets off for a walk and encounters all kinds of friends along the way, whose names cleverly rhyme with their descriptions – from Bottomley Potts covered in spots to Schnitzel von Krumm with his very low tum.

This classic read-aloud book that shows how fun rhyming can be is a staple in Early Years classrooms and for good reason. With its bounce-along rhythm, delightful rhymes and charming illustrations of dogs, its memorable characters and catchy verses stay with you well after the pages close.

Skeleton Crew

Allan Ahlberg

Picturebook

Skeleton Crew is one of the titles in Allan Ahlberg’s iconic children’s picture book series about skeletons, Funnybones. Despite being set in a dark dark house, this brightly coloured book is perfect for early readers!

“Zzz!” The three skeletons enjoy a holiday on-board their little boat. But one night – “Yo-ho-ho” – the pirates come and put them out to sea on a tiny raft, launching them on an oceanful of new adventures.

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