Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Home > Books

Topic: Back to School Picturebooks

Picturebook

Sadness has come to live with me and I am building it a shelter. I am building a shelter for my sadness and welcoming it inside.

A small boy creates a shelter for his sadness, a safe space where Sadness is welcome, where it can curl up small, or be as big as it can be, where it can be noisy or quiet, or anything in between. The boy can visit the shelter whenever he needs to, every day, sometimes every hour, and the two of them will cry and talk or just sit, saying nothing.

And the boy knows that one day Sadness may come out of the shelter, and together they will look out at the world, and see how beautiful it is.

A poignant and heart-warming picture book exploring the importance of making space and time for our own griefs, small or large, sensitively visualized with David Litchfield’s stunning illustration.

Picturebook

A moving, powerful story that shines a light on those that feel invisible in our world – and shows us that we ALL belong – from the author of Ruby’s Worry .

The Invisible is the story of a young girl called Isabel and her family. They don’t have much, but they have what they need to get by. Until one day, there isn’t enough money to pay their rent and bills and they have to leave their home full of happy memories and move to the other side of the city.

It is the story of a girl who goes on to make one of the hardest things anyone can ever make…a difference.

And it is the story of those who are overlooked in our society – who are made to feel invisible – and why everyone has a place here. We all belong.

Picturebook

Follow The Colour Monster on a brand new adventure, as he navigates his way through his first day at school!

Anna Llenas’s popular Colour Monster is back, and this time he’s heading off to school! But what exactly is school? A spooky castle filled with terrifying animals? A place in the sky, amongst the rainbows and clouds?

From music lessons, to lunchtime, to making new friends, the Colour Monster’s first day of school is filled with exciting new adventures.

Picturebook

Be open, be honest, be you! Big Bright Feelings for little people. Norman had always been perfectly normal . . . until the day he grew a pair of wings!

Norman loves his new wings, and has the most fun ever trying them out high in the sky. But then he has to go in for dinner. What will his parents think? What will everyone else think? Norman feels the safest plan is to cover his wings with a big coat.

But hiding the thing that makes you different proves tricky and upsetting. Can Norman ever truly be himself?

This poignant and uplifting story about individuality is filled with stunning artwork in a striking minimal palette. From Tom Percival’s bestselling Big Bright Feelings series, it is the perfect book about self-acceptance and being yourself.

Picturebook

It’s a beautiful day and Worrysaurus has planned a special picnic.

But it isn’t long before a small butterfly of worry starts fluttering in his tummy . . .
What if he hasn’t brought enough to eat?
What if he gets lost in the jungle?
What if he trips and falls?
What if it rains?!

Can Worrysaurus find a way to chase his fears away and have fun?

The perfect book to help every anxious little dinosaur let go of their fears and feel happy in the moment.

Picturebook

Can I Build Another Me? follows a child’s hilarious, wildly inventive train of thought as he decides to make a clone of himself – and starts to ponder what makes him HIM. Is it the scar on his knee or his sticky palms? Is it his love of acorns or the way he winks? The more he thinks about it, the more complicated it becomes..

Picturebook

Sometimes we are loud, sometimes we are quiet, sometimes bold and clanky, sometimes soft and cuddly. Sophy Henn celebrates all the different, extraordinary and sometimes contradictory things we are in this joyful and colourful rhyming picture book. Perfect to read aloud – and then read again, and again!

Non-fictionPicturebook

What are germs? How do they spread? And how do medicines help? Curious young children can take a closer look at those mischievous, microscopic bacteria and viruses in this fascinating introduction to germs and hygiene, with 30 flaps to lift and tips on hand-washing and staying healthy. Written with advice from Public Health England.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Your Review

Stone Girl Bone Girl

review

Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:

Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:

Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?

yes

Curriculum links (if relevant)

Curriculum links (if relevant)

Any other comments

Any other comments