Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

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Topic: Diverse & Inclusive Books for EYFS

Picturebook

With breathtaking illustrations and informative text, Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns magnificently captures the world of Islam, celebrating its beauty and traditions for even the youngest readers. From a red prayer rug to a blue hijab, readers will learn about a different color of the Muslim world on each spread with a young Muslim girl and her family as a guide. Sure to inspire questions and observations about world religions and cultures, it is equally at home in a classroom reading circle as it is being read to a child on a parent’s lap.

Abigail has ADHD and can’t concentrate, but one teacher knows just how to get her engaged.

Abigail is frustrated. She can’t focus on writing and fools around instead. She is sent to the cooling down room. After that is music class, and she can’t make any of the instruments work! Just when things are about to go wrong again, the teacher discovers exactly what to do to engage this little girl, and Abigail ends up finding a special voice of her very own.

Picturebook

A little boy and his pet dragon are the very best of friends. They laugh, they sing, they dance, they snooze. They are both amazing – just like everyone else!

A celebration of friendship and being yourself with a positive message about celebrating diversity. The perfect platform to start conversations about the importance of understanding and acceptance.

Steve Antony is the winner of the Oscar’s First Book Prize and has been nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal and shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize.

Picturebook

Susan laughs, she sings, she flies, she swings. She’s good, she’s bad, she’s happy and she’s sad. In fact, Susan is just like everybody else, even though she is in a wheelchair.

Picturebook

A funny, heartfelt picture-book celebrating same-sex parents and shared story time, perfect for introducing children to the different kinds of family in the world today.

Set off on a series of incredible adventures with an adorable family as the stories they read burst into colourful life. Battle dragons, dodge deadly dinosaurs, zoom to the moon and explore the world in a hot air balloon, before winding down in a wonderfully cosy bedtime ending.

The bouncy, rhyming, read-aloud text is brought to life by bestselling, award-winning illustrator Garry Parsons, illustrator of The Dinosaur that Pooped series.

Picturebook

An accessible, warm-hearted story, written by an adoptive parent, centred around two young bears who find themselves out in the cold, alone, and begin their journey to being adopted into a forever family. The story acknowledges the mix of emotions children being adopted can feel – the fear and worry, as well as the joy of experiencing love and kindness from their new carers. With appealing animal characters and beautiful illustrations, The Blanket Bears offers an honest yet gentle account of the complete adoption journey for children starting or trying to understand the process. It’s also a great introduction to young children more widely about how the process of adoption works and how some families come to be together. In order the strike the right balance of accuracy and sensitivity for young readers, the author consulted and collaborated with professionals and psycholigists as well as drawing on the lived experiences of his children. Many children’s books about adoption focus purely on adapting into the new family but this has a more holistic and realistic focus, all from a child’s perspective. This book is perfect for primary schools in early years and key stage 1 to help children empathise with their adopted peers. Social workers, foster carers and adoptive families with younger children often use The Blanket Bears as a soft and sensitive warm up to life story work as it helps adopted children feel less aloneand process their own adoption story through their shared experiences with the bears in the story.

Picturebook

Rex has new glasses and he HATES them! He does NOT want to wear them to school, and he tries to hide them – in the strangest places! But it’s pretty tricky hiding specs that are so big, and round and RED . . .

It’s funny how things turn out, though, because Rex’s specs end up winning him a gold star, and a new friend. Even better, he can SEE properly.

A beautifully illustrated and charming story about the positive effects of being, well, maybe just a little different.

Picturebook

Written by Julia Donaldson, the author of The Gruffalo , and illustrated by Karen George, Freddie and the Fairy is a delightfully witty, rhyming tale.

Freddie wants nothing more than a pet, so when the fairy Bessie-Belle offers to grant his wishes, he knows just what to ask for. But Bessie-Belle can’t hear very well and Freddie tends to mumble, which means the wishes aren’t turning out as planned! Whatever can they do? Luckily the Fairy Queen is on hand to help.

Picturebook

The autistic sister in this sibling pair is non verbal, but she finds plenty of ways to communicate and have fun with her brother. Although she can’t talk, this little girl understands everything, and has plenty to say, and lots of ideas. Through body language, drawing pictures, making gestures or using flash cards, she is able to contribute to their life together. Her brother and granny are able to understand her whether she needs help or is helping them!

Picturebook

Peek into the magic of Diwali in this heart-warming picture book about Diwali, siblings and how very special this celebration can be. This year, Ariana has plans to make Diwali an extra special celebration, with yummy sweets, divas around the house, pretty clothes, fireworks and… the rangoli competition, of course.

“This year, I am DEFINITELY going to win the rangoli competition.”

Everything would go perfectly to plan if it weren’t for Rafi, her annoying little brother, always up to mischief…and always being clumsy! Will he ruin Diwali too?

Includes a non-fiction spread at the back about Diwali and how it is celebrated around the world and in different religions

Touches on what it’s like to be a big sister or brother, the annoying parts and the extra special parts

Written by Sonali Shah, ambassador for the British Asian Trust and BBC broadcaster

Bright and rich colours on every page truly bring the magic of Diwali to life

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Stone Girl Bone Girl

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

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