Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Topic: EYFS Topics

The best children’s books about construction for EYFS

Children love exploring the topic of construction, with its big ideas and even bigger machines! This list of the best children’s books about construction includes informative non-fiction such as Building a Home, alongside hilarious fiction titles like You Can’t Let an Elephant Drive a Digger. Find books for your construction area or to inspire young readers who love diggers, building and junk modelling.

The next best thing to donning a hard hat, this carefully curated collection of books will transport young readers to a range of construction sites, and get them thinking about what they might build themselves!

The best children’s books about the jungle for EYFS

A timeless favourite in EYFS, the jungle topic offers a feast for all the senses, as well as a chance to learn about exotic animals. This list of the best children’s books about the jungle offers a richly illustrated journey through this magical yet fragile habitat, inviting young readers to let their imaginations run wild.

From storytime classics like Elmer and Walking Through the Jungle to gorgeously illustrated picturebooks like Leap Frog and You’re Safe with Me, this list will bring the animals of the jungle to life for young readers.

Please note, if you are looking for rainforest themed books for older readers, try our Rainforest KS2 Topic Booklist.

The best Forest School children’s books for EYFS and KS1

Exploring the wonders of nature in a forest school environment can help to nurture children’s curiosity, creativity and love for the outdoors. This list of the best forest school books for children can be used to inspire forest school sessions or outdoor learning in woodland areas.

This list of recommended forest school books for children will help readers to get creative with The Big Book of Nature Art, take time to appreciate moments in nature with Slow Down, or join Squishy McFluff on a Camping Adventure!

With titles ranging from beautifully illustrated nature-inspired non-fiction to laugh-out-loud rhyming adventures set in the woods, these are the best children’s books to inspire learning in nature.

 

The best children’s books about shopping and money for EYFS

From the sights and smells of the market to the excitement of a toy shop, shopping can be a feast for the senses! This carefully curated list of the best children’s books about shopping captures the joy of shopping, while teaching valuable lessons about money and making choices.

Featuring gorgeously illustrated titles like Off to the Market and A Gift for Amma alongside favourite characters such as Spot and Squishy McFluff, there’s no need to shop around for a list of the best children’s books about shopping!

The best pirate stories and pirate children’s books

Discover a treasure trove of swashbuckling tales with our list of the best children’s books about pirates!

Featuring laugh-out-loud stories like Pirates Love Underpants alongside classics like Skeleton Crew, this list of children’s pirate stories has something for everyone. Sunk! and The Pirate Tree offer captivating stories of friendship, while children can learn their first anatomy facts in Give Me Back My Bones! or count along with Ten Little Pirates.

If you are looking for recommended pirate story books for children, this specially selected reading list for EYFS has got you covered…

Recommended children’s books about food

Immerse yourself in the delicious topic of Food Glorious Food!

This collection of books about food combines rich illustrations and fascinating facts with an array of world cuisine to bring the EYFS Food Glorious Food topic to life. From a curry-loving penguin to a giant jam sandwich, this list of children’s books about food features farm-to-fork fact books alongside a love letter to chocolate cake. So what are you waiting for? Dig in!

This topic booklist is aimed at children aged 3-7. For books about food and digestion for older children, try our Food & Digestion Topic (KS2) booklist.

With the tagline “There’s a bright spark of braveness inside us all!”, who could fail to be won over by this book?

Told in rhyme, this is an utterly delightful story. The quality of the rhyme is just wonderful; when rhyme works like this, nothing forced, just clever use of language, you can tell this is a book that is destined to be a classic.

The story is about finding courage, told through hilarious farmyard escapades with a fun cast of characters. The chicken who knits (her friend Marge wears a fantastic jumper!) is scared of everything. She is such a wonderful character, the reader can’t help but fall for her. The chicken with the tractor ranks as my favourite; no-one would mess with her. It brings to mind the Aardman films with Shaun the Sheep and the Chicken Run, mainly because of the force of personality that shines out from the illustrations.

There is something to enjoy in this book for all ages and I am very much hoping we will see more of Mavis in the future.

Best children’s books about life cycles

Hatching, growing, changing… this list brings you the best children’s books about life cycles. Featuring butterflies, seeds, eggs and more, this collection covers the life cycles of a huge range of creatures and plants. From favourite stories to fascinating non-fiction texts with vibrant illustrations, children in the Early Years and KS1 will love exploring the science of how all sorts of organisms change and grow with our list of recommended children’s books about the topic of life cycles.

Recommended children’s books about colours

Lose yourself in the glorious world of colours. This collection of books about colours mixes vibrant illustrations, heartwarming stories and fascinating science to offer a range of perspectives on the EYFS colours topic. Rainbows and crayons feature alongside favourite characters to bring the colours topic to life. Brighten up your classroom with this list of the best children’s books for learning about colours.

Best children’s books about festivals and celebrations

Let’s celebrate! Featuring fun picturebooks and fascinating non-fiction texts, this collection of the best children’s books about festivals and celebrations offers a colourful and insightful global journey. Learn about festivals from a range of cultures and traditions and extend your children’s understanding of important religious celebrations with this list of books for Early Years and Key Stage One classrooms, designed to bring the topic of festivals and celebrations to life.

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