Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

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Topic: Geography

Non-fiction

Down where worms wriggle and microbes squirm, there’s a whole world waiting to be discovered…

Under Your Feet delves beneath the Earth’s surface and explores the diverse wonders hidden there. Encounter creatures of the deep and marvel at the mind-boggling size of the humongous fungus – the biggest organism in the world. Learn how one handful of ordinary soil contains more organisms than there are people on Earth, and carry out experiments using dirt from your own back garden.

Under Your Feet offers you the opportunity to expand your knowledge of the natural world and soil-dwelling creatures big and small. Bursting with colourful illustrations and photography, this is the perfect book for budding young plant experts, animal fanatics, and geologists, and anyone who is curious about the ground we walk on.

Non-fiction

Vroom Vroom! Peep Peep! We have blast off! William Bee is back with this bumper book of all his favourite vehicles!

Find out all about the weird and wonderful world of trucks, trains, and tractors, as well as aeroplanes, submarines, rockets and more! It features William’s turbo-powered high speed truck, his fire truck, his super collection of tractors – from extra-wide to super-small – and his locomotives, as well as his rocket in which he travels to the moon, his super speedy speedboat (which gets stolen by his dog!).

Join William, his dog and his gang of unruly traffic cones on a grand tour of the world of transport. And can you spot the toy rabbit hidden on every double page spread?

This hardback anthology of three books is the perfect gift for the little transport enthusiast in your life.

Picturebook

Choose your favourite vehicle and LET’S GO! Join all the busy animals as they zoom around in every kind of vehicle you can imagine, vibrantly illustrated by the talented Katie Abey.

Is that a cheeky monkey flying a plane? And did I see a llama riding a scooter? And there’s a whole pack of animals catching that bus. All the animals are on the move in their favourite vehicles, zipping by in their own hilarious way. Travel across airports, race through city streets in fire engines and drive around building sites. Wherever you’re going today … tell us how it should be done!

We Catch the Bus invites children to choose their favourite vehicles and how they like to travel over 12 spreads, packed with animals driving cars, buses, diggers, spacecraft, bikes, ships, scooters and more.

With interactive speech bubbles and hilarious shout outs, this hilarious follow-up to We Wear Pants and We Eat Bananas is perfect for fans of You Choose and Just Imagine and kids who love to be on the move.

Plastic Pollution Topic Booklist
Is plastic fantastic or the cause of something drastic? Children are used to seeing plastic all around, but what happens when our planet becomes so full of plastic that it causes problems to the environment? Our hand-picked list of recommended children’s books about plastic pollution can help to explore the topic with primary school children.

Best children’s books about caring for the environment

Caring for our planet and protecting the environment are important topics for today’s children to explore. In the face of difficult news about climate change, plastic pollution and deforestation, books about the environment can be a great tool for empowering children to understand their choices and to find hope in making a positive impact on our planet.

For this community booklist, we asked our community of primary teachers, TAs, children’s authors, librarians and book lovers to nominate their top recommended books about caring for the environment. From planting trees and recycling waste to eco-campaigns and the work of activists, our list of the best children’s books about the environment is here to help.

Oceans and Seas Topic Booklist

Welcome to the Blue Abyss topic! Spanning aspects of Geography and Science, the topic of oceans and seas is a popular one in primary schools. At KS2, children learn about the physical features of the sea, layers of the ocean, sea explorers, ocean habitats, marine wildlife and the theme of pollution. From whales and whelks to shipwrecks and sharks, we’ve got the topic covered with our curated collection of the best children’s books about oceans and seas.

NB: This booklist is aimed at KS2 (ages 7-11). If you are looking for KS1 or EYFS books about the sea, we have a separate booklist here.

Under the Sea Topic Booklist (EYFS & KS1)

Dive into the Under the Sea topic and make a splash – there’s so much to explore! From crabs and coral reefs to shorelines and sharks, we’ve got it all covered in our hand-picked selection of the best children’s books about oceans and seas for children in EYFS and KS1.

NB: This booklist is aimed at children aged 4-7. For sea-themed books for older children, try our Oceans and Seas KS2 list.

The Best Children’s Books About Frozen Worlds

Brrr! Our recommended children’s books feature stories that will whisk you away to icy landscapes and frozen worlds. Look out for exciting polar expeditions, adventures of ice queens and curious penguins…

If you are looking for stories set in polar regions, we’ve found the best children’s books for this topic. Dive into picturebooks about arctic explorers like Ernest Shackleton or The Great Explorer or heartwarming stories of animals surviving in polar habitats like The Emperor’s Egg or The Rainbow Bear. Our Review Panel has selected top educational books about the science and ecology of frozen worlds, like the large-format stunning non-fiction book Iceberg or Nicola Davies’ Emperor of the Ice.

You’ll also find chapter books featuring exciting adventure stories of friendship and survival in extreme conditions, like The Polar Bear Explorer’s Club or one of our very favourites, The Last Bear.

Our list of books will take your readers on a journey to the Arctic, Antarctic and imaginary frozen worlds too. Whether it’s penguins and polar bears or snow and ice, chart a new expedition into these recommended stories.

Houses and Homes Topic Booklist

There’s no place like home! Houses and homes come in all shapes and sizes, from caravans and houseboats to apartments and cabins. Whether you are looking at cities, towns or villages, our selection of recommended children’s books about houses and homes will help primary school children to build the best foundations for understanding the topic.

Transport and Journeys Topic Booklist

Toot toot! Beep beep! All Aboard! From buses and bicycles to ferries and flying machines, zoom into the topic with our hand-picked selection of the best children’s books about transport and journeys…

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