Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Home > Books

Topic: Literacy & Reading

Poetry

Nominated for the 2023 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing and the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration.

Original, inspiring and intimate, When Poems Fall From the Sky marries science and poetry to create a tender and thoughtful love-letter to Earth promising children a riot of imagination, humour and joy – the perfect book to celebrate National Poetry Day on 6th October.

The collection of poems, raps, rhymes, haiku and little plays is written by Zaro Weil, winner of the 2020 CLiPPA children’s poetry prize and is illustrated in full colour throughout by artist Junli Song.

When Poems Fall From the Sky is the first title to publish since the pair won the coveted CLiPPA prize with their stunning poetry anthology, Cherry Moon.

In exquisitely illustrated full-colour pages, trees, birds, animals, rivers, flowers, mountains and insects each share their own magical stories. And the stories they tell, the ‘poems’ that fall from the sky, subtly and powerfully illuminate our hope and collective role as guardians of our earth.

Best Books for Reluctant Readers in Years 3 and 4

There’s great joy in finding the right book for the right child, but the journey to getting to that point can sometimes be a tricky one. Some children naturally choose books and find it easy to navigate the world of reading for pleasure for themselves. Others need a little more encouragement to feel at home in the world of reading and we are often asked to recommend books for reluctant readers in Years 3 and 4 (ages 7-9), either for those who are less confident with reading or for children who have simply not yet caught the ‘reading bug’.

Which books are best for hooking in children who don’t feel interested in reading? We’ve put together a list of some of the best books for reluctant readers in lower KS2…

Best Books for Reluctant Readers in Years 5 and 6

For parents and teachers, there is such an enormous amount of pressure (and often a strong desire) to guide every child successfully through the process of learning to read – while making sure it’s fun, enjoyable and a learning journey that will lead to a life-long love of books. But which books are best for hooking in children who don’t feel interested in reading?

We’ve picked a selection of our top book choices for engaging reluctant readers in Year 5 and Year 6.

Graphic Novel

Booklist: Best Graphic Novels for Ages 9-11

Graphic novels are longer stories written and illustrated in the style of a comic, combining a sequence of engaging visual elements that drive the plot, coupled with short pockets of text in the form of captions and dialogue. The format has seen a burst in popularity in recent years, and these books are seeing an increasing demand in primary schools. We’ve picked out a list of brilliant graphic novels that are most suitable for children aged 9-11…

Picturebook

Booklist: Wordless Picturebooks

More and more teachers are discovering that wordless picture books can inspire incredible literacy work across the whole primary age range. Books that tell stories through pictures alone can help to develop visual literacy, expand the imagination, start discussions about interpretation and give children space to add their own written narratives. Here are some of the best wordless picturebooks for primary school children.

Dyslexia-friendly

Booklist: Dyslexia Friendly Books

On this booklist, we feature a selection of recommended books that have been specially designed for dyslexic readers by the experts at Barrington Stoke. All of the books on this list have a dyslexia-friendly layout, typeface and paperstock, so that even more readers can enjoy them. Scroll down to find the best books for dyslexic readers in KS1, lower KS2 and upper KS2.

Chapter book

Booklist: First Chapter Books 

Finding the right books is essential in helping young readers successfully make the leap into their first chapter books. On this booklist, we have picked a selection of short, illustrated chapter books that are perfect for children launching into independent reading. This collection of early reader books – with colour illustrations, shorter length and clear formatting – has been picked with those readers in mind who need something to bridge the gap between reading scheme books and lengthier chapter books. Here are our top picks of the best first chapter books for children.

Primary Poetry Booklist

On this booklist, we have picked a selection of poetry suitable for primary school classrooms. Scroll down to find the best children’s poetry collections recommended for EYFS, KS1 and KS2.

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