Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Home > Books

Topic: PSHE, Citizenship & Emotional Literacy

Chapter book

The second original, touching, twisted, and most of all hilarious novel for children from David Walliams, number one bestseller and fastest growing children’s author in the country – beautifully illustrated by Quentin Blake.

“Mr Stink stank. He also stunk. And if it was correct English to say he stinked, then he stinked as well…”

It all starts when Chloe makes friends with Mr Stink, the local tramp. Yes, he smells a bit. But when it looks like he might be driven out of town, Chloe decides to hide him in the garden shed.

Now Chloe’s got to make sure no one finds out her secret. And speaking of secrets, there just might be more to Mr Stink than meets the eye… or the nose.

Picturebook

A perfectly-pitched tale of fun and friendship, from master storyteller Michelle Robinson and illustrator extraordinaire Tom Knight.

Kevin the cucumber is so cool – everybody knows it! Whenever anyone gets hot and bothered, Kevin is always there to cool them down.

But when Kevin starts to feel like his friends are leaving him out, something happens that has never happened before:
KEVIN.
LOSES.
HIS.
COOL!

Will Kevin’s friends be there for him when he needs them most?

Rhyming text by Michelle Robinson is full of energy and rhythm. Bright, bold illustrations by Tom Knight bring the brilliant story to life.

This laugh-out-loud story is a super fun way for children to think about emotions – whether it’s their own or someone else’s.

Chapter book

When Dinah is fostered by the Hunters she thinks her biggest problem will be fitting in with her foster-brothers, Lloyd and Harvey. However, once she starts at her new school it’s clear that there’s more to worry about. All the children, apart from a handful including Lloyd and Harvey, are too well-behaved – robotic almost – and oddly keen to please the creepy headmaster. The three children set out to discover the nature of his influence over everyone . . . but then Dinah finds herself saying and doing things she has no power over. Soon they uncover the headmaster’s wicked plan. Controlling the school is just a practice run. He has set his sights on dominating the entire nation! The children must foil him before he succeeds . . . but with Dinah under his spell they’ve got a challenge on their hands. Great fun and just a little bit frightening, Gillian Cross’s beloved classic still holds readers under its hypnotic spell, even after thirty years of being in print. An accessible page-turner, The Demon Headmaster is impossible to resist.

Picturebook

A brilliantly bonkers story about an octopus who lives on the roof, by two award-winning and bestselling picture book creators.

When a giant octopus arrives, the children LOVE their new friend; it makes the perfect slide and is fantastic at football! But some of the grown-ups aren’t so pleased. Will they drive it away . . . or will they realise just how helpful an octopus can be?

A warm and witty rhyming story about welcoming newcomers. Sunglasses at the ready – this book has zingy fluorescent ink on the cover and inside illustrations.

Picturebook

Starring the same little girl in the same charming illustration style as Hello In There!, In My Heart explores emotions–happiness, sadness, bravery, anger, shyness and more. Unlike other feelings books that tend to oversimplify, In My Heart lyrically explains what an emotion feels like, physically, inside. For example: “When I get really angry, my heart feels like it’s going to explode! Don’t come near me! My heart is yelling, hot and loud. This is when my heart is mad.” Toddlers will be empowered by this new vocabulary and able to practice articulating and identifying their own emotions. On the cover and the right side of each spread, a die-cut heart decreases in size, creating a multi-coloured heart the depth of the entire book.

Picturebook

How are you feeling today? This fun, friendly and reassuring introduction to feelings is designed to help young children recognise, understand and name how they’re feeling and learn to talk about and manage their emotions in helpful ways.

Picturebook

One day, the Thing falls from the sky and four strangers stumble across it.

Together they decide to work together to take care of the Thing. But before long a media circus builds up around the creature they are protecting and the debate about the Thing spreads far around the world.

What is the Thing?
Who does it belong to?
What does it do?
And is it any use for anything at all?

This captivating picture book will be many things to many people: a story about thoughtfulness, an adventure in friendship and an intriguing and gentle social commentary on the search for meaning in modern life.

Daniel Egneus’ unique and engaging artwork beautifully illustrates this enigmatic story and brings the strange Thing to life. With a similar feel to Alexis Deacon’s Beegu and Shaun Tan’s The Lost Thing , this is the perfect bedtime story for children and adults to enjoy together.

Picturebook

A reassuring picture book encouraging children to open up about their fears and anxieties to help manage their feelings.

The perfect book to soothe worries during stressful times.

Wherever Jenny goes, her worries follow her – in a big blue bag. They are with her all the time – at school, at home, when she is watching TV and even in the bathroom! Jenny decides they have to go, but who will help her get rid of them?

A funny and reassuring look at dealing with worries and anxiety, to be used as a spring board into important conversations with your child.

Picturebook

The very first picture book from the winner of The Great British Bake Off and national treasure, Nadiya Hussain, beautifully illustrated by Ella Bailey.

A touching story about a little boy whose worry monster follows him everywhere he goes. It’s there when he gets dressed, when he wants to play with his toys, and even when his friends come over to visit. How can he escape his worries?

Having suffered with panic disorder herself for as long as she can remember, Nadiya wrote this heartfelt story to help give children and parents the tools they need to talk about worries and anxiety, to ensure that no child suffers in silence.

Picturebook

The Little Princess loves getting her hands dirty. The trouble is, she hates washing them. Until she learns all about the nasties, the dirties and all the other horrible things that lurk and make you ill . . .

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