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Topic: Science, Maths and Computing

Recommended children’s books about light and sound

Explore the world of light and sound with this exciting collection of children’s titles which explore how we see and hear the world around us.

Our booklist is designed to help children in KS2 learn about the Science topics of light and sound, and features books packed with colour like Can You Get Rainbows in Space? alongside titles that explore hearing loss, like Can You Feel the Noise and Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion. Investigating light and sound from many perspectives, this booklist will bring the KS2 Light and Sound topic vibrantly to life!

NB: This booklist is aimed at children in Key Stage 2. For books for younger children, try our Light and Dark KS1/EYFS Booklist.

Recommended children’s books about light and dark

Explore the world of light and dark with this exciting collection of children’s titles about the people and creatures who wake up when you go to sleep.

Our booklist is designed to help children in KS1 and EYFS learn about the Science topics of light and dark, from recommended books that provide insights into the world of nocturnal animals like Owl Babies or The Bat Book, to stories about the getting to grips with the dark like The King Who Banned the Dark or The Rabbit, The Dark and the Biscuit Tin (look out for the fold-out page with guaranteed wow-factor!).With rich illustrations, fascinating facts and thrilling adventures, this booklist will help children to look at the world differently – but they may need a torch!

NB: This booklist is aimed at children aged 4-7. For books for older children, try our Light and Sound KS2 Booklist.

Recommended children’s books about food

Our KS2 Food & Digestion topic booklist features a rich variety of specially selected children’s books about food, cooking and digestion.

In Key Stage 2 Science, children learn about the topics of nutrition, the digestive system, teeth and the impact of diet. Our booklist is designed to feature the best children’s books about food and digestion for children in KS2, from stories showcasing delicious world foods like Faruq and the Wiri Wiri and World of Food, to books that give children a microscopic look inside the human digestive system like Gut Garden. With rich illustrations and intriguing facts, these titles will bring the Food & Digestion topic to life – but be prepared for some “yuck” moments as well as the “yum” ones!

We also have a separate booklist about Healthy Human Bodies.

This list is aimed at children aged 7 to 11. For books about food for younger children, try our Food Glorious Food Topic booklist.

Best Children’s Books About Summer

As the weather warms up and the summer holidays beckon, why not celebrate this season of sunshine and adventures with some Summer-themed books for children?

From classic seaside tales like Lucy and Tom at the Seaside and The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch, to laugh out loud stories of animal adventures like You Can’t Take an Elephant on Holiday and The Great Hamster Getaway, our selection has something for everyone to enjoy. This Summer booklist is recommended for parents, teachers and librarians looking to inspire a love of reading and a thirst for adventure in young children.

Get ready to dip your toes in and explore the sights, sounds and smells of the summertime with our list of recommended children’s books about Summer.

Best Children’s Books About Spring

As the mornings grow lighter and green shoots start to peep through, why not celebrate the changing of the seasons with some Spring-themed books for children? Spring is a season of new beginnings, growth and new life, and our booklist is full of stories that capture the wonder of this magical time of year.

From charming tales about animals waking up from hibernation, like Little Bear’s Spring and books about seasonal life cycles like Pip and Egg, to books about springtime weather and enjoying the natural joys of the new season like Hello Spring, our selection has something for everyone to enjoy. This Spring booklist is recommended for parents, teachers and librarians looking to inspire a love of reading and an appreciation for nature in young children.

From tadpoles and bunnies to daffodils and blossoms, our list of recommended children’s books about Spring will breathe new life into your Spring storytimes all season long.

Non-fiction

Young children can explore and discuss the season of spring with this beautiful non-fiction picture book. Very simple text, high frequency and decodeable words and strong art-to-text matching make this a perfect book for early readers. It also features questions to encourage readers to relate the information to their own experiences.

It is part of the series ‘I Love the Seasons’ which helps young children aged 4+ to discover the seasons. The books are great for seasonable topics and projects in the early years.

Picturebook

A fantastically fun springtime picture book from the creators of The Leaf Thief. Hello sunshine! Hello lovely leaves. Nice to see you back.

Squirrel is so excited. It’s spring and the most perfect flower has started to blossom – and Squirrel has decided the flower is HIS.

After what happened to the leaves in autumn (THEY ALL DISAPPEARED), Squirrel’s not taking any chances. . . He MUST keep the flower safe, and he needs his best friend Bird to help him!

But perhaps Squirrel wants to protect the flower a little too much. . . After all, even flowers want a little space sometimes.

Join Squirrel and Bird as they discover and explore the wonderful nature of spring . . . and learn a few things along the way.

A laugh-out-loud book about the changing seasons, with extra information in the back for especially curious minds.

Perfect as a companion reader to children learning about seasons in school.

A brilliant picture book that explores feelings, moods and times where we feel out of control.

Picturebook

In this uplifting picture book about spring, follow two children and their father through their backyard as they discover all the different ways nature wakes up from its long winter sleep.

Spot the busy creatures and plants as the tale unfolds, then learn about how each responds to the increasing daylight and warmth that usher in the season.

Co-authors Sean Taylor (picture book author) and Alex Morss (ecologist, journalist, and educator) offer an inviting introduction to the science behind spring. The yard is bright, birds are singing, the bees are buzzing and there are tadpoles in the pond! What is all the commotion about?

In each colourful scene, the family discovers a different sign of spring – a bird collecting twigs for its nest, a fox snuggling her cubs, a caterpillar feasting on leaves… After the story, annotated illustrations explain the spring behaviours of various plants and animals.

Inspire an appreciation for the natural world in this joyous exploration of spring.

Edited by Emily Pither.

Poetry

With lyrical text and enchanting illustrations, It Starts with a Bee takes you on a journey through the seasons as you follow a busy bee pollinate a wild garden.

Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn, the bee tends to the flowers and plants. As the seasons change and the garden blooms into a wildlife wonderland, the bee is joined by well-loved minibeasts and creatures – worms, beetles, spiders and mice – who make the wild garden their home.

A rhyming poem builds page on page, echoing the life the bee brings to the garden. Beautiful foldout illustrations will transport readers into the world of the bee as it navigates the flowers and plants of the garden.

Teach your children about the crucial role bees play in the beautiful cycle of life in this charming tale of the workings of the natural world.

Picturebook

Ten cats discover three cans of paint and blotches, splotches and splats go everywhere!

A funny exploration of colour from award-winning author/illustrator Emily Gravett, 10 Cats is a wonderfully simple and engaging picture book.

While learning about counting and colours, very young children will delight in the adorable kittens on every spread and the simple text that is perfect for reading aloud.

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