Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

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Topic: Science, Maths and Computing

Chapter book

The moving story of the extraordinary friendship between a boy and his fox and their epic journey to be reunited. Beautifully illustrated by multi-award winner, Jon Klassen. Now available in Paperback!

Pax was only a kit when his family was killed and he was rescued by ‘his boy’, Peter. Now the country is at war and when his father enlists, Peter has no choice but to move in with his grandfather. Far worse than leaving home is the fact that he has to leave Pax behind. But before Peter spends even one night under his grandfather’s roof he sneaks out into the night, determined to find his beloved friend. This is the story of Peter, Pax, and their journeys back to each other as war rampages throughout the country.

A profound and moving story with stunning illustrations by award-winning illustrator, Jon Klassen, ‘Pax’ is destined to become a classic in the vein of ‘Charlotte’s Web’ and ‘Watership Down’.

Chapter book

Sid, Peggy and Amy adore the two gerbils, Bubble and Squeak, but their mother detests them. A major family battle results, and it’s clear life is never going to be quite the same again. But after a near fatal encounter between Bubble and Ginger the cat, Mrs Sparrow begins to see that life with a pair of gerbils might not be so bad after all.

Recommended children’s books about animals and their habitats

Books about animals are wildly popular with young children. In KS1 Science, children learn to identify and name common animals including those living in the local area as well as animals from habitats around the world. Children will learn to group animals according to what they eat or look like, to match animals to their babies and to describe the basic needs of living creatures.

Whether it’s story books about talking animals, funny books about animal escapades or non-fiction books about living things and their habitats, we’ve put together a roar-some selection of the best animal books for children.

NB: This animal topic booklist is aimed at children in Key Stage 1 (ages 5-7). If you are looking for animal books for older children, try our Amazing Animals (KS2) booklist.

Non-fiction

Welcome to Anatomicum.

This museum is open all hours. It will take you on an incredible journey right around the human body, from the intricate workings of the brain to the tiny muscles used to show emotion. Have you ever wondered how each life starts with just one cell, or how many blood cells there are in your body? Then this is the book for you.

Anatomicum Junior is a reduced age range follow-on from the original Anatomicum. The text is carefully simplified to make it appealing to younger readers, while retaining the dynamic style and fascinating information of the original.

Non-fiction

Join Doctor Max Pemberton as he takes you on a marvellous adventure around the human body!

Shrink yourself down as small as you can go. No – much smaller than that! You’ll need to be small enough to crawl up nostrils, peer inside eyeballs and float through the bloodstream, because we’re about to embark on an amazing trip through your awesome anatomy.

On our travels we’ll discover startling facts about how our bodies work and why they’re so extraordinarily special. And that’s not all – Dr Max will be on hand to help you feel your best with his expert body boosting tips on living and eating well.

So grab your magnifying glass and stethoscope, and let’s set off on our marvellous adventure of being human!

Non-fiction

Use eye-grabbing diagrams to help you to discover the human body in glorious technicolour!

With eye-grabbing diagrams and amazing facts, The Digestive System takes a vibrant look at journey of food through our bodies.

This colourful and fact-packed series provides an accessible look at the human body through bright and bold graphics.

Non-fiction

Packed with amazing facts and eye-grabbing images, Your Growling Guts and Dynamic Digestive System takes a different approach to teaching the reader about the digestive system.

Every spread opens with an amazing science fact about the human body – for example – Your tongue print is just as unique as your fingerprint! – then goes on to explain how scientifically this is possible. By exploring these attention-grabbing sections, readers will build up their understanding of the different digestive organs and the process of digestion.

Detailed diagrams and amazing images illustrate the lively, factual text. Your Growling Guts and Dynamic Digestive System looks at the organs of the digestive system and how they work together to get the most out of our meals! What does the liver do? What happens to all the food we eat? Why does the small intestine need to be so long? Answers to all these questions and many more can be found in this fascinating title.

Non-fiction

A visually playful body and animal book!
Learn all about animal and human movements and muscles, the similarities and differences. From muscles, bones and exoskeletons to running, jumping swimming and flying, explore how humans and animals move and use their muscles.

The Human Body, Animal Bodies series looks at the features and function of the human body in isolation and also in comparison to those of different animals, looking at similarities and differences. The end of each book will look at sorting the featured creatures into their animal groups, using the classification information learnt throughout.

Perfect for readers aged 5 and up.

Non-fiction

From the award-winning team behind Tiny and Lots comes a new book exploring another fascinating area of biology: growth.

A beautifully illustrated introduction to the concept of DNA for younger readers. All living things grow – every plant and every animal, including human beings. Some things grow fast and others grow slowly; some things grow by tiny degrees, while others grow to be enormous. Yet there’s something about the way we grow that links us all together. Ever since you were the size of a dot, your body has been following a set of instructions: a code, which connects you with every creature on the planet… With words from Nicola Davies and exquisite artwork by Emily Sutton, this groundbreaking book is certain to enchant and inspire children.

Non-fiction

An adult has 206 bones and more than 650 muscles in their body, and each one has an important role to play. This book explores how the skeleton and muscles have multiple jobs within our body, from protection and structure to movement and blood production. Mind-boggling facts (for instance, you will grow around seven skeletons in your lifetime!), and clear and straighforward diagrams help to explain the important functions of your skeleton and muscles, while unique photos enable the reader to see the human body in a whole new light.

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