We can’t get enough of Pumpkin Soup and it is a real story time favourite for Reception and KS1 children.
Cat, Duck and Squirrel are friends who live in an old white cabin, making pumpkin soup together every day. One day, the strength of their relationship is put to the test when duck decides to switch roles and what follows is a compassionate adventure about friendship and belonging.
We adore the warm, vibrant colours of the illustrations, the rich language and captivating storytelling in this autumn-time classic.
The Fox in the Dark is a tried and tested story time favourite for KS1 and EYFS classes. Once the dark nights have drawn in, more and more animals squash into Rabbit’s house in order to hide from the nocturnal fox. When the fox eventually comes knocking at the door, the animals discover that he is not quite as they imagined. The Fox in the Dark is a popular rhyming story with a simple message about friends working together to overcome their fears.
Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise is an exciting new picture book about a cunning owl and his hilariously unsuccessful attempts to camouflage himself in order to catch his prey. This book is full of striking illustrations and we think that the simplicity of its repeated story structure and its loyalty to adjectival phrases make it a very good stimulus for autumn story writing.
Snowflakes is a topical story about what it is like to immigrate to a completely new home. It tells the story of Mia, a girl who travels away to live with Grandma in a peculiar new land of forests and snow. The narrative conveys Mia’s sense of displacement at her unfamiliar surroundings and how different she feels to the other children there. One day, Mia watches the snow falling and realises that she is unique and special just like each individual snowflake. This is a compassionate story with an important theme of diversity and new beginnings.
This is a very exciting collection of wintry short stories written by different celebrated children’s authors. Winter Magic is perfect as a stimulus for a winter-time writing project or for dipping into at story time. Inside the pages you will encounter mythical winter beasts, icy snow queens, dancing Nutcrackers and frozen worlds. We think that Winter Magic is an essential short story collection for every KS2 classroom and school library.
If you are looking for something slightly different that gives the Christian perspective about Easter, Inspector Smart and the Case of the Empty Tomb: Case File is ideal for KS2. Presented as a detective’s case file, the text and picture clues gradually build up a picture of the story of Jesus’ resurrection and what it means to Christian believers. There is also a simpler chapter book version available on Amazon that is suited to KS1 or weaker readers.
This engaging picture book takes its reader on a guided tour of an imaginary chocolate factory, run by Mr Bunny. The humorous illustrations are packed with details and guaranteed to get imaginations firing. We think that this highly enjoyable text would make a great stimulus for creative writing and is likely to have pupils poring over its inventive visual details for hours. Mr Bunny’s Chocolate Factory is sure to quickly become a humorous Easter favourite in primary classrooms.
This is top of our list for non-fiction on the Easter theme of eggs and new life. Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones explores the exceptional range of animals that lay eggs of all shapes and sizes. We love the rhyming text and the brilliantly life-like illustrations of the creatures and their eggs, raising curiosity levels and giving this non-fiction topic a high level of appeal to young minds.
There is something for all year groups in this magical Christmas folktale from Russia. Babushka is busy tidying her house when three unexpected guests arrive looking for a new born baby king. When Babushka decides to follow the men, she finds that the snow has covered their tracks and she doesn’t know which way to go. Babushka keeps on searching, giving gifts from her basket to every suffering child that she passes. Babushka is a beautifully illustrated story from another culture that brings together the festive themes of generosity and what it means to pursue your beliefs even when it seems difficult.
This is the Christian story of Easter as told through the eyes of the donkey that carried Jesus into Jerusalem and watched the events of the Easter story unfold. The text is accompanied by beautiful illustrations and would be suitable to use with the whole primary age range as they explore the meaning behind the Christian festival.
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)
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