Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Topic: Seasonal Events

From the creator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, this is the story of a Santa-like farmer who dreams of snow on Christmas Eve. When he wakes, he discovers real snow has fallen, just in time for him to bring special gifts to his animals. This is a multi-sensory edition, complete with surprise flaps, textures and Eric Carle’s iconic collage-style illustrations that would make an excellent stimulus for Christmas creative projects. We particularly recommend Dream Snow for EYFS and Year 1.

This classic Christmas story has won the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal and has also been turned into a children’s movie. This book tells the story of Jonathan, a talented woodcarver who always looks alone and unhappy. Unbeknown to the nearby villagers, what lies beneath Jonathan’s cold exterior turns out to be a sorrowful story about his lost wife and child. One wintry day, a widow and her son come to Jonathan with a request that leads to a delightful resolution to the tale. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey is a stirring picture book with tremendously detailed illustrations and is suitable for use across the KS2 range.

Milo’s mum must have superpowers. After all, she always knows what he’s getting up to even when he is secretly using her cooking equipment to make magic potions or when he is completely out of sight bouncing on the bed. Deciding that the only possible explanation is that Mum has X-RAY vision, Milo decides to test his Mum’s powers to find out the truth.

This is a new novelised adaptation of Raymond Briggs’ classic story (also available here), bringing all the magic of the original tale into a narrative form.

A boy named James is so excited when snow arrives on his farm that he rushes outside to build the snowman he has been longing to create. Wonderfully, the snowman comes to life and gives James a magical adventure that he will never forget. This cherished story that never loses its magical appeal, is bound to be a favourite for many to curl up with this Christmas.

Best Children’s Books about Starting School

On this booklist, we have picked a selection of recommended books to read to children starting school for the first time. It’s normal for young children to feel all sorts of emotions about starting in Reception, from excitement and anxiety to apparent indifference – and picturebooks can be a great way to open up conversations about those feelings. Our starting school booklist features some of the best children’s books about starting school. The stories we have selected for this starting school booklist can introduce new situations in a fun and familiar way, helping children feel more confident and prepared.

If you are looking for picturebook stories to reassure young children preparing to start school for the first time, you’ll find characters to relate to in Lulu’s First Day and Ollie’s Back to School Bear. For books about classroom life and school routines, try All Are Welcome or Janet and Alan Ahlberg’s classic book Starting School. If you’d prefer a humorous or whimsical take on getting ready for the first days of Reception, try Simon Philip’s worry-busting I Have to Start at School Today or When a Dragon Goes to School.

At BooksforTopics, we’ve carefully curated a list of books to help your child feel prepared and reassured about starting school. These stories explore everything from making new friends, getting used to new teachers and learning new things. With this booklist, you can find the best-recommended stories to make the transition to school a smooth one.

Best Children’s Books about the Weather and Changing Seasons

Come rain or shine, there’s always a good book to match the weather! From sunshine and showers to hailstones and hurricanes, we’ve put together a list of the best children’s books and stories about weather and seasonal changes.

Recommended for children aged 4-7, this collection features children’s books that explore the fascinating and ever-changing world of weather. From seasonal changes and snowy days to rainclouds and storms, these books offer insights into the science behind different weather patterns, as well as how weather can impact our daily lives.

With our recommended books for children, you can be sure that you’re providing your child with the best possible resources to learn about the weather and the changing seasons. Whether you’re looking to incorporate science into your curriculum, inspire a love of reading, or simply enjoy some quality storytimes, these books are a perfect fit – whatever the weather!

We also have separate booklists for each season:

Children’s Books About Spring

Children’s Books About Summer

Children’s Books About Autumn

Children’s Books About Winter

A brilliant, funny and inspiring collection of poems about sport by Brian Moses and Roger Stevens!

These are poems about winning and about taking part; poems about having all the right kit, but no talent; poems that show that coming first in the egg and spoon race really is as important to your mum and dad as being an Olympic athlete; poems about being a team player and poems about being an individual hero. In fact, this book is packed with sporting gems of all kinds.

Olympic Poems is perfect for any young poet or aspiring Olympian.

Run with the Olympic athletes and sweat it out in the deadly ballgame courts of the Aztecs in this beautifully illustrated and informative guide to the sports and games that have entertained people for the past 2500 years.

How did the Vikings keep themselves occupied between raids? What tricks did medieval Japanese sumo wrestlers have to win their matches? With fascinating facts and detailed pictures, this book is the perfect guide to everything to do with games, from the tiniest chess pieces to the biggest sports tournaments.

A celebration of the Paralympic Games! The profile of the Paralympics is on the rise and the 2020 Games in Tokyo are set to be the biggest yet, with over 4,400 athletes taking part in 537 medal events, from 5-a-side football to powerlifting and from badminton to boccia. Paralympic Power gives all the essential background information on the Paralympics, from how they originated to how the different events are categorised and staged.

Interviews with Paralympians both past and present reveal the personalities behind the Games.

Women in Sport is a superbly illustrated non-fiction text focusing on exceptional women athletes who became trailblazers or game-changers in their chosen sports

Each spread contains a short and interesting explanation of a different sportswoman’s achievements and a compelling illustration with additional facts blended into the design. The artwork is impressively bold and unapologetic like many of the book’s subjects and there are also pages containing infographics such as timelines, anatomical diagrams and statistics about equality in sports.

What we love is that the style and format makes the subject matter appealing and accessible to a range of children in KS2 and KS3 and we therefore think it is a really important text that inspires readers to overcome barriers and go for gold.

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