Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Topic: Seasonal Events

Throughout history, women have been told that they couldn’t achieve their dreams, no matter how hard they tried. Women athletes have faced their own unique set of challenges, across countless sports and levels of play. In this third She Persisted book, Chelsea Clinton introduces readers to women who have excelled in their sports because of their persistence.

She Persisted in Sports is a book for everyone who has ever aimed for a goal and been told it wasn’t theirs to hit, for everyone who has ever raced for a finish line that seemed all too far away, and for everyone who has ever felt small or unimportant while out on the field.

Alexandra Boiger’s vibrant artwork accompanies this inspiring text that shows readers of all ages that, no matter what obstacles come their way, they have the power to persist and succeed.

This book features: Margaret Ives Abbott, Gertrude Ederle, Mildred “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias, Wilma Rudolph, Jean Driscoll, Mia Hamm (and the 1996 Olympic soccer team), Kristi Yamaguchi, Venus and Serena Williams, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings, Diana Taurasi, Simone Biles, Ibtihaj Muhammad and Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux.

Chapter bookDyslexia-friendly
dyslexia-friendly
 Popular children’s author Nicola Davies returns with another wonderful book that draws out the special relationship between children and animals – this time with a festive twist. Published in Barrington Stoke’s ‘super-readable’ and dyslexia-friendly style, this is a short chapter book that readers will find easy to pick up and hard to put down.

Jake stands out from many of the other children at his school and Christmas is a time that is especially difficult for him, with the bright lights, loud noises and changes in routines causing him a great deal of anxiety. When Jake befriends a lost dog, which he calls Susan, a beautiful bond begins to form that helps Jake to stay calm and cope with the difficulties he faces. After a while, Susan’s real owners turn up to reclaim their missing dog and Jake and his family need to find a way forward while their world feels like it has fallen apart.

This is a touching and inclusive story that is well suited for the 6-8 age bracket or for less confident readers in the upper primary years. Readers will find the story engaging and are likely to feel deeply empathetic towards Jake. The narrative sensitively explores the idea that Christmas is not an easy time for everybody, while also drawing out festive values of family, kindness and compassion for those in need.

The Christmasaurus is the story of William Trundle – a dinosaur enthusiast, and his father – a Christmas enthusiast. When a series of events forces William to grapple with a season of loneliness, he sends a clever letter to Santa, initiating a magical Christmas journey.

Fans of The Creakers will be drawn to this book and will recognise the combination of good-natured humour and a focus on the determination and bravery of child characters who see their adventure though with a strong sense of self.  This book has earned its place as a staple among classroom Christmas tales. Tom Fletcher skillfully captures the magic of Christmas time with all of its hope and surprises, while Shane Devries’s illustrations add depth to the narrative. The overall charm and whimsical nature of the story along with an endearing cast of characters make it a delightful festive read, especially for Lower Ks2.

Lucy Freegard captures the father-child relationship through the eyes of a child. The story beautifully draws out Dad’s admirable qualities that the child wishes to emulate – his strength, silliness, courage and ability to deal with mistakes – not to mention the silly voices he does when he reads a bedtime story! A lovely book for Father’s day.

A most beautiful story of an inquisitive baby badger’s exploration of the world outside his den. The moment the reader meets Baby Badger, he draws us into his world – a world where Daddy Badger encourages, teaches and protects him as he wonders about the world around him. This is an excellent father-and-child story with illustrations that reflect the story path and show the reader the beauty of Baby Badger’s natural world as well as the father’s natural instincts to protect, teach and encourage his young.

The child in the story is brimming with admiration for his dad, who is simply brilliant in the child’s eyes – from roller skating and running as fast as a cheetah to cooking up amazing meals and singing like a pop star. In celebration of dads everywhere, this is a storytime classic by award-winning author and illustrator Nick Butterworth.

Suitable for Foundation Stage or KS1, Lanterns and Firecrackers is a simple story with accessible language and it would serve as a brilliant introduction to Chinese New Year. If follows the story of a family celebrating Chinese New Year as they set off firecrackers, watch the dragon dancers and light beautiful lanterns.

A highly recommendable poetry collection in which every poem represents a different mum. There’s Bake-Off Mum, School-Run Mum, Keep- Fit Mum, Stunt Mother and Under-Cover Spy Mother – but the collection also celebrates mums who are often underrepresented in books too, seen in the poems Adoptive Mum, Dad-Mum, Windrush Mum, Young Mum and Two Mums. You’ll recognise plenty of the mums in this witty, wise and heart-warming collection, which is perfect for children in KS2.

A traditional Chinese tale from the popular author Julia Donaldson. The Magic Paintbrush is the story of a girl called Shen who uses her magic paintbrush to paint pots of fish and oysters to feed the hungry villagers. But when the evil emperor commands her to paint gold for him, can she keep her integrity and stick to her promise to use her paintbrush to help the poor? This exciting picture book tells a magical Chinese story that has the potential to be used across the whole primary age range.

Five More Minutes is narrated by a young fox cub who tells us all about the ways that his dad talks about time passing by. The book is beautifully illustrated and filled with warm and cosy depictions of family life, from the children jumping on dad in the morning to wake him up to him telling them stories at the end of the day. The illustrations by Marta Altés show a loving father who doesn’t always find fitting everything into the day easy but always makes time to be with his children.

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