With whole-school assemblies and book days to organise, lots of you have been asking us for suggestions of single books that can be used across the whole primary school age range. BooksForTopics founder Alison Leach gives us five recommendations for books that make great whole-school projects.
A brilliantly witty book that also gives pause for thought, with a story about overcoming preconceptions and breaking through barriers and divisions between different groups. Jon Agee cleverly uses the ‘gutter’ space that runs down the middle of the picture book spread as the wall between the two opposing sides. The main character is surprised to find that the other side of the wall is a much friendlier place than he imagined. A good stimulus for discussions about overcoming divisions in society. It could lead schools into a fun story-making project inviting pupils to make their own books that use the gutter space.
A wonderfully visual exploration of fantasy castles, this book contains wonderfully detailed illustrations of imaginary castles to pore over, each hiding a royal family as well as many inventive puzzles, mazes and visual puns woven into the details. From castles that float on clouds or hide under these to castles made of musical instruments, this is a popular choice for stimulating fantasy writing.
Leaf is a truly exceptional picture book. In very few words, Sandra Dieckmann is able to delicately touch upon several global issues. The story revolves around a polar bear who floats on an iceberg unwillingly (and unnaturally) to an island where he is not welcome by the inhabitants. The words tell half of the story, with, ‘the strange white creature carried upon the dark waves towards the shore.’ However, the illustrations manage to portray the significance of the situation, with the polar bear staring face down into the abyss as he floats further away from his natural home. The story doesn’t spell out why the polar bear is floating away from his home, but the message is poignant and delicately hits all of the right environmental notes. As a classroom practitioner, books like this are priceless as they open up conversations that may otherwise be too awkward or taboo.
A twist on the traditional Little Red Riding Hood story with a clear message about environmental sustainability. When Little Red is invited in for tea at the Last Wolf’s house, which also happens to be the home of the Last Lynx and the Last Bear, she soon comes to empathise with her new friends as she learns how the destruction of their natural habitat is the cause of the endangering of a number of wonderful forest species. After she is chaperoned home, Little Red sets about to make a plan to help restore some of the damage and learns how to plant new trees to repopulate the forest for the future. Humorously detailed illustrations, timely themes and a link to traditional tales make this a great book for the whole school to get their teeth into.
This award-winning wordless picture book offers endless opportunities for discussion and creative writing. A beach-combing young boy finds a washed-up camera on the shore, and when the film is developed it reveals a fantastic new world of creatures from the ocean. Incredible illustrations that speak for themselves. Read our blog for inspiration from one talented teacher who brought a Flotsam literacy unit to life.
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)
Any other comments
Any other comments