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Topic: Y2 50 Recommended Reads

Picturebook

Flinn is at school looking in the art cupboard for some coloured pens to finish off his dinosaur drawing when he stumbles upon Captain Stubble, a real live Pirate Captain! He tells Flinn that his ship, the Acorn, has been stolen and that he needs Flinn to help him rescue it back. Stubble makes Flinn the captain and they sail away on an old pirate ship…they finally find the Acorn but, to their horror, realise it’s been stolen by PIRATE DINOSAURS! Captain Flinn and his crew attack the dinosaurs and, after much fighting, seize control of the ship once more. Flinn and his friends then sail back to the harbour clambering through the boatshed door and back into the art cupboard without the teacher even noticing they’ve been gone!

Non-fiction

Celebrate the incredible ways in which animals survive in the wild, from epic migrations and extraordinary behaviours to Herculean habits. There are hundreds of things to spot and facts to learn with every turn of the page, as you’ll meet another of nature’s most adventurous creatures, learning about their amazing behaviours and habitats.

Each section begins with an infographic map of the region it explores, followed by richly detailed two-page spreads featuring its most fascinating creatures. You’ll get to run with the wildebeest in Kenya, nest with the puffins in Iceland, parade with the peacocks in India, hit the dance floor with the birds of paradise in New Guinea and go north with the narwhals of Canada, among many other adventures.

Chapter book

The magical and brilliantly funny adventures of everyone’s favourite flat boy – Flat Stanley. With wonderful new illustrations by the award-winning illustrator Rob Biddulph .

Stanley Lambchop was just an ordinary boy – until a noticeboard fell on him. Now he’s flat as a pancake!

Being flat is fantastic – he can be rolled up, sent in the post and even fly like a kite. But it’s not all fun and games … there are thieves in town.

Can the flattest boy in the world be its biggest hero?

Jeff Brown’s world-famous character Flat Stanley continues to charm half a century after he first found his way into print.

Explore if you dare! Take a look inside and discover the villainous tricks inside the heads of an ogre, a wolf and a witch. Lift the flaps to find out what’s beneath their disguise and who was the victim of their last meal (now comfortably settled inside their stomach!).

This exquisitely produced large fold-out book is like no other: a celebration of story that’s full of humor and detail on every page, and has over 30 interactive elements that will mesmerize toddlers, pre-schoolers and independent readers.

Fold open the page to read all about each three villains on their personality card–their favorite pastimes, physical characteristics, their best meal and, of course, their favorite books. And on the other page, explore inside the villain by gently pulling the spiral innards of the wolf to see his last meal–children!–or watch how the witch transforms from good to bad with the lift of a flap on her crooked nose.

A multi-layered book with pop ups, flaps within flaps and multiple fold outs, Inside the Villains is the ultimate interactive gift book that will captivate children age 3 and up. A perfect book for Halloween or any child who enjoys fairytales.

Emotions are like animals: No two are quite the same. Some are quiet; some are fierce; And all are hard to tame. An Emotional Menagerie is an emotional glossary for children. A book of 26 rhyming poems, arranged alphabetically, that bring our feelings to life – Anger, Boredom, Curiosity, Dreaminess, Embarrassment, Fear, Guilt, and more. The poems transform each emotion into a different animal to provide a clear and engaging illustration of its character: how it arises; how it makes us behave and how we can learn to manage its effects. Boasting a rich vocabulary, the poems also give children a wide variety of options for describing their feelings to others. Children experience all sorts of emotions: sometimes going through several very different ones before breakfast. Yet they can struggle to put these feelings into words. An inability to understand and communicate their moods can lead to bad behaviour, deep frustration and a whole host of difficulties further down the line. Like adults, they need help to recognise and verbalise their inner state. The greater their emotional vocabulary, the more likely they are to grow into happy, healthy and fulfilled adults. Filled with wise, therapeutic advice, brought to life through musical language and beautiful illustrations, An Emotional Menagerie is an imaginative and universally appealing way of increasing emotional literacy.

Graphic Novel

They’re Alligators – and Investigators! InvestiGators written and illustrated by John Patrick Green is the full colour, laugh-out-loud series perfect for emerging readers and fans of Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man.

Mango and Brash are the InvestiGators: sewer-loving agents of S.U.I.T. and scourge of supervillains everywhere!

With their Very Exciting Spy Technology and their tried-and-true, toilet-based travel techniques, the InvestiGators are undercover and on the case! And on their first mission together, they have not one but two mysteries to solve!

Can Mango and Brash uncover the clues, crack their cases, and corral the crooks? Or will the criminals wriggle out of their grasp?

Chapter book

Meet Marge, the mischievous babysitter with rainbow hair who loves to make a mess and bend the rules . . . At dinnertime Chef Marge cooks up chocolate soup, and at school Marge the Muscian conducts a chaotic concert in the playground!

Jake and Jemima have brilliant fun with their new babysitter, but will they manage to tick off all the jobs on Mummy’s list?

Chapter book

Max is a young boy living in an ordinary tower block. He longs for adventure in his life – then one day – DOOF! – a flying pony called Kevin crashes into his flat, blown in by a magical storm!

The storm causes a huge flood and soon Max’s town submerged by water. Luckily for the town, Max has a flying pony to come to the rescue, and luckily for Kevin, he has a new best friend and a constant supply of his favourite thing – biscuits.

Together Max and Kevin will embark on many wild adventures together . . .

This is the start of a hilarious new series brought to you by the creative and inspiring duo Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre and is packed with amazing two-colour illustrations.

Non-fiction

Join cheerful globetrotter Penguin as he takes you on a world tour of 28 amazing cities. Packed with information and facts about every city, this is an entertaining and educational book that enables you to travel the world from your own home.

Each city has its own spread including a map of the central district, showing sites, cultural information, hot spots and famous landmarks. Look out for over 100 special details within the pages waiting to be explored!

Chapter book

Meet the Twitches, four tiny rabbits who live inside a Teacup House.

They belong to a girl called Stevie and she loves playing with them. But guess what? These toy rabbits have a secret. They come alive when Stevie isn’t looking!

Open up the Teacup House – and meet four little rabbit heroes with big ideas!

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