Power of Reading Book List
The Power of Reading online resource (in our opinion) is a great way to provide a book-centric way to promote better writing and a love of reading.
To get a taste of the books your class can read as part of the programme, you can navigate the book list below. All images are clickable.
Foundation Stage Book List
Stanley’s Stick is a teaming-up of hefty talents – glorious poet John Hegley and award-winning illustrator Neal Layton. Stanley’s stick is not just a stick. With a stick in hand, Stanley’s options are endless – he flies to the moon, writes in the sand, goes fishing, plays a whistle and rides a dinosaur – and his imagination takes over and the magic begins.
This is the first picture book featuring Anna Hibiscus and she is very happy in it! So happy, in fact, that she can’t quite decide what to do with herself!! So she turns to her grandparents, her aunties, her cousins Chocolate, Angel and Benz, her uncle Tunde and her father, who each offer her a way to express her boundless joy. But being around the people she loves so much only makes her happiness grow and grow; she is SO happy, she is going to EXPLODE!
Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len are two crafty robbers with a cunning plan to steal the farmer’s fine prize cow. But little do they know that the tiniest, quietest creature of all has overhead their plot, and she has a plan of her own . . .
When Horace bakes a biscuit in the shape of a bear, little does he know that his edible treat is going to turn into Biscuit Bear! For in the middle of the night, when all is quiet, that is exactly what happens, and Biscuit Bear decides that it is time he made some friends of his own. So, with flour, sugar and butter he does just that. In fact, he makes a whole circus of friends and the fun begins . . .
Spider wants to be a family pet. But the family whose house she lives in are terrified of her! Whenever she tries to show them what a great pet she would make, they just scream, ”AAAARRGGHH, SPIDER!” A delightfully funny story all about fitting in, tolerance and making friends, vibrantly illustrated by the world-famous Lydia Monks.
A young boy receives a toy bus as a present and has great fun exploring the world with his new toy which turns out to be quite a naughty bus – or is it the boy being naughty?!! This is a very unusual picture book with a story told through close up photography and mainly narrated by the toy bus. Very cleverly recreating children’s imaginative play this book is great fun to share with your child and to use as a springboard for their own play ideas.
When two small sisters go fishing to the magic pond, they find something much better than a frog or a newt. They find a bog baby. Small and blue with wings like a dragon, the girls decide to make him their secret. I won’t tell if you won’t.
But the bog baby is a wild thing, and when he becomes poorly, the girls decide they must tell their mum. And she tells them the greatest lesson: if you really love something, you have to let it go.
Osebo the leopard has a fine drum, a huge drum, a “magnificent” drum. All the animals covet Osebo’s drum, but he won’t let anyone else have it, not even Nyame, the Sky-God. So, Nyame offers a big reward to the animal that brings him the drum. All try – the monkey, the elephant, even the python – and all fail. Can a very small tortoise succeed in outwitting the boastful leopard?
This hilarious retelling of the classic Russian tale about a farmer whose turnip is impossible to pull from the ground uses simple vocabulary and is ideal for reading aloud. Its cumulative theme will soon have young readers gleefully joining in, and Irish artist Niamh Sharkey’s wonderfully quirky illustrations will delight and fascinate all ages.
Meet Tanka, the elephant and his friend Skunka. Say their names together and they SOUND LIKE DRUMS! Tanka, Skunka, Tanka, Skunka, Tanka Tanka Skunk! They have lots of friends for you to meet, so say their names to the Tanka Skunka beat! Lemurs, llamas, zebras, badgers, caterpillars, big GORILLAS and yakety, yakety yaks.
Here’s a Little Poem is a superb selection of over fifty poems by English and American authors, including Wendy Cope, Roger McGough, John Agard, Grace Nichols, Colin McNaughton, Jack Prelutsky, Langston Hughes and many more. Affectionately describing the early experiences of young children, this is a warmly illustrated, imaginative world of first encounters.
The last word you want to hear when you’re swimming in the warm blue sea is “Shark!” But most real sharks are not what you might expect. Some are no bigger than a chocolate bar, some have built-in fairy lights and most wouldn’t go near a human, even if you were wearing a sign saying “dinner”! So if you think all sharks are giant, man-eating killers, you’re in for a big surprise.
Cards, presents, balloons … it’s party time! Join Maisy and her friends in a fun interactive adventure, with flaps to lift and tabs to pull on every page.
The story of Handa, who’s part of the Luo tribe in south-west Kenya. Handa decides to take seven pieces of delicious fruit to her friend, Akeyo, who lives in the neighbouring village. But as Handa wonders, I wonder what fruit Akeyo will like best?, a series of sneaky animals steal something from Handa’s basket, which she’s carrying on her head… When Handa reaches Akeyo, will she have anything left to offer her friend?
A brilliantly true-to-life tale of what happens when Daddy’s in charge and things go terribly, hilariously wrong. Merging expressive cartoon-esque illustrations with beautiful black-and-white photographs of New York, the visually striking story follows Daddy, Trixie and Knuffle Bunny on their trip to the neighbourhood Laundromat. But their adventure takes a dramatic turn when Trixie realizes somebunny’s been left behind…
From Humpty Dumpty and Georgie Porgie to Little Miss Muffet and the old woman who lived in a shoe, children will love reading and laughing along with all of their favorite characters. The accessible trim and beautiful illustrations by Tomie dePaola make this book the perfect addition to any child’s library.
In this retelling of a traditional Bengali trickster tale, the bear, tiger and jackal all want to eat the old woman, but she persuades them to eat her on her return from her journey, after she has eaten. And what of the red pumpkin? What part does that play in the story? That is her means of escape! Fully illustrated in colour.
Three baby owls, Sarah, Percy and Bill, wake up one night in their hole in a tree to find that their mother has gone. So they sit on a branch and wait… Darkness gathers and the owls grow anxious, wondering when their mother will return. But, at last, she does and they bounce up and down with joy, welcoming her home.
A book containing 15 traditional stories including “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”, “The Three Little Pigs”, “The Elves and the Shoemaker”, and “The Gingerbread Boy”.
Follow and join in the family’s excitement as they wade through the grass, splash through the river and squelch through the mud in search of a bear. What a surprise awaits them in the cave on the other side of the dark forest!
Walk further into the deep dark wood, and discover what happens when a quick-witted mouse comes face to face with an owl, a snake… and a hungry Gruffalo!
This award-winning rhyming story of a mouse and a monster has found its way into the hearts and bedtimes of an entire generation of children and will undoubtedly continue to enchant children for years and years to come. No home should be without The Gruffalo!
An ingenious, colourful novelty book with peep-through holes.
Mouse is little and so is her house – but her apple is huge. She needs to find a home that is big enough for the both of them. But as she visits all sorts of other creatures to see if she can share their homes, her apple shrinks and shrinks – she’s been nibbling it away! Peep through the holes and join Mouse in her search for a new home.
Charlie and Lola are 10! To celebrate this momentous birthday, we are publishing three superly special birthday editions of the original and classic Charlie and Lola picture books. With a beautiful designed embossed and foiled cover, each picture book also comes free with a four panel frieze – perfect for any fan’s bedroom wall!
Billy wants only one thing for his birthday – a bucket. Inside it, he can see all kinds of magnificent sea creatures. But Mum and Dad are sceptical and, when Dad unwittingly uses the bucket to clean his car, he’s in for a big surprise!
Mum and baby are home alone when – DING DONG! – Auntie and then Uncle and Nannie and Gran-Gran and the cousins come to visit. And they all want to hug and kiss and squeeze and eat the baby right up … because everybody loves the baby SO MUCH!
Climb aboard for a rhythmic train ride through the country. There’s lots to see and someone very special waiting at the end!
A little girl and her mother board the train in town and set off on a journey through the countryside. As they travel, the girl looks out of the window, asking “What shall I see? What shall I see?” And what does she see? Sheep, cows, horses and much more!
Swim with Little Fish and meet all his fishy friends in this splishy-sploshy riot of colour and rhyme under the sea! Paddle along with Little Fish on a mesmerizing underwater tour of friends spotty and stripy, happy and gripy, hairy and scary, even curly whirly and twisty twirly.
Year 1 and 2 Book List
“This is how it all began…” From ‘A Necklace of Raindrops’ to ‘The Patchwork Quilt’, here are eight classic stories to treasure and enjoy. Beginning and ending with a birthday, this spell-binding collection conjures up a world filled with magic, where wishes can come true. A necklace of raindrops that keeps its owner dry in the heaviest rainstorm; a tiger that runs faster than the wind; a huge floating apple pie with a piece of sky in it; a baker’s cat who swells to the size of a whale when his mistress feeds him yeast; a house that stands on one leg – these are just some of the objects and characters that figure in these delightful stories.
One little snail longs to see the world and hitches a lift on the tail of an enormous whale. Together they go on an amazing journey, past icebergs and volcanoes, sharks and penguins, and the little snail feels so small in the vastness of the world. But when disaster strikes and the whale is beached in a bay, it’s the tiny snail’s big plan that saves the day!
Beegu is not supposed to be on Earth. She is lost. She is a friendly little creature, but the Earth People don’t seem very welcoming at all. However, so far she has only met the BIG ones. The little ones are a different matter . . .
With an action outfit for every occasion, Traction Man patrols the house. Whether he is saving toys (in latex space suit and Perspex helmet, teamed with Rocket Boots); searching the sink for the lost wreck of the sieve (in sub-aqua suit, fluorescent flippers and infra-red mask) or rescuing damsels in distress (in jungle pants, camouflage vest and a bandanna), Traction Man is never less than stylishly turned out and expertly accessorised. He is the last word in heroic fashion flair – until, that is, the day that he is presented with an all-in-one knitted green romper suit and matching bonnet by his owner’s granny.
Enjoy the stunning artwork Simon Bartram has become famous for. Bob is everyone’s favourite man on the moon; follow him on his daily adventures. Bob has a special job – looking after the moon. He keeps it clean and entertains passing space tourists as well as giving guided tours. He knows everything about the moon and that there is definitely no such thing as aliens!
For months the sun has burned down on Lila’s Kenyan village. It is too hot to gather firewood, too hot to weed the garden, even too hot to milk the cow. Without rain the well will run dry and the crops will fail. Lila is so worried that when her grandfather whispers to her the secret of rain, she decides to go and talk to the sky herself.
To grace, family has always meant her Ma, her Nana and a cat called Paw-Paw, so when Papa invites her to visit him in The Gambia, she dreams of finding the kind of fairy-tale family she has read about in stories. But, as Nana reminds her, families are what you make them.
Delight in reading these quirky tales aloud to the under-five crowd. Each of the seven stories imparts an important lesson while using humor and lovable characters to keep listeners engaged.
Ride along with the beautiful princess and the majestic white bear on a voyage in the snowy north. When the young princess inadvertently betrays the mysterious white bear, she must prove her loyalty and strength through a series of trying tasks, in order to regain her lost chance at happiness.
A beautifully simple book for small children where transforming pages reveal ten things that everyone can do to help conserve their world. Many of them, such as turning off the television properly, walking to school and turning off lights when leaving a room, are about conserving energy. Others, such as feeding the birds in winter and growing plants from seed, will encourage an understanding of nature and conservation.
A great first poetry book; the poems span time, from Robert Louis Stevenson and Walter de la Mare right up to date with Roger McGough and Michael Rosen. Themes covered, such as mealtimes, playtime, animals, family and bedtime, really appeal to youngreaders. A truly lovely collection of all-time favourite poems.
Okay, Okay. So hang me. I killed the bird. For pity’s sake, I’m a cat.
Poor Ellie is horrified when Tuffy drags a dead bird into the house. Then a mouse. But Tuffy can’t understand what all the fuss is about.
Who on earth will be the next victim to arrive through the cat-flap? Can soft-hearted Ellie manage to get her beloved pet to change his wild, wild ways before he ends up in even deeper trouble?
The hilarious antics of Tuffy and his family as told by the killer cat himself.
Every Saturday morning the Greg family goes off to shoot animals and birds. But the girl who lives next door hates hunting.
Now it’s made her so angry she’s PUT THE MAGIC FINGER ON THEM ALL. And very strange things have begun to happen . . .
Join the Jolly Postman on his rounds as he delivers cards and letters to various fairy-tale characters. He has a letter of apology for the three bears from Goldilocks, a postcard from Jack for the giant, a solicitor’s letter on behalf of Little Red Riding-Hood for the wolf who ate grandma, and more! This classic and innovate story includes six envelopes with pull-out letters and cards
Max is a hedgehog who lives with his family in a nice little home, but it’s on the wrong side of the road from the Park where there’s a beautiful lily pond and plenty of juicy slugs, worms and snails!
The busy road is dangerous but Max is determined to make his way across. If humans can do it, why can’t hedgehogs?
His first attempt ends in a nasty bump on the head and, when Max tries to speak, he realises his words are all mixed up. He is no longer a hedgehog but a hodge-heg!
Still determined to fulfil his mission, Max discovers the best way to cross the road – with the help of the lollipop lady and some careful detective work . . .
Emily Brown and her rabbit, Stanley, are trying to sleep. But a Splish-Splosh noise is keeping them awake…
It’s a Thing! And this Thing just won’t go to sleep. Emily Brown and Rabbit try everything, but nothing works. Just what could be the matter?
This warm and witty picture book is perfect for sharing with children who may be afraid of the dark. With a gentle message that things are never quite as scary as they first seem.
Year 3 and 4 Book List
Wanting to prove to his brothers and sister that magic really exists, Leon volunteers to be in Abdul Kazam’s magic show and gets transported to a mysterious world. Filled with rabbits, doves, playing cards and magician’s assistants – among other things – if a magician can make it disappear, it will end up in the Place Between!
The gods have created a world – they’ve built mountains, a sea and a sky – and now their days are filled with long naps in the clouds (and tea and cake). That’s until Harry, Sue and Little Ben begin to fill the gaps of the world: with a mousy thing, a chirpy thing and a twisty legless thing. As the children’s ideas take shape, the power of their visions proves to be greater than they, or the gods, could ever have imagined.
When de July sun hot like fire, Den I have jus’ one desire, To run down to de shop an’ buy a Kisko pop. The World Is Sweet and Hot Like Fire published in one volume for the first time. Valerie Bloom’s poetry is beautifully crafted yet full of energy and fun. Her mixed use of standard English and dialect is a delight to read and hear. Children love reading and listening to her work! Valerie’s subjects range from global pollution, problems with maths homework and the sad demise of pet frogs (he croaked of course) to taking sandwiches to school and being afraid of ghosts.
One night a boy is woken by a terrible sound. A storm is breaking, lightning flashing across the sky. In the morning Dad is gone and Mum doesn’t seem to know when he’ll be back. The next day Mum asks her son to take a cake to his sick grandma. “Don’t go into the forest,” she warns. “Go the long way round.” But, for the first time, the boy chooses to take the path into the forest, where he meets a variety of fairy tale characters.
The magical story of the adventures of a lost toy rabbit from a New York Times bestselling author, twice winner of the Newbery Medal. Abilene loves her blue china rabbit, but Edward Tulane is extremely vain and only loves himself. On a voyage from New York to London, Edward falls overboard and from there finds himself on an amazing journey. He travels with tramps, works as a scarecrow, comforts a dying child … and finally learns what it is to truly love.
Where do pebbles come from? How were they made? This book tells the story of a pebble, from its origins in a fiery volcano 480 million years ago to a busy, modern landscape. Readers follow the processes of rock formation and erosion that create new pebbles all over the world.
Mankind must put a stop to the dreadful destruction by the Iron Man and set a trap for him, but he cannot be kept down. Then, when a terrible monster from outer space threatens to lay waste to the planet, it is the Iron Man who finds a way to save the world.
Nothing is quite as it seems in this book. Seven stories from around the world introduce remarkable animals and extraordinary people, among them an inquisitive monkey, a clever farmer and an unusual butterfly. Each tale has the colour and vigour of the countries and cultures they represent.
Ruskin Splinter is small and thin, with knock-knees, thick glasses and a squeaky voice, and the idea of him taming a dragon makes the whole class laugh. Big, strong Elvis is stupid but he looks like a hero. So who is more likely to get the big part in the school play? But when the mysterious beast, Krindlekrax, threatens Lizard Street and everyone who lives there, it is Ruskin who saves the day and proves he is the stuff that heroes are made of after all.
Varjak Paw is a Mesopotamian Blue kitten. He lives high up in an old house on a hill. He’s never left home, but then his grandfather tells him about the Way – a secret martial art for cats.
Now Varjak must use the Way to survive in a city full of dangerous dogs, cat gangs and, strangest of all the mysterious Vanishings.
When Gregory wakes up on his first day in Tobago with his grandparents, his heart sinks. The food is strange, the sun too hot, his cousin Lennox is on another wave length, and there are none of the televisions, video games and other high-tech gadgets that a cool city-boy takes for granted. How Gregory adjusts to the strange culture, and learns to enjoy the lifestyle of the Caribbean is enchantingly told and illustrated by award-winning author Caroline Binch.
Ivan lives in a land where the winter is dark and fearful. Starjik, King of Winter, steals Ivan’s little brother and Ivan braves the bitter cold to find him.
After the Princess kissed the frog, he turned into a handsome prince and they lived happily ever after… or “did they?” The Princess can’t stand the Prince’s froggy habits – the way he hops around on the furniture, or sneaks off to the lily pond. The Prince is unhappy, too, and decides that it would be best if he were changed back to a frog. But finding a witch who will do the job is harder than he expects. They all seem to have other spells in mind…
Hannah loves gorillas but has never seen one. Her father’s too busy to take her to the zoo – or for anything else come to that. For her birthday, Hannah asks her father for a gorilla – but is disappointed when she discovers that the gorilla she’s got is just a toy one. But then something extraordinary happens … the toy turns into a real gorilla, who puts on her father’s hat and coat and takes her off for a magical visit to the zoo…
This is an acclaimed tale about magic and emotions, highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. When Elly and her family come to look after her aunt’s house, she sees at once that Stone Mouse is special; but her brother Ted says he’s just a dirty old pebble. But then Ted is angry with everyone and everything and, as Stone Mouse soon discovers, that means trouble…
Mowzer the cat lives happily with old fisherman Tom – Tom who rocks the rocking chair just right, and catches fresh fish for dinner every night. Their life is a happy one – until one terrible winter, the Great Storm-Cat comes clawing and snarling and leaping at the harbour walls, so that no boat can go out to sea to fish.
Bob is Leon’s best friend. He shares Leon’s room. Everywhere Leon goes, Bob goes too. Then one day a boy moves in next door. But when Leon goes to ask his new neighbour to go to the park with him, he discovers Bob has gone…
I was a Rat! Roger insists, and insists . . . In fact, when Bob the cobbler and his washerwoman wife, Joan, find the young boy abandoned on their doorstep, these are the only words he says. And he does have ratty behaviour, it’s true.
Staying with Bob and Joan, however, Roger learns quickly to behave more like a human child. They try to find his parents, but the orphanage, police and hospital all have nothing on their records about a lost boy in the city. What is the truth? As more and more people find out about Roger the mysterious rat-boy he faces more and more danger. But sometimes help comes from the most unexpected of places . . .
Every day Annie walks by the lonely marsh from her remote cottage to school. Only in winter, when the wind howls in the trees, is Annie ever afraid. Her sister Willa is pregnant and Annie is overjoyed when she comes home to have her baby. Annie tells Willa the names of local plants and Willa tells Annie about the ghost, murdered by highwaymen, who is said to haunt the old forge nearby. Then, on a terrible night, with the phone lines down, Willa goes into labour. Annie is terrified of the ghost, but knows she must brave the storm to fetch help. As she ventures into the night, a horseman swings into view. He offers to take Annie to town. But who is this horseman?
This colourfully illustrated book with gold foil jacket offers young readers an African-American version of the classic “Rumplestiltzkin” tale.
Why are some carpets magic? What is a wish-tree? And where can the fountain of eternal life be found? The answers to these and many other intriguing questions can be found in Sally Pomme Clayton’s enchanted storytelling journey through Central Asia.
On her travels in the region, Sally has accumulated a wealth of folklore and knowledge of nomadic cultures. These 12 exotic retellings of stories related to the author in storytelling tents, combined with Sophie Herxheimer’s brilliantly-patterned artwork, reveal the richness of the little-known, faraway lands of Central Asia.
This simply told yet dramatic story from Africa will delight children everywhere and encourage them to “lift off and soar,” as Archbishop Tutu puts it in his foreword. In lovely, expressive paintings of great beauty, sparked with touches of humor, Niki Daly, an internationally known artist, catches the essence of this powerful tale.
Rabbit borrows a book about wolves from the library. He can’t put it down! But soon a sinister figure with sharp claws and a bushy tail starts to creep right off the pages. You won’t believe your eyes – but if you’re a rabbit, you probably should.
Brilliantly witty, ingeniously constructed, and with amazing artwork throughout, Wolves has thrilled critics and booksellers alike. Wolves was Emily Gravett’s debut book, winning her the Macmillan Prize for Illustration and her first CILIP Kate Greenaway Award.
When Irina sees a tatty horse in a junk-shop window, she thinks it looks sad and lonely. Irina is an only child and wants nothing more than to take care of this horse.
Little does she know how special Bella is or that magical journeys lie in wait for them!
Two children find the Green Ship when they climb over the wall into what is more like a forest than a garden. The ship has bushes for bows and stern and its funnels are trees; a small garden shed on an ancient stump is the wheel house and in command of the ship is the owner of the garden, old Mrs Tredegar. Throughout the summer she and the Bosun and the two children sail the Seven Seas visiting exotic faraway places and having wonderful adventures.
Observed through the window of a house, a city street gradually becomes a place to call home as the inhabitants begin to rescue their street by planting grass and trees in the empty spaces. Year by year, everything begins to blossom… Told wordlessly and with stunning collage illustrations, Belonging explores the re-greening of the city and the role of community, the empowerment of people and the significance of children, family and neighbourhood in changing the urban environment for the better.
Young Abikanile and all of the villagers of Yao feel safe hidden deep within the African jungle. But word has come that the slavers are on their way! Abikanile looks to her mother and her grandmother for strength and guidance. These two brave women come up with a plan to fool the slavers and protect their tribe. But as the villagers retreat into the forest, Abikanile finds that she too has the courage to help her people stay safe and free.
The legendary firebird has been stealing King Vaslav’s golden apples – how can he catch this dazzling thief?
With the help of the King’s overlooked youngest son, and a mysterious wolf, the mystery of the firebird is unravelled. This is a spellbinding retelling of the original Russian folktale that inspired Stravinsky’s famous ballet, illustrated with the stunning paintings of artist Catherine Hyde.
This is the classic tale of a young soldier who retrieves a tinder box for an old witch he meets along the road and then the magical adventure begins. Original tale by Hans Christian Anderson adopted by Andrew Lang for his Yellow Fairy Book and illustrated by H.J. Ford.
This collection of poetry for children aged 9-11 is filled with warm and colourful memories of the author’s Caribbean childhood.
Ug and his parents live in the Stone Age. And that means stone blankets, stone cold food, an even colder cave and, worst of all, hard stone trousers! Being an inquisitive and intelligent child, Ug suggests a series of modifications to improve the quality of family life. His ideas about heating, cooking, boats, and balls that actually bounce are initially met with a hostile reaction. But with the help of his father, who slowly comes round to his son’s way of thinking, Ug comes tantalisingly close to his ultimate garment goal . . .
An illustrated collection of poems in many different moods and styles from limericks and nonsense verse to thoughtful poems about the natural world. The collection features poems by some of today’s popular poets including Michael Rosen and Colin McNaughton alongside Shelly and Thomas Hardy.
In his first year of school, Francisco understands little of what his teacher says.But he is drawn to the silent, slow-moving caterpillar in the jar next to his desk.He knows caterpillars turn into butterflies, but just how do they do it? To find out, he studies the words in a butterfly book so many times that he can close his eyes and see the black letters, but he still can’t understand their meaning.Illustrated with paintings as deep and rich as the wings of a butterfly, this honest, unsentimental account of a schoolchild’s struggle to learn language reveals that our imaginations powerfully sustain us.La Mariposa makes a subtle plea for tolerance in our homes, our communities, and in our schools.
Year 5 and 6 Book List
A sparkling galaxy of new poems by one of the UK’s most exciting contemporary poets. From Aurora Borealis, Sun – You’re a Star and A Matter of Holes, to Lady Winter’s Rap, the Earthworm Sonnet and You – a Universe Yourself, this is brilliant poetry with an astonishing range – comic riddles, animals and nature, home truths and the explosive wonder of the cosmos.
Liam is too big for his boots. And his football strip. And his school blazer. But being super-sized height-wise has its advantages: he’s the only eleven-year-old to ever ride the G-force-defying Cosmic rollercoaster – or to be offered the chance to drive a Porsche. Long-legged Liam makes a giant leap for boy-kind by competing with a group of adults for the chance to go into space. Is Liam the best boy for the job? Sometimes being big isn’t all about being a grown-up.
A princess cannot get warm, no matter what is done for her. A stranger with cold eyes brings her the earth’s blanket, the forest’s blanket, the ocean’s blanket and more, but nothing can warm the cold princess. Then, one day, a musician wanders into the land, and her heart melts with warmth and love.
When a move to a new house coincides with his baby sister’s illness, Michael’s world seems suddenly lonely and uncertain.
Then, one Sunday afternoon, he stumbles into the old, ramshackle garage of his new home, and finds something magical. A strange creature – part owl, part angel, a being who needs Michael’s help if he is to survive. With his new friend Mina, Michael nourishes Skellig back to health, while his baby sister languishes in the hospital.
But Skellig is far more than he at first appears, and as he helps Michael breathe life into his tiny sister, Michael’s world changes for ever . . .
11.32am. Ted and his sister Kat watch their cousin Salim get on board the London Eye. The pod rises from the ground, high above the city.
12.02am. The pod lands and the doors open. Everyone exits – everyone but Salim.
Has he spontaneously combusted? (Ted’s theory.)
Has he been kidnapped? (Aunt Gloria’s theory.)
Is he even still alive? (The family’s unspoken fear.)
Teaming up with Kat, Ted follows a trail of clues across London – while time ticks dangerously by…
When his mother dies, Jim Jarvis is left all alone in London. He is sent to the workhouse but quickly escapes, choosing a hard life on the streets of the city over the confines of the workhouse walls.
Struggling to survive, Jim finally finds some friends… only to be snatched away and made to work for the remorselessly cruel Grimy Nick, constantly guarded by his vicious dog, Snipe.
Will Jim ever manage to be free?
It’s night and the dark is filled with strange sounds as Shane makes his way home. On a fence he finds a stray cat that at first growls and spits at him. But Shane talks and strokes the kitten to calmness, and decides to take the ‘Spitfire, Kitten Number One,’ home with him. No gang of boys, or avenue of dense traffic, or fierce dog can stop Shane carrying his new found friend to the place he calls home. Greg Rogers’ sensitive use of charcoal and pastel create Shane and his cat in splendid city-at-night time scenes.
Shackleton sets off from England with a team of explorers to walk across the Antarctic and study the icy depths of this little-known and forbidding continent. Sailing through some of the most perilous seas, the Endurance becomes trapped in the deadly pack ice of the Weddell Sea. When the Endurance is eventually crushed between the vast bulk of two floating icebergs, the men are forced to abandon ship and make the dangerous journey across the crushing sea in lifeboats. They reach relative safety on the uninhabited Elephant Island, but an even greater peril faces Shackleton and five other members of the crew…
Set sail with Odysseus as he fights to find his way back home after the brutal Trojan War. On his ten year journey, he endures harrowing ordeals, battles monsters and learns what it means to be a hero. Award-winning professional storytellers Hugh Lupton and Daniel Morden’s gripping retelling breathes new life into Homer’s classic The Odyssey.
Thousands of years ago, a powerful and malevolent force conjured a demon: a demon so evil that it could only be contained in the body of a ferocious bear, a demon determined to destroy the world. Only one boy can stop it …
12-year-old Torak sees his father murdered by the bear. With his dying breath, he asks his son to make him a promise. Alone, wounded, terrified and on the run, Torak must now lead the bear to the Mountain of the World Spirit – a mountain that no one has ever found before. But can Torak keep his promise?
Meet Bradley Chalkers. He’s the oldest child in the class. He tells ENORMOUS lies. He picks fights with girls. The teachers say he has ‘serious behaviour problems’. And no one likes him … Except Carla, the new school counsellor. She thinks Bradley is kind and generous, and she even enjoys his far-fetched stories.
Carla knows that Bradley could change, if only he weren’t afraid to try. Sometimes the hardest thing in the world is believing in yourself.
Imagine that a few years from now England is covered by water, and Norwich is an island.
Zoe, left behind in the confusion when her parents escaped, survives there as best she can. Alone and desperate among marauding gangs, she manages to dig a derelict boat out of the mud and gets away to Eels Island. But Eels Island, whose raggle-taggle inhabitants are dominated by the strange boy Dooby, is full of danger too.
The belief that she will one day find her parents spurs Zoe on to a dramatic escape in a story of courage and determination that is handled with warmth and humanity.
Tennyson’s romantic poem, full of atmosphere and emotion, tells the story of the mysterious Lady of Shalott. In this exquisite illustrated edition, Charles Keeping’s evocative pictures take us to Camelot, a fabled world of knights and castles, to witness the cursed life and tragic death of a beautiful but doomed maiden. This new edition features rescanned artwork to capture the inspiring detail of Keeping’s illustrations and a striking new cover.
One morning in the woods of France, a blinded soldier is found by two sisters, Coco and Marcelle. In return for their kindness the soldier tells the sisters marvellous tales, connected with the keepsake he carries in his pocket: a tiny silver donkey. As the days pass and they struggle to help the soldier reach home, the sisters learn the truth behind the silver donkey and what the precious object means: honesty, loyalty and courage.
Featuring children’s lives, loves, fears, and games, this is a collection of Charles Causley’s poetry for young readers.
The wonderful Roger McGough has drawn together a stunning collection of poems inspired by the five senses. Gems from the very best classic and contemporary poets such as Carol Ann Duffy, Ian McMillan, John Hegley, William Wordsworth, Vernon Scannell and Michael Rosen will captivate any reader. Prepare for a welcome assault on your senses!
Branford’s Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize-winning novel is a moving narrative about injustice, upheaval and survival in fourteenth century Britain. From the point of view of a devoted and sought-after hunting dog, her story focuses on the societal tension and oppression that lead to her beloved masters Rufus and Comfort being arrested for heresy during the Peasants’ Revolt, and how she must then struggle to raise her puppy Fleabane and forge a life away from the cruel landlord and violence happening all around her. Ultimately an uplifting story about loyalty and hope.
Slowly Jack learns the pleasures of writing poetry as Miss Stretchberry encourages him to tell his own story through verse. What emerges is a moving and memorable story about a boy and his dog and his growing passion for poetry.
Will Montague is a page to Prince Edward, son of King Henry VIII. As the King’s favourite, Will gains many enemies in Court. His enemies convince the King that Will’s father has committed treason and he is thrown into Newgate Prison. Will flees Hampton Court and goes into hiding in the back streets of London. Lost and in mortal danger, he is rescued by a poor boy, Nick Drew. Together they must brave imprisonment and death as they embark on a great adventure to set Will’s father free.
It is a cold winter’s night when Karl enters the White Horse Tavern looking like he’s swallowed a thundercloud. His final task as a clockmaker apprentice is to make a new figure for the great clock of Glockenheim. He has not made the figure – or got any idea of what it could be, and the unveiling is tomorrow.
Fritz is also in the tavern; there to read aloud his new spooky story. Like Karl, he hasn’t finished. Well, he knows how the story starts and he knows it’s called Clockwork – so, with the snow swirling down outside, he sets his story going and just has to hope that the ending will come to him as he tells it.
Suddenly, Fritz’s story and real life merge in a completely sinister way – and just like clockwork it can’t be stopped . . .
When Lonnie was seven years old, his parents died in a fire. Now he’s eleven, and he still misses them terribly. And he misses his little sister, Lili, who was put into a different foster home because not a lot of people want boys-not foster boys that ain’t babies. But Lonnie hasn’t given up. His foster mother, Miss Edna, is growing on him. She’s already raised two sons and she seems to know what makes them tick. And his teacher, Ms. Marcus, is showing him ways to put his jumbled feelings on paper.
Once upon a time, O my Best Beloved . . . So begins this classic collection of gloriously fanciful tales of how things in the world came to be as they are. This collection includes the story of how the lazy camel found himself with a hump and how the insatiable curiosity of the elephant earned him his long trunk. It reveals how the whale was given a throat, and why every rhinoceros has great folds in his skin and a very bad temper. We also find out about the cunning cat that walked by itself, and how clever little Taffy and her Daddy Tegumai made the first alphabet.
Imagine you wrote a story and that story came true. This is exactly what happens to Blue Baker when he writes about a savage living alone in the woods near his home. After his dad’s death, Blue finds comfort in dreaming of a wild kid who survives on a diet of berries and the occasional hapless passer-by. But when the savage pays a night-time visit to the local bully, boundaries become blurred and Blue begins to wonder where he ends and the savage begins. Part novel, part graphic novel, this moving story features striking art from the award-winning Dave McKean.
“Sheep Don’t Go to School” contains a whole flock of mad and magical poems from Eastern Europe. There are silly rhymes, surreal tales and serious stories from strange places – all bleating with wordplay, riddling and true magic.
In order to delay her inevitable execution, Queen Shaharazad tells her murdering husband, King Shahryar, an exciting story every night. She tells her wonderful stories until the King realizes that he won’t be able to live without them…
In the first book in the number one bestselling Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz, fourteen-year-old Alex is forcibly recruited into MI6. Armed with secret gadgets, he is sent to investigate Herod Sayle, a man who is offering state-of-the-art Stormbreaker computers to every school in the country. But the teenage spy soon finds himself in mortal danger.
This prestigious anthology, which won the 2003 CLPE Poetry Award, conjures up the sights and sounds, tastes and tales of the Caribbean; the experience of living there – and of leaving for other lands. A companion to the acclaimed A Caribbean Dozen, this book contains more than fifty poems by over thirty poets, including John Agard, Grace Nichols, James Berry, Valerie Bloom and Benjamin Zephaniah.
Macbeth is among the best-known of William Shakespeare’s plays, and is his shortest tragedy, believed to have been written between 1603 and 1606. It is frequently performed at both amateur and professional levels, and has been adapted for opera, film, books, stage and screen. Often regarded as archetypal, the play tells of the dangers of the lust for power and the betrayal of friends. For the plot Shakespeare drew loosely on the historical account of King Macbeth of Scotland by Raphael Holinshed and that by the Scottish philosopher Hector Boece.
Tom, a town boy, is horrified when his parents tell him he has to stay on Aunt Millie’s farm while they are away. He finds country life every bit as strange and uncomfortable as he feared. But soon, he discovers a rare black fox with green eyes, living with her cubs in the forest. Suddenly, the summer is full of excitement. That is, until Uncle Fred decides to go after the fox – will Tom save her and her family in time?
Rose Blanche was the name of a group of young German citizens who, at their peril, protested against the war. Like them, Rose observes all the changes going on around her which others choose to ignore. She watches as the streets of her small German town fill with soldiers. One day she sees a little boy escaping from the back of a truck, only to be captured by the mayor and shoved back into it. Rose follows the truck to a desolate place out of town, where she discovers many other children, staring hungrily from behind an electric barbed wire fence. She starts bringing the children food, instinctively sensing the need for secrecy, even with her mother. Until the tide of the war turns and soldiers in different uniforms stream in from the East, and Rose and the imprisoned children disappear for ever . . .
The animals are having a carnival, and the guests are arriving. There’s the majestic lion, the braying mules, the dancing elephant, and the bouncy kangaroos. Even the fossils join in with a fast and rattly dance. Everyone is invited!
Nearly 150 years ago, the composer Camille Saint-Saëns was asked by his pupils to write a musical joke for them. He wrote the Carnival of the Animals, a piece people enjoyed so much that it has now become one of Saint-Saëns’s most famous works.
Often called the Scandinavian Beauty and the Beast, this Norwegian folktale follows the journey of the youngest daughter of a peasant, who—for the sake of her poor but large family—agrees to leave everything she has ever known and accompany a White Bear to his mountain castle. After discovering the White Bear’s true identity, she seeks to rescue him from a forced marriage to a Troll Princess. Her search leads her to the homes of the Four Winds, who may be her only hope in locating where her beloved now resides—in a castle which lies East of the Sun and West of the Moon…
The story of young Willie Beech, evacuated to the country as Britain stands on the brink of the Second World War.
A sad, deprived child, he slowly begins to flourish under the care of old Tom Oakley – but his new-found happiness is shattered by a summons from his mother back in London.
As time goes by Tom begins to worry when Willie doesn’t answer his letters, so he goes to London to find him, and there makes a terrible discovery.
It is 1910 and Maia, tragically orphaned at thirteen, has been sent from England to start a new life with distant relatives in Manaus, hundreds of miles up the Amazon. She is accompanied by an eccentric and mysterious governess who has secret reasons of her own for making the journey. Both soon discover an exotic world bursting with new experiences in Journey to the River Sea, Eva Ibbotson’s highly colourful, joyous adventure.
India is particularly rich in colourful folkore. These stories, told by parents to their children for many generations, make a rich and dazzling collection of mythological tales drawn from a great heritage of Hindu epics – from the life of the great god Krishna to how the monkey god Hanuman helped defeat the Demon King Ravan and a host of other magical and spectacular creatures. The stories are arranged according to the sequence of the Hindu year and each is prefaced with a short personal anecdote from the author’s childhood. Beautifully illustrated throughout in black line and tone by Michael Foreman.
In Alfred Noyes’s thrilling poem, charged with drama and tension, we ride with the highwayman and recoil from the terrible fate that befalls him and his sweetheart Bess, the landlord’s daughter. The vivid imagery of the writing is matched by Charles Keeping’s haunting illustrations which won him the Kate Greenaway Medal.
This is an incredibly useful list, thank you.