No catches, no fine print just unconditional book love and reading recommendations for your students and children.
You can create your own school's page, develop tailored reading lists to share with peers and parents...all helping encourage reading for pleasure in your children.
Find out more
What a witty feast of sing-song verse and visuals this is. Chris Riddell’s vibrant characters whish and whoosh in rhythm with Neil Gaiman’s rambunctious rhymes to create a hearty banquet befitting a pirate crew. The swaggering story begins when a brother and sister are introduced to their babysitter, a certain scar-faced, grey-haired, peg-legged ship’s cook called Long John Mc Ron. Moments after their parents have left, Long John opens the door to an entire crew of hungry pirates, and so he does what any respectable ship’s cook would do – he cooks up “Pirate Stew! Pirate Stew! Eat it and you won’t be blue. You can be a pirate too!” With a rib-tickling twist that will send readers into fits of giggles, Pirate Stew is buccaneering blast of a book that demands to be read aloud, acted out and treasured like ill-gotten gains!
A laugh-out-loud illustrated story! | A madcap new story from Sue Cheung, winner of the Diverse Book Award, filled with belly-laughs and packed with drawings! Perfect for fans of Tom Gates and Sam Wu. Maddy Yip is perfectly happy in life, until she realises that everyone she knows has a talent - except for her! Maddy is determined to change that, with the help of her brothers, bewildered grandad and her best friend Dev. There are disastrous attempts at breakdancing and playing the recorder, revolting cakes, and a magic disappearing trick that ends up with an escaped guinea pig. Will Maddy ever find her true calling?
This charming story will enchant younger readers and is perfect for sharing aloud. Beautifully presented as an illustrated paperback, it is the perfect book for all little children wondering if they're growing too.
Right from the introduction, which explains that insects are not only the most numerous animals on the planet, out-numbering humans by 1.4 billion to one, but the most important, this excellent information book opens readers’ eyes to the wonders of planet insect. Attractive colour illustrations and diagrams support illuminating text which passes on facts in a way guaranteed to inspire and intrigue young readers as well as to inform them. The section on cockroaches for example, lets us know that while they have a bad reputation for breaking into buildings and spoiling food, they’re also some of the best recyclers in the animal kingdom. The book covers the huge variety of insects that exist, explaining the differences between groups and its author’s fascination with her subject is contagious. A final section encourages children to go out into gardens or parks to observe insects in their natural habitats and, inspired by what they’ve read, lots will be eager to do just that.
The fourth book in Zanib Mian's laugh-out-loud series, with amazing cartoon-style illustrations. Perfect for fans of Tom Gates and Wimpy Kid. Zanib Mian is a World Book Day author for 2021 with her Planet Omar title, Operation Kind. Have you read the first book in the series, Accidental Trouble Magnet? LoveReading4Kids called it 'irresistible reading!'
July 2021 Book of the Month | Written by an expert in dog training – Steve Mann is recognised all over the world for his expertise, he is also the author of the UKs leading dog training manual for adults. As you would expect from an author with such a pedigree this book is filled with useful information. Presented in short clear sections, with lots of cartoonlike illustrations, the book will not overpower any young dog owner, but sets out in a logical manner the how and why of dog (and human) behaviour – so that dog and handler are both comfortable, relaxed and learning. The book covers all the essential exercises for good dog ownership, how to read the dog’s body language (and how dogs read ours), clear instructions, as well as lots of fun activities and even some quizzes. An excellent choice for any young dog owner (and even some not so young ones!).
With wordplay, riddles and poems that are funny, fast-paced, lyrical and thought-provoking, this is an exciting debut from an outstanding new poet. Rachel Rooney's prize-winning debut poetry collection, first published in 2011, is now reissued by Otter-Barry books by popular demand, for a new generation of children. The CLPE judges said: ‘These poems have a subtle distinctive speaking voice, lighting up shifts of thought and feeling that young readers will recognize but that clichés would conceal. Rachel Rooney relishes and shares the craft of poetry; gradually you spot exacting games of form and language beneath a surface that seems simple enough for youngest readers to approach, and the poems will grow in the reader’s mindwith re-reading, year by year.’
Test your football knowledge with hundreds of funny and fascinating questions about your favourite players and competitions, plus enjoy a variety of other on-the-page activities. Find out more about the Football Superstars, an entertaining and informative series of biographies charting the success of some of our best known and admired global football players.
July 2021 Book of the Month | The Ordnance Survey Kids’ Adventure Book is an inspiration, guide and introduction to map-reading and navigation that will give both competence and confidence to young explorers. Ever since I was a kid, looking at a map has been imagining an adventure. Learning the symbols, colours, abbreviations, lines, dashes and fonts that illustrate an Ordnance Survey map is like cracking a secret code that makes it possible to visualise what is around and beyond. In this new Kids’ Adventure Book, OS has made the learning even more fun - packed cover to cover with puzzles, quizzes and tips that will keep the young adventurer in your family (and you!) entertained for days. Then, once they are ready to step out on their first expedition, the book also provides everything they need to know about how best to prepare, deal with difficult weather, injuries - and even where they might go in Britain and what to do if they get lost! Perfect to equip curious kids aged 8+ with the confidence and skills to explore the outdoors and get adventurous. Kids who love the outdoors will find more inspiration in our collection, A World of Adventure.
‘How much damage can one tiny dragon do?’ asks Princess Grace near the beginning of this very funny and enjoyable adventure. The answer is quite a lot it turns out. The arrival of Dennis the cheeky little dragon coincides with a visit from snooty mermaid Queen Jeen and her court, so the fact that Dennis loves water, and has a tendency to turn it purple, is an added challenge for Grace and her sister Portia as they struggle to keep him hidden from the king. At least they have friends to help, including imp Bramwell and apprentice witch Verity. Scenes of delicious just-contained chaos, including one in which Grace’s badly-behaved unicorn Poop starts to fly, plus a lovely sense of the castle’s idiosyncratic community make this very appealing and Grace, by no means the average princess, is a great central character. Illustrations by Sharon Davey catch the atmosphere and the characters perfectly too.
Book Band White - Ideal for ages 6+ | A fun and lively story about a little girl called Fizzy and her desire to join in the fun next door rather than go to bed as her mother wishes. This theme would certainly appeal to young children, all of whom I am sure have been in the same position. …but I’m not tired… this is a sentence we have all uttered. What makes this story convincing is Fizzy’s rational for why she should go to the party and her persuasive nature. Children will enjoy how she manages to win her mother round to her way of thinking! The pages are packed with busy and colourful illustrations, creating lots of visuals for discussion. The story is divided into chapters and the writing is clear and imaginatively written with lots of description and creative vocabulary.
A set of 6 vocabulary workbooks to support home learning. This is quite a challenging task, but a much needed resource in the current times. Each book is geared to an age range from years 1 to 6 covering all classes in KS1&2 age range. The books cover the vocabulary expected within the National Curriculum, including words used in history, science and geography topics. The books are colourful and beautifully put together with imaginative and detailed graphics, making them appealing to children. There are some super creative ideas within the worksheets, with many fun exercises and act as a good first step to build literacy skills. All the pages are based on extending vocabulary, so anything new learned is a positive thing. Within a year of education, there is an enormous differentiation in ability which is a hard thing to tackle in a workbook with no teacher input, though the instructions are clear and helpful. Looking at the instructions, the children should be encouraged to attempt the first two levels, (grasshopper and Shinobi,) themselves without support, though this will obviously depend on the child’s ability. I think that children will enjoy the opportunity to discuss the pages with an adult, and the books provide lots of new ideas for the supporting adult which could be extended and developed. The idea of downloading a certificate of achievement is always a bonus and provides added incentive and motivation. In conclusion, they are a fun and engaging resource, providing much needed support for home learning.
