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
A wonderful story about a blackbird and the many animals he involves in getting a message to his friend Apollo the swallow thousands of miles away in Africa. This is a Blue Banana title, perfect for developing readers who, either alone or in shared reading, are able to enjoy a single story but still with some speech bubbles and gorgeous full bleed illustrations on virtually every page. Follow the Swallow is part of the Banana Books reading series – quality stories for young readers – which in turn is divided into Green, Blue and Red Bananas. Green Bananas, are for first readers, generally from 3-5 years, Blue Bananas, like this one are for developing readers (age 5+) and Red Bananas are for newly fluent readers (age 6+). Every one of them is written and illustrated by well established authors and artists. ‘I love Bananas! They’re just right for the very young. They take children on adventures into life, into the imagination and into reading for pleasure’ - Wendy Cooling, creator of Bookstart. If you enjoy reading this Blue Banana and/or would like to see other titles in the bunch then click here.
Exquisite and fascinating illustrations beautifully capture the hopeful mood of this story about the power of dreaming. Living in a miserable grey world, an old man repeatedly dreams of colour and growth. Gradually his world begins to full up with colour, change and therefore hope.
A brilliant story that will have school kids laughing their way through it for it features a teacher who turns into a dragon when she eats crisps. All sorts of exciting adventures result. You’ll be left gasping for breath.
Selected by a distinguished independent panel of experts including our editorial expert, Julia Eccleshare, for Diverse Voices - 50 of the best Children's Books celebrating cultural diversity in the UK. A story of fulfilment and freedom shown through the parable of the baby eagle who is reared with chickens.
Selected by a distinguished independent panel of experts including our editorial expert, Julia Eccleshare, for Diverse Voices - 50 of the best Children's Books celebrating cultural diversity in the UK. When Songololo's grandmother, Gogo, plans a shopping trip to the big city, he has to help her cope with all the hustle and bustle. It's all worthwhile, because at the end of the day there is a wonderful surprise in store for him.
Meet Amelia Jane, the terror of the toy-cupboard. There are no words to describe how bad this naughty little doll is as she bullies all the nice toys in the cupboard – but she doesn’t always get her own way. These classic, timeless stories have now been updated with new illustrations for a new generation of readers to enjoy.
A delightfully charming and gentle story about a child wanting a dog and her parents saying no. Instead, she and grandad make a dog, a snow-dome dog, and something magical happens.
A beautifully moving picture book that deals delicately with a marriage break up and moving house, A New Room for William is a sensitive portrayal of the thoughts and emotions of a little boy in the midst of a dramatic life-change. Magical, washed illustrations combine with simple, easy to follow text, helping to make this book an unforgettable and informative read that doesn't preach or patronise, but simply explores the worries of a little boy with the weight of the world on his shoulders. A great book for sharing, this touching picture book is ideal for explaining the difficulties of a marriage break-up, but is also a simply delightful story dealing with change in a straightforward, no nonsense manner.
May 2018 Debut of the Month | A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month May 2018 | A wonderfully warm-hearted animal adventure based on Zeb Soanes observation of a local urban fox. Waking up hungry one evening, Gaspard sets out to find something to eat. Luckily, he quickly makes two new friends - Peter a rather cool cat and Finty a frisky dog who has dug a way out of his garden so that he can roam the streets without an owner. Helped by his new friends Gaspard secures himself a delicious meal and returns happy and FULL. The three friends and their adventure and the urban landscape of the setting are all perfectly captured in James Mayhew’s illustrations.
Fabulous reissue of an absolute gem of a book by on of the bestselling authors of all time but this is one of the very few titles by Jacqueline Wilson suitable for newly fluent readers. Still with colour illustrations on every page it introduces chapters to the reader. My Brother Bernadette is part of Egmont's Red Bananas series and there are plenty of others in the bunch as well. For younger and less fluent readers why not try Egmont's Green Bananas, short stories heavily illustrated for first readers and also their Blue Bananas which are simple stories for developing readers, again with lots of illustrations.
Ideal as an early introduction to Roald Dahl just as a child is starting to read alone because it’s a short story by comparison to some of his others. Filled with quirky black and white illustrations by the wonderful Quentin Blake that complement the story so beautifully. As three of the nastiest and most crooked farmers vow to wreak revenge on the foxes eating their chickens, little do they know what the foxes have in store for them.
Little Wolf is so worryingly well-behaved that his parents send him to Cunning College to learn the Nine Rules of Badness. In a series of letters home, the reader follows Little Wolf's development from wolf wimp to millionaire owner of Cunning College. The book includes a secret envelope.
