GROWING WITH AND THROUGH BOOKS

‘Reading for Pleasure’

I am delighted that the term ‘reading for pleasure’ has come to such prominence in primary education. It can, however, mislead certain people who seem to equate it with reading as a leisure activity, an entertainment only. As such they consider it something aside from the serious content of education - an optional extra, even a mere time filler. This way of thinking leads on to an argument that reading books aloud to children is also essentially an indulgence; in a crowded curriculum, it must give way to other far more purposeful uses of teachers’ and children’s time. How wrong can anyone be?

Reading for enjoyment

Of course, enjoyment plays a very big part in reading for pleasure, reading beyond the purely functional. Why would children read any more than they have to if they don’t enjoy it, if they don’t get something out of it?

If children aren’t reading for pleasure, then, very importantly, the first thing is to make sure that they can read. However, if children can read but don’t, then we have to do everything we can to encourage them to become readers in the fullest sense. Best of all is if we we can establish a love of stories and books from the earliest stages, even before they can read completely independently, so that children grow up enjoying reading. But that doesn’t always happen and, even when it does, reading for pleasure sometimes drops off.  

Yet the wonderful palace that is reading for pleasure has many doors. Its doors are books and every book enjoyed is a potential way in.  It has been said, and I largely agree, that: there are no children who don’t enjoy reading, only children who haven’t found the right book yet. The positivity of this message is certainly something teachers should keep  in mind. If we are to encourage children to read for pleasure then we must help them find the books and stories that they will enjoy - and that may well be different for different children. 

Naturally, we canon compel children to enjoy anything, nor, indeed, should we if we could. But we can entice them. Having lots of lovely books around in classrooms and libraries is a vital start. But books on shelves, or even on display, are often not enough in themselves to attract a reluctant reader. Even recommendation and encouragement are not always sufficient. And if children will not explore, how will they ever find the ‘right book’? Well, we can open lots of possibilities by reading aloud to them. If we can show them books and stories are enjoyable, then we might just open one of those doors for them. And if the books we read to them are well chosen and enthusiastically shared, if they cover a wide enough range, then there is a very good chance that at some point one or more of them will open that door.

Reading to improve reading; reading to learn

It is perfectly possible to justify reading for pleasure on purely educational grounds.

Once children have reached a basic level of functionality in reading, there is only one way that they continue to improve and that is by reading. The more they read, the more they improve. Simple but true. Talking with others about what they read can help too, but most of the learning comes directly from reading itself. The very act of reading cumulatively builds the brain capacity to read even better. Vocabulary and comprehension improve. Awareness of ‘book language’, styles and forms improves, as does appreciation of the author’s intent. There is also very considerable knock-on to writing ability. (When asked how to improve as a writer, many a famous author has replied: ‘Read more,’). Improved reading also opens access to so much other learning across the curriculum and reading itself brings about huge areas of incidental learning. However, to fully benefit in all these ways, reading needs to be wide-ranging and extensive. The functional reading required by children in school is not enough. Even reading in a class group, or taking a ‘reading book’ home, though valuable, is not in itself enough. Children need to read voluntarily beyond what is ‘required’ of them. They need to read for pleasure. 

Alongside actually teaching them how to perform the function of reading, encouraging reading for pleasure is probably the most important thing we can do to support children’s overall learning as well as their capacity to learn into the future.

Reading for respite and recovery

However there is far more to education than just covering a formal curriculum and achieving academic success. Likewise, there is far more to reading for pleasure than just supporting school attainment.

Once children are into reading for pleasure, it can offer valuable respite and recovery time from difficult situations and issues in their lives. Sometimes to escape for a while into a book helps them to cope with stress. And yes, many children do experience stress at various times from home or school. There does not even have to be anything ‘wrong’ with either environment. Just growing up can be a stressful and sometimes worrying business. Getting  lost in a book can even just help to break up the routine and repetitiveness of daily life. Balanced with more active recreation, a reading habit has the potential to contribute significantly to children’s well-being. By encouraging it we offer them an important potential coping strategy.

Reading for Personal Growth

Through reading widely, children can grow by experiencing situations and places that they might well not have experienced for real, or indeed may never have the opportunity to experience directly. In many instances this vicarious experience may be second best, but it is far better than no experience at all. In other circumstances, for example living through a war, immersion in story may be a far safer and more desirable way of achieving important understanding than actually going through it. 

Children love to recognise themselves, or others very like themselves, in books. It provides considerable reassurance and builds self-esteem, for all children, but perhaps especially for those who feel isolated, excluded or in a minority. Further, seeing others like themselves overcoming difficulty, or achieving, despite real of perceived disadvantage, can do a great deal to build confidence and encourage positivity.

Just as vital, is for readers to see others in books who are different from themselves, who come from different countries and cultures, have different abilities and disabilities, lead different lives or have different experiences. Realising, through the identification stories engender, that we all have much the same thoughts and feelings, despite these differences, helps considerably in developing understanding, empathy and compassion. It helps to building attitudes of tolerance and inclusion.

Reading for a Better World

Perhaps most important of all, wide, rich reading, stimulates and develops imagination. And imagination is far more than dragons and magic spells. Imagination enables many things: the anticipation of consequences; seeing new solutions to problems; inventing or creating useful or wonderful things; understanding what it is like to be other people or to live in other places; picturing things as they were in the past or could be in the future. It is the ability to imagine how our world could be better and so, perhaps, help to make it better. Now, more than ever, the future of our children and our world  needs imagination. 

Reading for (more than) pleasure

‘Reading for pleasure’ is not simply reading for leisure, for entertainment. Nor is it simply reading for escape, for respite and recovery, although each of these things is enormously valuable to children. It develops both the actual ability to read and the inclination to do so. Reading for pleasure is reading for learning and enrichment. But it is also reading for well-being and personal growth. It is reading that will lead children to help make our world a better place. Reading for pleasure is a central route to education in its fullest sense. Children learn and grow with and through books. But only if they read them.

Reading books aloud to children, sharing enthusiasm for books, making books available to them, allowing them time and space to read, talking with them about what we read, together and individually; these things play a crucial role in helping children grow as individuals who read for pleasure. Is it not, then, a ‘no-brainier’ that these things must be a central to what we provide for children in primary school?

‘A story is a process: it bends time, expands space, and allows the universe to invent itself, and re-invent itself, again and again and again. It is through stories that our world becomes new. A story can’t become what it’s meant to be without a READER to read it.’  (Children’s author, Kelly Barnhill)

KS1 / KS2: REFUGEES and INMIGRANTS

Very recent events in Ukraine have prompted me to cover this topic, although it is an important one in any case. Of course, it is a difficult issue and many of the books below pull no punches in term of political reality or emotional trauma. They need careful handling and open discussion from teachers fully attuned to the potential sensitivities of children in their class. Nevertheless, understanding and compassion for refugees is vital to our world and these books will help considerably. I would not wish children to leave primary school without experiencing one or more of the brave and responsible children’s novels on this subject. Here is just a sample for starters. 

Year One / Year Two

 

 

Leaf by Sandra Dieckmann provides young children with a fairly ‘safe’ way into discussion of this issue with a beaitifully illustrated story, not about humans, but animals. Bear arrives in a new environment where others initially fear and avoid it, but later come to understand its feelings better.

My Name is Not Refugee by Kate Milner approaches the subject much more directly, but still in a way that brings important awareness within the scope of young children’s understanding. Simple and moving.

Smriti Prasadam-Halls’ Rain Before Rainbows is not specifically about refugees, but there could be no more hopeful book about moving from a dark place to a brighter future. It is important to be positive with young children, and this book is as supportive as it gets. Feelings are brought to glowing life in illustrations by the wonderful David Lichfield.

The New Girl by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Cathy Fisher, is superficially about a new arrival at a particular school, but the way the author demonstrates the response to someone new and different is very special. Its message, beautifully conveyed in both words and pictures, is universal. 

 

Coming to England by Floella Benjamin (illustrated Diane Ewen) and Windrush Child by poet, John Agard (illustrated Sophie Bass) each in very different ways make this important aspect of our recent history accessible to young children. I would read them both, in this order, as I think they complement each other. The more straightforward recount of the first book will help children appreciate the deceptive simplicity of John Agard’s beautiful, lyrical language.

Year Three / Year Four

Picture books:

Picture books can be a valuable way of introducing difficult topics in KS2. Despite their short text and integral illustrations, many contain complex ideas and express emotions tellingly. These outstanding examples should provoke much thought and discussion.

 

Granny Came Here on the Empire Windrush by Patrice Lawrence (illustrated Camilla Sucre) is an inspirational tale of the Windrush experience endearingly retold in the context of an inter- generational story. A significant move on from the two versions above, it contextualises these events as an important element of black British heritage as well as part of the history of us all.

Nicola Davies’ The Day War Came (illustrated Rebecca Cobb) is a very strongly emotive poem, protesting inhospitable treatment of refugees. Again, much more than ‘just’ a picture book, it aroused supportive, viral social media responses a few years back (the ‘empty chair’ protest), and is still a must-read today.

Teacup by Rebecca Young and Matt Ottley is, in contrast, a far more lyrical, almost poetic response to the situation of a child refugee. It is nonetheless very poignant and thought-provoking, but ultimately hopeful and reassuring.

Stretch Level Fiction:

 

The Abominables is the last novel from cherished children’s author Eva Ibbotson and was published posthumously. It is a charming, often funny tale of an endearing family of Yeti forced to leave their Himalayan home and travel to seek a new one. It provides an easy, entertaining route into some of the issues faced by refugees, but nevertheless will stimulate thought and discussion. It could well act as a prelude to some of the more harrowing books below, if you are looking for a gentler introduction.

I almost didn’t include Onjali Q. Raúf’s The Boy at the Back of the Class, not because it isn’t a good book (it is an exceptionally good one) but simply because it is already so popular that it doesn’t really need my recommendation. However I know of no book for children that deals with refugees in this county anywhere near as successfully as this one. It combines honesty with accessibility and just has to be here.

(Note: Either or both of these titles would also work well as an engaging way into this topic for older classes.)

Year Five / Year Six

Stretch Level Fiction:

  

Two highly engaging, but also very demanding books are beyond what many children could read independently, but are outstanding for reading aloud, if accompanied by sensitive discussion:

Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird is wonderfully written and gives a devastating, fictional (but realistic) account of a young boy caught up in war-torn Syria and displaced as a consequence. 

Another fictionalised story based on real lives and events, Alan Gratz’ Refugee recounts the nightmare journeys of children from three different conflicts/persecutions, 1930s Germany, 1994 Cuba and 2015 Syria. In consequence, it draws out close parallels and makes it troublingly clear that some things in our world sadly do not change. 

The Other Side of Truth by Beverley Naidoo, about a young girl who finds herself in England as an illegal immigrant, is as hard-hitting (and as relevant) as they come. But it is such an important and compassionate read for older Juniors who can take it, with sensitive teacher support.

(Note: Boy 87 by Ele Fountain or  Boy, Everywhere by A.M.Dassu, both also truly excellent books, would be equally strong, and equally demanding, alternatives. But I have chosen the two above as possibly less well known or used.)

Non-fiction:

 

A Place For Me: Stories About the Windrush Generation is a very interesting collection of material, attractively presented. Not for reading aloud cover-to-cover, this one, but some of the personal recounts of those involved could well make valuable short reads and help engender awareness and empathy for this significant event in our history.

Much the same applies to Who are Refugees and Migrants? Etc. by Michael Rosen and Annemarie Young, However this excellent book covers a far wider range of times, peoples and circumstance. Many of the personal reminiscences provide an outstanding complement to fictional accounts. They will help to tie the whole topic into the deeply concerning reality that it has been - and still is 

Extra:

Illegal by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin is a graphic novel and so not suitable for reading aloud. However, it is an outstanding example of the genre and a major contribution to this topic, so would make an excellent follow-on for independent reading. Graphic novels can be too readily dismissed by some teachers. They often offer a rich reading experience and can provide a very valuable element of reading for pleasure for some children. 

REC / KS1 : TREES

Children need to be sensitive to the part trees play in our world, especially now, in view of their role in carbon capture. Here is a mixture of books , some where the focus is on nature itself and others that are more imaginative stories. But all strongly feature trees, will read aloud well and provide plenty to talk about. 

RECEPTION / YEAR 1:

 

 

Tree Full of Wonder by Anna Smithers and Martyna Nejman uses simple text and lovely illustrations to take readers through the changing seasons of a tree. It is essentially factual but with a narrative line. 

Leaves by Stephen Hogtun has only a short text, but very interestingly presents the importance of trees from the perspective of a tree itself. Hauntingly illustrated by the author. One to come back to several times 

Wonder Tree by Teresa Heapy and Izzy Burton provides simple information about the importance of trees through an owl mother explaining to her baby about their home.

The Girl Who Planted Trees by Carly Hart and Anastasia Suvorova is the lyrical and hopeful story of a girl who, through her own efforts, transformed a bare mountain landscape.

YEAR 1 / YEAR 2:

Picture books:

 

 

The Tomluc Tree by Trina Harris (Illustrated by Sarah Miles) is a about a boy who rallies community action to plant a tree for the future in a devastated area. A book with much of importance to say, through a wonderful story.

Wangari’s Trees of Peace by Jeanette Winter tells the true story of a Nobel Prize winning environmentalist from Kenya, a woman who inspired great change, and will inspire others. (Could also be used with older children.)

A Year Around the Great Oak by Gerda Muller is another book that takes the reader through the seasons of a tree,  but  this time with considerably more detail in both facts and storyline, complemented with beautiful, realistic illustrations. 

And just as an extra:

The Boy Who Grew a Forest by Sophia Gholz, illustrated by Kayala Harren, is an American published book, but if you can get hold of it, it is another inspirational true story and has the advantage of being set in India, a contrast of culture, showing that the growing of trees is a universal issue. (Again this title could possibly be used with slightly older children.)

Chapter books:

 

The Owl Tree by award-winning author Jenny Nimmo is a slightly older book, but should still be available. It is an enchanting early chapter book about a boy saving what he comes to realise is a very special tree growing next door to his his Granny’s garden.

By contrast, The Girl Who Talked To Trees by Natasha Tarant, delightfully illustrated by Lydia Corry, is a very recent book. Not quite a chapter book, it contains wonderfully imaginative, interlinked, magical stories, wide-ranging but built around strong conservation messages and scientific facts. It will read aloud well for able Y2s, but would be suitable for older classes too.

(Practical tips and helpful suggestions for planning regular ‘Story Time’ can be found in the NOTES PAGES of this blog.)

KS2 : LAUGH OUT LOUD

If one of your main objectives is to engage more reluctant readers, as well as enthusing others, then humour is high amongst story elements to go for.

However, whilst I would never actively discourage any child from reading something they are enjoying (unless it was seriously inappropriate for their age), there is quite a bit of popular children’s comedy fiction that I do not feel is of sufficient quality to justify spending school time reading it aloud.

In contrast, the titles below are amongst those that are are not only hugely entertaining, and often LOL funny, but also carry important and wholesome messages for children. I would love sharing any of them from the ‘story chair’.

YEAR 3  / YEAR 4 :

 

 

British children from Muslim families are still sadly underrepresented in children’s fiction.  Burhana Islam’s is just one of a number of books thankfully starting to put this  right. In Mayhem Mission, Yusuf’s riotous antics are hilarious and the story is insightful without ever being cruel. Children from similar background will delight in seeing themselves and their culture reflected so entertainingly. However, children who are not will also learn a lot about a different culture. Not least, through identifying strongly, they will see that Yusuf is like them in far more ways than he is different.

It is the turn of a black British girl to take the lead in Maz Evans’ Vi Spy Licence to Chill. Again, this is such a funny book, but also has lots of heart. Beneath the comedy it valuably treats of a child trying to deal with divorced parents. It is a sure-fire hit with girls and boys, black and white. For any children who are hooked after hearing it, and many may well be, there is a continuing series to go at. 

Here is a ‘golden oldie’ to throw into the mix. Eva Ibbotson is an outstanding children’s writer from a few years back and her books are still well worth getting to know for both children and teachers. Her first novel, The Great Ghost Rescue is a spooky (but not scary) romp with plenty of laughs, as well as an important message about children finding their own strengths rather than trying to be someone they are not. Others of this author’s early comedy books would also be a good match for this age group.

Charlie Changes into a Chicken by Sam Copeland is another award-winning book that is absolutely hilarious but also deals with important themes. This very silly story of Charlie, who has the ability to change into animals but no control over when it happens, bursts with kid appeal but is wise and compassionate too. There are follow-on titles, which, like this one, have copious illustrations by Sarah Horne that make them look and feel very accessible. 

Each of these four books would probably work with some slightly older children too

YEAR 5 / YEAR 6 :

 

 

The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh, the first book from Helen Ritter, a rising star of contemporary children’s fiction, is warm, wise and very touching - oh, and very funny indeed. About a boy with a stammer, it not only deals sensitively with this issue but carries wider messages about overcoming difficulties and triumphing over perceived handicaps. A gem of a book.

A hugely important and valuable novel, throwing the focus on a culture rarely represented in UK children’s fiction, Maisie Chan’s Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths also succeeds in being very funny and entertaining. It reads aloud engagingly and will open a door for discussion of, amongst other things, the dangers of racial stereotyping.

With a pleasingly diverse range of very engaging characters, The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates by Jenny Pearson is another hilarious rollercoaster adventure, but with a lot of heart. This book, too, touchingly and sensitively deals with some very real children’s issues. Brilliantly imaginative and inventive it will prompt those who hear it (or read it) to question many things, including the difference between a miracle and a coincidence.

Frank Coterell Boyce is a superstar of children’s comedy fiction and this book, The Astounding Broccoli Boy is outstanding even amongst his many triumphs. Superficially very silly, the story of a boy who obtains  superpowers, at the expense of turning green, overlays some very pertinent truths about friendship, tackling bullies, the power of difference and, above all, self-belief. Oh, and that’s even without mentioning a hugely entertaining penguin. 

(Practical tips and helpful suggestions for planning regular ‘Story Time’ can be found in the NOTES PAGES of this blog.)

REC / KS1 / KS2 : A COLLECTION OF CATS

Not just for those interested in cats, but a chance to collect together a few more great books for reading aloud, including some truly outstanding KS2 fiction that I would not want children (or teachers) to miss.

RECEPTION / YEAR 1:

 

 

Bad Cat is a very funny book from award-winning Nicola O’Byrne. Those who know cats may recognise some of the things this ‘naughty’ cat gets up to.

Michael Whaite’s 100 Cats provides a short but entertaining read, good for extending vocabulary, with plenty to talk about. It has lots to look at too, so having read it aloud, I would leave it around for children to explore themselves. (There are 100 Dogs and 100 Birds too, if you want to diversify.)

In Jackie Morris’s I Am Cat, a domestic animal dreams of its wild cousins. It is written in short sections of lyrical prose, with wonderful extended language, set against large, breathtaking illustrations.

A lovely story about conquering shyness and fear, Miss Hazeltine’s Home for Shy and Fearful Cats, has lots to say to many children. Alicia Potter’s engaging text is enhanced with brilliant (and funny) modern illustrations by Brigitta Sif. 

YEAR 1 / YEAR 2:

Picture books:

 

A Cat Called Trim by Corinne Fenton and Craig Smith is based on the true story of a cat who accompanied a voyage of exploration around the turn of the18th Century. It beautifully captures all the excitement of a sea adventure in words and pictures.

Trixie the Witch’s Cat is a delightful book by renowned author/illustrator Nick Butterworth, as much about accepting yourself for who you are as it is about a cat. (Recently republished.)

Chapter books:

 

There are three short stories in Wigglesbottom Primary The Classroom Cat, so it is an ideal transition from picture books. Author Pamela Butchart, with Becka Moor as illustrator,  has created funny,  school-based tales, with a good mix of diverse characters, that will appeal to many children. It is the first in a series, so plenty of chance to follow-up independently for children who wish to do so.

Renowned author and illustrator Lynne Reid Banks and Tony Ross make a star pairing and Bad Cat Good Cat does not disappoint. This highly entertaining animal adventure should be a sure-fire hit when read allowed 

YEAR 3 / YEAR 4:

Chapter books:

 

Here are a ‘modern classic’ and one very much of our time.

There is a reason why Ursula Moray Williams’ Gobbolino the Witch’s Cat has survived over 75 years. It was and remains an enchanting story. This anniversary edition with illustrations by Catherine Rayner (or indeed any other edition) is well worth seeking out. It will be as much loved now as it always has been.

What’s more to want than an animal story with superheroes and dastardly villains?  Super Cats by Gwyneth Rees is a great choice for engaging children in the fun and excitement of reading. There are more in the series for independent reading follow-up too. Becka Moor puts in another appearance with her hugely entertaining drawings.

Non-Fiction:

This wide selection of short stories, spread across a span of historical periods, features real cats who have played some significant role in events. Rebel Cats, Brave Tales of Feisty Felines by Kimberlie Hamilton is not a book to read cover to cover, but a good one to dip into. Many of the short sections make good talking points and some could provide interesting stimulus for children’s own writing too. (There is also an equivalent dogs book.)

Stretch level:

To Be a Cat is by turns both funny and dark , but ultimately reassuring, and this early novel from the now justly famous Matt Haig remains an excellent story. A boy wishes to escape his life’s difficulties by becoming a cat, but discovers that it isn’t perhaps quite as desirable an option as he imagined.  This short novel could provide a good challenge, and quite a lot to discuss,  if read to committed readers in this age group but would also work well with older children.

YEAR 5 / YEAR 6:

Engagement level:

 

S.F. Said’s reputation as a fine writer for children rests on only a handful of titles. But even if there were only this one, Varjak Paw, that reputation would be fully justified. The story of a cat with martial arts skills is clever, beautifully written, a delight to read aloud  and sure to engage older KS2 children. This is a modern classic I would not want anyone to miss. Dave McKesn’s drawings are super too. (There is a also sequel.) 

The Girl, the Cat and the Navigator by Matilda Wood is also beautifully written and although it feels very accessible with copious illustrations by Anushka Allepuz, has more to it than first appears. With a strong girl protagonist and engrossing, highly imaginative storyline, it will provide plenty to talk and think about, as well as much engaging enjoyment.

Stretch level:

 

Katherine Applegate is a very highly regarded (and popular) children’s writer in her native USA and really ought to be better known over here. In Crenshaw, protagonist Jackson, from a very poor family, is having a hard life, but works things through with the aid of a huge imaginary cat. It is quite a demanding book to listen to, but very entertaining and ultimately compassionate, as the author sensitively helps children reflect on a range of important issues. Overall, it is excellent for encouraging empathy and not to be missed. (It does require some understanding of American life and language use, but many children are well attuned to this through TV programmes, films and other media.)

(Practical tips and helpful suggestions for planning regular ‘Story Time’ can be found in the NOTES PAGES of this blog.)