Rec / KS1 / KS2 : RECONNECTING WITH NATURE

Reception / Year 1:

 

 

Taking Time by Jo Loring-Fisher is a lovely, soft-pasteled book about exactly what it says, taking time to appreciate some of the wonderful and beautiful things around us.

You wouldn’t believe how un-ordinary an ordinary stone can be until you see A Stone Sat Still by Brendan Wenzel. This book is a testament to the powerful simplicity of words, pictures and ideas.

Look Up by Nathan Bryson and Dapo Adeola is a deservedly award winning book that introduces us to a feisty science-mad girl who teaches us all to be open to the wonder of the stars.

Prepare to be inspired by all the wonders of new growth and the science behind them in Sean Taylor and Alex Morss’s Busy Spring. (There is already also a companion Winter book, with the other seasons apparently to follow.)

 

Year 1 / Year 2:

Picture books:

 

 

When Tilly’s TV is turned off she discovers a whole new world of nature and imagination in Wenda Shurety and Harriet Hobday’s inspiring Nature’s Toy Box.

Another book destined for awards, Omar, the Bees and Me by Helen Mortimer and Katie Cottle presents sustainability themes in a charming and approachable way.

Pond by American author/illustrator Jim LaMarche is a stunningly lovely evocation of a boy connecting to the natural world. Its images of slightly older children make it particularly suitable for the top end of this age range (and perhaps a little beyond).

Timeless classic:

 

The way that bringing a neglected garden to life reflects on the lives of those involved in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden fits this theme perfectly. The original would be far too long and complex for most children in this age group, but this short adaptation from the Usborne Young Reading series would make an ideal read-aloud.

Non-Fiction:

 

Written as a strong narrative, the illustrated biography section of this David Attenborough title in the Inspired Inner Genius series will read well and, considering the subject’s high TV profile, interest most children, geniuses or not

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In The Bug Girl, Sophia Spencer tells her own inspiring story of growing up as a bug enthusiast, not always appreciated as such by those around her, but helped to be herself and live out her dream. (Could work with slightly older children too.)

Year 3 / Year 4:

Picture book:

The Promise by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Laura Carlin, is one of those picture books that offers a great deal for older children to think about. A girl’s life is turned around when a promise kept puts her back in tune with nature. It is beautiful  on every level.

Engagement level:

 

The entertaining and often very funny adventures of  Horace Fox in the City by award winning Jacqui Hazell make us delightfully aware of  the nature that exists even in urban environments. A sure-fire read aloud success, this might also provide a ‘stretch level’ for some Y2s.

The Last Bear by Hannah Gold is one of the loveliest books published recently, with stunning illustrations by Lev Penfold. It is not only physically beautiful, though. Its ecological story is relatively short and accessible, but nevertheless deeply involving and, indeed, moving.

Stretch level:

 

Melissa Harrison’s By Ash, Oak and Thorn is a charming fantasy, firmly set in the natural world; a sort of Borrowers for our green age. Its length and detail make it a little more challenging, but no less engaging for that. If enjoyed, there is an equally good, even more recent, sequel. 

By contrast, The Silver Arrow, a first children’s novel from popular US author Lev Grossman, is a fantastical romp of an adventure, but also succeeds in using a magical world to draw attention to issues in our real one, the importance of preserving endangered animals and their habitats.

Older children’s picture book:

The Ice Bear by Jackie Morris is challenging in a totally different way. It is a picture book with a sophisticated, lyrical text that ask very thoughtful questions about our relationship to nature, essentially in the form of a parable. It also has some of the most beautiful illustrations I have ever seen in a children’s book. (Could also be used with Y5/6.)

Year 5 / Year 6:

Engagement level:

 

 

Piers Torday’s The Last Wild is an accessible, engaging story with a strong ecological message, interesting to read and exciting to hear. An entertaining cast of animals always goes down well, but the book also ask challenging questions about our world and where it is heading. There are several follow-on titles for those who get hooked.

Run Wild is a rather more gritty, realistic book about our lost connection with our own wildness and is powerfully gripping. It reads aloud well with this age group and acts as an excellent introduction to other books by Gill Lewis, which are brilliant  for drawing in less confident or more reluctant readers. 

Stretch level:

 

Fiction: I think Katya Balen’s October, October is quite simply one of the most wonderful children’s books written for a long time. Its intense lyricism would make it quite a challenging independent read for many KS2 children, but, read aloud, it will engage them in passion for nature in the context of a gripping, thoughtful, multi-layered human story.

Non-Fiction: Unlike most of my recommendations, the Diary of a Young Naturalist, written by autistic 14 year-old Dara McAnulty, is not a book I would suggest reading cover to cover with Y5/6 children. But given the chance to hear carefully chosen extracts, I think they  will be wowed by this young boy’s commitment to nature and by the the intensity of his observations. (Not to mention the quality of his writing.)

Older children’s picture book:

Fourteen Wolves by Catherine Barr, illustrated by Jenni Desmond is a longer non-fiction picture book telling the story of the re-introduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park in the US. Spectacular in words and pictures, with a very important understanding about the balance of nature. Big Bad Wolf? Even animals are sometimes the victims of stereotyping. 

Across Key Stage 2:

 

It is hard to imagine that anyone doesn’t already know Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris’s breathtaking The Lost Words. Now we have a second book of stunningly illustrated nature ‘poems’ in The Lost Spells. They read aloud quite wonderfully and are ideal for feeding into KS2 sessions, not all at once, of course, but as and when. Neither you nor the children should miss them. Inspirational. 

When a major international writer like Ben Okri pens a book for children the outcome promises to be something very special indeed - and Every Leaf a Hallelujah most certainly is. A superficially simple tale of a young African girl connecting with her native trees carries deeply powerful messages. Somewhere between a picture book and a novella, it is perfect for reading aloud. Wonderfully enhanced by Diana Ejaita’s idiomatic illustrations and will live long with any children fortunate enough to hear it and see it.

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

KS1 : ANIMAL FRIENDS

Most, but not all, of these lovely books involve friendship between children and imaginary or toy animals.

Reception / Year 1:

 

 

Margaret’s Unicorn by Briony Kay Smith is one of my top favourites from recent children’s picture books. Heartwarmingly tender, it has truly lovely illustrations with evocative coastal landscapes.

Karl Newson’s How to Mend a Friend (attractively illustrated by Clara Anganuzzi) uses imaginary animal friends to show children how to support others who are experiencing different kinds of sadness. Just brilliant for developing empathy, but needs sensitive handling. (Could be used with slightly older children too,)

Found You by Devon Holzwarth is a gentle tale of a boy making friends with a bird, but has so much to teach children, not only about being shy and making friends, but about arriving to live in a new community too.

The Girl and the Dinosaur by Hollie Hughes and Sarah Massini is a very special book with clever ‘post-modern’ illustrations that takes readers (listeners) on a very special journey that goes far beyond its pages.

Many of Susan Jeffers’s picture books were produced twenty years or more ago, but they are well worth seeking out, not least for their breathtakingly beautiful, realistically drawn illustrations. My Pony still seems to be available and is valuable not only for its stunning pictures, but for a sensitive text that shows how imagination can make a real pony magical. 

(Important note: Boys need to be taught from a young age that books about girls aren’t just for girls.)

Year 1 / Year 2:

First ‘chapter books’:

There are two stories in Luma and the Pet Dragon by Leah Mohammed so you can choose to read either or both. There is also a follow-on, Luma and the Hiccuping Dragon. The stories are warm and funny with a clever, imaginative twist.

As the title suggests Rabbit and Bear by Julian Gough and Jim Field is actually about two animal friends, rather than a child and friend, but is too much of a gem for me to resist including it. Hilarious in both words and its copious pictures, it presents like a ‘chapter book’ but is actually a fairly short read, so is an excellent transition from picture books. There is a whole series of follow-ons that children who have completed a phonics programme can perhaps go on to read independently.

This is a slightly longer book, so a bit of a move on from the above, but The Legend of Kevin still has short chapters that can be read relatively quickly. Writer Philip Reeve and illustrator Sarah McIntyre are amongst the megastars of current children’s fiction and it shows in this hilarious tale of a boy and his relationship to a magical flying pony.  Again there are more in the series as well as other books by this duo at roughly the same age and interest level. 

Two longer reads, but broken up into separate stories:

         

Winnie-the-Pooh cannot possibly need any introduction. I am not generally a fan of modern writing that hangs onto the shirt tails of earlier classics, but this ‘Official 95th Anniversary Prequel’ is an exception. Both writer Jane Riordan and illustrator Mark Burgess have created a respectful tribute rather than a pastiche, and the resultant stories are just as entertaining  as the originals. As with A.A. Milne’s own stories, some of the more sophisticated humour may pass over the heads of some children, but the delight will not.

However, bringing this genre bang up to date is Einstein the Penguin by Iona Rangeley (Illustrated David Tazzyman). This is a joyful, surprising story of a Penguin who turns up to live with a family, quirkily illustrated and delightful to read aloud. It is surely destined to become a future classic as the ‘new Paddington Bear’.

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

Rec / KS1 / KS2 : DRAGONS

Dragons give flight to the imagination. In fact, in some books they represent the imagination.

Rec/Year 1:

 

 

Beatrice Blue’s previous book was shortlisted for the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize, and Once Upon a Dragon’s Fire is just as enchanting. It is one of a lovely series about magical creatures (also unicorns and mermaids).

Naomi Howarth’s The Night Dragon is a beautiful and heartwarming book about finding the courage to be different.

A fine contemporary poet, Lemm Sissay, and talented illustrator, Greg Stobbs, show in Don’t Ask the Dragon just how much more a great picture book is than a few simple words and some pictures. 

An unlikely friendship features in Sylvia and Bird, a beautifully illustrated story from Kate Greenaway Award winning Catherine Rayner.

Years 1/2:

Picture books:

 

Dragon Post by Emma Yarlett is a simple picture book about friendship, engagingly extended by the inclusion of several letters to remove from their envelopes. Great fun to explore together. It has striking modern illustrations too, by the author herself.

You get an outsider’s view of fairy stories (literally) in the amusing and entertaining There is No Dragon in This Story from Lou Carter. Glorious. Touches of the ‘post-modern’ for young children..

Chapter book:

Humour, adventure and magic are all here is spades in Andy Shepherd’s sparkly imaginative and charming The Boy Who Grew Dragons. Perfect for engaging this age group in an extended read. There are lots of sequels for children to explore independently afterwards too. (Would also suit slightly older children.)

Years 3/4:

Engagement level:

 

Terry Pratchett, author of the incomparable Diskworld books for adults, brought his wit and wisdom to this book for much younger readers with hilarious results.  Dragons at Crumbling Castle is a volume of short stories, so gives the flexibility of reading one, more or all. Not all of them are about dragons, but you (and the children) may well not be able to resist them anyway.

Cressida Cowell’s How to Train Your Dragon is so popular that I really don’t need to include it here. But it is such a total joy to read aloud, and such a sure-fire hit with children, that I couldn’t resist. Vikings have never been so much fun. Any of this long series would do just as well - providing, of course, that too many of your children haven’t already read them, which they may well have done.

Stretch level:

Dragon Rider is a relatively gentle, warm-hearted fantasy, with Cornelia Funke’s trademark, engagingly odd quirks, and a good ‘entry level’ for the genre. It should delight children of this age and is the first of a sequence for any who want to follow it up.

Years 5/6:

Engagement level:

Philip Reeve is one of the masters of contemporary fantasy for young readers. His No Such Things as Dragons is a clever  twist on a classic knight-hunting-the-beast tale and a hugely entertaining read.

Stretch level:

 

Fictionalised history meets fantasy in the rich, complex and very exciting Darwin’s Dragon . It is a triumph for Lindsay Galvin and makes for a great read.

Liz Flanagan’s Dragon’s Daughter is all-out high fantasy and a thrilling introduction to the genre. Boys should not be put off by the title; the power and emotional pull of the dragons is what dominates in the best children’s fantasy to emerge for quite a while. A classic page-turner, it will keep listeners on the edge of their seats too. There is now a sequel - and perhaps more to come.

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

KS2 : WORLD WAR II (Home Front)

There are many excellent children’s books covering this period, but here are my top recommendations for reading aloud. Of course, all stories about wartime will contain potentially upsetting material and need careful handling, but all of these books are sensitively written for a young audience and give very positive messages overall.

Years 3/4:

I have not included my usual number of recommendations for Y3/4 with this one, as it is probably not a topic best suited for this age group. But it you do want to cover it, or if you have a mixed-age class including younger KS2 children, Wave Me Goodbye is one of the most accessible, if not perhaps the most original, books available. It is a ‘classic’ evacuee story with good period detail. As you would expect from a wartime story, it is sad in parts, but with Jaqueline Wilson’s usual warmth, charm and sheer readability.

As an alternative, Shirley Hughe’s sensitive (older children’s) picture book, Ruby in the Ruins, actually deals with the period immediately after the war, but is nevertheless an excellent introduction to what the those times meant to many children. It is also a tribute to a children’s author/illustrator who is rightly a national treasure. 

Years 5/6:

Engagement level:

 

Despite each featuring a lighthouse, these two stories are quite different. However both are well written yet accessible. Each gives a strong feel of life for children during WWII whilst offering a strong storyline with intriguing mystery and exciting climax. Take your pick.

Stretch level:

 

Phil Earl’s book is a powerful, if harrowing story of a boy in London during the Blitz. His developing relationship with an old gorilla, left behind in a closed zoo, will make it a sure-fire hit with those children who can cope with its strong emotional journey.

Dan Smith’s is a multi-layered book that interweaves an atmospheric ghost story with a grim account of its refugee protagonist’s recent experiences of war. It is beautifully written, moving and thrilling, with messages for today as well as yesterday.

Both are brilliant, if challenging.

Modern classics:

 

Here are two oldie-but-goodies, too.

 

Noel Streatfield, actually lived through the war herself and, although her writing has something of an old-fashioned feel today, this actually suits the subject matter well. The story line is strong and this evacuee tale (first published 1974, but recently reissued) makes up for its age with telling detail and an authentic voice. 

Michelle Magorian’s forty-year-old story about another evacuee remains for me the finest ever written on this subject. It has been deservedly popular with schools for many years. But be warned. It is a rather long book and it packs a huge emotional punch that both teacher and children need to be able to deal with.

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