Reading lists
A list for every reader.
Built by hand for the moments that send someone looking for a book: a worried child, a reluctant reader, a Dog Man fan who has run out of Dog Man — or a year group, key stage or topic to support at school.
Find books for…
Books for anxious children
Gentle picture books that help children aged 3–8 name a worry, shrink it down, and feel less alone with it.
Beautiful picture books to give
Picture books that are gifts in the truest sense: art good enough to keep, for a birthday, christening or new baby.
Books for children who are being bullied
From gentle picture books about unkindness to honest graphic novels about the playground: books that help a child feel less alone.
Books for children who get angry
Picture books that take a child’s temper seriously: naming the storm, riding it out, and finding it passes.
Books for confidence and self-esteem
Picture books about the quiet courage of being yourself, trying the hard thing, and taking up a little space.
First chapter books after picture books
The gentle bridge from picture books to chapter books: short, warm, still illustrated stories with a proper plot.
Funny graphic novels for children
The funniest comics we know: anarchic animals, daft superheroes and talking food, each started at book one.
Books for grandparents buying for a 5–7 year old
Broadly appealing books that land with almost any child of this age: for when you don’t know what they’re into.
Books for children making friends
Picture books about the hard, hopeful business of friendship: saying hello, falling out, and finding your people.
Books for nightmares and fear of the dark
Picture books for the child who’s fine all day but can’t be left with the light off: some soothing, some sillier.
Spooky books that aren’t too scary
Spooky enough to thrill, gentle enough to sleep after: where the monster turns out friendly and everyone’s home for tea.
Picture books grown-ups enjoy reading
The antidote to “read it again” dread: picture books so good the hundredth reading is no worse than the first.
Books for reluctant readers aged 5–7
Low barrier, high reward: first comics, early readers and heavily illustrated chapter books that don’t feel like school.
Books for reluctant readers aged 7–9
Funny, fast, visual: comics and comic style chapter books that hook a child who’s decided reading isn’t for them.
Books for reluctant readers aged 9–12
The gateway graphic novels and fast, gripping series that turn “I don’t like reading” into “is there a sequel?”
Books for separation anxiety
Picture books for the hardest part of the day: the goodbye at the door, and the love that bridges it.
Books for children starting school
Funny and reassuring picture books for the wobble before the first day: new shoes, new faces, and all.
For school
By year group, key stage, teaching purpose and topic. See the full teachers & schools hub.
Best books for Reception
Read-aloud picture books for Reception (ages 4–5): stories to join in with, talk about, and reach for again.
Best books for Year 1
Books for Year 1 (ages 5–6): rhyming read-alouds to chant and predict, warm stories about feelings, and early reads for the children going solo.
Best books for Year 2
Books for Year 2 (ages 6–7): picture books with more to chew on, first myths and traditional tales, and funny early comics for finding your stride.
Best books for Year 3
The books that keep Year 3 reading (ages 7–8): funny series and graphic novels, first short novels, and picture books worth discussing.
Best books for Year 4
Books for Year 4 (ages 8–9): graphic novels and funny series for momentum, first proper novels and world myths, and picture books worth discussing.
Best books for Year 5
Books for Year 5 (ages 9–10): immersive class novels, graphic-novel memoirs that build empathy, a verse novel, and stories worth real discussion.
Best books for Year 6
Books for Year 6 (ages 10–11): class novels with themes to debate, graphic-novel memoirs, and stories about identity and change for the run-up to secondary.
Best books for EYFS & Reception
Books for EYFS and Reception (ages 3–5): lift-the-flaps, rhymes and animal noises to join in with, and gentle stories about big feelings.
Best books for Key Stage 1
Books for Key Stage 1 (Years 1–2, ages 5–7): rhyming read-alouds and traditional tales, funny early comics, and warm stories to talk about.
Best books for Lower Key Stage 2
Books for Lower KS2 (Years 3–4, ages 7–9): graphic novels and funny series for stamina, first novels and world myths, and picture books to discuss.
Best books for Upper Key Stage 2
Books for Upper KS2 (Years 5–6, ages 9–11): class novels, graphic-novel memoirs that build empathy, verse, and stories worth real discussion.
Best books for Key Stage 2
The best books for Key Stage 2 (ages 7–11): graphic novels and series that get children reading, class novels, world myths, and stories worth discussing.
Best books for Key Stage 3
Books for Key Stage 3 (ages 11–14): mature, honest stories about identity, justice and growing up, with graphic novels that pull drifting readers back in.
Best books to read aloud in class
The read-alouds that hold a whole class, Reception to Year 6: board books to chant, picture books to perform, and chapter books worth a daily cliffhanger.
Books to inspire children’s writing
Wordless and wildly imaginative books that hand children a world to write into: the best books to inspire writing across KS1 and KS2.
Best books for teaching inference
Picture books and wordless stories that reward reading between the lines: the best books for teaching inference across KS1 and KS2.
Best books for teaching prediction
Rhyming, repetitive and patterned stories that beg a child to guess what comes next: the best books for teaching prediction in EYFS and KS1.
Best children’s books about space
Picture books, comics and novels to fuel a space topic: rockets, planets, the moon and the wonder of looking up, from Reception to Year 8.
Best children’s books about the sea
Whales, fish, crabs and deep-sea adventure: the best children’s books for an Under the Sea topic, from board books to Year 6 novels.
Best children’s books about dinosaurs
Roaring, stomping, giggling dinosaur stories for an EYFS or KS1 topic, plus a few for older fans who never grew out of them.
Books like…
Books like Bunny vs Monkey
Loud, daft, full colour comic chaos for fans of Jamie Smart’s forest and the rest of the Phoenix stable.
Books like Dog Man
Funny, fast, mostly full colour comics for the child who has read every Dog Man twice and wants more.
Books like InvestiGators
Comic mysteries, spy capers and adventures packed with puns, for fans of Mango and Brash.
