to ask for book recommendations for children

[cheepsskram]

I'm putting together a list of books as some parents at my children's school would like to donate books as part of a school celebration. Some of us are trying to put together a list of 'essential reading' for each year group.

So AIBU to ask for the collective Mumsnet help? And we could share our favourite child's book memories

(I'd be ultra grateful if you could put the year group too)

I'm thinking of donating My Naughty Little Sister. Even my son loves the stories in there!

Reception and Year one: Who's in the loo? The Monkey with the Bright Blue Bottom.

When I was in reception I remember loving My Naughty Little Sister and The Hungry Caterpillar.

My 2 year old is particularly taken by The Tiger Who Came to Tea. I'm not sure if that's too young.

Mrs pepperpot stories!!
Also, this may be a little young but my DC and I absolutely love "we are wearing out the naughty step" by the guy who writes kipper I think (mick inkpen?) It is genius!

Picture books:

Oh no George!
The Getaway
The good little wolf
Tim Ted and the pirates
Doodle bites
Tanka tanka skunk
The night pirates
Katie and the starry night
Lost and found
Whatever next
Five minutes peace

Slightly older:
Anything by dr Seuss is a must
Jill Tomlinson's short chapter books (eg the penguin who wanted to find out)
Worst witch
Secret seven

My DD is in reception and loves the Owl Babies, all the biff chip & kipper books, Mrs Pepperpot, the gingerbread man, Peter Rabbit books and all Dr Seuss.

Reception - anything by Oliver Jeffers.

For confident readers Roald Dahl, David Walliams, David Almond (especially The Boy Who Swam with Pirhanas), Charlotte's Web, The Iron Man, Stig of the Dump.

Also important to include some non-fiction. The Deadly 60 stuff is great.

Very difficult to do by year group though as reading ability varies so much. Both the actual decoding of words and the maturity to understand storylines can be totally different among children in the same year group.

Thank you. I love some of these so why the refused to pop into my head is beyond me! lol

I've added all of those to my list. The hardest thing to find online seems to be a list of short chapter books. :)

I must champion the Ottoline Books, they are fantastic, beautifully illustrated, fun, witty and un usual.

www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_8?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=ottoline%20and%20the%20yellow%20cat&sprefix=ottoline%2Caps%2C343

vestandknickers, that's what I am finding. :)

Jeremy Strong is quite good if you want easy reading chapter books.

If you want something that will engage boys not prone to reading then dave pikey's captain underpants books are brilliant!! My dss (10) never puts his bloody Nintendo down but having forcibly removed it and given him a couple of them we know have a young man who permanently has his nose in a book!!

My dd is 9 and loved the Charlie Bone series. She also likes Percy Jackson books and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

The "Horrid Henry" series?

Just finished reading a "Claude the extraordinary dog" book by Alex T Smith. Wee boy (aged 4) loved it so much that I've just ordered the other 5 in the series.

Thanks again.

We're looking for as wide a range as possible and tried and tested. lol. I personally loath Captain Underpants but like your DS, mine is forever reading them. lol

I was toying with suggesting that parents avoid some of the more popular authors (ie,I happen to know that every class has a set of Roald Dahl books). Do you think that would put parents off?

Drabble Folk and Fairy Tales is a lovely collection of stories, would suit KS2 free readers.

Was just coming back to suggest the Claude series! They are really lovely books.

Also Dick King-Smith, stuff like hodgeheg and the queens nose.

For older children -

The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper - adventure fantasy based around Celtic myth. Set in the 1970s. Much better than Narnia and don't be put off by the awful film adaptation.

Wizardof Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin. Also horribly adapted for TV, sadly.

Short chapter books

• the Anna Hibiscus series and No 1 Car Spotter series both by Atinuke - really good, and perhaps not so well known, they also have lovely illustrations esp the Anna Hibiscus books

• the Winnie the Witch picture books

My naughty little sister
Milly Molly Mandy
Hairy Maclary and the offshoots (slinky Malinky, schnitzel von Krumm etc)
Dick king smith, the book people do a box set of his very cheaply which has all the Sophie stories and about 6 others
Dr Suess
Anything by Julia Donaldson

My reception age daughter loves having all these read to her and older years could read them themselves.

For children to read themselves, reception/year 1 would recommend the green banana set by , I think, Egmont books (google green banana books) then upwards to the red/blue/yellow banana. Much more interesting than Biff and Chip, I stumbled across them in my local library.

For older kids how about Just William, Anne of Green Gables, Judy Blume, Jill's pony club, worst witch. Getting older I'd recommend Ian Serrallier (the silver sword and I think he's written others).

This is taking me back! Will be back if I think of more.

I would agree to specify what the school already has. Maybe set up some sort of online wish list so you only get one copy of things? Or just a list where parents post what they have bought if individuals are buying things.

The Tom Gates books are incredibly popular with KS2 children at our school. they're really funny so great for reluctant readers as well as better.

Island adventures by Helen
Moss is a modern day Famous Five series and is popular with my son and his friends, they are 10.

Also the boy in the girls bathroom by Louis sacher and David Walliams books are popular too.

Monster and Frog books. They are wonderful.

Y5/6 anything by Michael Morpurgo

Y3/4 (especially boys who are not that keen on reading) anything by Terry Deary (horrible histories) or the Tony Robinson similar ones. Also the Astrosaurs (dinosaurs in space)series.

YR/1/2 any Julia Donaldson (stick man/zog/tabby mctatt as well as the more well known gruffalo, monkey puzzle, squash and squeeze) etc)

On the subject of books there's a scholastic sale on till Friday - many great paperbacks at £1 each, and only £3 delivery for up to 50 books. I just ordered 13 xmas/birthday gifts for £16.50!

For the older DCs (10-11 year olds, whatever year that is - 6 is it?) "Diary of a Penguin Napper" by Sally Harris, and "There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom" by Louis Sachar (who wrote "Holes") are good.
I second Susan Cooper - not just her "Dark is Rising" series, (and ignore that vile film they made, it is not a patch on the books) but everything she has written - all her books are wonderful. "King of Shadows" and "Victory" are educational too and not in an off-putting way - again for older children though.
Those historical "My Story" ones are good too.
My 9 year old DS is currently reading all the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books for his school reading books, and loves them.