Virginia Wolf by Kyo Maclear & Isabelle Arsenault
KS1/2A beautiful picturebook which extremely strong links to the life of the author herself yet can be read, intentionally, as a story within itself. Viriginia has dark and depressing thoughts which...
View ArticleVarmints by Helen Ward and Marc Traste
KS2A powerful picture book for KS2. A tale of three parts. The first one of pastoral peace with the varmints happily at one with their world. The second seems a haunting transformation in which a new...
View ArticleArthur and the Golden Rope by Joe Todd-Stanton
KS2This is a lovely traditional tales (Joe classes it as a Myth) which follows the adventure of Arthur, a dreamer with a sack of wit at his aid sets off on a quest to rid the town of a giant wolf who...
View ArticleThe Bear and the Piano
KS1/KS2Discovering a piano deep within the forest of his home, Bear finds himself drawn to the music and, in finding a love of playing, hears the call from far away to pursue his dreams. In doing so he...
View ArticleThe Wind Blew by Pat Huthcins
FSA wonderful, cumulative tale. Each page is a double-page spread with the characters beginning on the verso (left) and gradually, as the tension builds towards the recto (right). I love how there is a...
View ArticleFreefall by David Wiesner
KS1/2Â There is much to discuss in this wordless text since there is a real sense of ambiguity, then there is a limitlessness to interpretation too. I like the idea of children attempting the same...
View ArticleM.O.L.E. Russell Hoban and Jan Pienkowski
KS1/2Based on a sequence of pictures by Pienkowski which inspired Hoban to create mole, this is an often comic, tragic and certainly poignant commentary on humanities unbending drive to drain the world...
View ArticleMiranda the Explorer by James Mayhew
KS1/2fter winning a competition, Miranda is gifted with a hot air balloon. When she gets it, it whisks her off around the world where she sees some key landmarks from different countries.
View ArticleCloth Lullaby by Amy Novesky & Isabelle Arsenault
KS2A beautiful, poetic story of the life of Louise Bourgeois, a world-reknowned artists best known for her sculptures. This is a fusion text which borders more on graphic novel than picturebook but the...
View ArticleSophie's Masterpiece by Eileen Spinelli and ane Dyer
KS1/KS2A beautfiul story of a spider whose heart is as tender as Charlotte's (Web). Anthropomorphic in her physicality, Sophie fixes the lives on the humans whose lives she shares until old age catches...
View ArticleA Brave Bear Sean Taylor & Emily Hughes
FS/KS1With Hughes' gorgeous illustrations, children will not only relate to but enjoy the little adventure that Little Bear and Daddy Bear go on down to the river. So much to look at and see and lovely...
View ArticleLost and Found by Oliver Jeffers
FS/KS1 Jeffers' story of voyage and return and a misunderstanding of what a little lost penguin is really looking for is the premise of this story of friendship. Done is Jeffers' unique style, this is...
View ArticleThe Island by Armin Greder
UKS2/KS3An incredibly powerful fable which contextualises the ancient and yet painfully modern story of acceptance of those who may seem different to another society. A study of irrational prejudice,...
View ArticleThe Viewer by Gary Crew and Illustrated by Shaun Tan
KS2/KS3With Tan's powerful images and Crew's baleful narrative, The Viewer is a tapestry of haunting images which takes us through man's ascent and descent. When Tristan finds the Viewer, its discs...
View ArticleThe Rabbits by John Marsden and Illustrated by Shaun Tan
UKS2/KS3Both Marsden and Tan come together here to write and illustrate a very unsettling allegory of the truth behind colonialism. The parallels between Great Britain and Australia are palpable but it...
View ArticleThe Building Boy by Ross Montgomery and Illustrated by David Litchfield
KS1/KS2Writing about how children cope with loss will, for now, always be a tricky path to tread in children's stories but both Montgomery and Litchfield handle it beautifully. How do we remember those...
View ArticleSmall Mouse, Big City by Simon Prescott
FS/KS1A retelling of Aesop's fable, Prescott plays with the reading of the book by asking the reader to turn and tip the pages as we read. A lovely picturebook with warm, gentle...
View ArticleThe Dark by Lemony Snicket and Illustrated by Jon Klassen
FS-Y6A pairing made in heaven! This tells the story of Laszlo as he tries to combat his fear of the dark. In this clever picturebook, Snicket personifies the dark itself and this adds to the same sense...
View ArticleOn Sudden Hill by Linda Sarah and Illustrated by Benji Davies
FS-LKS2When two friends have, seemingly, been friends forever and a third person suddenly joins in we find a story that explores jealousy, isolation and confusion. A great book to share with your class...
View ArticleThe Tin Forest
KS1/2When one man defies the culture and society around him to believe in a better world and place, the effects are astonishing. With exquisite illustrations with offer so much discussion and a story...
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