Recommended Read Book 1 

The Train Ride by June Crebbin

This is one of my favourite books.  It is about a girl going on a train journey with her mum and it describes all the things she sees along the way. I like the way the repetitiveness of the text is like the rhythm of a train chugging along a track.  The illustrations are beautiful.  The ending is lovely!  I hope you enjoy this book too.

Recommended Book 2

Can Bears Ski? by Raymond Antrobus and Polly Dunbar

This is a brilliant book which shows children what it is like to be hard of hearing.  I think the expressions on the characters' faces really show how they are feeling.  It is a good book to evoke empathy.

Recommended Book 3 - No Matter What by Debi Gliori

This is a super book about setting worries to rest.  I used to read this to my children as a bedtime story!

Recommended Book 4 - Peace at Last by Jill Murphy

Isn’t it horrid when you’re really tired but you just can’t fall asleep? The harder you try, the worse it gets. Poor Mr Bear is desperate to get to sleep. But the whole house is just so noisy! SNORE SNORE, goes Mrs Bear. TICK TOCK goes the clock. VROOM VROOM goes Baby Bear. (He’s pretending to be an aeroplane.) Repeat all those noisy sounds out loud in this snuggly family favourite. Will Mr Bear ever get some rest?

Recommended Book 5 - Handa's Surprise by Eileen Browne

This is the story of Handa, who's part of the Luo tribe in south-west Kenya. Handa decides to take seven pieces of delicious fruit to her friend, Akeyo, who lives in the neighbouring village. But as Handa wonders, I wonder what fruit Akeyo will like best?, a series of sneaky animals steal something from Handa's basket, which she's carrying on her head... When Handa reaches Akeyo, will she have anything left to offer her friend?

Recommended Book 6 - The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright and Jim Field

You don't have to be BIG and BRAVE to find your ROAR.
Being little isn't always easy. But when Mouse sets off on a journey to find his roar, he discovers that even the smallest creature can have the heart of a lion.

Recommended Book 7 - Dogger by Shirley Hughes

When Dave loses his favourite toy, Dogger, he is desolate. But then Dogger turns up at the school summer fair, and everything seems all right - until someone else buys him before Dave can get the money! I used to read this story to my children and my son has a Dogger!

Recommended Book 8 - Amazing by Steve Antony

A little boy and his pet dragon are the very best of friends. They laugh, they sing, they dance, they snooze. They are both amazing - just like everyone else!

A celebration of friendship and being yourself with a positive message about celebrating diversity. The perfect platform to start conversations about the importance of understanding and acceptance.

Recommended Book 9 - The Baddies by Julia Donaldson

This fabulous picture book from superstar author and illustrator Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler is a riot of slapstick fun and silliness.

The Baddies are the meanest, nastiest ghost, witch and troll in the land.

They just adore being bad, and fight over who is the worst.  When a little girl moves into a nearby cottage, the Baddies can’t wait to scare her out of her wits. But the little girl quickly shows them that you don’t have to be big to be brave, and baddies don’t always win.

Recommended Book 10 - Ravi's Roar by Tom Perciva

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Most of the time Ravi can control his temper but, one day, he lets out the tiger within . Being a tiger is great fun at first - tigers can do ANYTHING they want! But who wants to play with a growling, roaring, noisy, wild tiger who won't share or play nicely? Ravi is about to discover something very important about expressing his feelings and making amends.

A clever and engaging book about temper tantrums, dealing with emotions and learning to express and understand your feelings. From Tom Percival's bestselling Big Bright Feelings series, this is the perfect book for helping with bad days and noisy outbursts

Recommended Book 11 - All Join In by Quentin Blake

A super collection of short rhymes which children will love listening to and joining in with. Full of simple sounds and crazy pictures, this is Quentin Blake at his best. The pictures and text are in perfect harmony, inviting readers and listeners to make plenty of noise as they read the rhymes. 

Recommended Book 12 - Amazing Me, Amazing you by Christine McGuinness

The perfect picture book celebrating all children with a message of kindness and friendship.

I might not like gritty sand or scratchy labels, busy places or messy tables, but with …

a quiet walk …
a gentle smile …
and some time alone for a little while …

I can be amazingly me – just like you.

In this first children’s book from autism ambassador, Christine McGuinness shows just how important it is to embrace diversity and inclusivity while highlighting just how much it means to accept one another, just as we are with all the uniqueness that makes us special.

Recommended Book 13 - The Whale Who Wanted More

Humphrey the whale is on a quest: to find the one perfect object that will make him feel complete. He roams far and wide, gathering endless undersea treasure as he goes. Yet, no matter how many goodies he accumulates, Humphrey still doesn't feel content. Could it be friendship, not possessions, that will really make Humphrey's heart sing?

A sparkling rhyming tale that encourages sharing and kindness, this heartwarming story of friendship is perfect for reading aloud.