Reads of the Year for Younger Children
Each year children from our twelve Testing Groups and all over the country read hundreds of books, and the top 50 of these are our Pick of the Year.
After taking out our Top Ten, which become our short list, we are pleased to recommend the following 40 books, which children have chosen as their favourites.
Younger Children
- Elephant Wellyphant
- Alison Green 9780439944434
Our youngest readers loved all the elephants in this novelty book, from the Fruit Jellyphant to the Tellyphant and all those in-between. Lots of flaps and tabs to pull add to the fun of this enticing nonsense tale.
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- Vincent the Vain
- Bloomsbury 9780747584995
Vincent the gorilla is extremely proud of his furry chest. Unfortunately, the hairs start to fall out, leaving him virtually bald! Will his friends come to the rescue? Lively illustrations and Vincent’s specially designed, diminishing hairy chest make this clever book very popular.
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- I’m Big Enough Now!
- Macmillan 978333990490
Baby Elephant is sure she’s big enough to go exploring by herself – until hippos, cars and the jungle dent her confidence. Fortunately, her big, wise mum invites her to join in her own adventuring… With plenty of repetition, this story is both appealing and reassuring.
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- Bad Dog, Marley!
- HarperCollins 9780007254781
Marley is much loved as a small puppy, but as he gets bigger, he gets into more and more mischief! Mum decides that he has to go, but then Marley does something remarkable… This lively story has broad appeal.
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- The Baby (But I’d Have Liked a Hamster)
- 9 781405 052153
The new baby is small and fat, and Tom is unimpressed. He would rather be an astronaut than an older brother. However, after playing ‘fat babies’ with Callum and Mum, he decides that maybe Florence isn’t so bad after all... An excellent book to read aloud.
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- Snap
- Orchard 9781843628651
Mother Duck finds a lost egg and takes it in along with her clutch. Soon all the eggs have hatched, but one is very different. Mother Duck holds her head high and ignores the taunts. Suddenly, when the duck family is in danger, the strange ‘duckling’ shows its true colours! A comical twist on an original story.
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- I Want My Light On!
- Andersen 9781842706640
The king, the admiral, the doctor and the maid all try to convince the Little Princess that there are no such things as ghosts, but what if the Princess knows more than they do? The simple text and lively illustrations make this book excellent for sharing with a group.
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- Dear Polar Bear…
- Scholastic 9781407104096
Polar Bear would like some help to make his lonely life more attractive… Luckily he has many bear friends around the world who can help him out. This novelty book, with letters to open on every page, will give pleasure to young readers.
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- Aliens Love Underpants
- Simon & Schuster 9781416917052
Do you think you know all about aliens? What about the fact that when they land on earth, they’re not interested in you but in your underpants! Written in rhyme with bold, vivid illustrations, this book is a feast of colour and humour.
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- Shrinking Sam
- Barefoot 9781846860379
No one will listen to Sam, who wakes up one day to discover he is shrinking! His pencil is the size of a crocodile and just one pea fills him up. But then he meets a friend and life begins to improve. Vibrant pictures illustrate the comic perils Sam faces and make this a perfect choice for our youngest audience.
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- Tiddler
- Alison Green 9780439943772
Every day Tiddler is late for school, and every day he has another, highly imaginative excuse to tell his teacher. Then one day something really does happen and Tiddler finds himself in real danger. Detailed illustrations add to the humour and charm of this fishy story.
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- Baby Brains and Robomum
- Walker 9781406302400
Baby Brains is the smartest baby in the whole world, so it is no surprise that he can invent an amazing robot that can do all the household jobs for his tired parents. But can a machine really take the place of Mum? Fans of Baby Brains will be delighted with this new tale.
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- Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears
- Macmillan 9781405098487
With the help of Emily Gravett, Little Mouse has produced a record of all his – and our – fears. Each page of this original book invites careful study. The nibbled pages are particularly intriguing! A winner for all ages.
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