Books for reception

Reception recommended reading list for children aged 4-5

Books for Reception – a collection of great picture books for EYFS children aged 4-5 in UK primary schools. Picked by teachers and librarians, this reading list contains stories and poems by Michael Rosen, Steve Weatherill, Jeanne Willis, Oliver Jeffers, Julie Fulton, and more.

Books for Year 1

Year 1 recommended reading list for children aged 5-6

Books for Year 1 – here’s our selection to challenge and interest children aged 5-6 in UK primary schools. Handpicked recommendations from teachers and librarians, with titles by Michael Rosen, Julia Donaldson, Jon Klassen, Judith Kerr, Satoshi Kitamura, and more.

Books for Year 2

Year 2 recommended reading list for children aged 6-7

A selection of reading books for Year 2 to challenge and interest pupils aged 6-7 in KS1 classes in UK primary schools. Authors include Eoin Colfer, Clotilde Perrin, Michael Rosen and Enid Blyton.

Books for Year 3

Year 3 recommended reading list for children aged 7-8

Suggested reading books for Year 3 pupils, aged 7-8. A diverse and interesting range of exciting titles aimed at children of all abilities in lower KS2 including books by Roald Dahl, Jacqueline Wilson, Zanib Mian and Tony Bradman.

Books for Year 4

Year 4 recommended reading list for children aged 8-9

Suggested reading books for Year 4 pupils, aged 8-9. A selection of exciting titles aimed at boys and girls of all abilities in lower KS2. Featured authors include Roald Dahl, Helen Cresswell, Andy Griffiths, Pamela Butchart and Malorie Blackman.

Books for Year 5

Year 5 recommended reading list for children aged 9-10

This suggested reading list offers lots of books choices for 9 and 10 year olds. From fantasy to animal stories and mysteries to science fiction adventure, there’s something for every upper primary child. These books for Year 5 include titles suitable for inspiring both able and reluctant readers.

Books for Year 6

Year 6 recommended reading list for children aged 10-11

Suggested reading books for Year 6 pupils, aged 10-11. A selection of exciting titles aimed at boys and girls of all abilities in upper KS2. Highlighted authors include David Almond, Malorie Blackman, Nina Bawden and Charlie Higson.

100 pictures books for EYFS to read before you are five years old

100 picture books for EYFS to read before you are 5 years old

100 picture books for EYFS to read before you are 5 years old. A selection of picture books which are ideal for children who are learning to read in Nursery, Early Years, infants and Pre-Prep schools.

Books for preschoolers

Books for preschool children aged 0-4

Books for preschoolers – with titles by Emma Yarlett, Joerg Muhle, Richard Scarry, Anke Kuhl, Sally Symes, Hannah Campbell, Eric Veille, Satoru Onishi, Stephanie Blake, David Elliot, Kelly Dipucchio and Susan Hayes.

Magazines for children aged 3-6, 7-12 and 13+

Magazines and newspapers for children and teenagers

Recommended magazines and newspapers for children aged 3-6, 7-12 and 13+ in the UK. Ideal reading material for pupils in UK primary and secondary schools and useful resources for teachers and school libraries.

Books for bedtime reading to children

Books for bedtime

Books for bedtime to read to children – a selection of books by Jill Murphy, Allan Ahlberg, Maurice Sendak, Michael Rosen, Martin Waddell, Fiona Watt, Claire Freedman, and more; which are ideal for reading to children at bedtime.

Poetry books for 7-11-year-olds

Poetry books for 7-11-year-olds

Children’s poetry for 7-11-year-olds with collections and anthologies by Michael Rosen, Joseph Coelho, Carol Ann Duffy, Brian Moses, Benjamin Zephaniah, Zaro Weil, Kate Wakeling, Neal Zetter, John Agard, T.S Eliot, Maya Angelou, Kaye Webb and more.

Graphic novels for children aged 7-11 in KS2.

Graphic novels for KS2 children aged 7-11

Our recommended graphic novels for children aged 7-11 to appeal to reluctant and able readers alike. This list includes works by Ben Clanton, Gary Northfield, Shannon Watters, Deborah Ellis, Jeanne DuPrau and Alastair Humphreys.

book of the month archive

School Reading List Book of the Month Archive

Each month, the School Reading List compiles a list of recommended books and on this page, we feature an archive of recommendations for picture books, fiction, and nonfiction from previous years.


About Tom Tolkien

Photo of author
Tom Tolkien is a highly qualified (BA Hons, PGCE, QTS) children's literature expert and teacher with over 25 years of experience. He has led inset courses, developed curriculum materials, spoken at conferences, advised on longlisting for several international children's literature literature awards and written for educational publishers including contributing to a BETT award-nominated app. Social profiles: Twitter | Linkedin

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Our latest reading national curriculum year group recommended reading lists: Picture books for the under 5s | Books for Reception | Books for Year 1 | Books for Year 2 | Books for Year 3 | Books for Year 4 | Books for Year 5 | Books for Year 6 | Books for Year 7 | Books for Year 8 | Books for Year 9 | Books for Year 10 | Books for Year 11


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