What are picture books, and why are they useful? | Series 1, Episode 32
Season 1, Episode 32 of the School Reading List podcast. New book post, 30 great books for July 2025 and What are picture books, and why are they useful?
Recommended reading books for primary & secondary aged children in the UK
Bear Grylls is a British adventurer, television presenter, and author. He is known for his survival television series, including Man vs. Wild (also known as Born Survivor: Bear Grylls in the UK). Grylls has written several books for children and young adults, focusing on adventure and survival themes.
His children’s fiction includes the Bear Grylls Adventures series, published by Bonnier Zaffre. The series features young protagonists who learn survival skills in various environments, with titles such as The Jungle Challenge, The Sea Challenge, and The River Challenge. The books are designed to introduce children to outdoor skills and resilience.
Grylls has also authored non-fiction works for younger readers, including Bear Grylls: Survival Skills Handbook and Bear Grylls: The Ultimate Survival Guide. These books provide practical advice and information on outdoor survival, navigation, and safety.
In addition to his writing, Grylls was appointed Chief Scout of the United Kingdom in 2009, becoming the youngest person to hold the position. He was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 2019 for services to young people, the media, and charity.
His Bear Grylls Adventures series has been translated into multiple languages and is widely available in schools and libraries. The first book in the series, The Blizzard Challenge, was published in 2017.
Season 1, Episode 32 of the School Reading List podcast. New book post, 30 great books for July 2025 and What are picture books, and why are they useful?
Biographies and autobiographies for children with titles by Mick Manning, Brita Granström, Michael Rosen, Vashti Harrison, Floella Benjamin, John Agard, Jacqueline Wilson, Alastair Humphreys, Malala Yousafzai, David Long, William Grill and Linda Sue Park.
June 2025’s book club recommendations feature titles by Zaro Weil, Donette Williams-Harry, Julie Flett, Eirinn McGuiness, Jasbinder Bilan, Pari Thomson, Alexandra Sheppard, Abdi Nazemian, and Rory Power.
Rainforest books for children with titles by Bear Grylls, Kay Barnham, Simon Chapman, Kate Messner, Lynne Cherry, Sarah Ridley, Sarah Dellow, Sally Spray, Holly Duhig, John Wood, Kathryn Jewitt, Fiametta Dogi, Mike Clark and Mari Schuh.
Disclosure: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops, or Waterstones.com, or Blackwells.co.uk.
Keep up to date with our email newsletter and our latest social media posts about reading, children's books and literacy.
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