Seaside books for children
Seaside themed stories for EYFS, KS1, KS2 and KS3 with titles by Michael Rosen, Mairi Hedderwick, Shirley Hughes, Sam Usher, Atinuke, Richard Pickard, Michael Morpurgo, Lauren St John, Liz Kessler and more.
Recommended reading books for primary & secondary aged children in the UK
Sam Usher is a British author and illustrator known for his expressive watercolour artwork and engaging picture books. He studied illustration at the University of the West of England in Bristol. His debut picture book, Can You See Sassoon?, was published in 2012 and shortlisted for both the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and the Red House Children’s Book Award.
Usher is best known for his series featuring a boy and his grandfather, which includes titles such as Snow, Rain, Sun, and Storm. These books explore the bond between generations through imaginative adventures and have collectively sold over half a million copies worldwide. In 2024, a special anniversary edition titled Adventures with Grandad was released, compiling the seasonal quartet into a single volume.
Continuing the theme, Usher expanded the series with titles like Free, Wild, Lost, Found, Zoom!, and Clang!, each delving into new escapades shared by the central characters. His illustrative style employs watercolours, gouache, Indian ink, and Victorian dip pens, contributing to the distinctive aesthetic of his work.
Beyond his own narratives, Usher has collaborated with other authors, providing illustrations for books such as All Aboard the London Bus by Patricia Toht and You’re a Poet by Sean Taylor. He is represented by Neil Dunnicliffe at Spring Literary.
Seaside themed stories for EYFS, KS1, KS2 and KS3 with titles by Michael Rosen, Mairi Hedderwick, Shirley Hughes, Sam Usher, Atinuke, Richard Pickard, Michael Morpurgo, Lauren St John, Liz Kessler and more.
Summer reading challenge – A good reading challenge will not only promote reading and encourage reading for pleasure, but it will encourage a reading culture to spread like a virus throughout your school.
The School Reading List compiles this list of recommended books monthly. This children’s and YA books of the month list highlights new releases and editions of fiction and non-fiction books suitable for children and young adults aged 2-16.
Autumn books for children in EYFS, KS1, and KS2 suitable for cross-curricular topics. Including titles by Sam Usher, Lois Ehlert, Ruth Symons, Hazel Maskell, Dianna Aston, Jessica Courtney-Tickle, and Emily Gravett.
Spring themed books for children with books by Cicely Mary Barker, Eric Carle, Ruth Brown, Sam Usher, Gabby Dawnay, Moira Butterfield and Daniel Thompson and more.
Summer themed books for children with books by Sam McBratney, Sam Usher, Julia Donaldson, Gabby Dawnay, Jeffrey Boakye and Yuval Zommer and more.
Weather books for children with titles by David McKee, Debi Gliori, Hannah Pang, Sam Usher, Maggie Li, Grahame Baker-Smith, Dianne Hofmeyr and Carol Thompson, James Carter, Tamsin Mori and more.
Winter themed books for children and teens with titles by Chitra Soundar, Walter De la Mare, Dawn Casey, i-Spy, Abi Elphinstone, Sam Usher, Sue Hendra, Michael Morpurgo, Melissa Albert and Michael Rosen.
The Great Fire of London books with titles by Gillian Clements, Nick Hunter, Anna Fargher, Pippa Goodhart, Megan Rix, Lindsay Galvin, Catherine Randall and Tom & Tony Bradman.
Here’s our selection of top new titles coming out in Autumn 2024. These reading recommendations include picture books, early and middle-grade fiction; young adult novels, poetry and non-fiction.
Season 1, Episode 3 of the School Reading List podcast. With new book post, 30 great books for September 2022, a step back in time to the historical fiction of Rosemary Sutcliff and ‘Does reading decline in secondary schools?’
Here’s our selection of top new titles coming out in Autumn 2022. These reading recommendations include picture books, early and middle-grade fiction; young adult novels and non-fiction.
Here’s our selection of top new titles coming out in Autumn 2021. These reading recommendations include picture books, early and middle-grade fiction; young adult novels and non-fiction.
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.
Here’s our selection of top new titles coming out this Autumn. These reading recommendations include picture books, early and middle-grade fiction; young adult novels and non-fiction.
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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