50 Books Every Child Should Read
**we first posted this last May, but I’ve just come across it, exclaimed aloud a lot and resolved to post it again…*
This is a very clipped part of the article, reproduced with kind permission from Richard Davies of AbeBooks – you can see the original article here.
“Reading should be an essential part of any childhood. Teachers and schools can teach you many useful things (although I’ve not used calculus in my adult life) but a steady diet of literature can ensure a young person’s education never ends.
Below are 50 books that I and a few other colleagues recommend for a typical 11-year-old – some can be read at a much younger age while others are verging on the young adult genre. Some of these books I have revisited as an adult while reading to my eldest. Some are ageless classics and others are hyper modern. Some are sets or series so you are actually receiving more than 50 recommendations.
Many people, let alone an 11-year-old, would be hard-pushed to read all these books in 12 months. Mr Gove’s heading in the right direction – let’s just get young people reading.”
I showed it to Katy, and we spent literally 20 minutes Oooh!-ing, Yes!-ing, Oh-D’you-Remember?-ing, and long pauses whilst we drooled over the list. We both came to the same conclusion – we fully intend to work our way right through it.
Although the list says for 11yr olds, most of these I’ll be reading to my 8 & 9yr old too. Because they love to be read to at bedtime. And now I’M about to start choosing the books – because I know that no matter how much they dismiss the cover, one chapter in to some of these and they’ll be utterly hooked. Just like I was 30 years ago.
I’m also very tired of my children’s sad penchant for dismissing books in old used covers, wanting shiny new reprints even of old classics – this time they’ll be getting 2nd hand much-loved battered varieties to read from.
50 Books Every Child Should Read
(We are finalists in the ‘Small Business Blog’ category of the 2011 MAD awards. This is hugely exciting for us, and means veryeversomuch a LOT. If you would like to help us win, you can see how here.)
Read MoreMother’s Day Gifts – Kindle Skins. *swoon*
I used to be VERY sniffy about the Kindle.
Tis true, I did.
Then I wavered.
And succumbed.
And got one for Christmas.
Now?
I *LOVE* it.
But… tis a vay ugly thing in it’s dull grey boringness.
I made a little pouch for it to protect it from the contents of my handbag, but when I’m holding it and using it… dullness.
But now – would you just look at THESE?
Decals for the kindle. Loads and loads and LOADS of them.
SO pretty.
*WANT*
The Doodle Colour is fresh and funky
There's an Owl Family!
Maybe you're a Library kind of girl...
Oh, there’s too many to show you – but there’s pages of the Kindle Decal Girl Skin
Tots100 Book Club – The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
Tots100 have joined forces with Tesco Books to launch a rather fably book club-exchange scheme. A blogger reviews a book they love, and then recommends another blogger who gets a copy sent to them! What a brilliant idea! We were asked to join in this month – so here’s my choice:
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
When I picked up this book at the library, I wasn’t sure what to expect, if I’m honest. I had seen good reviews, and I liked the cover (yes, we ALL judge books by their covers, you know it’s true) – and you never know whether that’s going to be a good risk or a bad risk do you?
This one?
This was the very BEST of all book risks.
I loved this book. I did not want to put it down – I even cooked a white sauce with one hand whilst reading this with the other.
Seriously.
It’s written by Death, about a 9yr old German girl and her foster family during WWII.
Cheerful, y’think?
Well… actually, it’s a stunningly beautiful, stabbingly emotional, hauntingly uplifting read.
It’s a book with such depth to it – Death is a narrator of such fine craftsmanship I can’t tell you how often I have re-read some passages, just to enjoy his words. Cold, clear, precise – and yet containing boundless anger and horror and sadness. And unimaginable love and joy and fun. The surface story of Liesel and her books contains the deeper wider story that Death is telling.
The story is a simple one, of one misfit family of everyday Germans, in an ordinary street in Berlin, that could easily have been the East End of London; the characters are universally recognisable, alive and crisply in focus. And funny and warm and real.
Ultimately the book celebrates WORDS. Their power, the strength that can be taken from them, the times that can be shared through them, the memories and bonds that can be created by them.
It’s a book which stayed with me long after I (sadly, slowly) finished the last page, and one which I have returned to time and again – always finding something new within it.
I’m recommending The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak to Becky from Lakes Single Mum, purely because I spotted she had commented on the Tots100 January post that she’d love to take part.
Some info about the book club:
The Tots100 Book Club is where bloggers share their favourite stories. Every month, the Tots100 invites 10 bloggers to talk about stories that have moved and inspired them – and to share their favourite books with another blogger. Each month, they’ll be publishing a round-up of the Book Club’s recommendations over on the Tots100 site, meaning you need never be short of great reading inspiration again!
Read MoreThe Bestest Christmas Gift Guide – Tollins 2, Dynamite Tales
The 8yr old LOVES the Tollins – and the new book is just as good as the first!
Conn Iggulden is a bit of a hero of our family. I stumbled across his Emperor books in the library and was transfixed. Then came the Big Book for Boys – instant love from No.1 son. Then, as if half the family were not enough for him to have collected, he writes these really quite brilliant books for younger bigger readers.
You know, the tricky 6-9 age where they’re clever enough to read chapter books, but are either bored or daunted by most of them?
And cleverly, it’s in essence a fairy book – but Tollins are NOT fairies. And they’re tough and exciting. Welcome in, boys-who-won’t-read-fairy-stories. Set in the 1920′s, there’s captures and escapes and flying, a le-ee-tle bit of romance, lots of bangs and fireworks and a horrible end for Wangle, courtesy of a Cat.
The books are a joy to read – witty and warm and exciting and fun to read aloud. And as they’re a collection of four short chapter books, they’re perfect for short bursts at bedtime.
You’ll love them. Honest.
You can get the first Tollins book here
Read More
Bestest Christmas Gift Guide – The Bippolo Seed & other lost stories from Dr Seuss
Did you know there’s a new volume of seven Dr Seuss stories out? Brand shiny new ones you’ve not read before?
No, me either!
*excited*
But you need to be quick – Waterstones is the only place I can find it in stock online (your local bookseller will be able to help though).
They’re older stories, previously printed in magazines and never before in a book, and they are beyond the One Fish, Two Fish stage.
I love them all, and I can’t possibly choose…
“It’s hard to decide,”
Said young Henry McBride.
“it’s terribly, terribly hard to decide.
When a fellow grows up and turns into a man,
A fellow should pick the best job that he can.
But there’s so many jobs that would be so much fun,
It’s terribly hard to decide on just one.”
It’s a wonderful hardback collection, I suggest any Dr Seuss fan (and lets face it, who isn’t?) should go rootle one out as soon as you possibly can.
(I found it In Stock for £8.71 at Waterstones)
Read MoreBestest Christmas Gift Guide – The Gruffalos Child Magnet Book
What IS it with children and magnets?
Well, whatever the attraction (Attraction! Geddit?! Oh, I make myself larf…), this book has it in spades. The Gruffalo’s Child – almost as beloved in this house as The Gruffalo itself – And a heap of magnets to play with, creating your own scenes in the book; having the owl tell the fox off, the bird peck at the snake…. oh, sorry, that’s just our bossy 4yr old, probably…
Now usually these magnet books are a monster price – but LOOK! Just over a fiver on Amazon! BARGAIN! And a tippety-TOP stocking filler…
The Gruffalo’s Child Magnetic Activity book on Amazon for £5.49
Bestest Christmas Gift Guide – Jesus’ Christmas Party Book
Oh this book is BRILLIANT!
I was sniggering just from a first flick through, before I got anywhere near bedtime stories and reading it aloud to the 4yr old.
Telling the Christmas story from the seriously sleep-deprived (and VERY grumpy) Inn Keeper, this book will be read again and again.
Unusually for a book telling this story, it is neither overly heavy or sanctimonious, nor is it irreverent with its Christmas message.
However, one word of warning – small children will frequently bellow “ROUND THE BACK!” at anyone who knocks on the door…
Jesus’ Christmas Party is currently £3.38 on Amazon. Tis Bargainous; Go, Buy!
Bestest Christmas Gift Guide – World Atlas
I’ve been on the hunt for AGES for a really good Atlas to engross the children.
And here it is.
Barefoot Books have really got something special with this one – every page is beautiful, and interesting, and totally absorbing. Enough facts, broken up with enough pictures – the 4yr old enjoys this as much as the 10yr old does.
And that’s no mean feat.
The history of map-making was absorbed minutely by the 8yr old, while the 10yr old loves the solar system part. The 4yr old simply loves looking at all the pictures, and is slowly learning the names of the countries, associating them with the correct people and wildlife.
This will make a great gift for any child this Christmas - available on Amazon for a penguin under £11
Read More
Bestest Christmas Gift Guide – Scaredy Cat Splat
We just love Splat.
That’s it really…
The new halloween themed one is funny, doesn’t tire after reading countless times; and the illustrations, as always, are incredible.
Top marks, Rob Scotton. Toppety top marks.
Available from all good bookshops, or Amazon for a pumpkin under a fiver.
Read MoreSpotted! Perfect Notebook For Writers. Or Thinkers. Or Anyone, Really.
Oh.
My.
Yes.
After the day I’ve had, this one’s ALL MINE.
But there are others in the shop, I’ll let you get your own one if you want.
Which of course you do.
The Brain Whirring notebook is just seven and half pounds from those fably people over at the Literary Gift Company. Beware – once you step inside, it’s VERY tricky to leave.
Read MoreTravelling with Children (Book review, not horror story. Honest).
I find booking family holidays incredibly stressful. In fact I always find myself considering not going rather than continuing with the stress of finding the perfect location, accommodation and date. And then when you actually set off…
Catherine Cooper’s book – Travelling With Children: A Parent’s Guide – is an entertaining and practical guide to, well, travelling with children. The book will help you work out which holiday is best for your family: from when to go, where to go, what to do and how to get there. It features family-friendly travel companies and case studies from real parents.
I particularly enjoyed the section on City Breaks and how to make the most of them with children. I’d pretty much resigned myself to not having a city break for a few years, so it’s good to know it’s not completely out of the question. With chapters on camping, skiing, cruises and spas, there’s something for everyone, and it’s all written in a clear and straightforward style.
Recommended!
Keris Stainton
OUT NOW! Jessie Hearts NYC – “A breezy summer rom-com, with oodles of New York glamour.” The Bookseller
Twitter: @keris
My website: www.keris-stainton.com
Girls Heart Books
The Big Zeroes
Ready for Ten
Spotted! Vintage Notebooks. Of the genuinely lovely kind.
Oh. SO excited! No, REALLY!
LOOK at what this clever bookbinder in Bath is doing!
She’s seeing so many books that are just too lovely to throw in the recycling… but not good enough to rebind. So she’s salvaging what she can, and creating oh-so-perfect new notebooks out of them! GENIUS!
She keeps the covers, where possible makes the spine into a bookmark, and a few inside pages. Adds sheets of good quality (150 gsm) cartridge paper, and then a good and chunky bug spiral bind.
Each book is unique.
I love them.
And I have a sneaky feeling you will too.
There’s a range of titles available from Vintage Notebook, prices start at £8.
Read MoreJulia Donaldson, Children’s Laureate.
We are so thrilled that Julia Donaldson is the new Childrens Laureate. Not only are her books the staple backbone for many a child’s bookcase, but giving an author who appeals so strongly to pre-school children such influence can potentially pave the way for a generation of young children to create a love of reading which we all know will last them a lifetime.
There’s a wonderful interview podcast with Julia Donaldson on The Guardians Childrens Book Site, posted yesterday. Do go and have a listen.
And just in case you weren’t sure, here’s our pick of her books. Tip top fave of mine? Close call, but I think it would have to be Room on the Broom with the husband reading. What’s yours?
Read More
Book Review – Augustus And His Smile
We’re already big fans of Ernest, so when we saw Catherine Rayners ‘Augustus and his Smile‘ land on the mat, we were a bit keen to step inside.
So we just sat on the bottom stair, the then-3yr old Pink and I, and immediately did just that. Transporting ourselves away to somewhere utterly, totally, deeply enchanting.
Oh Augustus. How I do LOVE you!
Honestly? This is probably one of my very favourite books on Pink’s shelf. Beautifully, elegantly illustrated with the rather wonderful – but sad – Augustus, who is looking for his smile.
When he notices it is missing he does a HUGE tigery stretch (tell me you’re stretching? You have to stretch REALLLLLY big for that bit) and sets off to find it.
Along his excitingly beautiful journey, words are used sparingly. But with style and evocative grace, they carry the story forward in a reading aloud rhythm that is perfect.
It’s difficult to convey the sheer beauty of this book. But for £3.80 you should jolly well buy it and read it for yourself.
Read MoreIt’s National Bookstart Week!
Yes, we missed it yesterday, but we’re catching up fast, honest. Bookstart offers the gift of free books to all children at three key ages before they start school, to inspire a love of reading that will give children a flying start in life. You should receive them via your health visitor/pre-school/nursery – so if your child has not had one and is still under school age, do go and ask in your local library, and they’ll know how to help you get one.
So we’re going to be All About The Books this week – old faves, new stories, and hopefully some brilliant recommendations too.
To start things off, you can see what we’ve done already by looking at our Book Shelf page.
A post really NOT to be missed is the fabulous 50 Books Every Child Should Read – honestly, if you haven’t already seen, please do go and browse the article, it’s wonderful, and the books themselves will have you “oooh-ing” and “Oh-I-Remember”-ing before you know it.
Over on our Facebook page we ran a competition earlier this year to find out your favourite bedtime stories – so many utterly brilliant recommendations, if you’re looking for inspiration the comments are an excellent place to start.
Read More
Spotted! Writing Set For Children – Total Bargain!
Yes. that’s Right. The iconic ‘Guess How Much I Love You’ by Sam McBratney. Along with a writing set which includes paper, envelopes and stickers. All from the The Book People for £2.99. Teach your children the disappearing art of writing a letter. Make their grandparents smile.
Why are you still here? GO! Buy! For your children.
For presents.
And get one for yourself while you’re at it.
Send me a beeyootiful thank you letter with it. I’d like that veryeversomuch a lot.
Read More
Baby Signing. A Grand Idea.
I was sent Signing Hands; Baby Signing Basics By Lizzie Betts to review recently.
Having never signed before (well I picked a few up from Something Special when Maisie was little – the only one that stuck with me is Boat!) I am finding this book really easy to understand and follow – it makes it very clear how it should be done. It is beautifully illustrated and a pleasure to read – my little girl Maisie who is 4 loves to go through it with me doing the signs and loves the illustrations!
I started to use the sign for milk every time it was feed time for my baby Maxwell who is now 9 months old and within a week or so he seemed to understand what it meant and got very very excited! I am now starting to introduce other signs such as Mummy, Eat, Cuddle, Bed, oh and of course Daddy – I don’t want to use this too much because I want to make sure he signs Mummy first ;)
I love that the book has signing songs in too as Maxwell loves it when we sing and dance and of course Maisie is really enjoying learning them too!
Overall this book gets a big thumbs up from us. It covers lots of useful everyday words! A great starting place for someone wanting to start signing with their baby.
Signing Hands; Baby Signing Basics By Lizzie Betts is available from most good bookshops – or Amazon, for £7.50 currently.
Read More50 Books Every Child Should Read
You know how sometimes, you read something that makes you want to talk about it? Yesterday, I received one of those mails. It was just a newsletter, from one of my favourite Secondhand Booksellers, AbeBooks. By the time I made it to the end, I was buzzing.
This is a very clipped part of the article, reproduced with kind permission from Richard Davies of AbeBooks – you can see the original article here.
“Reading should be an essential part of any childhood. Teachers and schools can teach you many useful things (although I’ve not used calculus in my adult life) but a steady diet of literature can ensure a young person’s education never ends.
Below are 50 books that I and a few other colleagues recommend for a typical 11-year-old – some can be read at a much younger age while others are verging on the young adult genre. Some of these books I have revisited as an adult while reading to my eldest. Some are ageless classics and others are hyper modern. Some are sets or series so you are actually receiving more than 50 recommendations.
Many people, let alone an 11-year-old, would be hard-pushed to read all these books in 12 months. Mr Gove’s heading in the right direction – let’s just get young people reading.”
I showed it to Katy, and we spent literally 20 minutes Oooh!-ing, Yes!-ing, Oh-D’you-Remember?-ing, and long pauses whilst we drooled over the list. We both came to the same conclusion – we fully intend to work our way right through it.
Although the list says for 11yr olds, most of these I’ll be reading to my 8 & 9yr old too. Because they love to be read to at bedtime. And now I’M about to start choosing the books – because I know that no matter how much they dismiss the cover, one chapter in to some of these and they’ll be utterly hooked. Just like I was 30 years ago.
I’m also very tired of my children’s sad penchant for dismissing books in old used covers, wanting shiny new reprints even of old classics – this time they’ll be getting 2nd hand much-loved battered varieties to read from.
50 Books Every Child Should Read
(We are finalists in the ‘Small Business Blog’ category of the 2011 MAD awards. This is hugely exciting for us, and means veryeversomuch a LOT. If you would like to help us win, you can see how here.)
Read MoreGo the F**k to Sleep
You know how, sometimes, you read a book, and when it’s finished… no, in fact, BEFORE it’s finished, you’re already sighing at the sheer brilliance of it?
This is one of those.
It’s a child’s story book – but NOT for reading to any child.
This is what that bit you're straining to read actually says...
It’s beautiful, and lyrical, and evocative, and just damned perfect.
Right down to the frustratedly pissed off parent crying through gritted teeth at the relentless awake-ness of their child.
Read it.
Laugh till your sides hurt in recognition of So. Many. Bloody. Dreadful. Nights.
And then you’ll be handing it to all your parents-of-toddlers friends as present. Guaranteed.
(btw – there aren’t any asterisks in the book. And there really is swearing. Don’t read if you’re offended by such things, okay?)
We’re giving away FIVE copies of Go The Fuck to Sleep on our competitions page – come and enter for your chance to win:
or simply buy your copy right here for just £6.99
Spotted! The MOST beautiful books. On Food!
Pretty books make us *happy*, yes?
Well.
Have you seen the latest set from those upholders of Bookish Style Penguin?
In the Great Food series, Penguin brings you the finest food writing from the last 400 years.
Sounds a bit dull, yes?
A bunch of old recipe books for foodies only?
Pfffft (that’s a ‘No, you dunderhead’).
Once I stopped judging them by their oh-so-incredibly-pretty covers and actually started, y’know, looking at what they were, I got the tingly feeling across the scalp. you know the one. The one that scrawls “oooh! Stay Alert! You want to read this!” across the back of your brain in big red crayon.
There’s the one about Hungry Chimney Sweeps and the one about the secrets of preparing stew for 1000 soldiers at the Crimean frontline, or of course Isabella Beeton’s simple campaign for domestic happiness.
All are pretty.
All are wonderful reads.
*flaps hands* Go. Buy. Now.
Read More
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