Year 1

The Bog Baby - Jeanne Willis

This is a gentle, enchanting picture book about two sisters who discover a tiny, magical creature living in a bog. They secretly love and care for the Bog Baby at home where it seems to thrive, but it very quickly becomes ill and the girls go to their mother for help. With simple, descriptive language and soft illustrations, the story explores themes of responsibility, empathy, and letting go in a way that’s tender and memorable for young readers.

The Bumblebear - Nadia Shireen

A warm, humorous picture book about a well-meaning bear who tries very hard to be a bumblebee. Despite his enthusiasm, Bumblebear struggles to fit in and repeatedly gets things wrong, until he learns that being himself is more than enough. Told with simple, descriptive language and bold, playful illustrations, the story celebrates self-acceptance, resilience, and finding joy in who you are.

The Cave - Rob Hodgson

Rob Hodgson has created a warm, humorous picture book about an animal that never leaves its cave as a big bad wolf is determined to lure him out ‘to play’.  There are beautiful illustrations to accompany each page and a laugh out loud twist at the end.

Nibbles The Book Monster - Emma Yarlette

Nibbles is a very naughty book monster that is chomping, munching and nibbling his way through fairy tales that don't belong to him! Are you able to help catch Nibbles and put him back in his own story? On this adventure you can lift the flaps, look through the peep holes, and chase Nibbles through lots of stories.

Look out for the other Nibbles books!

The Lion Inside - Rachel Bright

A little mouse is fed up of being ignored by all the other animals and really wishes that he could “ROAR” like a lion.  Following his journey to be as scary as the lion, the reader follows him through a lovely rhyming, illustrated story that has an unexpected ending.

This is one of our favourites.

Big Bad Owl - Steve Smallman

Meet Scowl, the big grumpy owl who loves to groan and moan and be in a very bad mood. Can anyone cheer Scowl up?

Toys in Space - Mini Grey

Can you guess what happens when you leave your toys out in the garden at night time?

Join Wonderdoll and Blue Rabbit as they are beamed into space and help a lonely alien called Hoctopize on the hunt for his beloved Cuddles.  Can they also reunite the lost toys that Hoctopize has collected with their owners?

My daughter absolutely loved this when it was her class read.

Goldilocks and Just the One Bear - Leigh Hodgkinson

This is the story of Goldilocks turned inside-out.  Many years have gone by since Goldilocks caused chaos in the Bears’ house and now she is all grown up with an apartment of her own.  What will she think when Little Bear comes to pay her a visit?

Room on the Broom - Julia Donaldson

Fly on a broomstick with a kind witch and her cat.  Come with her as the wind blows off her hat, bow, and wand, which are found by a dog, a bird, and a frog who each join her for a ride, filling the broom until it snaps in two. What will happen when they come face to face with a hungry dragon?

The Owl and the Pussycat - Edward Lear

Follow the story of an owl and a pussycat who fall in love, sail away in a pea-green boat with honey and money and get married after buying a ring from a piggy-wig in the land of the Bong-tree. It's a beloved nonsense poem known for its playful language, imaginative journey, and charming tale of unlikely romance and adventure.  

Gorilla - Anthony Browne

This is a beautiful and timeless story that follows a lonely girl called Hannah who longs for her dad to spend time with her as he is always too busy.  When she receives a toy gorilla for her birthday, it comes to life and takes her on a magical night-time trip to the zoo.

Fantastic Mr Fox - Roald Dahl

Mr Fox is a fantastic fox who outsmarts the local farmers, Boggis, Bunce and Bean.  He steals their chickens, ducks, and turkeys to feed his own family, but the farmers have had enough and start to get their own back by shooting off his tail and digging up his home - they want to get rid of Mr Fox for good!

Funny Bones -  Janet and Allan Ahlberg 

Follow the adventures of a family of skeletons - a big skeleton, a little skeleton and a dog skeleton.  They go out one night looking for someone to scar, but as everyone is in bed, they amuse themselves by scaring each other.

The Bad-Tempered Ladybird

This is the story of a small, bad-tempered ladybird that refuses to share and picks a fight with every animal that he meets.  After a long day of being rude and bad-tempered, he realises that life is much better when you are kind.