Year 2

The Last Wolf - Mini Grey

Once upon a time, Little Red set off into the woods to catch a wolf . . .But the woods aren’t all they seem – and are there even any wolves left? This is a reimagination of the classic tale of Little Red Riding Hood from a totally different perspective

The Disgusting Sandwich - Gareth Edwards

When a boy brings his delicious sandwich to the park and drops it into a sandpit, the race is on as a series of animals want to eat it! The sandwich is dropped, squashed and slithered over by everyone from a squirrel, to a fox, to a band of slugs. Will the hungry badger ever get his paws on that sandwich and will he even want it if he does, or will it just be too disgusting?

Grandad’s Secret Giant - David Litchfield

Billy’s grandad tells him that there is a giant living in the town that does good deeds for everyone, but Billy doesn’t believe him. Surely a giant is far too big to keep himself hidden and why would he want to stay hidden?  What will Billy find out?

Look Up!

Rocket is desperate to be the greatest astronaut, star-catcher and space-traveller who has ever lived, just like Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space.

She is so excited about seeing a meteor shower that she makes an announcement over the supermarket loudspeaker when the cashier isn’t looking. When her older brother Jamal is too interested in his gaming to take Rocket to the park to watch the meteor shower, what will she do? Fortunately, a knock at the door might provide the answer…

Captain Yellowbelly - The Tale of the Terrible Pirate - Preston Rutt

Yellowbelly is not a terrible pirate, he is terrible at being a pirate.  This story follows a notorious pirate known for being a coward. Captain Yellowbelly, despite his fear of danger, is eager to stamp his authority on the high seas. Armed with exaggerated tales of bravery, he embarks on different adventures and challenges.

The Rainbow Bear - Michael Morpurgo

The polar bear is bored of white and dreams of soaking himself in all the luminous colours of the rainbow. But when his wish is granted, he realises to his cost that his arctic camouflage no longer works and puts him in great danger.  An exciting and beautifully illustrated story.

The Naughtiest Unicorn - Pip Bird

This is the first book in a series of beautifully illustrated and fun books that tell the adventures of Mira as she starts Unicorn School.  Mira dreams of being paired up with the most beautiful, sparkly unicorn, but instead she is paired up with a grumpy, untidy, doughnut-eating unicorn named Dave.  How will Mira cope?

Marge in Charge - Isla Fisher

Marge is a mischievous babysitter with rainbow hair and she loves to make a mess and bend the rules.  At dinnertime Chef Marge cooks up chocolate soup, and at school Marge the Musician conducts a chaotic concert in the playground!

Join in the fun with Jake and Jemima with their new babysitter and see if they manage to tick off all the jobs on Mummy's list.

The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark - Jill Tomlinson

Plop is a baby barn owl, but unlike other barn owls, he is afraid of the dark.

"Dark is nasty" he says and won't go hunting with his parents. Mrs Barn Owl sends him down from the nest to ask about the dark and he meets a little boy, an old lady, a scout out camping, a girl, a man with a telescope and a black cat who wants to take him exploring.

Maybe the dark isn’t that bad after all…

An Emotional Menagerie - poetry collection

This beautiful collection of poems works through the alphabet (Anger, Boredom, Curiosity…), with each feeling being likened to an animal and starts with the line ‘If ….were an animal’.  This helps children to identify the words that we use to describe emotional states and how the feelings might cause people to behave or react.

I personally have found this very helpful with one of my daughters where I haven’t used it as a teaching tool, just a simple reading book, but it has worked as conversation starters and it allows her to think of real situations that link to the alphabetic emotions.

Flat Stanley - Jeff Brown and Rob Biddulph

Stanley has a new flat-as-a-pancake body and he starts enjoying the novelty of sliding under doors, being posted in the mailbox and flying in the sky as his brother’s kite. However, the usually positive and optimistic Stanley begins to long to return back to his old self.

George’s Marvellous Medicine - Roald Dahl

George’s grandma is always mean to him and one day, when he is in charge of her medicines, he tries to come up with his own medicine that will cure her of her grumpiness and make her into a nice grandma. Will George’s plan work?

This was a family favourite during Lockdown.

Martin’s Mice - Dick King-Smith

Martin is a cat that lives on a farm where he is picked on by his family for being different - Martin is gentle and caring and does not want to catch and eat mice. He decides to keep one of the mice that he catches and keeps it in an old bathtub as a pet. Martin is kept very busy collecting food and drink for Drusilla, but when she has lots of babies how will he cope?

The Enchanted Wood - Enid Blyton

This story is part of a classic children’s series, following Joe, Beth and Frannie where they find a magical Faraway Tree and embark on a series of thrilling adventures. The tree is filled with different characters and a new and unusual land awaits at the top of the tree each time they climb up.

Alongside their companions Moonface, Saucepan Man, and Silky the fairy, the trio travels to the top of the Faraway Tree in each new chapter to uncover which new land awaits them – including the Land of Spells, the Land of Birthdays and the Land of Take-What-You-Want. Which will be your favourite?

One of my all time favourites.

InvestiGators - John Patrick Green

Mango and Brash are Alligators and Investigators - InvestiGators! They travel through toilets fighting crime and on their first mission together, they have not one, but two mysteries to solve.

Can Mango and Brash uncover the clues, crack their cases, and catch the crooks? Or will the criminals wriggle out of their grasp?

Laugh out loud story lines and fabulous illustrations to keep young readers engaged.