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The much-loved children’s classic by E.B. White.

‘Some Pig’. ‘Humble’. ‘Radiant’. These are the words in Charlotte's Web, high up in Zuckerman's barn. Charlotte's spider web tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, who simply wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur's life when he was born the runt of his litter.

E. B. White's Newbery Honor Book is a tender novel of friendship, love, life, and death that will continue to be enjoyed by

generations to come.

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The focus at this age is on sharing stories, songs, and rhymes together and building talking and listening skills.

Luckily, there are lots of fun and easy ways to encourage early reading success at home.

1. Talk about books, words and pictures

Before you start reading a book, talk about the title and the pictures on the cover (front and back).

Ask your child what they think the story might be about.

After reading, ask your child what they liked about the story.

Try asking ‘who’ and ‘where’ and ‘what happened’ questions about the story and the pictures.

For example: ‘Who can you see?’ ‘Where is the pig?’ ‘What’s happening on this page?’

Your child’s teacher will give you visual symbols to to support understanding around reading.

2. Listen to (and sing!) songs and rhymes

Singing songs and nursery rhymes helps your child to hear the sounds in words and build up a bank of favourites they know well. Play with words and sounds and make up nonsense rhymes too. Encourage them to join in.

3. All join in

When you are reading to your child, ask them to join in with bits that are repeated. For example, ‘Run, run, as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!’. Traditional stories, like The Gingerbread Man, often have repeated phrases, and children will love doing the voices!

4. Play rhyming games

Rhyming games are fun and will help your child start to hear and understand speech sounds. Try ‘I spy’ when you are out and about. Have fun with rhyming words – for example, can your child think of a word that rhymes with ‘cat’?

In all games and activities, make sure you pronounce speech sounds clearly.

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The focus in Green, Red and Blue Zone may still be on sharing stories, songs, and rhymes together and building talking and listening skills.
However, if your child has begun to read independently you could:

Try to make reading fun and encourage your child to read out loud.

Aim to read little and often but not when the reader is tired.

Blending - encourage your child to break words down into sounds e.g. c-r-a-sh.

Run your finger under each sound in turn to encourage the reader to blend the sounds together.

Encourage your child to look at the pictures in the book to get an idea of what it is about.

Talk about the pictures and what you can see.

Try reading some of the pages to show what fluent reading sounds like.

Ask questions about what has been read.

Link what you read to personal experiences e.g. If you are reading a book about a dog, Do you know anyone who has a dog?

Draw attention to punctuation marks and help your child to read with feeling, e.g. “HOORAY!” they shouted.

Checking Understanding

Before starting a new book look at the cover and any pictures on the inside pages.

Ask questions - What do you think is going to happen now?

What/who is the story about?
Where did the story take place?
Why did _ _ _ do that?
How do you think _ _ _ feels now?What would you do if you were _ __?

Which part did you like best?

Choose key words and talk about the meaning.  You may be able to search in a dictionary to check the meanings.

At the end of the book, ask your child to retell part or all of the story or ask them what it was about while showing them the pictures.

Encourage your child to try to remember short rhymes or repetitive phrases.

Play games e.g. Can you find a word beginning with _ ?

Can you find a word that rhymes with _?

Use flash cards to practise targeted or tricky words.  You can just write the words on paper.

Ask your child if they can draw a picture of a character or a scene from the book

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A Squash and a Squeeze by Julia Donaldson

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A Squash and a Squeeze by Julia Donaldson

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Synopsis:

“Wise old man, won't you help me, please?”

A little old lady sits grumbling and grousing in her house.

It’s too small and tiny, she moans. She begs the wise old man to help her.

He encourages to bring in all her animals, including a cow and a very hungry pig. Mayhem soon ensues and the poor lady’s house seems even more cramped and titchy than before! But the wise old man has a plan to help the little old lady appreciate what she has.

A delightfully funny rhyming story. Children will enjoy the repetition and reading this out loud. The illustrations are colourful and there’s plenty to enjoy in this classic story.

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Beegu is not supposed to be on Earth. She is lost. She is a friendly

little creature, but the Earth People don’t seem very welcoming at

all. But so far she has only met the BIG ones.

The little ones are a different matter....

This is a beautifully illustrated, touching story that was also

shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2003. It is a

heartwarming story about being lost and lonely and offers a timely

reminder about how we should treat outsiders. Beegu is a

charmingly realised creation and the story’s depth and subtlety

means that you will want to return to it again and again.

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The Smartest Giant in Town by Julia Donaldson

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The Smartest Giant in Town by Julia Donaldson

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“Look me up and down – I’m the smartest giant in town!”

Poor George is fed up of being the scruffiest giant in town. His

sandals are old and his gown is mucky and tired looking. George

decides it’s time for a brand-new look. Decked out in shiny shoes,

a smart, stripy tie and a crisp, white shirt, George looks and feels

wonderful.

However, on his way home, George bumps into some animals

who desperately need his help...and his clothes!

A bright, cheerful story that young readers will enjoy. The

repetitive, rhythmic nature of the story makes it perfect for

developing prediction skills and George is a likeable, endearing

main character.

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At the bottom of Syd’s garden is Grandad’s house. Under the

flowerpot there is a key and Syd can let himself into Grandad’s

any time he pleases. One day, Syd finds Grandad in the attic, with

his suitcase packed. Together, they step through a big metal door

onto a ship. The ship sails across the waves and to a gloriously,

radiant island full of exotic creatures, colour and adventure. Syd

and Grandad build a shelter, paint and play together in the cool,

cascading waterfalls. Until, Grandad tentatively tells Syd that he is

staying on the island and will not return home with him...

A stunning, moving picture book that subtly and sensitively tackles

themes of loss, saying goodbye and grief. This is plenty to explore

and enjoy on Grandad’s peaceful island and the relationship

between Syd and his beloved Grandad is beautifully captured.

Perfect for all age groups.

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One day, Colour Monster wakes up feeling very confused. His emotions are all over the place; he feels angry, happy, calm, sad and scared all at once! To help him, a little girl shows him what each feeling means through colour.

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Fergal is a nice chap, but when someone tells him what to do,

Fergal gets very...VERY...ANGRY.

Fergal the dragon is a friendly, popular chap. However, he has a

fiery temper that’s always getting him into trouble. He hates being

told what to do! Whether it’s eating his vegetables before dessert,

being asked to play in goal or losing at a board game, Fergal just

cannot control his anger. Eventually, his friends have had enough

and start to ignore him. Luckily, Mum is there to offer advice and

support and give him some helpful strategies to control his anger!

A delightful, funny story about what happens when we get angry

and how to control our tempers. Perfect for Younger children, with

its colourful illustrations, cute characters and message about

managing our emotions.

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A rhyming story of a mouse and a monster.

Little mouse goes for a walk in a dangerous forest. To scare off his enemies he invents tales of a fantastical creature called the Gruffalo. SO, imagine his surprise when he meets the REAL Gruffalo...

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What’s it all about?

Alan comes from a long line of very scary alligators.

Sneaking into the jungle every morning and scaring all the other

animals is his favourite thing to do!

He roars things like:

‘I’M BIG, SCARY ALAN! FEAR MY ROAR-SHARP TEETH!’

But Alan as a terrible secret and everything is not as it seems.

When Barry the beaver discovers Alan’s not-so-scary secret, Alan learns a very valuable lesson...

This is a bright, busy, brilliant book, full of exotic colours. It’s witty, charming and very funny and perfect for young readers!

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When two small sisters go fishing to the magic pond, they find

something much better than a frog or a newt. They find a bog

baby. Small and blue with wings like a dragon, the girls decide to

make him their secret. I won't tell if you won't.

But the bog baby is a wild thing, and when he becomes poorly,

the girls decide they must tell their mum. And she tells them the

greatest lesson: if you really love something, you have to let it go.

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Elmore Green started life as an only child, as many children do. He had a room all to himself, and everything in it was his. But one day, everything changed.

When Elmore gets a new little brother, he is not very excited about it. He talks about why having a baby brother is no fun until one night he has a nightmare and his baby brother is the only one there to comfort him. Next thing he realizes, having a brother isnt so bad when they like the same things and have enough stuff that they can line it all up to the door. Suddenly he wants to share everything and enjoys having his baby brother.

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Another classic picture book by the legendary Colin Thompson, reissued by popular demand.

Sally is just a baby when she first begins to soar above her house and over the garden. Soon she sees her brother and other children floating over the rooftops. ...

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Mankind must put a stop to the dreadful destruction by the Iron Man and set a trap for him, but he cannot be kept down. Then,

when a terrible monster from outer space threatens to lay waste to the planet, it is the Iron Man who finds a way to save the world.

This is a compelling and exciting story with many excellent opportunities for vocabulary development with Year 3 and 4 children.

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Three horrid farmers - Boggis, Bunce and Bean - hate cunning Mr Fox, who outwits them at every turn. But poor Mr Fox and his friends don't realise how determined the farmers are to get them...

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The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson

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The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson

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Marinka dreams of a normal life, where her house stays in one place long enough for her to make friends. But her house has chicken legs and moves on without warning. For Marinka's

grandmother is Baba Yaga, who guides spirits between this world and the next. Marinka longs to change her destiny and sets out to

break free from her grandmother's footsteps, but her house has

other ideas...

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This is a story about a boy named Kester. He is extraordinary, but

he doesn't know that yet. All he knows, at this very moment, is this:

1. There is a flock of excited pigeons in his bedroom.

2. They are talking to him.

3. His life will never be quite the same again...

This best seller by Piers Torday is always a hit.

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Arthur and the Golden Rope by Joe Todd-Stanton

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Arthur and the Golden Rope by Joe Todd-Stanton

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Hear the story of the very first items collected in the Brownstone vault as we journey to the land of the Vikings. A place filled with magical objects, powerful gods and mythical beasts to be conquered!

This is a stunning story! It cleverly blends elements of a picture book and graphic novel and is full action, humour, monsters and gods. Arthur is a delightful hero too – brave, clever, curious and witty. This would be perfect for any classes studying the Viking or

for exploring the structure of a myth. A perfect, engaging, colourful introduction to Norse mythology.

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Kai and the Monkey King by Joe Todd-Stanton

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Kai and the Monkey King by Joe Todd-Stanton

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When Kai grows tired of her bookish mum not being adventurous enough for a Brownstone, she decides to seek out the mischievous and rebellious Monkey King - who she's always been told to stay away from. Will he bring her the adventure she craves, or will he

cause her more trouble than he's worth?

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Tom's Magnificent Machines by Linda Sarah and Ben Mantle

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Tom's Magnificent Machines by Linda Sarah and Ben Mantle

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Tom and his dad are good at making things. Their inventions start

out simple, but they quickly become bigger, faster, crazier - and they almost always involve wheels. But then Dad loses his job, and everything changes. Sadness clouds the house like a winter sky.

That is, until Tom comes up with a brilliant plan that takes their

amazing vehicle inventions and creates something astounding -

something the world has never seen before . . .

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Barney is a solitary little boy, given to wandering off by himself. One day he is lying on the edge of a disused chalk-pit when it gives way and he lands in a sort of cave. Here he meets 'somebody with a lot of shaggy hair and two bright black eyes' wearing rabbit skin and speaking in grunts. He names him
Stig. Of course, nobody believes Barney when he tells his family all about Stig, but for Barney caveman Stig is totally real. They become great friends, learning each other's ways and embarking on a series of unforgettable adventures

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Imagine if, on an ordinary day, war came. Imagine it turned your

town to rubble. Imagine going on a long and difficult journey – all

alone. Imagine finding no welcome at the end of it. Then imagine

a child who gives you something small but very, very precious...

When the government refused to allow 3000 child refugees to

enter this country in 2016, Nicola Davies was so angry she wrote a poem. It started a campaign for which artists contributed

drawings of chairs, symbolising a seat in a classroom, education,

kindness, the hope of a future. The poem has become this book,

movingly illustrated by Rebecca Cobb, which should prove a

powerful aid for explaining the ongoing refugee crisis to younger

readers.

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With a snoring Mrs Bear, an excitable Baby Bear and a house full of tapping and dripping and ticking, peace is hard to come by - will Mr Bear ever get a decent night's sleep?

The familiar noises, repetition and beautiful illustrations make Jill Murphy's delightful Peace at Last an all-time favourite bedtime story.

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Bob is everyone's favourite man on the moon; follow him on his daily adventures. Bob has a special job - looking after the moon.

He keeps it clean and entertains passing space tourists as well as giving guided tours. He knows everything about the moon and that there is definitely no such thing as aliens!

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The moon and back before bathtime? Whatever next! Join Baby Bear as he finds a rocket, makes friends with an owl and has a picnic on the moon! A beautiful story of innocence and imagination, full of Jill Murphy's characteristic warmth and humour, Whatever Next! is the second Bear family adventure following the bestselling Peace at Last.

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The Hargraves want their new baby to grow up big and strong. But the puny mite will hardly eat a thing. One day Mrs Hargraves finds an avocado in the fruit bowl and the baby gobbles it up. Soon, the strangest things start to happen...

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Dear Zoo is a 'lift the flap' book about a child who sends a letter to the zoo asking the zoo to send a pet. Various letters are sent, 'pets' arrive and are then sent back as unsuitable for a variety of reasons, e.g. the elephant is too big, the lion too fierce, the giraffe too tall, the monkey too naughty, the snake too scary.

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Gerald the tall giraffe would love to join in with the other animals at the Jungle Dance, but everyone knows that giraffes can't dance... or can they?

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Bernard's got a problem: he's found a monster in the back garden but his mum and dad are just too busy to notice. So Bernard tries to befriend the monster… and that doesn't go quite to plan.

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Frog doesn't want to sit on a log - logs are knobbly and uncomfortable and can give you splinters in your bottom. But Cat is insistent. Every animal has a right and proper place to sit. Frogs sit on logs, cats sit on mats and hares sit on chairs. Rather less comfortably, lions sit on irons and storks sit on forks. As frog fires questions at Cat, he discovers where gorillas, puffins and wizards should sit until the answer to his final question keeps him quiet for a very long time!

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This lovely tale focuses on three baby owls who wake up to discover their mother isn't there. Without her, they feel scared and vulnerable.

But then Mum returns, and they feel comfortable and reassured. Owl Babies is a wonderful book to share with babies and young children to help tackle anxieties and fears about temporary separation.

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It’s night-time in the supermarket and all is quiet and still. But wait. Something has escaped from the freezer, something with evil plans. This little escapee (or escapea?) wants to cause chaos. Can Supertato save the day? A hilarious and anarchic story with truly brilliant characters – one that you'll be asked to read again and again.

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Just what is it about pants that makes them so funny?In this glorious celebration of pants of all kinds, Giles Andreae's rhyming text and Nick Sharratt's distinctive illustrations will entertain both youngsters and their parents.From hairy pants, scary pants and fairy pants, to loose pants, tight pants and lighting up at night pants, this must-have picture book explores every possible variation on the theme.

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The Tiger who came to Tea by Judith Kerr

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The Tiger who came to Tea by Judith Kerr

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Sophie and her Mummy are having tea in the kitchen when in walks a hungry tiger who asks to stay to tea. After eating everything, he moves on to Daddy's supper and for good measure also cleans out the fridge and drinks all the water from the tap. When Daddy gets home he decides they should all have supper out and the next day Sophie and Mummy buy an extra big tin of tiger food - just in case the tiger comes back! This delightful picture book from Judith Kerr is a true classic, with enduring appeal for children and parents alike. Kerr's vibrant, colourful illustrations and simple but charming story make this a perfect book to enjoy reading together.

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In this very funny, cumulative song, each page tells us something new about the donkey until we end up with a spunky, hanky-panky cranky stinky dinky lanky 🤬-tonky winky wonky donkey, which will have children in fits of laughter

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oor Mr Big, he’s so big and scary-looking that when he gets on the bus everyone gets off. This makes him unhappy and lonely as no one sees the real him.One day, he sees an old piano in a shop window; it also looks unhappy and alone, so he buys it and begins to play. The notes of Mr Big’s music drift into the crowded city night and everyone is enchanted – who is this wonderful musician? Mr Big gets invited to join a band and suddenly, in his element, the real Mr Big shines through. With its gruff hero, vibrant, strong colours, bold design and spare text, this story about looking beyond appearances has a satisfying punchy simplicity and jazzy feel.

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Bella decides to take her dog for a walk but as she crosses from one page to the next her dog disappears between the pages!  Many people come to investigate including Bella's friend Ben, a dog rescue van and the police. Eventually the reader is asked to help by shaking the book until all of the characters reappear.

This Book Just Ate My Dog! is the latest picture book from Richard Byrne. This cute funny book quickly draws the reader in by addressing them and asking them to interact with the book and help solve the problem faced by the characters.

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Meet hilarious, science-mad chatterbox,

Rocket - she's going to be the greatest astronaut, star-catcher, space-traveller that has ever lived!

But... can she convince her big brother to stop looking down at his phone and start LOOKING UP at the stars?

Bursting with energy and passion about science and space, this heart-warming, inspirational picture book will have readers turning off their screens and switching on to the outside world

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Mr and Mrs Twit are extremely nasty, so the Muggle-Wump monkeys and the Roly-Poly bird hatch an ingenious plan to give them just the ghastly surprise they deserve!

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The Day the Crayons came Home by Drew Daywalt and OliverJeffers

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The Day the Crayons came Home by Drew Daywalt and OliverJeffers

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Reasons for selection and synopsis

Poor Duncan. His crayons are a demanding bunch. After finally

making his last group of crayons happy, his new set of crayons

sure are a colourful bunch of characters!

Having soothed the hurt feelings of one group who threatened to

quit, Duncan now faces a whole new group of crayons asking to

be rescued.

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Vashti thinks she can’t draw. But her teacher is sure that she can. She knows that there’s creative spirit in everyone, and encourages Vashti to sign the angry dot she makes in frustration on a piece of paper. This act makes Vashti look at herself a little differently, and helps her discover that where there’s a dot there’s a way...

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Mildred Hubble is a trainee at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches, but she's making an awful mess of it. She keeps getting her spells

wrong and crashing her broomstick. And when she turns Ethel, the teacher's pet into her worst enemy, chaos ensues...

The Worst Witch is a classic, bestselling novel that children aged 7- 9 will love. It’s funny, exciting and full of action. Allow your child to

fall under the spell of its great writing.

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Toto the cat and her brother Silver live footloose and fancy-free in

a townhouse in London. Toto is almost totally blind, and learned to

trust her senses from a ninja cat-master who taught her back in

Italy where they were born. By day, Toto and Silver seem to be

ordinary cats, but by night, they love to have adventures!

One evening, news reaches Toto that a king cobra has escaped

from London Zoo! Together with help from a very posh cat and

two hungry tigers, Toto and Silver must investigate. Can they find

the giant snake, before it's too late?

Purrfect for reading aloud or for children to curl up with and read

alone, the story features brilliant black and white illustrations

throughout. With gentle themes of friendship, inclusivity and

winning in the face of adversity, this is a hilarious must-read for all animal-loving kids!

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One day a little boy is wandering along in a dark forest when he

trips, stumbles and falls ... into the Stone Age! He meets a strange,

mysterious girl his own age called Om and her tribe. Rather than

being worried, the young boy is excited by his time-travelling

adventure. He learns all about the tribe’s way of life. He watches

them make tools, clothes, jewellery and weapons. He sees how

they hunt, cook, celebrate – and even how they paint on the

walls of caves. But when a big furious cave bear attacks, he

wakes up back in his own time where everyone tells him it was

only a dream. But was it?

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In an adaptation of the popular Bible story, readers meet Mrs. Noah, who has sewn deep pockets into her coat, as Mr. Noah prepares the ark. Many readers will already be familiar with the Abrahamic tale of Noah. In this version, the story shows Noah in a

rather more fallible light: Not only is Mr. Noah making a list of animals that shall be spared, but he also sees the crisis as an "ideal time to get rid of those more troublesome creatures."

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Wherever she is, whatever the day,

She only has one kind of thing to say.

Just as cats go miaow and cows go moo,

The Truth Pixie can only say things that are true.

A very funny and lovable tale of how one special pixie learned to love herself. The Truth Pixie is an enchanting, rhyming story that will

delight younger readers – with words by the bestselling mastermind Matt Haig and pictures by the inky genius Chris Mould.

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The Boy who grew Dragons by Andy Shepherd

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The Boy who grew Dragons by Andy Shepherd

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When Tomas discovers a strange old tree at the bottom of his

grandad's garden, he doesn't think much of it but he takes the

funny fruit from the tree back into the house - and gets the shock

and delight of his life when a tiny dragon hatches! The tree is a

Dragon fruit tree, and Tomas has got his very own dragon, Flicker ...

Tomas soon finds out that life with Flicker is great fun, but also very

... unpredictable. Yes, dragons are wonderful, but they also set fire

to your toothbrush and leave your pants hanging from the TV

aerial. Tomas has to learn how to look after Flicker - and quickly.

And then something extraordinary happens - more dragon fruits

appear on the tree. Tomas is officially growing dragons ...

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Have you heard of the Beasts? No, not many people have. That's because they are very rare. This is the tale of one such Beast, whose determination to overcome his loneliness leads him to undertake a daring and dangerous quest to find others like him...

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This was one of my favourite books from 2020: it's all about Ahmet, a refugee from Syria.  He arrived in this country all on his own: his bag is his most treasured possession.  It's a lovely story about friendship and family.