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Meet The... is a series of books following different parts of history.
The books are written like stories, but are factual. I think children who prefers novels/ fiction would prefer this style of writing and find it a more engaging way to enjoy non-fiction texts.
The bright colours and large/ frequent illustrations make reading exciting and concise.

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The Skies Above My Eyes by Charlotte Guullain

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The Skies Above My Eyes is a non-fiction text which opens out into a long row. This exciting way of reading may be exciting and engaging to readers. The book is crammed full of facts about aeroplanes, sky diving, space, birds etc. The short paragraphs of facts and illustrations makes reading accessible for those who are intimidated by long pieces of writing.

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This poem was based on the true events of a bear that had been kept in captivity for many years and was eventually released into the wild.
It is written to be read aloud in a slow, deep voice.
Could be time for a discussion of animal rights/ cruelty. Could discuss emotions eg how do you think the bear feels now? Compare to before? How would you feel if you were the bear? How do you know he was unhappy before?

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The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips - Michael Morpurgo

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The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips - Michael Morpurgo

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It's 1943. War has come to Lily's village - they must evacuate. However, when they leave, her beloved cat Tips is left behind. Lily knows that she must fight to get him back, no matter how much danger that puts her in.
I would read this book with upper KS2 as an independent read, perhaps set as a 'holiday read' to go into more detail once the children return to school.
Activities:
- On the first page of Lily's diary, it is the night before they have to leave. She doesn't know if she will ever return to her house, her bedroom. Get the children to imagine this is happening to them. Ask them: how would they feel? What would they take with them? How would they help to support their family? They can act this out as a Tablo. If their shoulder is touched, the children answer the questions above.
- When the family know that they have to leave, Lily's Grandfather refuses. Do a 'conscience alley' activity with the children, with one side saying he should go, the other saying he shouldn't. Get the children to note down others' ideas and write a persuasive letter to him.
- Record a short book review in the style of a vlog in pairs or small groups. In their video they must include: a brief synopsis (discuss what this is beforehand), what they liked/ didn't, who their favourite/ least favourite characters were, their favourite chapter, how they would rate the book out of five, how they would improve the book and if they were to do an alternative ending, how would it look? All these answers must include WHY they think this. Present the videos to the class (if they are comfortable).

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Can You See Me? - Libby Scott, Rebecca Westcott

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Can You See Me? - Libby Scott, Rebecca Westcott

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Can You See Me? Is a coming-of-age novel about Tally, an eleven-year-old girl with autism. She's about to start secondary school and feels incredibly anxious about how she's going to appear 'normal'. Libby Scott, the author, is autistic and relives her first-hand experiences of growing up autistic through a fictional character. An honest and eye-opening insight into how people with ASD view the world and others around them.
I would read this book with upper key stage 2 children as an independent read but discussed as a class.
Activities:
- Before reading, get the children to draw a mind-map in table groups to discuss and write down 'what do you know about autism?'. Show them how to make a small notebook out of A3 paper and they will move around the classroom, noting down any interesting ideas they find from other groups in their notebooks. Teacher is to address misconceptions. They can repeat this activity with different questions whilst they read, adding to their notebooks.
- The book heavily focuses on Tally's feelings, especially in her diary entries. This helps us to understand her reactions. Her sister, Nell, often gets frustrated with Tally when she doesn't react the same way that she, or anyone without autistic tendencies, would. Get the children to act out a short drama piece as if they are Nell and Tally. The child playing Tally will explain why she behaves in certain ways, using the language from the book, for example, 'anxiety', 'demand avoidance', 'meltdown' and 'stimming'.
- Once the children have finished the book, they create a PowerPoint presentation about a celebrity/ public figure who had or has autism. Give the children some examples to choose to research in pairs or small groups, then deliver their research to the rest of the class. Challenge them to see if they can find any similarities or differences with the characters in the book? This may help break any negative attitudes the children have about autism and confirm that many people are diagnosed with it.

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Rabbit and Bear: Rabbit's Bad Habits - Julian Gough

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Rabbit and Bear: Rabbit's Bad Habits - Julian Gough

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When Bear wakes up early from hibernation, she decides to make a snowman. Rabbit also decides to make one, but his will be much bigger and better than Bear's. When Rabbit finds himself being hunted by a Wolf, will Bear help him after he has acted so selfishly? A short chapter book about friendship and being kind.
I would read this book with year two children. I find some of the language choices may be too complex for younger children. However, a lot of them are explained by the characters or, could be explored with the teacher/ teaching assistant and use context to help the children understand.
Activity ideas:
- The book mentions gravity as Bear is trying to make her snowball bigger. In year 1, children study forces as one of their science topics. This could be an opportunity for the children to recall and revisit what they can remember from previous topics. They can use their prior knowledge to predict what they think will happen next. The children could conduct their own science experiments by rolling objects up or down slopes to further support their knowledge. They could then discuss their findings - were their results the same as what happened in the book?
- A deeper dive into Bear and Rabbit's characteristics, we would discuss these as a class, using adjectives. Then in groups, the children could work in mixed ability pairs/ groups to split the adjectives into what makes a good friend and what does not. An extension of this could be for the children to write a short paragraph about how to be a good friend. This is an opportunity for cross-curricular links with English and PSHE.
- In KS1, the RSE guidance states children should learn about 'positive relationships'. Get the children to discuss if Bear and Rabbit have a positive or negative relationship throughout the book. How and why does their relationship change? They do nice things for one another. Ask the children if anyone has ever done something nice for them, as Bear did with Rabbit. Children can think, pair, share. A 'kindness jar' could then be introduced in the classroom. Children can write down when a peer does something nice for them or someone else to help their relationship be a positive one. The notes can be read out at the end of the week/ half-term. This could be a chance to initiate a 'Kindness Award'.

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A picture book about a group of 10 lion cubs living in the Savannah. Once it starts to get dark, they must get back home, ready for bedtime.
I would read this to Year One or Two children as a class.
Activities:
- Before starting reading, discuss with the children where lions live, why they live there (an opportunity to discuss what makes a good habitat), what other animals live there, what the climate is like, if people live there (allow the children to ask some of their own questions and see if others/ I can answer. All these questions link to science (the topic being habitats), and geography (learning about the Savannah or more broadly, Africa). Also include some prediction questions.
- The book has a strong focus on counting, which is a clear cross-curricular link with maths. The book counts in descending order, with one less lion cub on every page; this could be for retrieval practice, reiterating to the children questions such as, 'if there were five lions on the last page, and we know there will be one less, how many will there probably be on the next page?'. This may also be an opportunity to test the children's problem-solving skills by seeing if they can notice the pattern (there is one less on each page).
- There are opportunities to create some drama lessons. The children could pick a page to act out or Tablo (freeze frame). When the children are tapped on the shoulder, they have to say how their character is feeling - this encourages their emotional and social development skills.

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The Proudest Blue is the story of sisters Faizah and Asiya. It's Asiya's first day wearing her hijab. Faizah believes it to be the most beautiful thing she has ever seen, a gorgeous sea of blue - however, others at school disagree. The girls' mother supports them in coping with the hurtful reactions of others towards Asiya's new hijab.
I would choose to read this picture book as a class read with year two children. However, I believe the story could also be beneficial to lower key stage 2, due to the vocabulary choices and themes present. I think that the text may be too metaphorical for younger children. The Proudest Blue introduces themes of racial equality, stereotypes and ignorance. But also kindness - to others as well as yourself.
Activities:
- To promote the initial book talk with the children, I would show them the front cover and ask them what they think the book may be about. I would ask questions such as: 'What do you think the title means? Can you see any clues on the front page? Does anybody know what the girl on the front page is wearing? Why do you think she might be wearing it? Has anybody seen or known anybody that wears one? How do you think the girls on the front cover feel? Why do you think this?'. They can answer using think-pair-share.
- One quote from the book that particularly resonated with me was the mother telling the girls: "Don't carry around the hurtful words that others say. Drop them. They are not yours to keep. They belong only to those who said them." This would be a quote I would further explore with the children, perhaps introducing them to metaphors. I would ask them what they think it means, why they think the mother said it to Asiya, and ask if they had ever had someone say something mean to them, how did it make them feel? The children could then discuss with their partners, draw how it made them feel, then choose if they would like to share their experience with the class.
- The final activity would be a cross-curricular link with a religious education topic. I believe that this book would be an excellent introduction to learning about Islam. We could further explore: what a Muslim is, Muslim traditions (such as wearing a hijab), Islamic festivals and celebrations, how Muslims worship and Muslim beliefs and teachings, whilst referring back to the book. Throughout these educational lessons, it would be a perfect time for any pupils who follow Islam to share their personal experiences, they may bring in photographs or real artefacts they may have at home; this would build their confidence and self-esteem as they educate their peers. This would also allow any children who follow Islam to feel represented in literature, with characters they can relate to.

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The Boy at the Back of the Class - Onjali Q. Rauf

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The Boy at the Back of the Class - Onjali Q. Rauf

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There's a new boy at school. He doesn't speak and he looks sad. The Boy at the Back of the Class tells the story of the refugee crisis, friendship and kindness. A group of friends come together to help Ahmet adjust to his new life - with the ultimate aim of reuniting him with his family.
I would read this with year four or five, a chapter/ section at a time. I would alternate between independently and as a class. I believe there is quite a lot of depth to this book, with many opportunities to explore new vocabulary and themes. Despite the language not being overly complex, the themes are. Therefore, I would prefer to gauge the children's understanding step-by-step, allowing me to address any misconceptions or lack of knowledge.
Activities I would do with the children include:
- Create a 'Welcome to our School' video for Ahmet in groups. This could include a map of where everything in school is (applying Geography/ map reading skills). As well as the timetable of their day (maths skills), a 'meet the class' description (art and English skills) and a walk around the school to show where everything is.
- Throughout the book, it is likely that the children would have lots of questions. To address these, I would create a 'working wall' in the classroom, where children could stick notes on the wall with their questions; they could do this anonymously to promote a safe space. We could also answer these questions as a class, with the children practicing their turn-taking skills to help others gain understanding. This links to PSHE.
- A drama activity: the children could alternate roles to interview Ahmet (acting as the news reporters did at the end of the book). They could participate in 'hot seating'. This would require the children to work in small groups and turn-take to ask 'Ahmet' questions. This activity would need a strong knowledge of the book and also the refugee crisis; this is something we could research as a class before. After they have 'hot seated', children could write a newspaper report based on what they found in their interview.