Jon Biddle’s Recommended Reads
It was a privilege to be asked to put together these book collections for Pandora Books. Developing a love of reading in my class and building a school reading culture has been central to my practice as a primary teacher for the past fifteen years and I always feel excited whenever I get the opportunity to share my passion. As Aidan Chambers argued so passionately in his book The Reading Environment, creating a class of enthusiastic readers is dependent on four key factors. The first three are prioritising time for independent reading, ensuring that book talk takes place regularly and providing plenty of opportunities for the children to be read to. The fourth is ensuring that there is a high-quality stock of books and other reading material available for the children. Although there is much debate and disagreement about what actually defines high-quality books, for me they are books that will make children laugh, cry, gasp and think. Hopefully, the texts I’ve selected for the book collections tick those boxes!
The packs consist of approximately 200 books altogether so I’ve selected four from each collection to share a few thoughts about. However, I suspect that if I wrote this piece tomorrow, I would probably choose entirely different ones because they have all been selected on merit and for what they can add to the classroom and the children’s enjoyment of reading. Some of them are great for reading aloud, some are great for discussion, some are great for helping build a classroom community and some are just great books that I believe all children deserve to experience.
Jump to EYFS • KS1 • LKS2 • UKS2
EYFS
Going to the Volcano by Andy Stanton (author) and Miguel Ordonez (illustrator)
A classic for performing in assembly! Lots of fun, lots of rhymes and lots of chaos. It works even better if a few members of staff ‘volunteer’ to come to the front and join in with the actions. It is a book that children of all ages will absolutely adore as they get the chance to sit on the train-o, jump on the plane-o and ride the Great Dane-o on their way to look at the volcano. I have enjoyed it so many times with a class that I can almost recite the entire text!
The Artist by Ed Vere
Ed Vere has produced some amazing picture books over the past 15 years, including How to Be a Lion and Grumpy Frog, but I think The Artist is possibly my favourite. It certainly is today, anyway. It is a story about the joy of art and how artistic inspiration can come from almost anywhere. Children need to know that they are artists, in the same way that they need to know that they are readers and writers, and this book does an amazing job of delivering that message.
My Beautiful Voice by Joseph Coelho (author) and Allison Colpoys (illustrator)
After Joseph spent two inspiring years as Children’s Laureate celebrating poetry and the importance of libraries, there was no way that I could compile a book list without including his work. He writes from the heart every time and his books always carry a lot of emotional weight. My Beautiful Voice is about a shy and anxious child overcoming her worries at school to perform a poem in front of her friends. It demonstrates that everyone’s voice is important, no matter who they are, and is virtually bursting with empathy and compassion. It is another text that will lead to some amazing discussions in class and will do a lot to boost the confidence of many pupils.
Best of All by Smitri Halls (author) and Chaaya Prabhat (illustrator)
Best of All is a book that celebrates multi-heritage children as well as families in general. Because it is so new, I have only shared it with one class so far but the conversations it led to were joyful. Everyone wanted to share their own stories and loved listening to their friends talk about their families. The vibrancy of the artwork creates a real sense of energy as you read the book. It is a book that I am planning to use for my next Reading Café with parents as it is so full of warmth and love.
KS1
I Am Nefertiti by Annemarie Anang (author) and Natelle Quek (illustrator)
Learning to pronounce the names of our pupils properly is one of the most important things that school staff can do and they should never be anglicised or simplified without the permission of the child. Nefertiti’s teacher decides that her name is too difficult to say and so shortens it to Nef. Each time she uses the shortened version, Nefertiti gets smaller and smaller until she is the size of a thumb. Eventually Nefertiti explains to her teacher why using her real name is important. It is a great story about identity and having the courage to speak out, but it also sends an important message about how to treat other people.
Yapping Away! by Josh Seigal (author) and Sarah Horne (illustrator)
Josh Seigal, the winner of the 2020 and 2023 Laugh Out Loud Book Awards, is one of the most exciting children’s poets around (he also does a great school visit). Yapping Away! is his first Key Stage One collection and is absolutely full of poems which will elicit a wide range of reactions from the children. It provides a great balance of hilarious, heartfelt, serious, thoughtful and joyous poetry. Yapping Away! will be dipped into regularly, by both staff and pupils, as everyone is going to have their own favourites to share.
The River by Tom Percival
Tom is one of the most talented and original children’s authors and illustrators I know and choosing which book of his to include was incredibly hard. The Invisible, The Sea Saw, Meesha Makes Friends…they’re all stunning. In the end I went for The River because it demonstrates beautifully how our emotions are always changing by telling the story of a young boy who is managing the loss of his dog. The interplay between the words and illustrations really shines, and it is a book that reveals more each time it is read. Several of Tom’s books are destined to become future classics; The River is one of them.
Bumble and Snug by Mark Bradley
Graphic novels have exploded in popularity over the past couple of years, and the Bumble and Snug series is one of the reasons behind that. They are perfect for young readers who are just starting to enjoy stories independently, exploring friendships and feelings in an exciting and accessible way. The style of illustration is perfect for this age group as it encourages the children to have a go at drawing the characters themselves.
LKS2
The Girl Who Stole an Elephant by Nizrana Farook
It’s a widely held view among teachers that emotionally engaging and exciting stories for Years 3 and 4 are harder to find than for any other year groups. However, it is really pleasing to see that the situation has improved markedly over the past few years. The Girl Who Stole an Elephant is a stunning debut, a story that moves along at a rapid pace while still finding the time to explore and develop the characters. The short chapters with their cliff-hanger endings make it an ideal story to read aloud. It can also provide the inspiration for some incredible writing from the children.
How to Change the World by Rashmi Sirdeshpande (author) and Annabel Tempest (illustrator)
Fifteen true stories about amazing people who, for a variety of reasons, have had a huge influence on the world. It is ideal for dipping into and exploring together as a class. Every time I read one of the stories, my pupils want to find out more and always ask lots of thoughtful questions. How to Change the World is engaging, educational and inspirational, as well as a lot of fun. Annabel Tempest’s gorgeous illustrations really help bring each of the individual stories to life.
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
I asked my class why they loved this story so much when they had it read to them in Year 4. Their responses explain why it is special far better than I possibly could…it made me cry…it’s a book about animals and having friends…Roz (the robot) cares about her friends more than she cares about herself…it’s really sad and I didn’t know how it was going to end. It is a wonderful book with two equally emotional sequels. The fact that a movie version is being released soon will mean it is one of those books that is never on the class bookshelf. Which is exactly as it should be.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
I have no idea how many books I have read to my class during my teaching career. Dozens. Possibly hundreds. There are very few, if any, which have the enormous impact of this Kate DiCamillo classic. Nobody has ever really been able to explain why they become so emotionally involved in the story of a porcelain rabbit trying to find his way back to his owner but everyone does. I have never known a class not to enjoy it. In fact, a few years ago, I taught a class who fell so deeply in love with Edward and his adventures, they insisted that I read it again before they left my class. It was impossible to say no. Even though I have read it several times, there are still at least three places in the story where I know a tear or two will roll down my cheek. It is truly magnificent.
UKS2
The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow (author) and Joe Todd-Stanton (illustrator)
Not all books deserve the hype they receive but The Final Year is one that definitely does. I was lucky enough to be sent a preview copy and, as soon as I had read it, I knew it was a book that my class would be absolutely gripped by. Narrative verse books are increasingly popular with pupils. They allow a variety of rhythms and language patterns to develop during reading and the fact that the pages are not overwhelmed with text makes them accessible to even more readers. There will be a lot of pupils who will be able to relate to Nate and his struggles. It was the last book I read to my Year 6 pupils last year; it seemed like the ideal way to bring our class reading journey to its conclusion.
Planet SOS by Marie G Rhode
Planet SOS is absolutely full of information about the various environmental crises that are currently engulfing our planet! I love how it combines the real-world threats we are facing with myths and legends. It includes a stunning world map and timeline, and shows the children how to create informative and accessible double-page spreads. Schools need to find a way to educate pupils about the climate crisis, and Planet SOS is a great starting point.
Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy by Brey Indigo and Rey Terciero
I have never actually read Little Women, the classic story that this graphic novel is based on so I am not able to comment on how closely it resembles the original. However, I can say that it has been one of the most popular graphic novels in my class over the past five years and that I have already had to replace it several times. The journey that the four sisters go on through the book is intense but inspirational. Each of the sisters faces their own challenges at various times but they are always there to support and look out for each other. It definitely ranks in my top five children’s graphic novels.
Can You See Me? by Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott
Can You See Me? delivers a realistic portrayal of autism in a young girl called Tally as well as an engaging and heart-warming story about empathy and understanding. The main narrative is written by author Rebecca Westcott but, between each chapter, 11-year-old Libby Scott writes diary entries based on her own experiences of autism. When I explained this concept to my pupils, they were very quickly drawn in to the story. Since Can You See Me? was first published, Libby and Rebecca have collaborated on two sequels and a prequel, all of which explore Tally’s life in more detail.
Now that I have written this blog post, I feel like I want to shout about every other book in the collection. However, that is not going to happen any time soon as it is also the start of term and I have about three hundred other things that need to be completed by the end of the week. I really hope that these short summaries demonstrate how much thought I have put into the books I have selected. I believe that all children deserve to have exposure to the best books that are available and I am confident the books on these lists will provide a great starting point when building a diverse, inclusive, engaging and enjoyable classroom library.
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Jon Biddle’s Recommended Reads
It was a privilege to be asked to put together these book collections for Pandora Books. Developing a love of reading in my class and building a school reading culture has…