Age 8
Tamara Small and the Monsters’ Ball by Giles Paley-Phillips & Gabriele Antonini
The Story: Tamara Small is lying in bed listening to the wind howling when a monster comes into her room and whisks her off to the Annual Monsters’ Ball in the village hall. After her initial shock Tamara has a great night dancing with all of the monsters. They dance until sunrise and then surprise…
The Princess and the Peas by Caryl Hart & Sarah Warburton
A book that encourages a child to start eating vegetables is definitely a winner! I am guilty of trying to disguise vegetables in food (courgette and cocoa muffins actually taste really good!) but The Princess and the Peas encouraged my daughter to eat peas after a long time refusing to, now she’s also asking me to…
Katie’s Picture Show by James Mayhew
Katie’s Picture Show was the very first of James Mayhew’s Katie books that I bought. We’ve read many more since and also been to one of James’ storytelling sessions at The National Gallery in London.
We completely must Go to London by Lauren Child
Our last book of the year has to be about our favourite brother and sister combination, Charlie and Lola. ‘We completely must Go to London’ is a great way to introduce young readers to some of London’s famous buildings and landmarks. Already my daughter likes to pick out the places that we have visited and…
The Rescue Princesses: The Secret Promise by Paula Harrison
The Rescue Princesses are great first chapter books for young readers who love princesses. I was looking for a present for a six year old and when I read this (the first) Rescue Princess book I couldn’t put it down.
Winnie the Witch by Valerie Thomas & Korky Paul
The Story: Winnie the Witch lives in a black house with her black cat Wilbur. She can see Wilbur when his eyes are open but when he sleeps she often sits on him or trips over him. Her first spell to solve the problem means that Winnie can’t see Wilbur in the garden and the second…
The Pirates Next Door by Jonny Duddle
The Pirates Next Door was one of the very first picture books that we read with our daughter. She loves the Jolley-Rogers’ pirate antics and I often find her poring over the little details in the pictures. We’ve bought this book for several friends and it’s fantastic that it has also been translated into German.
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
I Want My Hat Back is a simple story about a bear’s search for his lost hat. It took us a few readings before we realised that the ending if the story is very much open to interpretation, one interpretation is quite brutal!
