Lovereading4kids Weekly Staff Picks
Reading is fundamental to the development of children and countless research shows the links between good reading skills from an early age and future success in life. However, finding books children want to read or authors that excite them, can be difficult; the choice is daunting and guidance rather thin on the ground.
So, Lovereading4kids was created to be the best recommendation site for Children’s Book from toddlers to teens. It has been created using the experience we have as parents and book lovers, who want our children to read great books. Secondly, it has been created from what we have learned from setting up our first book site lovereading.co.uk
Books for all ages! Top downloads
Baby and Toddler
- Tabby McTat Picturebook and CD by Julia Donaldson
- Samson the Mighty Flea by Angela Mcallister
- Owl Babies by Martin Waddell
3+ readers
- Tabby McTat by Julia Donaldson
- The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr
- Goodnight Everyone by Chris Haughton
5+ readers
- Clare and her Captain by Michael Morpurgo
- The Ice Bear by Jackie Morris
- The Diary of a Killer Cat by Anne Fine
7+ readers
- The Snow Leopard by Jackie Morris
- My Mum's Going To Explode! by Jeremy Strong
- Mango & Bambang: Tiny Tapir Trouble by Polly Faber
9+ readers
- Eye of the Wolf by Daniel Pennac
- Dragon's Green Worldquake Book One by Scarlett Thomas
- Pax by Sara Pennypacker
11+ readers
- Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo
- Cogheart by Peter Bunzl
- The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Millwood-Hargrave
13+ readers
- The Wrong Train by Jeremy De Quidt
- Holes by Louis Sachar
- The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon
YA readers
- A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
- Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett
- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Register now – FREE for a unique range of services specifically created to help parents and anyone who likes to buy books for children choose the best books for boys and girls of all ages.
- Download and print off the Opening Extract of every ‘featured book’ on our site, even the picture books.
- Discover new writers through our unique children’s author ‘like-for-like’ recommendation service.
- Read our exclusive online book reviews by Julia Eccleshare, author and children’s books editor at the Guardian.
- Enjoy regular emails to keep you up to date on the latest and best in your chosen age ranges. (Please be reassured that your e-mail address will remain confidential to Lovereading and not sold to any of those horrible spam people).
Register now and try it out. We know choosing books for children will become a joy!
I think Lovereading4kids is an amazing company because of the friendly staff and the fabulous chance to read great books before publication.
Adam Graham
We love Lovereading4kids because they put books in front of us we wouldn’t otherwise have read. They make us more adventurous readers!
Emily Jacques
I have told all my friends, family & teachers to see for themselves just how great the site is. Without fail, they are hugely impressed.
Alexander Boxall – age 11
You give me age appropriate ideas of books I can read and buy for the children and find out what other children their age think of them too.
Katie Lonsdale
It is fantastic, you get to read lots of books and you always find something new and amazing in them.
Erica Motoc, age 7
A great way to introduce kids to great books, authors & genres. Parents can find age-appropriate books to share with their children.
Judi Davies – Aberdare Girls Sch
It’s really exciting to read and review new books, thrilling to see my reviews online and I love finding the final published copies on sale.
Sam Harper – age 10
It has introduced my children to books we hadn’t come across before. Real children’s reviews gives a great insight into what others think to
Lorraine Woods
This month's 'featured books':
Bedtime Reading
Time for Bed, Fred!
Yasmeen Ismail
Longlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal 2014 It's time for bed. But
will Fred go to bed? You bet he won't! From hiding up trees, and
splashing…
Dozy Bear and the Secret of Sleep
Katie Blackburn
Illustrated by Richard Smythe
This book is dedicated to tired parents, grandparents and children
and could prove a real godsend to them all. It's designed and
written…
My Favourite Bedtime Rhymes
Illustrated by Sanja Rescek, Hannah Wood
A charming collection of all your favourite bedtime rhymes,
delightfully illustrated by best-loved illustrators Hannah Wood and
Sanja Rescek. …
We're Going on a Bear Hunt
Michael Rosen
Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
This is the 25th anniversary board book edition of this bestselling
title which well-deserves its classic status. It has become the
staple of…
Owl Babies
Martin Waddell
Three little owl babies sit in the tree and wait…and
wait…and wait…for their Mummy to come home from
hunting. Stunning…
The Last Book Before Bedtime
Nicola O'Byrne
It might be the most important story of the day, but in Nicola
O'Byrne's witty book the telling of the last book before bedtime
is…
This month's 'featured books':
Carnegie Greenaway
Railhead
Philip Reeve
Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2017 | Shortlisted for the
UKLA 2017 Book Award | August 2016 Book of the Month Set…
Shackleton's Journey
William Grill
Winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal 2015 Debut author and
illustrator, William Grill, 25, has become the youngest winner of
the Kate…
Northern Lights
Philip Pullman
Winner of the 1995 CILIP Carnegie Medal Part one of Philip
Pullman's magnificent trilogy. His ‘Dark Materials', is the
story…
The Sleeper and the Spindle
Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Chris Riddell
Winner of the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2016. A deluxe edition of
the thrillingly reimagined fairy tale by the magical partnership
of…
A Great Big Cuddle
Michael Rosen
Illustrated by Chris Riddell
Shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2017 | Joint Winner
of the CLiPPA 2016 (CLPE Children's Poetry Award). …
Wild Animals of the North
Dieter Braun
Shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2017 | A gorgeously
illustrated study of the Northern Hemisphere's wild…
This month's 'featured books':
Books Reviewed by Children
The Wrong Train
Jeremy De Quidt
In a Nutshell: Sinister short stories Sublimely spine-tingling,
this evokes all the dread of an ominous tap-tap-tapping on your
door in the dead of…
Isadora Moon Goes on a School Trip
Harriet Muncaster
In a nutshell: half-vampire, half-fairy, Isadora makes a new friend
Lively, told in short chapters and filled with illustrations
this…
Pax
Sara Pennypacker
Illustrated by Jon Klassen
Touching and thought-provoking this is a lyrically-told story
perfectly presented in a beautiful book. Peter's life falls apart
after his…
Bathroom Boogie
Clare Foges
Illustrated by Al Murphy
How do you follow a roaring success like Kitchen Disco? Why, with a
Bathroom Boogie of course. Who knew that when we're out our
bathrooms…
Little Adventurers: What Bear? Where?
Philip Ardagh
Illustrated by Elissa Elwick
With an activity idea and an information page with every story in
the series, the Little Adventurers four will encourage hours of
immersive play, and…
Mango & Bambang: Tiny Tapir Trouble
Polly Faber
Illustrated by Clara Vulliamy
Polly Faber and Clara Vulliamy's Mango and Bambang stories are
perfect for newly independent readers. There are four funny,
entertaining…
This month's 'featured books':
Bookshelf Essentials
You're Only Young Twice
Quentin Blake
A joyous celebration through Quentin's uniquely original
illustrations of the art of ageing. A delightful little picture
book to share with any…
Aristotle
Dick King-Smith
Illustrated by Bob Graham
The best-selling author of The Sheep Pig tells a charming and witty
story about a bold young kitten who is always getting into
mischief! Aristotle…
I Want My Hat Back
Jon Klassen
Shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2013 A simply told
story with a delicious and irresistible mischievous twist in its
ending.…
Black Beauty
Anna Sewell
A truly timeless adventure of a horse with an unbreakable spirit
and a bond that eventually goes almost full circle. Animal lovers
will love the…
Farmer Duck
Martin Waddell
Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
Julia Eccleshare's Pick of the Month July 2016 A timeless classic
with stunning illustrations Farmer Duck tells the story of a
hard-working…
Dear Zoo
Rod Campbell
Have you ever wanted a pet? How do you find the right one? An
elephant is too heavy, a giraffe is too tall, a frog is too jumpy.
Hidden…
This month's 'featured books':
Classics
The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook: Macmillan Classics Edition
Joyce Lankester Brisley
Milly-Molly-Mandy has delighted children for generations partly
because her childhood is mostly so very different to that of any
child growing up…
Heidi
Johanna Spyri
Freedom to roam in the high Swiss Alps brings great happiness in
this story of Heidi and her unusual childhood high up in the Swiss
Alps. When…
Kidnapped
Robert Louis Stevenson
Illustrated by Fran Parreno
Kidnapped is less widely read than Stevenson's other children's
classic Treasure Island but is just as thrilling and exciting a
story.…
The Wave
Morton Rhue
In a nutshell: Iconic | Outspoken | Big Issues | Difficult Truths
The Wave is based on a nightmarish true episode in a Californian
high school, when…
No Turning Back
Beverley Naidoo
In a nutshell: Iconic | Outspoken | Big Issues | Difficult Truths
Set in South Africa in the 1990s, a time when an increasing number
of young black…
Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There
Lewis Carroll, Chris Riddell
Illustrated by Sir John Tenniel
A favourite book chosen by Philip Pullman, along with Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland: "Indispensable. The great classic
beginning of English…
