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
- Owl Babies by Martin Waddell
- Tabby McTat Picturebook and CD by Julia Donaldson
- A Busy Day for Birds by Lucy Cousins
3+ readers
- The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr
- Tabby McTat by Julia Donaldson
- Goodnight Everyone by Chris Haughton
5+ readers
- The Diary of a Killer Cat by Anne Fine
- Grandad's Secret Giant by David Litchfield
- What's My Name? by Wendy Finney
7+ readers
- My Mum's Going To Explode! by Jeremy Strong
- Mango & Bambang: Tiny Tapir Trouble by Polly Faber
- Danny Dingle's Fantastic Finds The Jet of Justice by Angie Lake
9+ readers
- Eye of the Wolf by Daniel Pennac
- Dragon's Green Worldquake Book One by Scarlett Thomas
- Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo
11+ readers
- Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo
- The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Millwood-Hargrave
- Cogheart by Peter Bunzl
13+ readers
- Holes by Louis Sachar
- Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. by Anne Frank
- The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon
YA readers
- ...And a Happy New Year? by Holly Bourne
- A Monster Calls: Special Collector's Edition by Patrick Ness
- A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
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 love all the books they recommend & put up for me to review. I also love the fact that they give new authors the chance to share their boo
Daisy Pennock – age 15
It is THE website to use for narrowing down your search for any book. Definitely knocks the socks off any other book review website.
Nickey and Tomasz Hawryszczuk
I love ‘LoveReading 4 kids’ because they let you read and learn things you’d never dreamed of learning before.
Emily Horncastle – age 11
I love Lovereading because I often never know what to read and this helps you find a good book. I have recommended this to many people.
Shannon-Louise Masters – age 15
At @HHSHaringey we love @lovereading4kids because our pupils can practice reviewing & get free upcoming books before anyone else!
Helen Swinyard – Heartlands High
Writing reviews help the children with their literacy skills and we always read the books together which gives us good quality family time!
Cat Bisland (on behalf of the Bi
It gives me a chance to read types of books that I would not normally try, and it motivates me to read every night to finish it!
Alice Horncastle, age 14
Love “Lovereading4kids” as my son gets to hear about & read new books before his mates which keeps him interested in reading=a very happy Mum
Liz Evans
This month's 'featured books':
Bedtime Reading
Goodnight Tiptoe
Polly Dunbar
A dreamy, goodnight story. Bedtime comes and every one is sleepy
– except Tiptoe! One after another, Tilly settles her friends
down for the…
Sloth Slept on
Frann Preston-Gannon
A board book edition of this delightful introduction to a very
special creature! Two children find a very unusual creature in
their garden. What on…
Bedtime with Ted
Sophy Henn
It's bedtime for Ted, but he's just too busy yet – flip the
flaps and you can see why: Ted is in the bath with some penguins,
busy…
King of the Sky
Nicola Davies
Illustrated by Laura Carlin
May 2017 Picture Book of the Month | A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the
Month May 2017 | In a story full of hope against…
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…
The Mumsnet Book of Animal Stories
Various Authors
A beautifully illustrated treasury of captivating animal stories
for families to share together. This is the second year of the
Mumsnet/Walker Books…
This month's 'featured books':
Carnegie Greenaway
Buffalo Soldier
Tanya Landman
Winner of the 2015 CILIP Carnegie Medal The Judges comment
“We were particularly impressed with how Buffalo Soldier
explored what it means to…
Watership Down
Richard Adams
Illustrated by Aldo Galli
Winner of the 1972 CILIP Carnegie Medal A book that resonates as
vividly today as it did nearly half a century ago, this
keepsake…
I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato
Lauren Child
Winner of the 2000 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal Witty, colourful and
unpredictable this is a delightful picture book that has a
very…
Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth
Frank Cottrell Boyce
Illustrated by Steve Lenton
Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2017 | Longlisted for the
UKLA 2017 Book Award | With all the invention, originality and
insight that is…
The Wolves of Currumpaw
William Grill
Shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2017 | Longlisted
for the UKLA 2017 Book Award | A beautiful and moving re-telling of
the first…
Tidy
Emily Gravett
Shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2017 | Julia
Eccleshare's Pick of the Month, April 2017 | Award-winning Emily
Gravett's…
This month's 'featured books':
Books Reviewed by Children
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…
William Bee's Wonderful World of Trains, Boats and Planes
William Bee
If you love vehicles, then this is the book for you! William Bee
shows off a multitude of amazing vehicles, starting with the steam
engine, then…
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…
The Detective Dog
Julia Donaldson
Illustrated by Sarah Ogilvie
A celebration of dogs and books alike, Julia Donaldson employs
typically sparkling rhyme to tell the story of Peter – a very
nice child though…
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…
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…
This month's 'featured books':
Bookshelf Essentials
The Conquerors
David McKee
In this masterpiece for all ages, best-selling illustrator David
McKee has created a miniature morality tale. The General leads his
army into one…
Who's in the Loo?
Jeanne Willis
Illustrated by Adrian Reynolds
Special 10th Anniversary Edition Quirky and great fun. We've all
experienced the problem of wanting the loo at the same time first
thing in the…
Peepo!
Allan Ahlberg
One of our 'Must Reads'. Fabulous illustrations, wonderful rhyming
text with not a word out of place; this is a book that no nursery
bookshelf can be…
How Tom Beat Captain Najork and His Hired Sportsmen
Russell Hoban
Illustrated by Quentin Blake
A must-read for anyone who thinks that fooling about is a waste of
time! Through the brilliant combination of Russell Hoban and
Quentin Blake,…
Where's Spot?
Eric Hill
This is definitely one of those ‘essential experiences' of
childhood. Children identify brilliantly with the naughty little
dog through…
Dogger
Shirley Hughes
Winner of the Greenaway of Greenaways in 2007 and Greenaway winner
in 1977. Filled with humour and Shirley Hughes' deft touch, this is
a book for…
This month's 'featured books':
Classics
A Little Princess (with an Introduction by Adeline Yen Mah)
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Chosen by Jacqueline Wilson. Step into the shoes of Sara, a girl
with a lively imagination who although well-mannered is absolutely
no angel, as fate…
I Capture the Castle
Dodie Smith
In a nutshell: Iconic | Outspoken | Big Issues | Difficult Truths A
story about writing, this is also a wonderfully romantic story told
by a young…
Journey To Jo'burg
Beverly Naidoo
When it was originally published in 1985 Beverley Naidoo's classic
was a contemporary story; now it's a piece of history but no
less…
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…
The Jungle Book: Macmillan Classics Edition
Rudyard Kipling
Mowgli, the little boy brought up in the jungle with the wolves, is
one of the best-loved characters of fiction. His friends - and
enemies –…
Tarka the Otter
Henry Williamson
Illustrated by Annabel Large
This is the classic story of an otter living in the Devonshire
countryside which captures the feel of life in the wild as seen
through the otter's…
