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
- The Diary of a Killer Cat by Anne Fine
- Clare and her Captain by Michael Morpurgo
- The Ice Bear by Jackie Morris
7+ readers
- My Mum's Going To Explode! by Jeremy Strong
- The Snow Leopard by Jackie Morris
- 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
- 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
- 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
- ...And a Happy New Year? by Holly Bourne
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!
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
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 love Lovereading4kids because I get an opportunity to put my opinion forward and to try new books
Elosie Clarkson – age 11
At @HHSHaringey we love @lovereading4kids because our pupils can practice reviewing & get free upcoming books before anyone else!
Helen Swinyard – Heartlands High
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’s a community united by a passion for books and promoting the best there is in children’s literature.
Sam Bateman and family
It’s so easy to find the right book for your child. Such an easy-to-use, yet in-depth website. 100% reliable.
Pippa, Jack, Liam & Matthew Wils
I love lovereading4kids because I’ve read amazing books I would never have picked up, and its opened doors to new genre’s I now love.
Harriet Cunningham
This month's 'featured books':
Bedtime Reading
Goodnight Moon
Margaret Wise Brown
Illustrated by Clement Hurd
This classic children's book looks wonderful in its new edition and
has lost none of its effectiveness as a book to lull children to
sleep. As…
I Love You, Too!
Michael Foreman
Award-winning picture book creator, Michael Foreman celebrates the
love between a father and child in this endearing bedtime story
from this twice…
Goodnight World
Debi Gliori
It's hard to think of a more perfect bedtime book than Goodnight
World. The sun is going down and the world is getting ready to go
to sleep.…
Each Peach Pear Plum
Allan Ahlberg, Janet Ahlberg
Illustrated by Janet Ahlberg
A delightful board book with simple rhyming text and engaging
interactive pictures. Children will be able to find characters that
are mentioned in…
Storytime: Hello Mr Moon
Lorna Gutierrez
Illustrated by Laura Watkins
Hello, Mr Moon is a magical story written in rhyme, featuring a
cast of adorable nocturnal animals that will help young children
understand why the…
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…
This month's 'featured books':
Carnegie Greenaway
Junk
Melvin Burgess
Winner of the 1996 CILIP Carnegie Medal When it was published in
1996 it created a Storm of Protest - especially from those who
didn't bother…
The Journey
Francesca Sanna
Winner for the 2017 Klaus Flugge Prize | Winner of the UKLA 2017
Book Award | Shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2017
and awarded the…
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…
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…
Maggot Moon
Sally Gardner
One of our Books of the Year 2013. Winner of the two most
prestigious children's book awards - the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2013
and the Children's…
The Smell of Other People's Houses
Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2017 | Shortlisted for the
UKLA 2017 Book Award | Longlisted for the Guardian Children's
Fiction Prize 2016…
This month's 'featured books':
Books Reviewed by Children
Raymie Nightingale
Kate DiCamillo
Some momentous things happen in the course of this book: a father
leaves, buildings are burgled, a cat is lost and found, hearts are
broken, good…
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…
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
Lost and Found: Board Book
Oliver Jeffers
Celebrating the value of friendship, this is an exquisitely
illustrated picture book with a simple story line. Opening his door
and finding a penguin…
Flambards
K. M. Peyton
Christina is sent to stay with her terrifying uncle and her cousins
at Flambards, a rambling house in the country where riding and
hunting are the…
Princess Smartypants and the Missing Princes
Babette Cole
After bringing girl power to picture books over 30 years ago,
feisty Princess Smartypants returns to a new audience in the first
of three highly…
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
C. S. Lewis
Illustrated by Pauline Baynes
One of our 'Must Reads'. C.S Lewis's classic fantasy book The Lion,
the Witch, and the Wardrobe tells the story of the four Pevensie
children,…
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…
Lost Magic: The Very Best of Brian Moses
Brian Moses
Brian Moses is one of our most widely read and popular poets, a
regular visitor to schools and festivals. This collection gathers
together over 100…
This month's 'featured books':
Classics
Stone Cold
Robert Swindells
In a nutshell: Iconic | Outspoken | Big Issues | Difficult
TruthsStone Cold is a Carnegie Medal-winning thriller by Robert
Swindells. It is one of…
Ballet Stories
Margaret Greaves, Lisa Kopper
Swan Lake, Giselle, The Nutcracker, Coppelia – these are just
some of the eight classic ballet stories that are beautifully
retold in this…
The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn (with an Introduction by Darren Shan)
Mark Twain
This is a wonderful adventure of three boys from very different
worlds. At the heart of the story is the relationship between
Huckleberry Finn and…
Through the Looking Glass: Macmillan Classics Edition
Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll's follow-up to Alice's Adventures through the Looking
Glass includes the introduction of Tweedledum and Tweedledee
those…
The Secret Garden (with an Introduction by Sophie Dahl)
Frances Hodgson Burnett
This is a book that fires the imagination with its bewitching and
magical qualities and one that every young girl will absolutely
love. …
A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens
Illustrated by Alan Marks
Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean-spirited old man who hates everything -
even Christmas! But when three spirits visit him one Christmas Eve,
Scrooge is…
