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
- What the Ladybird Heard by Julia Donaldson
- Where Is Little Fish? by Lucy Cousins
- Count with Little Fish by Lucy Cousins
3+ readers
- No, Nancy, No! by Alice Tait
- The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield
- Forever or a Day by Sarah Jacoby
5+ readers
- The Great Big Book of Friends by Mary Hoffman
- King of the Sky by Nicola Davies
- What the Ladybird Heard on Holiday by Julia Donaldson
7+ readers
- The Book Case by Dave Shelton
- Max Champion and the Great Race Car Robbery by Alexander Mccall Smith
- The Chocolate Factory Ghost by David O'Connell
9+ readers
- The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day by Christopher Edge
- To the Edge of the World by Julia Green
- You Are Awesome by Matthew Syed
11+ readers
- The City of Secret Rivers by Jacob Sager Weinstein
- Twelve Nights by Andrew Zurcher
- Cogheart by Peter Bunzl
13+ readers
- Truly, Wildly, Deeply by Jenny McLachlan
- Holes by Louis Sachar
- Rebound by Kwame Alexander
YA readers
- I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman
- Encounters by Jason Wallace
- I Stop Somewhere by T. E. Carter
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 ‘LoveReading 4 kids’ because they let you read and learn things you’d never dreamed of learning before.
Emily Horncastle – age 11
Lovereading4kids is great, we get books really early never late. We love to read and review, and think you would like it too. The excitement
Jasmine Harris-Hart, age 12
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
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
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
Lovereading is just a convenient way to find new books and hear others opinions on them.
Sarah Murray – age 15
At @HHSHaringey we love @lovereading4kids because our pupils can practice reviewing & get free upcoming books before anyone else!
Helen Swinyard – Heartlands High
LoveReading4Kids is a modern and creative way of emphasising the value and importance of books in this digital age #booksforlife
Amrit Bunet – Teen
This month's 'featured books':
Bedtime Reading
Peace at Last
Jill Murphy
A new board book edition of the picture book classic, in a size
that's perfect for little paws! A timeless storybook classic full
of bright…
The Gruffalo
Julia Donaldson
Illustrated by Axel Scheffler
“A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood. A fox saw
the mouse and the mouse looked good.”So begins the story of
how a clever…
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…
Count with Maisy, Cheep, Cheep, Cheep!
Lucy Cousins
Smiling, cheerful, independent, no wonder toddlers everywhere love
Maisy, and she makes all early learning experiences fun and
exciting. This story…
Lily and Bear
Lisa Stubbs
One of our Books of the Year 2015 -April 2015 Debut of the Month
Lily and Bear – two wonderful new characters who love to
play…
Bing's Bedtime Stories
Ted Dewan
Originally from books by Ted Dewan, Bing now has his own TV show on
Cbeebies and this gorgeous hardback gift collection with a padded
cover…
This month's 'featured books':
Reviewed by Children
Welcome to Nowhere
Elizabeth Laird
Shortlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award In a nutshell: the lives
of a Syrian family brought vividly and sympathetically to life for
young readers…
Judy Moody Declares Independence!
Megan McDonald
Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Another day. Another mood. Meet Judy Moody at her moodiest-best, in
this laugh-a-minute sixth adventure in the international
bestselling series.
Uncle Shawn and Bill and the Pajimminy-Crimminy Unusual Adventure
A. L. Kennedy
Illustrated by Gemma Correll
In a nutshell: Dahl-esque story in defence of Unusualness Children
who like their stories filled with larger-than-life characters,
crazy comedy and…
Happy Hatchday
Rob Biddulph
April 2018 Book of the Month Rob Biddulph's new picture book is
another typically happy reading experience. Nine dinosaur eggs
(count them)…
Shapes, Colours, Numbers
Dario Zeruto
Wow, what a clever, inspired way to teach shapes, colours, numbers.
Contained in a neat, white slipcase is a sturdy board book, split
down the…
Savage Island
Bryony Pearce
In a Nutshell: When a £1 million prize game becomes more than
a game…. Extreme pressure, perils and outright horrors
fester when five…
This month's 'featured books':
Books of the Year
Matt Millz
Harry Hill
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | In a nutshell: dreams-come-true
adventure plus comedy advice from the master Harry Hill's
new…
The Journey
Francesca Sanna
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | Winner for the 2017 Klaus
Flugge Prize | Winner of the UKLA 2017 Book Award | Shortlisted for
the CILIP Kate…
A Song for Will and The Lost Gardeners of Heligan
Hilary Robinson
Illustrated by Martin Impey
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | May 2017 Book of the Month |
This deeply moving story perfectly conveys the devastating impact
of the First…
Old Hat!
Emily Gravett
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | Longlisted for the UKLA 2018
Book Award June 2017 Book of the Month | A Julia Eccleshare Pick of
the…
The Night Spinner
Abi Elphinstone
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | With this action packed third
and final instalment to the series, Abi Elphinstone has secured her
place in the…
Lucky Button
Michael Morpurgo
Illustrated by Michael Foreman
A moving historical story inspired by the Foundling Museum, written
by acclaimed children's author Michael Morpurgo and illustrated by
Michael…
This month's 'featured books':
Fascinating Facts
The Street Beneath My Feet
Charlotte Gullian
Illustrated by Yuval Zommer
Shortlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award Detailed, ingenious and
graphically beautiful this information book opens, as the best do,
with an…
Cool Astronomy 50 Fantastic Facts for Kids of All Ages
Malcolm Croft
With Cool Astronomy, you'll discover everything you need to know
about the universe, from asteroids to the zenith point ...and
almost everything in…
100 Most: Unexplained Mysteries on the Planet
Anna Claybourne
Think 21st century humans have explained pretty much everything
there is to explain? Think again! As this book demonstrates,
there's still a…
Look Inside How Computers Work
Alex Frith
Illustrated by Colin King
With flaps to lift on every page and friendly little robots
providing the explanations and information, this book will help
anyone understand how…
The Story of Space
Catherine Barr, Steve Williams
Illustrated by Amy Husband
The story of space is told with all the drama and excitement it
merits but clearly and simply for the youngest readers. Over forty
colourful pages…
Magnificent Birds
Narisa Togo
It isn't often that a non-fiction picture book has been so admired
here in the Lovereading office. The stunning, stylish lino-cut
prints capture the…
This month's 'featured books':
UKLA 2018
The Goldfish Boy
Lisa Thompson
Longlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2018 | Longlisted for the
UKLA 2018 Book Award A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month
January…
Aubrey and the Terrible Ladybirds
Horatio Clare
Illustrated by Jane Matthews
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award June 2017 Book of the Month
| A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month June 2017 A sequel
to…
The Storm Whale in Winter
Benji Davies
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award In The Storm Whale in
Winter Benji Davies creates a story of love and courage that is
tender, touching and…
The Bone Sparrow
Zana Fraillon
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award | Shortlisted for the CILIP
Carnegie Medal 2017 and awarded the Amnesty CILIP Honour |…
A Perfect Day
Lane Smith
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award In this follow up to the
beautiful There Is a Tribe of Kids, Lane Smith's bright and fresh
artwork combines…
Don't Cross the Line!
Isabel Minhos Martins
Illustrated by Bernardo P. Carvalho
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award In Don't Cross the Line,
The guard always follows the general's orders without question.
This…
This month's 'featured books':
Books for Boys
There's a Dragon in My Dinner
Tom Nicoll
Illustrated by Sarah Horne
February 2016 Debut of the Month Dragons come in all shapes and
sizes in children's stories, but the one that Eric finds in a
box…
Would You Rather: Dine with a Dung Beetle or Lunch with a Maggot?
Camilla de le Bedoyere
Illustrated by Mel Howells
Would you rather dine with a dung beetle, drink with a mosquito,
have supper with a spider or lunch with a maggot? Pick your answer
and learn about…
Spynosaur
Guy Bass
Illustrated by Lee Robinson
In a nutshell: scaled ‘n' tailed super-hero saves the world
From a land before time comes a hero for today: meet…
The Adventures of Alfie Onion
Vivian French
Illustrated by Marta Kissi
If you love fairytales – and who couldn't? – you'll
love this brand new adventure written by one of our most inventive
and…
Spangles McNasty and the Fish of Gold
Steve Webb
Illustrated by Chris Mould
To the canon of disgusting, disreputable villains loved by children
– the Twits, Mr Gum, Armitage Shanks – can now be added
Spangles…
Fenn Halflin and the Fearzero
Francesca Armour-Chelu
Julia Eccleshare's Pick of the Month, June 2016 Debut author
Francesca Armour-Chelu has created a desperate flooded dystopian
world in this…
This month's 'featured books':
Reluctant Readers
Food Fright
David O'Connell
Meet the amazing monster customers and try the foul-food at
Fuzzby's diner - the third book in the hilarious 'Monster and
Chips' series from author…
Dave Pigeon (Nuggets)
Swapna Haddow
Illustrated by Sheena Dempsey
In a nutshell: pigeontastic comedy capers with Dave and Skipper |
Things are not looking good for pigeons Dave and Skipper. The
Human…
Basil the Bear Cub
Janey Louise Jones
Illustrated by Jennie Poh
Superfairies is a sweet new series about four little fairies, in
which the emphasis is very much on kindness and helping others. In
this springtime…
Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder: The End of the World. Maybe.
Jo Nesbo
With crazy inventions, disappearing socks, half-men half-frogs, a
moon chameleon invasion and, of course, plenty of super-sonic
bottom burps, this is…
Shouldn't You be in School?
Lemony Snicket
Madcap fun and mystery in this somewhat eccentric yet addictive
series from the huge bestselling author of A Series of Unfortunate
Events. This…
The Grunts in a Jam
Philip Ardagh
Illustrated by Axel Scheffler
Award winning Philip Ardagh's Mr and Mrs Grunt are as disgusting as
ever as they trundle into this fourth adventure in their ramshackle
caravan…
This month's 'featured books':
Super-readable Dyslexia-friendly
Wolfman
Michael Rosen
Illustrated by Chris Mould
A Dyslexia Friendly Picture Book for Parent and Child Best-selling
Michael Rosen teams up with the brilliant illustrator Chris Mould
in…
Bigger and Better
Kaye Umansky
Illustrated by Ben Whitehouse
Interest Age 8-11 Reading Age 8 Characters don't come bigger or
better than Vi, the star of this fabulously funny new story by
the…
Gnomes Gnomes Gnomes!
Anne Fine
Illustrated by Vicki Gausden
Interest Age 8-12 Reading Age 7 Every time Sam gets his hands on a
piece of clay, he moulds it into a gnome. Hand painted and
varnished by…
Ninja: Assassin
Chris Bradford
Illustrated by Sonia Leong
Interest Age 8-11 Reading Age 8+ Action-packed and with no holds
barred, this is a taut adventure story capturing the themes of
revenge and…
Scrum!
Tom Palmer
Illustrated by Dylan Gibson
Interest Age 9+ Reading Age 8+. A passion for rugby and a dilemma
about it too lies at the heart of this touching story of a boy with
a big…
The Wickedest Witch in the World
Kaye Umansky
Illustrated by Gerald Kelley
Interest Age 8-12 Reading Age 8+ This wonderfully witchy story from
best-selling author Kaye Umansky gives a new gloss to the story of
Hansel…
