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Find out moreThe books in this section have been given a primary age range of 3+. The books in this genre will have more story than the books featured in the Baby and Toddler genre but still have stunning imagery and simple storylines to share with your child and for them to enjoy alone. Suitable for 3-4+ The books in this section might also be given a secondary age range. Some are picture books which are also suitable for Baby & Toddlers. Others will be relevant to 5+ children who are not quite ready to take the next step towards independent reading and enjoy a more simple story.
March 2021 Book of the Month | Calling all parents facing food-related meltdowns! After introducing your food-fussy progeny to this instructive interactive picture book, you’ll never need to make a meal of meal-time again. Recommended by paediatric dieticians, it introduces children to a rainbow of delicious food through a fun family-oriented story. What’s more, the story can be lived off-the-page during real-life trips to the supermarket, helping to convince hard-to-please kids to try new foods and, as a result, it’s also certain to please parents frazzled by food-related friction. The story begins with Mummy despairing of the food in the cupboard. “She couldn’t find anything she wanted to make for dinner… I’m so bored of beige!” she grumbles. So, after deciding that “what we need is some colour!” Mummy heads to the supermarket, where she challenges her two toddlers to pick three kinds of food, the only proviso being that they must be red. Then follows a delightfully illustrated page of ravishing red foods that invites readers to decide what they’d choose. Each day they return to the shop, where the kids are issued with a fresh challenge - pick three yellow foods, three green, three orange, three purple. By the time Saturday comes around and the kids find Mummy eating a boring beige croissant, they make her a special colourful breakfast.
March 2021 Debut of the Month | This is the story of Triangle, a bright yellow triangle, who has such fun with all the shapes as she goes along trying to find other triangles. First, she rolls with the blue circles, and although she feels a bit different at times, she really feels the times that make her shape stand out. So off she sets to find other triangles – which she does eventually, but only after spending time with Squares, Hexagons, and Stars. The joys of finding others like herself start to wain after they have made lots of shapes, and Triangle realises she misses all the other shapes! She invites the other shapes to play – and they all join in to find they could have a brilliant time together. On the last double page spread they all fit together in harmony to make an explosion of coloured shapes covering the whole area. This debut picture book was written to help the son of this husband-and-wife team fit into nursery and make friends – but it is such a universal story of finding a place in the world it has been snapped up worldwide! It is entertaining, amusing, charming and playful, as well as exploring shapes and how they can fit together. Each shape has a couple of double pages to itself (with Triangle joining in) and all shapes have their own variations of the same colour – so by the end spread of all the shapes there is a veritable rainbow of colours to see and enjoy. A simple book that uses shapes to explore concepts of individuality and inclusion. You can find more books with a theme of Friends & Friendship here.
Poppy Anne Field loves ants and spiders and ladybirds and butterflies and dragonflies. Watching them for hours while deep in the countryside she feels entirely at home in their company. But when she is with people, she is overcome with shyness and does everything she can to blend into the scenery – rather as her beloved insects do to keep themselves safe. How Poppy’s love of nature helps her to overcome her shyness is conveyed gently and in a way that will reassure all those who are equally shy.
March 2021 Book of the Month | Jeanne Willis is one of our funniest writers for children, but she can do poignancy and tenderness with equal skill. Hom is the story of a shipwreck. A young boy is washed up on a desert island and there discovers Hom, a peace-loving hairy little creature, the last of his kind. The two become best of friends, playing and laughing together; after all, as the boy says, ‘We’re much more alike than different.’ When the chance of escape from the island comes, the boy decides not to take it, in case the arrival of bigger people puts Hom into danger. It’s a touching story of friendship, family and the importance of kindness, to others but to our planet too. Adults will realise that Hom is short for Hominid, his presence a reminder of our past, our connections to the natural world, and its fragility. Illustrator Paddy Donnelly creates a wonderfully lush and vibrant desert island, and his characters are equally warm and alive.
A timely tale full of heart and humour, little ones will learn from Finney that they’re one of a kind and have their own story to tell. Also exploring issues of representation in a fun and accessible way, Finney’s Story is a celebration of imagination and creativity.
The iconic Mr Benn returns, all 4 original books back in print to celebrate 50 years since the classic, beloved cartoon appeared on the BBC. Revisit the famous fancy dress shop and experience the classic stories of adventure and exploration. Written and illustrated by David McKee, winner of the 2020 Illustrator of the Year British Book Award, and Book Trust’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
As the sun begins to set over the garden, the tomatoes are tucked in, the cucumbers are calm, and the beetroots are simply beat. But what's got them all so exhausted? Celebrate the turning of day to night in this perfect bedtime ritual for plants - and humans - everywhere!
Olive is a shy girl who prefers reading about adventures to having them herself. But when a mysterious figure steals all of the books in town, Olive decides to set out straight into an adventure of her own. The thief, meanwhile, doesn't quite know what to do with the stories he's stolen. Olive must track down the thief and teach him the joys of reading - and sharing - stories.
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month February 2021 | Join Luna as she throws herself into all the fun of the day. Dressing up as her favourite character (a unicorn), joining all her friends in a great storybook adventure and making her own mini character. Above all, Luna loves buying her World Book Day book, meeting the author and illustrator and getting her book signed. Having done all of that she knows she has had a perfect World Book Day! Fiona Lumbers’s wonderfully warm and busy illustrations capture the magic of World Book Day perfectly.
Selected for The Book Box by LoveReading4Kids | Thinking that her daughter Rabunzel’s very, very long ears would make her the object of too much attention from the hungry-eyed creatures that lurk in the deep, dark forest, Mrs Rabbit locks her up high in a tall, tall tree. Rabunzel is bored stiff in her prison and, despite all her mother’s best intentions, it is not long before her amazing ears attract attention. While it is Flash Harry the Hare who releases Rabunzel it is soon clear that she needs no champion: her ears prove to the ultimate weapons against all comers!
The iconic Mr Benn returns, all 4 original books back in print to celebrate 50 years since the classic, beloved cartoon appeared on the BBC. Revisit the famous fancy dress shop and experience the classic stories of adventure and exploration. Written and illustrated by David McKee, winner of the 2020 Illustrator of the Year British Book Award, and Book Trust’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Part of a brand-new series of board books Let's Look At... and with beautiful artwork from bestselling author and illustrator Marion Deuchars, this book is the perfect introduction to counting.
It is night-time in the supermarket, and it's the veggies' weekly bath. But...what's this? SOMEONE has been meddling with the bubble bath and that can only lead to one thing: BUBBLY TROUBLY! Are Supertato and the veggies all washed up? Or can they clear the aisles and POP that pea back where he belongs? Find out in Supertato's newest, irresistible laugh-out-loud adventure!
March 2021 Debut of the Month | Selected for The Book Box by LoveReading4Kids | Margaret Sturton announces herself as a major picture book talent with her debut. Little rabbit Herbert loves foxes. Indeed, he loves them so much he wants to be one, making himself a pair of fox ears and a tail. At first his mummy is amused, then angry when he messes up the living room with red paint and cuts up her dress to make a tail. When she sees him out playing as a fox, despite her instruction to be a ‘good little rabbit’, she is cross again, until she suddenly realises how important it is to Herbert to be a fox. The story is full of comic moments and the little rabbit family will be recognisable to all readers. It’s also a wonderful story about identity and love, delivered lightly but most effectively. Highly recommended.
From Alex English, author of Sky Pirates, and Ben Cort, illustrator of Aliens Love Underpants and Aliens Love Dinopants comes this all-singing, all-dancing, all-stomping-and-romping rhyming picture book that sees a naughty dinosaur make a whole of lot of mayhem - for an unexpected, touching reason. A little girl is enjoying some extra-special cake in her granny’s kitchen when the walls are set a-trembling by none other than a mighty roaring dinosaur. When the bright, brash brontosaurus speeds off with Gran, the girl scoots after them. The chase takes her through the playground, along the high street, through fields and into the woods, where she loses sight of them and begins to worry they won’t be found before Mummy’s due at 6 o’clock. What can be done? “I WANT MY GRAN!” she cries. When the dinosaur creeps from the trees, he confesses that loneliness had driven him to steal Gran, and so they come to a rather lovely arrangement that keeps everyone happy. With a rousing “STOP THAT DINOSAUR!” refrain to join in with, a thrilling sense of time running out, and lovely messages about making unexpected friends, and all the wonderful things grannies do (read stories, make apple pie, kiss your bruises, hug you when you cry), this is as charming as it’s funny, and a sure-fire read aloud hit.
Absolutely beautiful! First of all, the illustrations are superb. They are bright, colourful and draw the eye wonderfully. They help to tell the story well and I adored them. The animals all came to life through the vibrancy and lines of the illustrations. Now to the story. I read this book with three hats on. First, my mum hat, second my primary school teacher hat and finally my bibliophile hat. This book ticked every single box. It was written well, using simple enough but engaging language. It made you want to turn the page to see what was going to happen next. It made you think about possible scenarios, for example what sorts of things might other animals be asked to do? And most importantly, it ended with a big happy smile on my face and a little chuckle. This is definitely a book I would read to my children and also to my class. I love the fact that some of the proceeds go to helping literacy in the Caribbean as well. Amanda O'Dwyer, A LoveReading4Kids Ambassador
With bold illustrations and energetic storytelling, Wolfboy perfectly captures the big feelings that come with being very hungry! Engaging, original and perfect for reading aloud, this funny and fresh picture book is a must-have for anyone who's ever been impatient for their food.
The Little Red Kite is not only a beautiful little story but one so wonderfully illustrated. With a simple premise at its centre, the heart of this book is immense. A basic premise, the tone is happy and the rhyming flows off the tongue and so naturally throughout. This is a joy to read out loud but is also manageable enough for emerging readers to grasp and read alone. A tale of friendship and the mere pleasure of just being happy with life, I had initially felt a little apprehensive about reading about a kite as the main character! I did wonder how you could actually build enthusiasm and indeed empathy with such a choice – but I was proved wrong. This is a lovely book that I’m sure readers will want to return to time and time again. Perfect as a pick me up, and a book for the shelf, it’s also a great comforting bedtime read. Clair Chaytors, A LoveReading4Kids Ambassador
A postcard-sized version of Debi Gliori's bestselling book. Once upon a time…best-selling illustrator Debi Gliori tells a witty story about cats poking fun at fame and asking if it really has any merit. All the towns on Mull have cats with special attributes, such as being able to sing or fish or being specially soft. As a result, the tourists flock to see them. But one place had no special cats. In Tobermory the cats are just plain ordinary cats and soon no one wants to visit at all. But one ginger cat decided to change all of that. What special trick could he come up with?
Readers will be left in no doubt that they matter after reading this beautiful, cleverly constructed story. The first image is of a little girl gazing down a microscope at ‘the small stuff too small to see.’ From there, the story moves through time, switching scale too from early ocean life – comically serious looking – to dinosaurs. The appearance of a blazing meteorite sends the story away from Earth up into space where an astronaut is thinking about her little boy, who is seen at the window of an apartment block. All are told that no matter what’s going on, whether you’re young or old, the first to go or last, you matter. The text circles round so that the opening lines are repeated at the close, tying the disparate-seeming elements together and wittily reminding us that – like everything else – we’re matter. It’s clever, full of surprises and, like that meteorite, makes a real impact.
Some dinosaurs had a deadly bite and others could run super fast. Some had club-like tails and some could make the smelliest of farts - POO-WEE! But wait, don't run away... Because dinosaurs are actually awesome! From the ferocious hunters like Spinosaurus and T.rex to the gentle giants like Diplodocus and Titanosaurus, the speedy raptors to the armoured Ankylosaurs, discover all the weird and wonderful things that made dinosaurs so AMAZING. Did you know that some dinosaurs laid eggs the size of footballs? Or that there's a fossilised dinosaur poo as long as your arm? And have you ever heard of a certain dinosaur that could outrun a racehorse? Find out about all this and more - and then decide: do YOU love dinosaurs?
We are more used to seeing migration from the point of view of the struggle for acceptance in a new place, but this gorgeous book refreshingly celebrates the homeland where Anita lives and where she is the brave and bold Princesa, loved by all. The atmospheric illustrations are suffused with the warmth and colour of the Dominican Republic and you get a real sense of customs, community and family (helped by the Spanish terms sprinkled through the text). It becomes apparent that the family is about to embark on a new, more materially comfortable life in another country and the planes that will take them there are the dragons of Anita’s imagination. They are definitely seen as a threat and the colour palette becomes a more ominous grey as the fearful day approaches and she must leave her beloved island kingdom and her Abuela, her grandmother. Her nerve collapses entirely on the tarmac before boarding, but comforted by her family she promises herself that she will return to her island “with mango-sweet kisses; black stormy nights; glassy, blue waves; spicy, hot heat; and sandy, snug hugs”. This is a valuable insight to share in the first world classroom where the perspective is normally one of immigrants coming to “a better place”. This recognises and acknowledges that the reality is very different. Highly recommended.
Without ever explicitly mentioning dementia, The Forgettery can be enjoyed as an adventure story where children explore a fantastical world where memories can be re-discovered and revisited as well as newly made. Rachel Ip's tender words capture the wonderful bond between grandmother and granddaughter and Laura Hughes conjures up an exciting, wonderous space where our most precious memories are stored, and the challenge of dementia can be gently explored and understood.
Martha Mumford’s charming little bunnies are becoming familiar figures in children’s books and this is the third book in which they star. Here they skip out together on the hunt for Easter eggs – yum, yum! Young readers can help the bunnies find the eggs which are hidden under flaps, but the book is full of treats. The nursery-rhyme-style text will have everyone joining in and counting along as the eggs are discovered, but every page is a lively delight. The bunnies cross streams and fields, visit the fun fair and make Easter garlands. There is so much to spot in the illustrations, look closely and you’ll find a little frog hiding on every spread. As delicious as an Easter egg, and it will last a lot longer.
With bold illustrations and energetic storytelling, Wolfboy perfectly captures the big feelings that come with being very hungry! Engaging, original and perfect for reading aloud, this funny and fresh picture book is a must-have for anyone who's ever been impatient for their food.
Martha Mumford’s charming little bunnies are becoming familiar figures in children’s books and this is the third book in which they star. Here they skip out together on the hunt for Easter eggs – yum, yum! Young readers can help the bunnies find the eggs which are hidden under flaps, but the book is full of treats. The nursery-rhyme-style text will have everyone joining in and counting along as the eggs are discovered, but every page is a lively delight. The bunnies cross streams and fields, visit the fun fair and make Easter garlands. There is so much to spot in the illustrations, look closely and you’ll find a little frog hiding on every spread. As delicious as an Easter egg, and it will last a lot longer.
This book has won several awards in the US, for tackling a difficult and contentious topic. Though to some extent I feel the book rather misses its mark – although the format and the pictures are aimed at toddlers, this is very much a book for carers, teachers and youth leaders to use to open discussions about race. The book simply gives 9 steps to becoming antiracist, all illustrated with big bold, colourful pictures, but in language that is most definitely going to need a mediator for a small child to understand. I was disappointed by the lack of empathy exhibited, with no vocalising of love and respect for everyone, regardless of race. The prompts at the end of the book for discussion and further exploration are very useful and could be the basis of many critical discussions in schools and other appropriate places. The author does acknowledge a great deal of the language used is difficult and provides a good glossary of the main terms used – always a benefit when dealing with terms that could be misinterpreted.
A little mole sets out to dig the biggest hole ever in an attempt to follow her dreams and prove how special she is. Things don’t go well. First, she crashes through a fox’s ceiling, then she spoils a hedgehog’s lawn, before causing a young rabbit to lose his kite. But with encouragement from a friendly otter, Little Mole carries on digging and suddenly, unexpectedly, and against all the odds, she makes everything right. It turns out her very special talent is helping her friends. It’s a lovely message, and one that will resonate in particular with young children who feel unspecial or just a bit lost. The illustrations are warm and full of fun, especially the cross-section scenes which let us follow Little Mole’s tunnelling across two pages! Find more books on being a good friend in our Friendship collection.
Selected for The Book Box by LoveReading4Kids | From Garry Parsons, illustrator of the Dinosaur that Pooped series, and debut author John Hay, this quirky picture book will delight toddlers with a penchant for off-the-wall humour. It’s a blast of ingenious absurdity, with lots of reasons to laugh-out-loud on each of its energetically illustrated pages. It’s the first day of the holidays and birds from all corners of the globe are chilling-out poolside, and getting to know each other. First there’s the roadrunner who tells a kookaburra he’s from a place called Nowhere. When the kookaburra dismisses this name as nonsense, a penguin jumps in to say he’s from a place called Nowhere Else, which leads the kookaburra to reply “that’s just silly”. To which a jackdaw responds that he’s actually from… Silly! With clever connecting lines between each place name revelation (others include Little Snoring, Scratchy Bottom, Pee Pee Town and Humpty Doo), the book ends with a spread detailing where each of these implausibly named places really are. Spoiler: they’re all real!
Push, pull and slide the tabs to celebrate Mother's Day in I Love My Mummy! Play together in the park, bake delicious cookies and snuggle up for a story, then thank Mummy for everything she does for you! Children will love playing with this bright and colourful board book with gentle rhyming text and wonderful illustrations by Louise Forshaw. Part of the popular Busy Book series, I Love My Mummy is the perfect gift to share on Mother's Day. Discover more Busy Books with titles such as Busy Friends, Busy Baking, Busy Storytime and Busy Park.
A message from Anthony Browne, one of the UK's most brilliant and respected Picture Book Illustrators, who was Children's Laureate 2009-11:
"Picture books are special – they're not like anything else. Sometimes I hear parents encouraging their children to read what they call proper books, books without pictures, at an earlier and earlier age. This makes me sad, as picture books are perfect for sharing, and not just with the youngest children. As a father, I understand the importance of the bond that develops through reading picture books with your child. We have in Britain some of the best picture book makers in the world, and I want to see their books appreciated for what they are – works of art." Picture books, he said, are "perfect for any age".
As children begin to communicate more readily and are a little more dextrous then you’ll find they want to occupy their mind with books that are a little more challenging, perhaps even with more pages and more of a storyline.
The picture books in this section with a greater range of text to accompany some absolutely stunning imagery provide a terrific next stage.
Titles in this section will be refreshed each month with a range of new and older titles that we feel should not to be missed by any young child.
Click here to read some helpful tips from top childrens' publisher Egmont.
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