Great books for primary school

In a webinar, Dr Christine Braid from Massey University talked about the many benefits of reading for primary aged students, and shared a series of recommendations of great books for shared and independent reading in primary schools.

There are limitless benefits to reading and sharing books with children of all ages. Not only are there benefits for literacy, as reading helps with learning vocabulary and sentence structure, but reading offers comfort and enjoyment, and helps us understand ourselves and the world. Stories help students to develop and expand their imaginative lives, and learn to deal with things in their lives that are challenging or confusing.

Below are lists of the books that Christine talks about and recommends in the webinar.

Poetry and nursery rhymes

The importance of starting with nursery rhymes and poems (in home languages as well as English) should not be underestimated. Nursery rhymes and poems are powerful exemplars of how language works, and can influence how we learn to write, because their rhythm and rhyme help us learn to craft good sentences. Fairy tales and legends are important holders of our cultural heritage, and often legends exist across cultures (for example, most cultures have a flood myth, and the Cinderella story exists in both European and Chinese culture). Fairy tales are important because they often touch on deep fears that children have, but they also contain a message of hope and help children learn not to be afraid.

The Oxford Book of Poetry for Children (various editions)

I’m Glad the Sky is Painted Blue: Poems for the Very Young selectedby Rosalyn Barnett, illustrated by Robyn Belton

Seagull Seagull by James K. Baxter

Roger was a Razor Fish and Other Poems compiled by Jill Bennet, illustrated by Maureen Roffey

Poems to Read to Young New Zealanders illustrated by Claire Bowes

The Fairy Tale Treasury by Raymond Briggs

The Tin Can Band and Other Poems by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Honey de Lacey

Sky in the Pie by Roger McGough

When We Were Very Young & Now We Are Six by A. A. Milne

My Very First Mother Goose by Iona Opie, illustrated by Rosemary Wells

Hard-boiled Legs: The Breakfast Book by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Quentin Blake

Here’s a Little Poem by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters, illustrated by Polly Dunbar

Classics

Children’s classics are wonderful for the richness of the language they offer readers, and for the window into the world of history they provide. They often feature children who are unsupervised and go off on wonderful adventures, which speaks to the urge we all have to go on adventures. Another common theme that we can relate to is the feeling of powerlessness that the characters of classic children’s fiction experience.

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

The Lucy and Tom series and the Alfie and Annie Rose series by Shirley Hughes

The Jungle Book and Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

The House at Pooh Corner and Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

The Railway Children and Five Children and It by E. Nesbit

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Picture books

Reading aloud and sharing books together in class is a valuable activity, and picture books are great for older as well as younger children because they stimulate rich discussion. Students need to interpret the pictures as well as the words, as the meaning of the story comes from the interplay of words and images. This can be particularly fruitful when the words and images appear to tell a different story, or when the illustrations convey meaning and ideas that are not expressed by the words of the story.

Each Peach Pear Plum by Joyce & Allan Ahlberg

My Cat Maisie by Pamela Allen

Who Sank the Boat by Pamela Allen

The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard

Mr Gumpy’s Outing by John Burningham

I Want a Pet by Lauren Child

Song of the River by Joy Cowley

My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes by Lynley Dodd

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

The Snow Lambs by Debi Gliori

The Kuia and the Spider by Patricia Grace, illustrated by Robyn Kahukiwa

Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears by Emily Gravett

Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins

Don’t Forget the Bacon by Pat Hutchins

The Great Paper Caper by Oliver Jeffers

Taniwha by Robyn Kahukiwa

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

Bubble Trouble by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Polly Dunbar

The Man Whose Mother Was a Pirate by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Margaret Chamberlain

A Lion in the Meadow by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Jenny Williams

Have You Seen Tomorrow by Kyle Mewburn, illustrated by Laura Bee

The Book with No Pictures by B. J. Novak

Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

Ish by Peter H. Reynolds

Red Ted and the Lost Things by Michael Rosen and Joel Stewart

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Shark in the Park by Nick Sharratt

Dogfish by Gillain Shields, illustrated by Dan Taylor

Swirl by Swirl by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes

The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith, illustrated by Katz Cowley

They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel

A Stone Sat Still by Brendan Wenzel

Chapter books for younger readers

Early reading experiences for young children should offer them comfort, help them learn about people and relationships, and show them characters having small but realistic adventures. They can help children who feel small realise that they live big lives, and teach them how to have high but realistic hopes.

The Mystery of Mr Jones’s Disappearing Taxi by Joan Aiken

Olda da Polga by Michael Bond

A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond

The Lily the Elf series by Anna Branford, illustrated by Lisa Coutts

The Violet Mackerel series by Anna Branford, illustrated by Sarah Davis

Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown

Runaway Ralph by Beverley Cleary

The Shrinking of Treehorn by Florence Parry Heide

Wemberley Worried by Kevin Henke

Chips and Jessie by Shirley Hughes

Toys Go Out by Emily Jenkins

The Frog and Toad series by Arnold Lobel

The Judy Moody series by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

Little Bear’s Friend by Else Holmelund Minarik

The Littles by John Peterson

Little Old Mrs Pepperpot by Alf Prøysen

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

Tales of Little Grey Rabbit by Alison Urley

The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorst

Chapter books for slightly older readers

As children get older, they can start to learn about the richness and complexity of life through books. They can learn to deal with difficulty and contradiction, as well as seeing the joy that life can hold.

The Midnight Fox by Betsy Byars

The Clarice Bean series by Lauren Child

Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl

Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl

Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

Just Juice by Karen Hesse

The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler by Gene Kemp

Stig of the Dump by Clive King

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankenweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

Non-stop Nonsense by Margaret Mahy

Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake, illustrated by Jon Klassen

The Mennyms by Sylvia Waugh

Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White

Picture books for older readers

Picture books contain a careful balance of pictures and words, and students can learn to skillfully interpret how the two work together, or sometimes in contradiction, to tell a complex story.  In some cases, such as Jeannie Baker’s books, there are no words at all, and the students are offered rich opportunities to use their knowledge and experiences to infer and make meaning. Even the endpapers of a picture book can succinctly express the change that occurs from the beginning to the end of the story. Students can also be encouraged to notice examples of symbolism and figurative language in picture books.

Window by Jeannie Baker

Home by Jeannie Baker

Rhythm of the Rain by Grahame Baker-Smith

Wild is the Wind by Grahame Baker-Smith

The House that Jack Built by Gavin Bishop

Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne

Meanwhile by Jules Feiffer

Rose Meets Mr Wintergarten by Bob Graham

Weslandia by Paul Fleishman, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

The Iron Man by Ted Hughes

Black and White by David Macauley

Shortcut by David Macauley

Baloney by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith

The Rabbits by John Marsden, illustrated by Shaun Tan

Memorial by Shaun Tan

Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan

The Fisherman and the Theefyspray by Jane Tanner

The Big Book of Happy Sadness by Colin Thompson

Luke’s Way of Looking by Nadia Wheatley and Matt Ottley

Fox by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr

Novels for older readers

As children become more mature readers, they can be encouraged to look for connections and themes across books, and think about questions such as when and how a character changed.

They can consider whether the timeline is linear or not, and explore the perspective or perspectives of the narrator(s).

Skellig by David Almond

My Name is Mina and I Love the Night by David Almond

Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

The Wanderer by Sharon Creech

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

Two Weeks with the Queen by Morris Gleitzman

Once by Morris Gleitzman

After by Morris Gleitzman

The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

Bridge to Terebithia by Katherine Paterson

Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce

Pax by Sara Pennypacker

The Explorer by Katherine Rundell

Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell

The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell

Holes by Louis Sachar

Small Steps by Louis Sachar

The Boy Who Was Afraid (or Call it Courage) by Armstrong Sperry

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 and ¾ by Sue Townsend

References

Here are the other titles that Christine referenced during the webinar:

Braid, C. & Finch, B. (2015). ‘Ah, I know why …’: Children developing understandings through engaging with a picture book.  Wiley Online Library.

Butler, D. (1980). Babies need books. Penguin Books.

Butler, D. (1986). Five to Eight: A Guide to Sharing Books with Young Children. Bodley Head Children’s Books.

Chambers, A. (1993). Tell me: Children, Reading and Talk. Stenhouse Publishers.

Mangan, L. (2019). Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading. Vintage.

Meek, M. (1988). How Texts Teach What Readers Learn. Thimble Press.

Nodelman, P. (2003). The Pleasures of Children’s Literature (3^rd edition). Pearson.

Rundell, K. (2019). Why You Should Read Children’s Books, Even Though You are So Old and Wise. Bloomsbury.

Reading Spine. 5-Plagues-Reading-Spine.pdf.