Five recommendations for now!
There is a sea of faces looking up at you! You are working hard to learn their names, their needs, who they are each one of them! Well we have an idea…chatting about something everyone has shared A BOOK!
The Little Wandle Training team have chosen five fabulous books to get a lively conversation going. We hope they help you get to know your class and start to find out more about each child.
EYFS and Key Stage 1
After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty got back up again) by Dan Santat (Andersen Press, 2018)
A sequel to the well-loved nursery rhyme. This beautiful story tells children that facing your fears and being brave can lead to wonderful things.
The story shows children that you shouldn’t give up on something just because it is too hard or too scary. It provokes lots of chat around resilience and determination. It is also a great springboard for the wider curriculum.
The ending will evoke awe and wonder for little ones. When I have read this story to children, there have been audible gasps when they find out what happens to Humpty Dumpty!
Stardust by Jeanne Willis and Briony May Smith (Nosy Crow, 2017)
An inspiring book with a strong message for young children: we all feel downhearted on some days…but we all shine differently! We are all a star in someone’s eyes…
This book is extremely relatable for children with siblings and perfect for those little ones who need a real confidence boost. The story walks you through a young girl’s life of being compared to her sister, the ‘star’, until one day Grandad helps her to see that she is also a special star.
My current class absolutely loved this book and could not stop relating the key message to themselves.
All ages Ten-Word Tiny Tales by Joseph Coelho (Walker Books, 2023)
Joseph Coelho has written a collection of very short stories, which have been brought to vivid life by a range of some of the best illustrators working today. Some stories are moving, some joyous, some scary and some plain odd! What unites them is their power to tell a story in only ten words, which will give even the most reluctant reader a huge sense of achievement. Perhaps more than that, however, the power of Ten-Word Tiny Tales lies in its incredible illustrations. Children from Nursery to Year 6 will find pages they will want to pore over and discuss.
The Invisible by Tom Percival Simon & Schuster (2021)
A thought provoking and powerful story that can be used with several different year groups as it contains so many different themes to discuss including poverty, taking things for granted, feeling sad or invisible, community and hope.
Isabel and her family are forced to move to the other side of the city as they can no longer afford their home. Isabel doesn’t feel she belongs in her new neighbourhood. She begins to feel she is ‘invisible’ to everyone else. The more she becomes invisible, the more she notices other people who have become invisible. All the invisible people are quietly making a difference in the neighbourhood.
The emotive illustrations reflect Isabel’s thoughts and feelings throughout the story helping children see the everyday beauty in our world and that everyone has a place and belongs. For such a gentle story it packs a potent and persuasive message: that small acts can add up to a huge change.
Year 6
Paradise Sands by Levi Pinfold Walker studios (2022) Year 5 and 6
This is a book to really get your class talking! An eerie fable with echoes of the Snow Queen and Persephone. A young girl and her brothers stop off the road and come across an abandoned hotel. The brothers taste the hotel’s bounty and disappear. Can their sister can save them by striking a bargain with the Teller? Levi Pinfold is a master of illustrations that hold your attention. This story will send a shiver down your spine and conversation through your class!
