About me

 

I am a specialist literacy teacher and a parent, with a love of children’s books.

 

I began reading cloth books to my daughter at a few months old and at six months we began borrowing books from the local library. My interest in children’s books deepened and widened and my recommended books are those which I have found enjoyable to read aloud and share with my child and with other children, books that my child has read and enjoyed, and books that I have read myself out of interest.

 

About the Big Book List For HUNGRY MINDS

 

My criteria for choosing books are that they are enjoyable, stimulating and worthwhile. I particularly value what one might call modern classics, especially those with a historical background. I have found that a wide range of children and young people enjoy a wide range of literature: sometimes it takes a parent or a teacher to introduce them to a wider range of books, and sometimes it takes perseverance on their part to read to the end.

 

The renewed emphasis on extracts from texts in schools has, I believe, promoted the use of classic books and stories, as well as newer ones. For some years, time pressures almost precluded reading to children at school. It is my impression that reading to youngsters is being valued more highly once again, both at school and at home. Here, I think J. K. Rowling has played a very positive role, particularly as regards boys.

 

The list is multicultural and gender-aware. That has always been a matter of principle. The National Curriculum also requires a certain amount of reading from different cultures and it is hoped that the list will be helpful in this area. Many of the books support Junior and Lower Secondary School subjects such as Geography, History, English and PHSE (Personal, Health and Social Education).

 

I do not claim that this book list is exhaustive and I welcome suggestions for additions. You may know some of the books, but I hope many will be new to you.

 

Encouraging reading

 

Over the past ten years or so, discussion has focused on the teaching of reading to children. Obviously, this is important, but READING TO children, even in the Junior years, will be repaid a thousand times. Sharing books and stories is a wonderful experience. Not only does it give a great deal of pleasure to those involved, but it also impacts very positively on the child’s language development, thought processes, imagination and the ability to empathise. Likewise, it enables the child to gain access to a wider range of books. This experience will help them to tackle more challenging books at a later stage.

 

When one is encouraging a child to read more independently, weaning them from listening to books to reading them themselves, a variety of strategies can be utilised. Reading a book silently together or reading aloud the start or part of a chapter are all excellent techniques.

 

On occasion, people have asked me about the age children can move on from picture books to storybooks. I feel that at about the age of four, perhaps younger today, a child will be ready for this, especially if the book has plenty of illustrations; it depends on the book and on the child. The first six authors on the list are very suitable for this.

A few technical details

1. A number of books recommended on ‘The Big Book List’ are now out of print. A positive aspect of AbeBooks and Amazon is that virtually all books remain available, many at the cost of £0.01 + postage. Where libraries remain open, they too are invaluable in locating books through their local and national systems. An alternative to Amazon for new books is www.hive.co.uk, sales from which support local bookshops.
2. One cannot be too rigid about which books are right for which age. I have divided the list into five age sections, but obviously there will be some overlap. Within these sections, I have roughly proceeded through the age range given. This is less so in the 8–10 range, where the books seem to be more on a par. The brief section on popular series is for the age range 7–10/11. There is also a selection of non-fiction. The original Big Book List for Hungry Minds was for four to seventeen year olds. For convenience, I have divided it into two.
3. If there is no comment on a book, this is no reflection on its worth. (Often, these books are already very well known.)
4. Where a book may be less well known but especially enjoyable and accessible, I have marked it as ‘highly recommended’.
5. Part of the pleasure of reading is the element of being surprised and experiencing a story unfold. Thus, it can make sense to cover the blurb on the book before it is read or, in the case of a younger child, not to read the blurb at all to him or her. This goes against current school practice, so make up your own mind!