“There is no such thing as a child who hates to read; there are only children who have not found the right book.”

The following list of classic and modern stories are guaranteed to entertain, enthral, delight, distract, satisfy, engross, amuse and gladden anyone who chooses to open their front cover and dive in!

They all fall into the 5-6 age range so are perfect for Year 1 - Happy reading.

How many of these (or others) will you read?

Book Cover Title Author A Brief Guide…

Cinnamon Neil Gaiman

In a hot, hot country, ringed with mountains on one side and jungle on the other, lives a princess called Cinnamon. Her eyes are made of pearls, which means that she is blind. And, for reasons her parents the Rajah and Rani cannot fathom, she will not talk. So they offer a

reward to anyone who can teach Cinnamon to speak. People travel from far and wide to attempt it, but nothing works. Until a mighty tiger, huge and fierce, prowls into their

palace and announces that he is here to teach the girl-cub to talk ...

I can only draw Worms

Will Mabbitt

This book is about worms. I can only draw worms.

You might think worms are boring - but you'd be wrong. These worms have INCREDIBLE adventures!

I can't draw those bits, though, so you'll have to imagine them.

The Very Hungry

Caterpillar

Eric Carle A much-loved classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar has won over millions of readers with its

vivid and colourful collage illustrations and its deceptively simply, hopeful story.

Goodnight Everyone

Chris Haughton

"Dear me," says Great Big Bear, "it must be time for bed!" But Little Bear is certainly not sleepy – he's wide awake! (For now...)

We’re Going on a Bear

Hunt

Michael Rosen

Follow and join in the family's excitement as they wade through the grass, splash through the river and squelch through the mud in search of a bear. What a surprise awaits them in

the cave on the other side of the dark forest!

Peace at Last Jill Murphy The hour was late and Mr Bear was tired. But he could not sleep – however he tried and wherever he tried. SNORE, SNORE went Mrs Bear. TICK-TOCK, TICK-TOCK went the clock.

Would he never get to sleep?

The Bad-Tempered Ladybird

Eric Carle The bad-tempered ladybird picks fights with every animal he meets, but soon learns the

importance of friends and turns into a far nicer, happier bug.

Funnybones Janet and

Allan Ahlberg

In this, the first ever Funnybones book of all, we are introduced to the wonderful humour and fun of the much-loved series. The Funnybones books are a must for children just

starting to learn to read - these funny skeletons are definitely not the scary sort!

The Gruffalo Julia Donaldson

A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood. A fox saw the mouse and the mouse looked good.

Walk further into the deep dark wood, and discover what happens when a quick-witted

mouse comes face to face with an owl, a snake... and a hungry Gruffalo!

A Bear Called Paddington

Michael Bond

“A bear on Paddington Station?” said Mrs Brown in amazement. “Don’t be silly – there can’t be.”

Paddington Bear had travelled all the way from Darkest Peru when the Brown family first

met him on Paddington station. Since then their lives have never been quite the same… for ordinary things become quite extraordinary when a bear called Paddington is involved.

A Lion In The Meadow

Margaret Mahy

In this heartwarmingly funny and vibrantly illustrated story, bestselling author Margaret Mahy invokes the power of imagination and the joy of imaginary friends for young readers.

Cops and Robbers

Janet and Allan

Ahlberg

The robbers of London town plan a desperate crime one Christmas Eve - to steal all the toys they can lay their hands on! Fortunately, the robbers meet their match in brave office

Pugh who leaps into action and arrests the villains - all except Grandma Swagg who manages to get away.

Hairy Maclary from

Donaldson’s Dairy

Lynley Dodd Hairy Maclary goes off for a walk in town, followed by a few friends. All is uneventful until

they meet Scarface Claw, the toughest tom in town, and run for home.

Owl Babies Martin Waddell

Three baby owls, Sarah, Percy and Bill, wake up one night in their hole in a tree to find that their mother has gone. So they sit on a branch and wait... Darkness gathers and the owls grow anxious, wondering when their mother will return. But, at last, she does and they

bounce up and down with joy, welcoming her home.

The Emperor of Absurdia

Chris Riddell

Welcome to Absurdia: a strange and wonderful land where nothing is quite what it seems. Trees are birds, umbrellas are trees, and the sky is thick with snoring fish. Join one small

boy as he tumbles out of bed into a crazy dreamland of wardrobe monsters, dragons - and amazing adventure.

There are cats in this book

Viviane Schwarz

When did you last play with cats … inside a book?! The cats in this book want to have fun, and by turning the pages and flipping the flaps you can play their favourite games with them! Tiny, Moonpie and André love wool to tangle with, cardboard boxes to hide in,

pillow fights … and fish! But where there are fish, there is also water – lots of it. So who’s going to rescue the cats from the giant floodwave? You are, of course!

Mister Magnolia

Quentin Blake

Mr Magnolia has only one boot. He has an old trumpet that goes rooty-toot - And two lovely sisters who play on the flute -

But Mr Magnolia has only one boot.

In this wittily rhyming picture book, Mr Magnolia has a full and happy life except for one serious omission - a boot. But one day, he receives a mysterious parcel, and at last Mr

Magnolia can splash in the puddles with everyone else!

Katie Morag Island Stories

Mairi Hedderwick

Whether she's posting parcels to the wrong addresses, helping Grannie Island with a winning sheep, having problems with a troublesome ted or dealing with her naughty big boy cousins, Katie Morag is always up to something. Here are four delightful stories - a

treat for all Katie Morag fans.

My Friend Bear

Jez Alborough

Eddy is feeling sad and so is the Bear. They both wish they had a friend to talk to. All they’ve got are their teddies, and teddies can’t talk. Or can they?

Avocado Baby John Burningham

The Hargraves want their new baby to grow up big and strong. But the puny mite will hardly eat a thing. One day Mrs Hargraves finds an avocado in the fruit bowl and the baby

gobbles it up. Soon, the strangest things start to happen...

The Tiger Who Came To

Tea

Judith Kerr The doorbell rings just as Sophie and her mummy are sitting down to tea. Who could it

possibly be? What they certainly don't expect to see at the door is a big furry, stripy tiger!

Meg and Mog Helen Nicoll

and Jan Pienkowski

Meg the witch and Mog her cat go off to a wild Hallowe'en party with all the other witches. The spell they cast goes off with a BANG! Meg and Mog is the perfect story for

sharing or reading alone, and children love exploring the colours, sounds and shapes.

Not Now Bernard

David McKee Bernard's got a problem. He's found a monster in the back garden but his mum and dad

are just too busy to notice. So Bernard tries to befriend the monster… and that doesn't go quite to plan.

A Dark, Dark Tale

Ruth Brown Children will delight in following the black cat's progress through the dark wood, into the dark house, and eventually to the surprise discovery at the back of the toy cupboard, in

this mysterious, beautifully illustrated picture book.

Dogger Shirley Hughes

When Dave loses his favourite toy, Dogger, he is desolate. But then Dogger turns up at the school summer fair, and everything seems all right - until someone else buys him before

Dave can get the money!

I Want My Hat Back

Jon Klassen

The story of a bear who's hat has gone. And he wants it back. Patiently and politely, he asks the animals he comes across, one by one, whether they have seen it. Each animal says no (some more elaborately than others). But just as it he begins to lose hope, lying flat on

his back in despair, a deer comes by and asks a rather obvious question that suddenly sparks the bear’s memory and renews his search with a vengeance...

The Dark Lemony Snicket

Laszlo is afraid of the dark. The dark lives in the same house as Laszlo but mostly it spends its time in the basement. It doesn't visit Laszlo in his room. Until one night it does . . . Join

Lazlo on his journey to meet the dark, and find out why it will never bother him again.

You Can’t Take an

Elephant on the Bus

Patricia Cleveland-

Peck

You can't take an elephant on the bus ... It would simply cause a terrible fuss!

Elephants' bottoms are heavy and fat

and would certainly squash the seats quite flat.

Never put a camel in a sailing boat, or a tiger on a train, and don't even THINK about asking a whale to ride a bike ... T

Penguin Polly Dunbar

Ben couldn't be more delighted to find a penguin inside his present. “Hello, Penguin!” he says. Penguin says nothing. Ben tickles Penguin, he pulls his funniest face, he puts on a happy hat, sings a silly song and does a dizzy dance. “Can’t you talk?” says Ben. Penguin

says nothing. It isn’t until a passing lion intervenes that Penguin finally speaks ... and when he does, Ben discovers something that was really worth the wait.

You Choose Pippa Goodhart

Imagine you could go anywhere, meet anyone and do anything. Where would you live? Where would you sleep? Who would be your friends? What games would you play? Go on

. . . you choose!

Stanley’s Stick John Hegley Stanley's stick is not just a stick. With a stick in hand, Stanley's options are endless - he flies to the moon, writes in the sand, goes fishing, plays a whistle and rides a dinosaur - and his

imagination takes over and the magic begins.

What to do if an Elephant

stands on your foot

Michelle Robinson

What would you do if an elephant stood on YOUR foot? Would you wiggle, jiggle, giggle or shout? Well, whatever you do, don't panic! Because you never know who or what else you might disturb in the jungle . . . Uh-oh, lookout! Now you've woken the rhino - quick, turn

the page!

How to wash a Wooly

Mammoth

Michelle Robinson

Does your woolly mammoth need a wash? It's not a very easy thing to do... Find out exactly how to wash your mammoth in this hilarious instruction manual - just remember

don't get any soap in its eyes or it might escape up a tree!

Dinosaurs in the

Supermarket

Timothy Knapman

There's a T. rex gobbling sausages, a Stegosaurus spilling beans! A Diplodocus in the frozen peas fills the aisles with greens! For one little boy, a trip to the supermarket is turned

upside down. A band of dinosaurs wreak havoc in the aisles, but the grown-ups can't see them! Can he convince the dinosaurs to behave? Who will mop up the mess?

The Adventures of The Dish and

the Spoon

Mini Grey

Hey Diddle Diddle The Cat and the Fiddle

The Cow jumped over the Moon. The Little Dog laughed

To see such fun And the Dish ran away with the Spoon

That's the bit we know - but have you ever wondered what happened next?

George’s Amazing

Adventures: Jellybeans for

Giants

Adam and Charlotte Guillain

A boy called George had a breath-taking thought, that giants might really exist . . .

When George plants a jellybean in his garden it grows into an enormous beanstalk and

George is sure there must be a friendly giant at the top. As he climbs bravely up the beanstalk, higher and higher, George encounters a magical pixie, a stinky troll and gets

stuck in a very sticky web . . .

The Snail and the Whale

Julia Donaldson

"How I long to sail!" said the tiny snail.

One little snail longs to see the world and hitches a lift on the tail of an enormous whale. Together they go on an amazing journey, past icebergs and volcanoes, sharks and

penguins, and the little snail feels so small in the vastness of the world. But when disaster strikes and the whale is beached in a bay, it's the tiny snail's big plan that saves the day.

The Squirrels who

Squabbled

Rachel Bright

Greedy squirrels Cyril and Bruce both have their sights on a very special prize: THE VERY LAST NUT OF THE SEASON! As the nut bounces crazily though the forest, the squirrels race after it, between the trees, over boulders, down the river and - ARGH! - right to the edge

of a waterfall! Working together might be the only way to save themselves now ...

Giraffes Can’t Dance

Giles Andrew

Gerald the tall giraffe would love to join in with the other animals at the Jungle Dance, but everyone knows that giraffes can't dance . . . or can they?

Stone Age Boy

Satoshi Kitamura

One day a little boy is walking along when he trips, stumbles and falls ... into the Stone Age! He meets a girl his own age and her tribe, and learns all about their way of life. He

watches them make tools, clothes and weapons. He sees how they hunt, fish, cook, celebrate – and even how they paint on the walls of caves. But when a furious cave bear attacks, he wakes up back in his own time where everyone tells him it was only a dream.

But was it?