Recommended Reading Lists
In each of the age ranges of the core book lists there are three collections:
Learning to Read
These are books which are particularly supportive to children learning to read. Books are included here because they help children to behave like readers. The 'Learning to Read' collection has been specially chosen to support the reading of children who are still inexperienced readers, or who are having some difficulty in reading. They may be:
- memorable texts that feature repetition and encourage predictions
- texts within which rhythm and rhyme are important
- texts that allow children to practise and apply their phonic knowledge
- books with strong story shapes and structures
- texts which positively reflect children's interests and backgrounds
- books with supportive illustrations
- books that draw attention to written language and to the ways books work
Click here for Learning to Read List KS1 Click here for Learning to Read List KS2
Literature Collection
These are books which will form the basis of a literature curriculum and the collection has been designed to introduce children to a growing range of texts. Whilst some children in the class may not be able to read all the books independently, an important function of the collection is to give them access to a wider range of titles, authors and genres that they might otherwise meet. For more experienced readers, this collection offers an increasingly challenging range of material for individual or group reading. Books in this collection are likely to be:
- texts that are multi-layered - capable of being read at different levels
- books that deal with important themes
- books in which language is used in lively, inventive ways
- books by skillful and experienced children's writers and illustrators
- traditional and contemporary 'classics' of children's literature
- stories with different cultural settings
- texts that promote discussion and reflection
Literature Collection List KS1 Literature Collection List KS2
Information Collection
Information books have their own collection as they often don't fit into either of the other collections. These are high quality information texts which are interesting and enjoyable. All the information books in the core collection show how the text and pictures can work together to provide comprehensive information and an enjoyable reading experience.
There is no attempt to place books according to 'levels of difficulty' within each collection. Categorising books in this way is an inexact and artificial process. This sort of grading would also be an unnecessary constraint on choice - one of the main purposes of the collections is to enable children to develop individual preferences as readers.
Information Collection List KS1 Information Collection List KS2