It's back-to-school time.....and we've got the pick of the best books - for all ages
Usborne Look and Say: School, Modelmaker Jo Litchfield. Illustrated and designed by Francesca Allen, £4.99 (board book)
This bright chunky board book provides a good starting point for talking about school with young children. There are friendly, colourful scenes to illustrate a typical school day and five objects to find in each picture – with handy tabs to help little hands turn the pages. Age 1+ (3 out of 5)
Jolly Stories, by Sara Wernham and Sue Lloyd, £14.95 (hardback board book)
A collection of stories to introduce the 42 letter sounds to three- and four-year-old children, with a guide to help parents make the most of the book. Each story focuses on one or two letter sounds – with lots of words for children to practice recognising that sound. There is also a large embossed letter on each double page for little fingers to trace its shape.
Age 3-4 (3 out of 5)
Fun Farmyard Learning: Words, by Lynn Huggins-Cooper, £3.99 (paperback)
Jolly farmyard characters help make learning fun in this activity book aimed at children who are at the pre-school Foundation Stage and primary school Key Stage 1. And once the simple tasks are completed, your child can have fun colouring in the rest of the page. With helpful information for parents and advice on how to extend children’s new skills into everyday activities.
Age 4-5 (3 out of 5)
Based on the new Numeracy Framework, this series provides practice to back up Key Stage 1 Maths. These friendly aliens want to pass on everything they have learnt on Earth – with simple instructions for every topic, they lead children through a series of 10-Minute Tests. Includes reward stickers and a certificate to help chart progress and keep motivation up!
Age 6-7 (3 out of 5)
With modern languages soon to be introduced at primary school, this could be a very helpful book! An easy-to-use first English to French picture dictionary, with twelve words per page. The word appears in English, then in French, and is then used in a short phrase. Each phrase is then illustrated with simple colourful pictures. Backed up by an online resource: all words are read aloud by a native speaker on the publisher’s website.
Age 5+ (4 out of 5)
Eyewitness: Pirate, by Richard Platt in association with the National Maritime Museum, £7.99 (paperback)
From bloodthirsty Vikings to pirates of the Caribbean, from women disguised as pirates to priceless pirate treasure, all aspects of this topic are covered in fascinating detail, accompanied by the stunning photography and illustration for which this award-winning series is known. Discover how the buccaneers got their name, and see what ‘pieces of eight’ actually looked like. Supporting curriculum learning at Key Stage 2, each book also includes a clipart CD, a giant wall chart and links to a dedicated website.
Age 7+ (5 out of 5)
An excellent world atlas with over 30 maps, this book also has essential information about how maps are made, and is crammed full of facts and statistics. With colour photography to tempt your child’s curiosity about our fascinating globe – and website links to encourage further research to satisfy it too! Age 10+ (4 out of 5)
Phew! The answer to every parent’s daily headache – how to fill your children’s lunchboxes with tasty and appealing food that will give them the energy to last through the busiest school day. There are over 50 recipes from sandwiches and wraps to soups, salads and cakes, and the emphasis is on finding foods that are healthy but easy to prepare. Includes time guidelines and a great section on forward planning, with a monthly lunch plan and shopping lists to make your job even easier. (4 out of 5)
Supernanny is putting together a list of our favourite Christmas books and we would love your contribution. Please email us and let us know what's your top Christmas read...