I hope you’re all doing well and staying safe!

Today, I’m sharing some books that are perfect for the younger readers in life – from books for 5 year olds to maybe 8 year olds? For being a teacher, I’m terrible at this kind of thing… I’m more of a ‘let them try it and see how they go’ kinda gal. I will say that there is NOTHING to say that these books can’t be read by slightly younger, or older children – some of my Y6s have loved these books. I won’t get into a debate right now about age limits on books and all of that jazz, ha!

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Big Sky Mountain – Alex Milway

Welcome to Big Sky Mountain: a home for everyone! Rosa has come from the city to live with Grandma Nan in the wilds of Big Sky Mountain. And what surprises are in store for her! Grandma Nan is not exactly an ordinary grandma, and Big Sky Mountain is like nowhere Rosa has dreamed about before. From canoeing down rapids to making friends with the local animals, life never stays still for long on Big Sky Mountain.

I adore everything Alex Milway writes! His Hotel Flamingo series is so full of colour and joy. When I heard there was a new book coming, I was thrilled! I read Big Sky Mountain in one gobble because it’s just so glorious. This gorgeous story is a wild adventure to a new place to live, new friends to make and new things to learn! Rosa is a gorgeous main character and Grandma Nan is brilliantly wild. I loved the messages in this about how we all belong and how kindness matters so so much!

Panda at the Door – Sarah Horne

Pudding the Panda makes everyone smile at Edinburgh Zoo. But what would make her truly happy is a family to take care of – like her heroine, Mary Poppins. Meanwhile, Callum is having a hard time at home. His parents keep arguing, his sister is annoying and his ninth birthday gift is a certificate for an adopted panda when all he wanted was Lego. Then, by a twist of fate, the unbelievable happens and the two come together on Callum’s front door step….pandamonium!

Imagine if a panda turned up at your door, how would YOU react?! That’s exactly what happens to Callum on his birthday. Callum makes a wish to have a panda… and we all know what they say – be careful what you wish for! The panda his dad adopts for him shows up. Pudding (the panda, obviously) aspires to be Mary Poppins (her favourite DVD) for the family! Loved this so much. It’s so full of happiness!

Genie and Teeny: Make a Wish – Steven Lenton

When Grant the Genie is cast out of Genie World, he lands on Earth with a big, fat bump! Without a lamp to call home, he has to settle for an old cracked teapot instead. Grant is very lonely until he meets the puppy, Teeny. Then Genie and Teeny are kidnapped by the evil purple-loving Lavinia Lavender, and find themselves on-course for a rollercoaster of an adventure – when all they really want is a place to call home…

I loved the sound of this and EVERYONE was raving about it on Twitter, so I knew I needed to buy it. Steven Lenton is such a joy and his books are brilliant fun, so I had high high hopes for this… and let me tell you it does not disappoint! This is a whole load of genie-fun! Wishes going awry, a genie who is banished from Genie World and his new dog friend. I loved Grant and Teeny – and I’m glad they found each other. This is so full of gorgeous illustrations and this is going to be the start of a funny series, I can just tell! I can not wait for the next one to come out!

The Exploding Life of Scarlett Fife – Maz Evans

Scarlett Fife has BIG FEELINGS. And when she has BIG FEELINGS, they explode out of her like an over-squeezed stress ball. Scarlett’s in big trouble after a BIG FEELINGS episode leads to a runaway hamster getting into the vicar’s trousers at her aunty’s engagement party. If she loses her temper ONE MORE TIME, she’s going to miss out on her trip to Mega Awesome Sicky Fun World, the best theme park on the planet.

But feelings are like slime in a party bag. No matter how much someone tells you to keep it in, it’ll always find its way out. And very soon, Scarlett notices that every time she pushes her feelings down, something explodes. Like… really, properly explodes. It might be her teacher’s slimy green smoothie. A huge pot of purple paint. Or a massive pile of elephant poo at the zoo. And let’s hope Scarlett doesn’t get mad at Aunty’s wedding – that wedding cake is HUGE…

This is quintessential Maz: gorgeous families, wonderful characters and gloriously funny! Poor Scarlett feels BIG feelings and they end up making things explode. Can she learn how to control her emotions before she ruins her aunties wedding? I loved this. It’s just so wonderfully done. This has gorgeous messages about feeling your emotions, family dynamics and what matters. There’s brilliant humour in this too – a particular illustration proper made me cackle! The illustrations by Chris Jevons add so much glory to this story.

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And there you go! I had such a blast reading these! A massive thank you to the publishers who sent me these books, and to my bank account ha! Thanks so much for stopping by!

What have you read recently?
What’s on your TBR?
Recommend me a book that you’ve love recently for younger readers!

S x