Resources
Bear Was There - reading notes and activities
Love is the first thing Mouse feels as he lies in the warmth of his mother’s fur. Then one day, Mouse meets Bear. Mouse is frightened, but what if Bear is not as scary as he seems . . . A gentle and sensitive story of a little mouse’s journey, his fears and the eventual comfort he finds, beautifully written and illustrated by Sally Anne Garland.
Under the Same Sky - reading notes and activities
Two children on opposite sides of the world crave friendship. Is it possible to be friends across the miles? Under the Same Sky is a gorgeous picture book that features two children from diverse backgrounds. The book introduces children to the idea of a long distance friendship, cultural differences and very subtly hints at a child living in a country experiencing conflict.
Twelve Days of Kindness - reading notes and activities
One little girl realises that a girl in her class is struggling to make friends. With the help of their football coach they come up with a plan. Can their school football team bring them together, and expand their friendship group? Twelve Days of Kindness is the perfect book for teaching children about empathy and inclusivity. The book addresses pertinent issues such as bullying, friendship and teamwork in a hopeful, warm-hearted manner.
Stay home with the Walker Bear - Walker Books author videos and activities
Walker Books have LOTS of great resources to keep children entertained. Alex Rider Goes Live To celebrate the publication of Nightshade, the explosive new novel in the Alex Rider series, award-winning writer Anthony Horowitz will be hosting a virtual book launch at 10am BST on Thursday 2 April. Horowitz will be introducing the highly anticipated new novel in a special celebratory live stream hosted on YouTube, reading an exciting extract, and answering lots of questions from fans of the...
Chicken House's Schools' Hub
Teachers, librarians, kids’ club leaders – gather round! In Chicken House’s Schools’ Hub you’ll find educational resources that sit alongside their brilliant books and align with the Key Stage 2 and 3 curriculums. With content created by teachers and librarians that have a passion for reading, their PDF downloads of chapter-by-chapter guides, schemes of work, videos and useful links to external resources are here to help with class or book club planning. Chicken House’s resource...
April 2020 children's and young people booklist - Around the World
It is World Book Night on 23 April. World Book Night is a national celebration of reading and books for adults and young people that takes place every year. To help children and their families join in with the celebration we have created a booklist of our favourite books about other cultures, set or written by people around the world. We hope the booklist will help children experience a world outside of their own. You can join in with the conversation online using #AroundTheWorldBooklist and...
Brain Games: Free Downloadable Learning Resources
The perfect books and brain games for your Bright Spark or Clever Kid! Compiled by puzzle master and author of hundreds of puzzle books Dr Gareth Moore, the Bright Sparks (for ages 7-9) and Clever Kids (for ages 9-11) series will keep your children both learning and entertained – covering everything from brain games and logic puzzles to crosswords and word searches, they’re proving an invaluable help to parents. You can download the free downloadable resources here.
The Farm - Book Club Kit
The Farm was chosen for the Radio 2 Book Club. Ambitious businesswoman Mae Yu runs Golden Oaks – a luxury retreat transforming the fertility industry – where women get the very best of everything, so long as they play by the rules. Jane is a young immigrant in search of a better future. Stuck living in a cramped dorm with her baby daughter and her shrewd aunt Ate, she sees an unmissable chance to change her life. But at what cost? A brilliant, darkly funny novel that explores the...
The Farm by Joanne Ramos - First Chapter
The Farm was chosen for the Radio 2 Book Club. Ambitious businesswoman Mae Yu runs Golden Oaks – a luxury retreat transforming the fertility industry – where women get the very best of everything, so long as they play by the rules. Jane is a young immigrant in search of a better future. Stuck living in a cramped dorm with her baby daughter and her shrewd aunt Ate, she sees an unmissable chance to change her life. But at what cost? A brilliant, darkly funny novel that explores the...
The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal - First Chapter
The Doll Factory was chosen for the Radio 2 Book Club. London. 1850. The greatest spectacle the city has ever seen is being built in Hyde Park, and among the crowd watching two people meet. For Iris, an aspiring artist, it is the encounter of a moment – forgotten seconds later, but for Silas, a collector entranced by the strange and beautiful, that meeting marks a new beginning. When Iris is asked to model for pre-Raphaelite artist Louis Frost, she agrees on the condition that he will also...
Adventure on Trains: The Highland Falcon Thief by MG Leonard and Sam Sedgman - Wordsearch
Adventures on Trains is a major mystery series from bestselling authors M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman. First stop, The Highland Falcon Thief, a breathless train journey full of deceptions, puzzles and clues to solve. Harrison Beck is reluctantly joining his travel-writer Uncle Nat for the last journey of the royal train, The Highland Falcon. But as the train makes its way to Scotland, a priceless brooch goes missing, and things are suddenly a lot more interesting. As suspicions and accusations...
Morag Hood - Reading Notes and Activities
Bold, bright and brilliant join the colourful world of Morag Hood. All Morag Hood’s books are great for storytelling sessions but also provide a great stepping-off point for further discussion, retelling and art activities. You could create a ‘Steves’ beak and retell the story using it, or cut out different fruit and vegetable shapes and create your own characters like Colin Carrot and Lee Pea, and create your very own hanging bat.
The Beekeeper of Aleppo - Reading Group questions
The Beekeeper of Aleppo was chosen for the Radio 2 Book Club. Nuri is a beekeeper; his wife, Afra, an artist. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo – until the unthinkable happens. When all they care for is destroyed by war, they are forced to escape. But what Afra has seen is so terrible she has gone blind, and so they must embark on a perilous journey through Turkey and Greece towards an uncertain future in Britain. On the way, Nuri is...
The Beekeeper of Aleppo - First Chapter
The Beekeeper of Aleppo was chosen for the Radio 2 Book Club. Nuri is a beekeeper; his wife, Afra, an artist. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo – until the unthinkable happens. When all they care for is destroyed by war, they are forced to escape. But what Afra has seen is so terrible she has gone blind, and so they must embark on a perilous journey through Turkey and Greece towards an uncertain future in Britain. On the way,...
Tyll - Readers' Guide
On 27 February the International Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross Benjamin by clicking below.
The Other Name: Septology I-II - Readers' Guide
On 27 February the International Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title The Other Name: Septology I-II by Jon Fosse, translated by Damion Searls by clicking below.
The Memory Police - Readers' Guide
On 27 February the International Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder by clicking below.
The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree - Readers' Guide
On 27 February the International Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar, anonymous translor, by clicking below.
The Discomfort of Evening - Readers' Guide
On 27 February the International Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, translated by Michele Hutchison by clicking below.
The Adventures of China Iron - Readers' Guide
On 27 February the International Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title The Adventures of China Iron by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, translated by Iona Macintyre and Fiona Mackintosh by clicking below.
Serotonin - Readers' Guide
On 27 February the International Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title Serotonin by Michel Houellebecq, translated by Shaun Whiteside by clicking below.
Red Dog - Readers' Guide
On 27 February the International Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title Red Dog by Willem Anker, translated by Michel Heyns by clicking below.
Mac and His Problem - Readers' Guide
On 27 February the International Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title Mac and His Problem by Enrique Vila-Matas, translated by Margaret Jull Costa and Sophie Hughes by clicking below.
Little Eyes - Readers' Guide
On 27 February the International Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin, translated by Megan McDowell by clicking below.
Hurricane Season - Readers' Guide
On 27 February the International Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor, translated by Sophie Hughes by clicking below.
Faces on the Tip of My Tongue - Readers' Guide
On 27 February the International Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title Faces on the Tip of My Tongue by Emmanuelle Pagano, translated by Sophie Lewis and Jennifer Higgins by clicking below.
The Eighth Life - Readers' Guide
On 27 February the International Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischvili, translated by Charlotte Collins and Ruth Martin by clicking below.
Leonard and Hungry Paul by Rónán Hession - Discussion Questions
Leonard and Hungry Paul are two friends who see the world differently. They use humour, board games and silence to steer their way through the maelstrom that is the 21st century. ‘The figure in Munch’s painting isn’t actually screaming!’ Hungry Paul said. ‘Really, are you sure?’ Replied Leonard. ‘Absolutely. That’s the whole thing. The figure is actually closing his ears to block out a scream. Isn’t that amazing? A painting can be so misunderstood and still become so famous.’ Leonard and...
Leonard and Hungry Paul by Rónán Hession - First Chapter
Leonard and Hungry Paul are two friends who see the world differently. They use humour, board games and silence to steer their way through the maelstrom that is the 21st century. ‘The figure in Munch’s painting isn’t actually screaming!’ Hungry Paul said. ‘Really, are you sure?’ Replied Leonard. ‘Absolutely. That’s the whole thing. The figure is actually closing his ears to block out a scream. Isn’t that amazing? A painting can be so misunderstood and still become so famous.’ Leonard and...
Golden Child by Claire Adam - First Chapter
It’s dark now; the bats are out. Insects knock against the light on the patio and the dog sits at the gate. A boy has not returned home and a family anxiously awaits. A father steps out into the night to search for his son. As the hours turn into days, this man will learn many things. He will learn about being a father to twin boys who are in no way alike. He will learn how dangerous hopes and dreams can be. He will learn truths about Trinidad, about his family, and himself. He will question...
