The kids are heading back to school! Here are some book suggestions for you to read with them at home, and stay engaged with their learning.
1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
By Eric Carle
Perfect for your 3 to 5 year old
This classic bestselling children’s book follows the journey of a newly hatched caterpillar as he eats his way through all sorts of food. The Very Hungry Caterpillar uses distinctive collage illustrations, 'eaten' holes in the pages and simple text with educational themes – counting, the days of the week, foods, and a butterfly's life.
2. There’s a Bug on My Arm That Won’t Let Go
By David Mackintosh
Perfect for your 3 to 5 year old
When a little bug lands on a child’s arm looking for safety and refuses to leave, the child just doesn’t know what to do. As distress and annoyance gradually become affection and a sense of importance, this is the perfect book for today’s generation.
This modern-day fable is about being a friend and the contentment that can come your way, when you choose to be kind to even the smallest things.
3. I Just Ate My Friend
By Heidi McKinnon
Perfect for your 5 to 7 year old
Read, laugh and learn how this monster experiences the natural regret that comes when you eat your friend, the search for a new friendship, and the journey of belonging.
The search for a true friend is something everyone can relate to. On a child’s level it has a strong message of, “be careful who you chose as a friend.” It also looks at ways in which we make judgments on who our friends should be.
4. Explore! Aotearoa
By Bronwen Wall
Perfect for your 8 - 10 year old
Explore! Aotearoa contains some compelling true stories about some amazing New Zealander explorers. Journey with them over the waves, across the land, up the mountains, beneath the earth, and under the sea.
Including historical photos, evocative illustrations, and paintings, this novel adds a visually rich layer to each tale. Chapters begin with cliff-hangers that draw readers into the history to learn how each explorer survived their ordeal.
5. Annual 2
Edited by Kate de Goldi and Susan Paris
Perfect for your 8 - 10 year old
Annual 2 is a miscellany, which contains the expected stuff like short stories, poems and beautiful pictures. It also has comics, awesome multimedia, activities, crafts, recipes and more.
The editors wanted to throw a completely different kind of publication into the mix, to create something that was both familiar and unexpected. “We channelled our younger selves: curious, discerning, up for anything. We tried to make a book we wish we’d be given. We wanted to reach as many kinds of readers as possible.”
6. Snake and Lizard #3: Helper and Helper
By Joy Cowley
Perfect for your 10 to 12 year old
An engaging story of two unlikely but inseparable friends. Through a series of small (and not so small) adventures the two friends bicker, compete with each other, go into business and finally and end up as lifelong friends.
These two characters continue to entertain as they tackle serious life issues such as ‘What is help?’ ‘Where do you draw the line?’ and ‘What does being a good friend mean?’. The difficulty of friendship looms large and everyone can relate to Lizard’s frustrations or Snake’s self-justifying manipulations. There are some real ethical dilemmas in this book.
7. Here We Are: Notes For Living On Planet Earth
By Oliver Jeffers Snake
Perfect for your 10 to 12 year old
Our world can be a complex and bewildering place but it can also be rather simple, we just have to be mindful and remember to be kind. Your head will be filled with questions, so let's explore what makes our planet and how we live on it.
From land and sky to people and time, these notes can be your guide and start you on your journey. We love the way this book strips everything back to the core values of being kind, tolerant, and respecting our planet. It really brings home the fact that we all rotate around the sun equally and ultimately, together.