10 Fabulous books for 5-8 year olds
I’m constantly on the lookout for books that will absorb the attention of my two very different children. In case you’re hunting for inspiration too, here are 10 fabulous books for 5 to 8 year olds that my kids adore.
The Funny Life of Pets
James Campbell / Rob Jones
My introduction to The Funny Life of Pets was in school hall at a local literature festival. James Campbell gave a talk / show that had both the kids and adults giggling to the edge of our benches and his humour translates perfectly into written form. He reckons it’s ‘boring’ to start at the beginning and read straight through, so this book lets you jump your way between pages. Perfect!
If you’ve got a kid who has a pet, wants a pet, needs a book to do more than just have pages that you read in a logical order or simply loves reading funny stuff, The Funny Life of Pets is a great choice.
You Choose
Nick Sharatt / Pippa Goodhart
Warning: do not pick up this book if you’re hunting for a speedy bedtime story. On the other hand, if you’re on the look out for a creative way to spark questions such as whether you’d prefer to have a toilet, TV or sofa in your home, then this book is ideal.
Each page is headed with a question, like: Where would you like to live? What would you put in your house? What would you have as a pet? and packed full with relevant pictures to inspire your responses. It’s up to you to choose what your answer would be – great for the imagination and perfect for inspiring tons of fun debate. (In case you’re wondering, my kids decided that a toilet would win out over a TV for their house but it was a close call!)
Penguin and Pinecone
Salina Yoon
This gorgeous picture storybook is aimed more at pre-schoolers than grown up 5+ year olds but we’ve got a penguin superfan in our family, so I’ve let it sneak onto the list.
It tells the tale of Penguin, who finds a lost pinecone in the snow. Penguin and Pinecone become wonderful friends but pinecones don’t belong in the cold, so Penguin takes the tough decision to return his friend to the warm forest. Don’t worry: the friends have to part but the story does have a heartwarming ending.
The Creakers
Tom Fletcher
We had to read this book out loud, in the bright sunshine, in the middle of the day to make sure we didn’t get too scared. But once we started reading, it was hard to stop. It’s a real page turner that managed to pull in a 5 year old, 8 year old and a far-to-many year old (that’s me, in case you were wondering) to the extent that ‘I’m in Creaker land’ became part of our family language.
You’ll have to read the book to find out what that means. Just make sure you’re somewhere safe when you do!
The World According to Humphrey
Betty G Birney
If you’re looking for some early chapter books for your child, the Humphrey series is a great choice.
Humphrey is a hamster. He’s Room 26’s new classroom pet and loves to study along with his school friends. He learns how to read and write (well, obviously!) but best of all he gets to sleep over with a different classmate each weekend. His friends take their hamster duties seriously but Humphrey takes even more responsibility for trying to sort out the problems in their lives. It’s a lovely series that interweaves practical life lessons into funny, imaginative tales about Humphrey the hamster.
Look Inside Your Body
Louie Stowell / Kate Leake
When my nephew was six, he casually mentioned that he has more bones than me. For, as everyone obviously knows, babies have 300 small bones but adults only have 206 as some of the bones join up as you grow. (Okay, I confess – I didn’t know this!)
His knowledge came from this amazing book about how our bodies work. It’s packed full of fascinating snippets of information, irresistibly hidden under flaps within flaps. I have to admit to some sneaky reading to top up my own, rather scattered, knowledge of the human body!
Danger is Everywhere
David O’Doherty / Chris Judge
Do you know how to check if a volcano is about to erupt under your home? Are you on the lookout for that nasty page 9 scorpion that all book lovers must avoid? How can you find out if your granny is a robot? This brilliantly funny handbook will make sure you’re prepared to deal with all those dangers you’ve forgotten to consider.
It’s subtitled A Handbook for Avoiding Danger. Exactly what we need in these strange times.
The Brilliant World of Tom Gates
Liz Pichon
Ahhh. Where would we be without Tom Gates. I’m sure there are kids out there who don’t like this wonderful series of books. It’s just that I’ve never met one yet.
Tom’s in Year 5 and he loves doodling pretty much anywhere he can. He forgets his homework, gets annoyed with his sister and has to wear a bin bag on his camping trip as his parents didn’t bring his raincoat. Written in diary form (though not exactly a diary) the fabulous doodles perfectly complement the already brilliant writing. If you’ve not met Tom Gates yet, you’re in for a treat.
Ballet Shoes
Noel Streatfield
This was a story from ‘the olden days’, even when I was a child. But when I was hunting out options for an 8 year old who devours books, we thought we’d give it a go.
Rediscovering Noel Streatfield’s story of three very different sisters who end up on the London stage was one of my biggest successes of the last year. And with its setting in mid-19th century London, I can even pretend it’s educating my daughter on social history.
Daisy and the Trouble with Life
Kes Gray
This is another super-readable series if you’re making the move into chapter books. Daisy grumbles about pretty much everything in her life but in a way that makes you chuckle and groan along with her. To give you a taster…
Life is sooooo unfair. Daisy has been grounded and can’t go out to play with her friend, Gabby or do pretty much anything, which is sooooo boring. And it’s definitely not her fault! But what has Daisy done that’s so bad and where does she keep having to dash off to?
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