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Reading

Reading Spine 2024-2025

The aim of this reading spine is to provide an extensive list of books which teachers can apply to their own long-term plans. These are books to use as class reads, link to writing and whole class reading, recommendations for reading corners or for extracts (taken from them to look at in greater detail). The intention is that by the time they reach year 6 and beyond, they have developed a wide, rich vocabulary and broader knowledge of the world and, as a result, are able to access the more complex books expected of them in secondary schools. 

 

Autumn 1

Autumn 2

Spring 1

Spring 2

Summer 1

Summer 2

EYFS

All about me

 

The little red hen

The colour monster goes to school

The Colour Monster

The Big Book of Families

Only one you

Jill Murphy’s Large family collection

Super Dooper You Blue Chameleon

We’re going on a bear hunt

Mommy, Mama and me

The family book

All kinds of people

Each Peach Pear Plum

The great big book of feelings

Elmer

This is our house

My very own space

 

Coming to England & My Two Grannies – Fl.Benjamin

Light and dark

 

Little red riding hood

Owl Babies

The gruffalo

Whatever next

Peace at last

Alfie's Christmas -

A Letter to Father Christmas

The same but different too

A bit lost

Ten little fingers and ten little toes

Ten in the bed

The way back home

Hoot Owl: Master of disguise

Under the sea

 

Rainbow fish

How to catch a star?

Snail and the whale

Tiddler

Octopus Shocktopus

Sand between my toes

I see the sea

Tad

Billy’s bucket

Don’t worry little crab

 

 

NF: Under the sea

 

 

Let it grow

(Plants)

 

Jack and the beanstalk

Bloom

Errol’s garden

Handa’s surprise

Jaspers Beanstalk

The extraordinary gardener

Oliver’s vegetable

Pumpkin soup

Farmer Duck

 

 

Let’s move it

(Transport)

 

We catch the bus

Blue monster wants it all

On the way home

I like trains

The way back home

My Gumpy’s outing

The train ride

When I grow up...

(People who help us)

 

Goldilocks and the three bears

Zog

Supertato

Not now Noor

How it works: Digger

Blow a kiss catch a kiss

You choose

Man on the moon

 

Year 1

The Three little pigs

Goldilocks and the Three bears

 

Harry and the bucket full of dinosaurs – Ian Whybrow

Happy in our skin – Fran Manushkin

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

The Autumn book – Pat Glisson

The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carlson

 

Pele – Maria Isabel Sanchez

Ruby’s Worry By Tom Perciva

The Gruffalo – Julia Donaldson

The Smartest Giant in town

The snail and the Whale

George’s Marvellous medicine – Roald Dhal

Seasons – Robin Nelson

Tree

Oh no! Monster tomato – Jim Helmore

Peace at last – Jill Murphy

 

Lost and found

The proudest Blue

The tiger who came to tea - Judith Kerr

Dogger – Shirley Hughes

 

Dadaji’s paintbrush – Rashmi Sirdeshpande

Dave and the toothfairy – Verna Wilkins

 

Lost in the toy museum – David Lucas

Beegu – Alexis Deacon

 

Fantastic Mr. Fox – Roald Dhal

 

Year 2

Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman/Caroline Binch

Hansel and Gretel by Anthony Browne

 

The Baker’s Boy and the Great Fire of London by Tom and Tony Bradman

Up and Down by Oliver Jeffers

Katie in London by James Mayhew

Winnie the Witch by Korky Paul and Valery Thomas

 

Mister Magnolia by Quentin Blake

Jessica Love

Meerkat Mail by Emily Gravett

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Book? by Lauren Child

The Dinosaur’s Diary by Julia Donaldson

 

Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle

Blue Chameleon by Emily Gravett

Cave Baby by Julia Donaldson/Emily Gravett

Journey by Aaron Becker

 

The Lighthouse Keeper’s Rescue

Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes by Eric Litwin and others

Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae

The Twits

 

Somebody Swallowed Stanley by Sarah Roberts

Julian is a Mermaid by

The Diary of a Killer Cat by Anne Fine

 

Year 3

- The boy who stole the Pharoah's lunch - Karen MkCombie

- Nikhil and Jay: off  to India - Chitara Soundar

 

-Harley Hitch an the fossil mystery - Vashiti Hardey

 

Llama out loud

 

Faruq and the Wiri Wiri - Sophia Payne

 

My dad’s a birdman

-Into the volcano - Jess Butterworth

 

The abominable- Eva Abbotson 

 - Song of the river by Joy Cowley

 

The wild robot

Year 4

 

 

The iron man

 

Voices in the park

 

The last bear

 

A dangerous game

By ash, oak and thorn

 

Featherlight

The firwork maker’s daughter

 

Charlotte’s web

The infinite

 

Why the whales came

The Children of swallow fell

Year 5

Benjamin Zepheniyah

Windrush Child

 

Floella Benjamin

Coming to England

 

SF Said

Varjak Paw

 

Wolf Brother

Michelle Paver

Alfred Noyes

The Highwayman

 

Berlie Doherty

Street Child

 

Marcus Sedgwick

Floodland

 

M G Leonard

Beetle Boy

 

Joan Aiken

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

 

Christopher Edge

The Many Worlds of Albie Bright

 

 Louis Sacher

There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom

 

Phillipa Pearce

Tom’s Midnight Garden

 

Emma Carroll

Letters from the Lighthouse

 

Roald

Danny the Champion of the World

 

R J Palcio

Wonder

 

Emma Carroll

Letters from the Lighthouse

 

Year 6

The curse of the Maya – Johnny Pearce

 

 

Harry Potter Series – J.K Rowling

 

 

 

Once – Morris Gleitzman

 

The Arrival – Shaun Tan

 

 

Boy at the back of the class – Onjali Q Rauf

 

Flotsam – David Weisner

 

Skellig – David Almond

 

 

 

Holes - Louis Sachar

It should be noted that book and text selection in school not only considers narratives and poems but also recognises that a good balance of topic-appropriate non-fiction should also be read to help further develop children’s background knowledge of the subject they are studying. 

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