• Best Science Books for Children: the 2022 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - How Was That Built? The Stories Behind Awesome Structures Roma Agrawal, Katie Hickey (illustrator)
  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2022 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Microbe Wars: Humanity's Biggest Battles with the World's Smallest Life-Forms by Gill Arbuthnott & Marianna Madriz (illustrator)
  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2022 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Fourteen Wolves: A Rewilding Story by Catherine Barr & Jenni Desmond (illustrator)
  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2022 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Fantastically Great Women Scientists and their Stories by Kate Pankhurst
  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2022 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - If the World Were 100 People Jackie McCann, Aaron Cushley (illustrator)
  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2022 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Beetles for Breakfast and Other Weird and Wonderful Ways to Save the Planet Madeleine Finlay, Jisu Choi (illustrator)

Best Science Books for Children: the 2022 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize, recommended by Alan Wilson

The Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize celebrates books that stimulate children’s curiosity and enthusiasm to explore, innovate and debate. Alan Wilson, Chair of this year’s judging panel, talks us through the six outstanding science books for kids that made the 2022 shortlist.

  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2021 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Under the Stars: Astrophysics for Everyone by Lisa Harvey-Smith & Mel Matthews (illustrator)
  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2021 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast by Michael Holland & Philip Giordano (illustrator)
  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2021 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Agent Asha: Mission Shark Bytes by Sophie Deen & Anjan Sarkar (illustrator)
  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2021 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Inventors: Incredible Stories of the World's Most Ingenious Inventions by Robert Winston & Jessamy Hawke (illustrator)
  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2021 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - I am a book. I am a portal to the universe. by Stefanie Posavec & Miriam Quick (illustrator)
  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2021 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - 100 Things to Know about Saving the Planet

Best Science Books for Children: the 2021 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize, recommended by Katharine Cashman

In selecting the best science books for children, the judges of the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize identify books that are scientifically accurate as well as accessible and engaging. Katharine Cashman, Professor of Volcanology at Bristol University and Chair of this year’s judging panel, talks us through the six wonderful books that made the 2021 shortlist.

  • Best Books for Preschool Kids - Each Peach Pear Plum by Allan Ahlberg & Janet Ahlberg (illustrator)
  • Best Books for Preschool Kids - The Mitten by Jan Brett
  • Best Books for Preschool Kids - Zonia's Rain Forest by Juana Martinez-Neal
  • Best Books for Preschool Kids - Katie Morag and the Two Grandmothers by Mairi Hedderwick
  • Best Books for Preschool Kids - Katie and the Impressionists by James Mayhew

Best Books for Preschool Kids, recommended by Janice Stewart-Yates

With travel restricted in much of the world due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, it is more important than ever to open children’s minds through books. Janice Stewart-Yates, a passionate Montessori educator, shares her recommendations for books that bring the world to children. These are some of her favourite picks for preschool classroom story time, as well as for reading with her own daughter.

  • The Scariest Books for Kids - A Sprinkle of Sorcery Michelle Harrison & Grace Kum (illustrator)
  • The Scariest Books for Kids - The Ersatz Elevator Lemony Snicket & Brett Helquist (illustrator)
  • The Scariest Books for Kids - The Land of Roar Jenny McLachlan & Ben Mantle (illustrator)
  • The Scariest Books for Kids - The Day My Butt Went Psycho! by Andy Griffiths
  • The Scariest Books for Kids - A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The Scariest Books for Kids, recommended by Jack Meggitt-Phillips

Scary children’s books give kids the pleasure of immersing themselves in an exciting page-turner, and are an excellent way to get reluctant readers to read novels. As long as you pay attention to individual children’s sensibilities, it shouldn’t be hard to find books that give them thrills rather than nightmares. Children’s author Jack Meggitt-Phillips talks us through his favourite scary books for kids.

  • Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library – Inspiring a Lifelong Love of Reading - Sleep Tight Very Hungry Caterpillar by world of Eric Carle
  • Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library – Inspiring a Lifelong Love of Reading - Families, Families, Families! by Max Lang (illustrator) & Suzanne Lang
  • Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library – Inspiring a Lifelong Love of Reading - How to Be a Lion by Ed Vere
  • Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library – Inspiring a Lifelong Love of Reading - Look Up! by Dapo Adeola (illustrator) & Nathan Bryon
  • Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library – Inspiring a Lifelong Love of Reading - You Choose Your Dreams: originally published as Just Imagine by Nick Sharratt (illustrator) & Pippa Goodhart

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library – Inspiring a Lifelong Love of Reading, recommended by Marion Gillooly

Dolly Parton is an iconic singer and songwriter, but many children around the world know her as their librarian. Through the Imagination Library she nurtures a love of books in young children. Marion Gillooly, Executive Director, The Dollywood Foundation UK, talks us through the background of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and highlights five of her favourite books in the catalogue (which she admits was really hard: “all the books are my favourites”).

  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2020 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson & with Gregory Mone
  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2020 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Cats React to Science Facts by Izzi Howell
  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2020 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - In the Key of Code by Aimee Lucido
  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2020 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - How to Win a Nobel Prize by Barry Marshall, Bernard Caleo (illustrator) & with Lorna Hendry
  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2020 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Gut Garden: A journey into the wonderful world of your microbiome by Katie Brosnan
  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2020 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Everyday Journeys Of Ordinary Things by Libby Deutsch & Valpuri Kerttula (illustrator)

The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2020 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize, recommended by Mike Kendall

To find the best science books for kids, the judges of the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize look for books that are not only accurate but also entertaining. Mike Kendall, Professor of Geophysics at Oxford University and chair of this year’s judging panel, talks us through the six fabulous books that made the 2020 shortlist (the final winner will be chosen by the real experts: more than 13,000 kids).

  • The Best Audiobooks for Kids of 2020 - ¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat by Raúl the Third, narrated by Gary Tiedemann
  • The Best Audiobooks for Kids of 2020 - Overground Railroad by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James Ransome, narrated by Shayna Small and Dion Graham
  • The Best Audiobooks for Kids of 2020 - When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson, narrated by Faysal Ahmed (and full cast)
  • The Best Audiobooks for Kids of 2020 - Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson, narrated by Guy Lockard
  • The Best Audiobooks for Kids of 2020 - King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender, narrated by Ron Butler

The Best Audiobooks for Kids of 2020, recommended by Emily Connelly

Whether you’re on a car journey or sitting on the sofa together at home, listening to audiobooks with kids can be an incredible experience. Some will make you laugh, some will make you weep. Many will help us develop empathy for other human beings in the world around us. Here Emily Connelly, Assistant Editor at AudioFile, talks us through the magazine’s choices of the best audiobooks for kids of 2020.

  • The Best Children’s Books: The 2020 Newbery Medal and Honor Winners - New Kid by Jerry Craft
  • The Best Children’s Books: The 2020 Newbery Medal and Honor Winners - The Undefeated Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
  • The Best Children’s Books: The 2020 Newbery Medal and Honor Winners - Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker
  • The Best Children’s Books: The 2020 Newbery Medal and Honor Winners - Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
  • The Best Children’s Books: The 2020 Newbery Medal and Honor Winners - Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D Williams

The Best Children’s Books: The 2020 Newbery Medal and Honor Winners, recommended by Krishna Grady

After reading hundreds of newly published books and asking children and adults alike for their input, the winners of the 2020 Newbery Medal and Honors have been chosen. Librarian and chair of the selection committee Krishna Grady introduces us to the best new children’s books that will surprise, delight and hold your kid’s attention—including the first graphic novel to ever win the award.

  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2019 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - 100 Things to Know About Numbers, Computers & Coding Alex Frith (illustrated by Federico Mariani and Parko Polo)
  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2019 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - The Bacteria Book: The Big World of Really Tiny Microbes by Steve Mould
  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2019 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - The Element in the Room: Investigating the Atomic Ingredients that Make Up Your Home Mike Barfield (illustrated by Lauren Humphrey)
  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2019 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Kid Scientists: True Tales of Childhood from Science Superstars David Stabler (illustrated by Anoosha Syed)
  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2019 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Planetarium: Welcome to the Museum Raman Prinja (illustrated by Chris Wormell)
  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2019 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Making With States of Matter by Anna Claybourne

The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2019 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize, recommended by Sheila Rowan

If you’re looking for the best books to get kids excited about science, the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize is a great place to start. Physicist and astronomer Sheila Rowan, chair of this year’s judging panel, talks us through the fabulous books that made this year’s shortlist.

  • Clare Morpurgo on Penguin Paperbacks - Seashore Life and Pattern by T A Stevenson
  • Clare Morpurgo on Penguin Paperbacks - French Country Cooking by Elizabeth David
  • Clare Morpurgo on Penguin Paperbacks - The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
  • Clare Morpurgo on Penguin Paperbacks - Ariel by Andre Maurois
  • Clare Morpurgo on Penguin Paperbacks - Gone to Earth by Mary Webb

Clare Morpurgo on Penguin Paperbacks

Penguin paperbacks were a publishing revolution: lightweight, affordable editions that brought high-quality fiction and non-fiction to all. Clare Morpurgo, daughter of the Penguin Books founder Allen Lane, discusses the five Penguins that she loved most as a young reader—and why it’s down to her that her father never published The Hobbit.

  • Michael Morpurgo on His Novels - The Butterfly Lion by Michael Morpurgo
  • Michael Morpurgo on His Novels - Singing For Mrs Pettigrew by Michael Morpurgo
  • Michael Morpurgo on His Novels - Waiting For Anya by Michael Morpurgo
  • Michael Morpurgo on His Novels - In The Mouth Of The Wolf by Michael Morpurgo
  • Michael Morpurgo on His Novels - Flamingo Boy by Michael Morpurgo

Michael Morpurgo on His Novels

Michael Morpurgo takes us on a journey behind the scenes of five of his own books. He talks about his convictions as a writer and how he weaves fiction out of truths—experiences, accidents, history and memories—and why getting lost is often the best way to make a remarkable discovery.

  • The Best Coming-of-Age Novels About Sisters - Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
  • The Best Coming-of-Age Novels About Sisters - I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith
  • The Best Coming-of-Age Novels About Sisters - To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
  • The Best Coming-of-Age Novels About Sisters - One Italian Summer by Keris Stanton
  • The Best Coming-of-Age Novels About Sisters - Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

The Best Coming-of-Age Novels About Sisters, recommended by Laura Wood

Coming-of-age stories unfold at the point at which a young person goes out into the world – full of potential and change. Siblings, at this important crossroad, also have to establish themselves outside of their relationship to each other. Author Laura Wood recommends five of her favourite novels that explore the intense, sometimes destructive, relationships that exist between sisters.