Books for Kids Age 6-8
recommended by authors, scientists, artists and children
Last updated: November 18, 2024
For 6-8 year olds, we have interviews with kids who tell us about their favourite Shakespeare books and graphic novels. In this section you will also find several book recommendations from scientists, including beautifully illustrated books about the natural world that adults will love just as much as the kids. And we have an interview on the best Roald Dahl books — humour is a great way to start 6-8 year olds on a lifetime of reading for pleasure.
Highly illustrated chapter book series with simple language and fast-paced plots are also popular for this age group; we have recommendations for book series for six year olds, seven year olds and eight year olds.
It is hard to come by definitive data on dyslexia, but it is clear that it affects a significant proportion of the population in English-speaking countries. Remember that audiobooks are another great way to access stories.
The Most Beautifully Illustrated Children’s Books, recommended by Ella Beech
What makes an illustrated book stand out? Ella Beech, the artist who has just completed a beautiful new edition of The Night Before Christmas for the Folio Society, talks us through some of her favourites.
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1
Bodies, Brains & Bogies
by Paul Ian Cross & Steve Brown (illustrator) -
2
Live Like a Hunter Gatherer
Naomi Walmsley, Mia Underwood (illustrator) -
3
Am I Made of Stardust?
Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Chelen Écija (illustrator) -
4
Step Inside Science: Germs
by Sarah Hull & Teresa Bellon (illustrator) -
5
Ben Rothery's Deadly and Dangerous Animals
by Ben Rothery -
6
A Bug's World
by Dr Erica McAlister & Stephanie Fizer Coleman (illustrator)
The Best Science Books for Children: the 2023 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize, recommended by Usha Goswami
The Best Science Books for Children: the 2023 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize, recommended by Usha Goswami
The judges of the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize look for books that explain high quality science in an engaging and accessible way. Neuroscientist Usha Goswami, chair of the 2023 judging panel, explains why it is important to get children excited about science via books, and introduces us to the fabulous titles that made this year’s shortlist.
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1
A Seed Is Sleepy
by Dianna Aston & Sylvia Long (illustrator) -
2
How Colour Works
by Catherine Barr & Yuliya Gwilym (illustrator) -
3
Bright in the Night
by Lena Sjöberg -
4
The Big Book of Bugs
by Yuval Zommer -
5
Creatures of the Deep: The Pop-Up Book
by Ernst Haeckel & Maike Biederstädt (paper engineer)
Beautiful Science Books for 4-8 Year Olds, recommended by Our Children's Editor
Beautiful Science Books for 4-8 Year Olds, recommended by Our Children's Editor
Scientific picture books provide an enjoyable way for kids to explore different fields of science without realising how much they are learning. Our Children’s Editor picks science books for kids age 4-8 that are informative but also a pleasure to look at, both for children and for the adults that are reading with them.
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1
How Was That Built? The Stories Behind Awesome Structures
Roma Agrawal, Katie Hickey (illustrator) -
2
Microbe Wars: Humanity's Biggest Battles with the World's Smallest Life-Forms
by Gill Arbuthnott & Marianna Madriz (illustrator) -
3
Fourteen Wolves: A Rewilding Story
by Catherine Barr & Jenni Desmond (illustrator) -
4
Fantastically Great Women Scientists and their Stories
by Kate Pankhurst -
5
If the World Were 100 People
Jackie McCann, Aaron Cushley (illustrator) -
6
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
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.
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1
Library Lion
Michelle Knudsen, Kevin Hawkes (illustrator) -
2
Write to Me
Cynthia Grady, Amiko Hirao (illustrator) -
3
Tomás and the Library Lady
by Pat Mora & Raul Colón (illustrator) -
4
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
William Joyce, Joe Bluhm (illustrator) -
5
The Lonely Book
Kate Bernheimer, Chris Sheban (illustrator)
The Best Books about Libraries for 4-8 Year Olds, recommended by Bahram Rahman
The Best Books about Libraries for 4-8 Year Olds, recommended by Bahram Rahman
Libraries provide a space for children to read for pleasure and discover the transformative power of books. Children’s author Bahram Rahman shares his favourite picture books about libraries for children age 4-8, and explains why book-recommending algorithms cannot replace librarians.
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1
Under the Stars: Astrophysics for Everyone
by Lisa Harvey-Smith & Mel Matthews (illustrator) -
2
I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast
by Michael Holland & Philip Giordano (illustrator) -
3
Agent Asha: Mission Shark Bytes
by Sophie Deen & Anjan Sarkar (illustrator) -
4
Inventors: Incredible Stories of the World's Most Ingenious Inventions
by Robert Winston & Jessamy Hawke (illustrator) -
5
I am a book. I am a portal to the universe.
by Stefanie Posavec & Miriam Quick (illustrator) -
6
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
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.
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1
Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry
by Neil deGrasse Tyson & with Gregory Mone -
2
Cats React to Science Facts
by Izzi Howell -
3
In the Key of Code
by Aimee Lucido -
4
How to Win a Nobel Prize
by Barry Marshall, Bernard Caleo (illustrator) & with Lorna Hendry -
5
Gut Garden: A journey into the wonderful world of your microbiome
by Katie Brosnan -
6
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
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 Roald Dahl Books, recommended by Tilly Burn
Roald Dahl was one of the 20th century’s most popular children’s authors. Here, Tilly Burn, Archive and Collections Assistant at the wonderful Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden, UK, chooses her top Roald Dahl books and discusses the secrets of his enduring appeal.
Best Shakespeare Books for Kids, recommended by Natasha
Are you longing to get your children as excited about Shakespeare as you are? There’s a lot of books out there to introduce kids to the Bard. Here, Natasha, a 10-year old living in Oxfordshire, recommends some of her favourite retellings of Shakespeare stories.
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1
Maria Sibylla Merian: Artist, Scientist, Adventurer
by Jeyaraney Kathirithamby & Sarah B Pomeroy -
2
Young Heroes
by Lula Bridgeport -
3
What We See in the Stars: An Illustrated Tour of the Night Sky
by Kelsey Oseid -
4
Ocean
by Emmanuelle Grundmann & Hélène Druvert -
5
A History of Pictures for Children
by David Hockney & Martin Gayford
The Best Children’s Nonfiction of 2018, recommended by Zoe Greaves
The Best Children’s Nonfiction of 2018, recommended by Zoe Greaves
Author and Five Books children’s editor Zoe Greaves selects the best nonfiction books for children published in 2018.