The best books for 5-year-olds

This is the brand new Gruffalo picture book from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

The Gruffalo said to his daughter one day, 
“Your Gruffalo Granny is coming to stay.”

Return to the deep dark wood with the first new Gruffalo story in over 20 years, and meet Gruffalo Granny as she visits the Gruffalo family. This fresh and exciting new Gruffalo adventure features the return of much-loved characters and is destined to become a classic.

It's springtime. Bear has woken up hungry and finds a lost egg outside his cave. Breakfast? No! Out hatches Gozzle, a very sweet little gosling who is convinced that Bear must be her daddy – and that she should be able to climb, dig and eat honey just like him. Follow Bear on his journey from reluctant carer to parent in this heartwarming and joyous picture book about what home and family truly mean.

They don’t light up, they don't make a sound – but they can take you anywhere! Join one curious little boy on a magical journey of discovery with his whole family, as he finds out that books are secret doorways to adventure, bridges to new worlds and wings for your imagination.

With new teachers to meet, routines to learn, and lots of friends to make, starting the new school year can feel daunting for little ones and their grown-ups alike. I Am Ready for School, the brilliant new picture book written by Early Years expert Camilla Reid and illustrated by Kate Hindley, gently introduces what children can expect when they start school through the story of Roo and his friends. By learning about Roo’s experiences, children of all ages will feel reassured and more prepared for the exciting new adventures that await them in the classroom and beyond this school year.

Toto and Boo are always together. But when Toto feels really worried about something, Boo grows bigger and bigger – until he is gigantic and takes over everything! Poor Toto doesn’t know what to do, until one day he talks to Boo and realises he isn’t a bad guy. Instead, Toto learns that facing our worries can help them feel smaller, and help him feel braver and bolder! A beautifully illustrated, funny picture book that will help primary-aged children learn the skills they need to talk about and manage big feelings and worries, I Am Boo is a must-have for any bookshelf or class book corner. 

Step inside Rasta Granny’s Rainbow in this uplifting celebration of Jamaican culture and cooking from poet Jessica Wilson and illustrator Rochelle Falconer. Join Granny as she brightens her grandson Dylan’s day with a feast cooked up with a rainbow of Jamaican flavours like red ackee and orange plantain. With new foods for them to guess on every page, this interactive picture book will inspire little ones to try new foods. Best of all, they can work with a grown-up to cook up the book’s simple recipes for classic Caribbean dishes like fried plantain and duckanoo.

The ultimate family jam session that swaps 'Once Upon a Time' for a beatbox rhyme! Using the well-known beatboxing starting point pattern of boots and cats, this book takes you on a fantastical, magical ride, down to a deep-sea diner, a nightclub where ducks dance and an exhilarating rollercoaster ride. Bold, wacky and brilliantly funny, Boots and Cats tickles the imagination, reminding us all to find the fun in reading aloud – and to do it together!

Dad is strong.
Dad is sweet.
Dad dreams of watching you grow . . .

Written and illustrated by the multi-award-winning Christian Robinson, Dad draws inspiration from the animal world to break stereotypes of fatherhood and pay tribute to the huge range of relationships dads have with their kids.

Norrie and her little sister Star are two unicorns that live in a magical forest near Norrie's best friend, Louella. Little sisters can be a bit annoying – Star likes to copy almost everything Norrie does, and she always wants to join in whatever she's doing. But when Star disappears everyone joins together to help Norrie find her. They search far and wide, and what they find is a BIG surprise . . .

Emily Gravett's latest book is a very funny story about trying to get to sleep. Bear just can't work out who is keeping him awake with all their cheep cheep noises. He leaves his comfy cave to ask the other animals, but none of them are making that cheepy sound! This is a wonderful rhyming tale with a surprise comic ending.

Meet Penguin: he's thoughtful, kind and loyal. He can be a bit cautious with new things, and he’s very sensible. Pup, on the other hand, is a fun-loving whirlwind! She always thinks big and sometimes gets a bit carried away. . . When it comes to finding a pet, all Penguin wants is a something small and fluffy. Pup, in typical Pup fashion, thinks the BIGGER the better. A blue whale in a dress! A giant sloth! A unicorn! It's a recipe for disaster, and LOTS of laughter, but in The Perfect Pet, will they ever agree on one?

Verbs, also known as action words, can be hard to get the hang of, and nobody understands the struggle better than the young child in Wiggling Words. Skip, trip, fumble and fall with them as they discover that even though words can be tricky, they can be fun too! This is a great book to share with children with dyslexia and other neurodivergence to encourage problem-solving and build confidence.

Did you know that crows in Japan use cars to crack nuts, or that herons use bread as bait for fishing? Bright Birds takes you and the nature-loving child in your life on a fascinating journey into the clever world of birds. Discover incredible facts about nest-building, problem-solving, and survival skills, all brought to life by Kate Read’s stunning illustrations. With a foreword by BBC presenter Megan McCubbin, this engaging and informative book is perfect for curious minds and budding birdwatchers.

An all singing, all dancing, new full colour graphic novel series of JOY from the creator of Tom Gates, perfect for young readers. Travel to the Isle of Smile and meet the Wibbles of Wobble Mountain, the singing Earworms and the Uncertain Curtain. When the Clouds of Joy bump together to make a wonky rainbow it means one thing: someone or something is coming to VISIT. Who could it be?

From Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks, the creators of What the Ladybird Heard, comes this collection of six magical Princess Mirror-Belle stories. When Ellen meets Mirror-belle, a mischievous princess who appears out of mirrors and causes havoc, her life turns into a non-stop adventure! Designed to support the development of independent reading, the Princess Mirror-Belle books are packed with magic and mischief.

When Pete and his friends find their peaceful space interrupted by buzzing bugs, they decide to do something about it. Eradicating the forest of flies seems like a great idea – until they realise that nothing is growing anymore, and it’s up to them to bring the bugs (and nature) back to normal. A story about the importance of every creature in our ecosystem, this book is perfect for reading aloud with children of all ages.

Perfect for 3-5-year-olds, Sammy Striker and the Football Cup is an empowering story for young football fans, about friendship, courage and, of course, football. Sammy Striker always has a football at her feet, and one day she's spotted by Melissa McDream who coaches the Under 8s National Team! Sammy is a dribbler extraordinaire, headed straight for the top. But, as the Football Cup gets closer, the nerves kick in and Sammy's shots on goal go a bit wonky.