Developing Early Older Readers - A CPLE Book List
From Centre for Literacy in Primary Education
The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education is a UK-based children's literacy charity working with primary schools. Their work raises the achievement of children's reading and writing by helping schools to teach literacy creatively and effectively, putting quality children’s books at the heart of all learning. They offer courses at our literacy library in central London, deliver online training and provide a wide range of free teaching resources for Primary teachers. They also conduct research into all areas of primary literacy, using the findings to inform practice and contribute to national and international perspectives on literacy.
When Creature Met Creature by John Agard and Satoshi Kitamura
Scallywag, 9781912650507
A sophisticated and moving picturebook about communication of all kinds. It
opens with Creature-of-No-Words, who lives a happy enough life of feelings
and sensations, but is sometimes struck with a feeling "like the chill touch of
ice" with no way to articulate or process it. He is found one day by Creature-
of-Words, who with no words spoken understands his pain, and invites him
to share her world of words with a "hug!". With delicately chosen poetic
language by John Agard, and accompanying vibrant and expressive
illustrations by Kitamura.
Clown by Quentin Blake
Penguin, 9780099493617
Most children will be familiar with Quentin Blake’s distinctive illustrations.
This is a wordless book but readers will need to bring their understanding of
narrative informed by the conventions of comics to the story which has the
cinematic quality of a silent film. The clown is an unwanted toy which comes
to life and, after trials and tribulations, finds a happy home. The children’s
literature tradition that only children are aware that a toy is alive is
maintained throughout.
Quick Quack Quentin by Kes Gray and Jim Field
Hodder, 9781444919578
What happens when a vowel disappears? Quentin the duck’s quack has lost
its ‘A’ and he goes in search of a substitute. Animals from the farm offer him
vowels from their names but none of them sound quite right. Then he visits
the zoo where most of the animals can’t cope with the names that would
result if they made this sacrifice: “The APES didn’t want to be PES”, “The
CAMELS didn’t want to be CMELS.” But there is one animal who just might
have an ‘A’ to spare... The repetition and pattern in the text support the less
experienced reader at the same time as provoking some quacking questions
about language.
Wolfboy by Andy Harkness
Bloomsbury, 9781526622501
Wolfboy stomps beneath trees, sploshes across creeks and leaps over steep
ravines, growing hungrier by the minute as he looks for rabbits in the forest.
Cumulative adjectives - "He was HUNGRY and HUFFY and DROOLY and
GROWLY" - help to build the tension, and starkly-lit illustrations lend a
horror film feeling to his hunt, which comes to a satisfying twist ending.
Harkness' use of phonics and big feelings make this book a delight to read
aloud.
Would You Like a Banana? by Yasmeen Ismail
Walker, 9781406394221
Reminiscent of Green Eggs and Ham, an unseen - and very patient - narrator
tries to convince a hungry gorilla to at least try a banana, only to be met
with the repeated refrain "I won't eat a banana". The repetition, coupled
with persuasive rhythmic rhymes - "You might like one with some bread, or
maybe standing on your head" - make this a brilliant book to read out loud,
and the expressive digital collage-style illustrations add to the comedy.
Hike by Pete Oswald
Walker, 9781406394351
A nearly-wordless picturebook follows a father and child on a hiking
adventure through the woods. They take in natural phenomena both large
and small - the illustrations rich in detail - and overcome challenges
together. The book closes with a return to home and a quiet reflection on
their day, now immortalised in a family photo album.
Dave’s Cave by Frann Preston-Gannon
Nosy Crow, 9780857636249
Stone Age Dave seek new cave. Will he find one he like? The seemingly
simple staccato text, omitting auxiliary verbs and definite and indefinite
articles, is surprisingly hard to imitate. It makes for humour and could lead
children to speculate about why the author has chosen to write it in this
apparently ungrammatical way. A fun book to link with the history
curriculum.
Jelly Boots, Smelly Boots by Michael Rosen and David Tazzyman
Bloomsbury, 9781408873441
A terrific collection of poetry featuring poems that delight in language,
playing with meaning, understanding (and misunderstanding!), rhyme and
rhythm – the words virtually bounce off the page wanting to be read aloud -
a poem like ‘The Toddlers’ is perfect to be spoken, sung, shouted, and
danced. As well as nonsensical flights of imagination, we also get memories
of childhood games and friendship. Meanwhile, other poems prompt
questions that will inspire powerful discussion; encompassing topics of
family, belonging, and heritage with great assurance.
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith Macmillan, 9781447218357
A child movingly tells the story of his great grandfather’s life in spare and
simple language which still manages to incorporate historical and literary
references. The important incidents in his life are recorded in his beautiful
topiary creations. Now he is old and forgetful his memories live on in his
garden which his great grandson looks set to continue maintaining.
How to Be Cooler Than Cool by Sean Taylor and Jean Jullien
Walker, 9781406394429
Cat, Cockatoo and Pig take it in turns to don a pair of sunglasses, believing
they will make them "cool". Instead, they find themselves with bruised egos
as they fall off the slide, the see-saw and the swing, looking decidedly
uncool. Can Chick find the elusive "cool" at last? A slapstick comedy about
friendship and playtime, and how both are best enjoyed when being
yourself.
Banana! by Ed Vere
Penguin, 9780241330333
Two monkeys argue over a banana and which of them should have it,
eventually finding the solution is to share it. The text is totally minimal,
consisting only of the words ‘Banana’ and ‘Please’. The humour in this story
lies in reading the body language and facial expressions of the protagonists
and interpreting the use of punctuation and font style in which the words
appear in speech balloons.
Here are the other CPLE book lists in this series
Developing Early Phonological Awareness
Introducing Blending and Segmenting, the Basic Code
Exploring Alternative Graphemes and Pronunciations, Complex Code