Books to help your child cover the basics before they start school.
Find more resources on preparing for school, including recommended books and a loanable school pack.
Tiger, Don’t Worry!
Daishu Ma
In this heart-warming tale of friendship, responsibility and courage, Mei and her exuberant friend Tiger eagerly try to help make tea, but their efforts lead to broken tools and panic!
Fearing being scolded, they run away, but Mei soon realises the importance of facing their mistake. Returning home with trepidation, they are met not with anger, but with patience – and a lesson on how to make tea properly!
This delightful story concludes with the best friends learning that admitting mistakes and learning together brings them closer to their family.
Don’t Do It, Doug
Maudie Powell-Tuck
You know that little voice in your head – the one that says, ‘Do NOT do that thing’. Doug ignores it. Every. Single. Time.
From shaking fizzy pop (uh-oh) to pressing oh-so-tempting red buttons, Doug just cannot help himself. Look! There he goes again. Don’t do it, Doug!
The Knight Who Said No!
Lucy Rowland
Ned the Knight always does exactly what he’s told. When his parents ask him to pick up his toys, dig up the cabbages or go to bed on time, he does it all with a smile. And when the dragon swoops into town every night, he always runs inside just as he’s asked.
But one morning, instead of saying, ‘yes’, he says, ‘no!’ He will not help his dad find his shield, his arrow or his bow, and he will certainly not let the butcher go past.
That night, he refuses to go inside, and in doing so he confronts the dragon, making a very unlikely friend.
Lotta & Lola: Pudding Now Please
Lauren Child
Meet Lotta and Lola! They are small and very chattery. TODAY, they are chattering about kindness and how to have goodish manners…
There’s ‘hello’ and also ‘thank you’. There’s ‘please’ and also ‘you’re welcome’.
And why isn’t it goodish manners to say: ‘Pudding now please!’?
Well, maybe Lotta and Lola can help with that…
The Goody
Lauren Child
Chirton Krauss is a good child – the very goodest. He does everything he is told, when he is told. He even does good things without being told. He eats his broccoli, he goes to bed on time and he never, ever sticks his finger up his nose.
Meanwhile, Chirton’s sister, Myrtle, is not a good child. She stays up late, she never cleans out the rabbit’s hutch and she drops her choco puffs all over the carpet!
But what will happen when Chirton Krauss decides that being the ‘goody’ isn’t so good after all?
Saying Sorry
Roger Hargreaves
Little Miss Stubborn is stubborn about everything, including saying sorry.
But when there is an accident at Mr Perfect’s painting class, the Mr Men and Little Miss realise that those you least expect sometimes need to learn how to apologise too.
Oops!
Simon Philip
You probably know it’s good manners to ALWAYS say ‘Sorry’ when you make a mistake. But when Clare forgets this very simple rule (OOPS!), the consequences are stranger than she could ever have imagined.
Get ready for a laugh-out-loud adventure featuring dragons, trolls, polar explorers and a whole load of furious fishermen. Saying ‘Sorry’ has never been so important!
When I Am Playful
Paula Bowles
We can’t control how we feel, but we are in charge of what we do.
Why do we behave the way we do? How do our actions affect others? How can we become more aware of our behaviour?
The Elephant and the Bad Baby
Elfrida Vipont and Raymond Briggs
Follow along with the adventures of a giant elephant and a mischievous baby in this timeless picture-book story.
When an Elephant meets a Bad Baby and offers them a ride, it’s the start of a wild adventure – going ‘rumpeta, rumpeta, rumpeta’ down the road, and helping themselves to ice creams, lollipops, and all manner of sweet treats.
But as a long line of disgruntled shopkeepers and salespeople begin to follow them, Bad Baby learns the importance of saying ‘please,’ and all the trouble you can get into if you forget…
Rosie Signs: Please and Thank You!
Rose Ayling-Ellis and Camilla Arnold
Join Rose and Kitten Casper in this special story for 0-5 year olds and learn to sign along the way.
Every page shows Baby Rose introducing a new, essential sign to her Kitten Casper, with a simple step-by-step demonstration for young readers to follow and join in too.
Achoo!
Simon Philip and Nathan Reed
You probably know it’s good manners to ALWAYS cover your nose when you sneeze. But when Sid forgets this very simple rule, the consequences are WILDER than he could ever have predicted.
Get ready for a laugh-out-loud, sneeze-driven joyride, featuring elephants, pirates, acrobats, giants, princesses and a whole lot of pandas. Sneezing will never be the same again!
Please!
Simon Philip and Nathan Reed
You probably know it’s good manners to ALWAYS say ‘please’ when asking for something. But when Bill forgets this very simple rule, the consequences are WACKIER than he could ever have imagined.
Get ready for a laugh-out-loud adventure featuring spaceships, jungle tigers, mountain yaks, fairytale castles and a whole host of alien toads.
Richard Scarry’s Please and Thank You Book
Richard Scarry
Join Richard Scarry’s beloved characters Huckle Cat, Lowly Worm and more on a very busy day in Busytown as they learn how to be polite, helpful, stay safe – and have a great time!
When a Dragon Comes to Stay
Caryl Hart
When a dragon comes to stay, will she behave herself? Why, of course she will. Obviously she knows she must share her toys, eat daintily and skip happily upstairs at bathtime. Well, not quite.
Like all toddlers, this little dragon finds good manners a tiny bit tricky. It’s lucky she has some friends to help her.
Perfectly Polite Penguins
Georgiana Deutsch
Penguins are ALWAYS perfectly polite. They wait their turn, they share their toys and they never forget to say please or thank you!
But then Polly the not-so-polite penguin decides that being polite is BORING! And when the other penguins start to agree… Uh oh! It’s chaos!
My Name is Bear!
Nicola Killen
Bear can’t wait to introduce himself to his new neighbours because he thinks he has the best name in the world!
But when he learns his neighbours’ names he can’t stop laughing and his comments become more and more rude!
Will Bear ever learn some manners?
Miss Molly’s School of Manners
James Maclaine
Join Algernon the raccoon at Miss Molly’s School of Manners and take lessons in the Careful Listening Laboratory and the Art of Sharing Studio, learn table manners in the Dining Hall of Decorum, visit Sorry Sickbay, and shine at Good Sports Day.
How Rude!
Clare Helen Welsh
Dot invites Duck to a tea party, but from the moment Duck enters the house, the tea party descends into chaos; from licking sandwich fillings to spitting tea, Duck gets ruder…and ruder…and ruder. Just how will Dot react to such outrageous behavior?
Simple, funny, and ultimately touching, this book will appeal to any child who is learning what it is not to be rude and, more importantly, what it is to be a true friend.
Finn’s Little Fibs
Tom Percival
When Finn accidentally breaks his grandma’s precious clock, he tells a teeny tiny little lie – and blames it on his sister instead! Soon, Finn’s little fib is OUT OF CONTROL, and it’s getting in the way of everything! Can he find a way to tell the truth?
This reassuring and humorous book is the perfect springboard for talking to children about the importance of honesty.
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