BooksForTopics

🎈 100 YEARS OF WINNIE-THE-POOH! 🐻🍯
Can you believe that it's a whole century since the soft-hearted bear took his first steps into the Hundred Acre Wood and straight into children’s literature history?! 🌳 I wonder how many of us have fond memories of this bear and his band of friends!

Although Pooh (also known as Edward Bear) had popped up briefly in poems and newspaper prints, this month marks 100 years since his big moment inside pages of his own. 🥳 A. A. Milne’s very first book, brought to life by Ernest H. Shepard’s iconic illustrations, arrived in October 1926. 📚

Inspired by a favourite teddy bear belonging to Milne’s son, Christopher Robin, Pooh’s cosy adventures went on to win hearts around the world, especially after Walt Disney brought him to the big screen in 1961!

🐻 What makes Pooh so relatable to children, then? Perhaps it is because the character seems to capture how children think and gives permission to celebrate moving at a slower pace. Perhaps it's the warmth and wonderfully silly logic. Or perhaps the tales of Pooh and friends just capture a timeless simplicity that has made them endure through the years.

Introduce Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga and Pooh to today’s generation of young readers and you’ll see instantly that these tales haven’t aged a day! 🙌

It’s no wonder Pooh remains a permanent fixture on nursery and primary school bookshelves. 💛 Pooh features across the BooksForTopics children's booklists, from our Classic Children's Books to our Year 1 Recommended Reads. And with gorgeous new 100th-anniversary editions arriving this year, a whole new generation is about to fall in love with the Hundred Acre Wood all over again.

Did you grow up with Winnie-the-Pooh? Let us know which characters or favourite story moments you remember the most - tell us in the comments below! 👇

Farshore Books

Happy ! 🫶
Which poems are you celebrating today? Have you found any poetry books with 'more flavours than a thousand jelly beans'?
One of our all time favourite poems is 'Books Have Helped Me' from Joseph Coelho & Kate Milner's collection Overheard in a Tower Block.

🤩 Does your picture book collection include this modern classic from an iconic duo? 🐻 📚

When We're Going on a Bear Hunt creators Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury team up, you know it's going to be special.

If you haven't explored 'Oh Dear, Look What I Got!' yet, first published last September, it's a huge hit for EYFS and KS1. 🙌

“I went to the shop to get me a carrot. Oh dear, they gave me …. a parrot!!” ..and so on!

🥕 This interactive guess-the-rhyme fun makes it a firm favourite on our Oracy booklists (and it's a British Book Award winner too!). Perfect for storytime giggles and getting young readers joining in.

Do you have this one in your class or school library yet? Let us know what you think! 👇

🔗 Perfect for fans of Dear Zoo and Bear Hunt! Grab a copy here (Affiliate link): https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1529510899?ref=t_ac_spc_accepted_tile&linkCode=tr1&tag=stoagetoiroag-21&linkId=1529510899_1790786964344

👀 TOPIC BOOKS AT A GLANCE! 🤩 Whether you're learning about Ancient Egypt or exploring World War 2, we've got you covered...

Don't forget we have these Topic Booklist Posters ready to go. 🙌

We created these as a simple, free resource to help you share book recommendations with your class and school community without having to spend ages designing something yourself. 📚 They cover most of the popular history topics like the Romans and Stone Age, and are easy to print off for a book corner, share on your school website or send home in a newsletter.

Find these in the history section of our website. We'll also pop the link to the resources page in the comments below if you'd like to take a look! 👇

Newly Announced! 🥳 Congratulations to the winners of the The Week Junior book awards! Find out about the winning books on our blog:

The Week Junior Book Awards 2026 Winners Announced Discover the winners of The Week Junior Book Awards 2026! Explore top children's books across fiction, picture books, STEM and more.

🤩 Become reading WORLD RECORD breakers! Would you like to be part of a new reading world record? Sign your school up to take part!

On Thursday 8 October, in partnership with British Council, the National Literacy Trust will attempt to set a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the most people reading online in 12 hours. It’s part of the campaign in the . 🙌

Once signed up, you can join online sessions with authors and influencers - including Frank Cottrell Boyce, Rashmi Sirdeshpande and Nathanael Lessore. 📚 Each session lasts no more than an hour and includes a dedicated ten-minute reading session, during which participants will read together. This forms part of the Guinness World Records attempt and certificates can also be ordered for participants.

🌟 Schools, businesses, community groups, families and individuals can all get involved!

Find our more and sign up here: https://literacytrust.org.uk/events/take-10-record-attempt/

📚 🙌 RECOMMENDED READ posters by year group – FREE to download! 🤩
Our '50 Recommended Reads' posters are available to download from the BooksForTopics website, featuring handpicked book choices for every primary year group - all reviewed and curated by experts! 📚

Each poster highlights 50 fantastic titles, from brand new releases and graphic novels to non-fiction and classic favourites. 🌟 Perfect for updating reading lists or helping parents find that next great read at home.

We've got lists all the way from Preschool to Year 9!

🔗 Download your free printable copies here:
https://www.booksfortopics.com/booklists/recommended-reads/

Sharing is caring - please pass this on to any teachers, parents or school librarians who’d love these!

[Ad] 🎉 WIN Class Sets & Book Bundles: Lulu Turns 20! 📚

Happy 20th Birthday to Anna McQuinn’s iconic Lulu picture book series, published by independent publisher Alanna Max! 🥳

To celebrate two decades of these beloved stories, we’ve published a special Q&A with author Anna McQuinn over on the blog. 🎁 Plus, we’re giving away amazing class sets and book bundles for your school or home library!

➡️ Enter the giveaway here:
https://www.booksfortopics.com/lulu-turns-20-win-a-class-set-and-read-our-interview/

💬 Which Lulu book is a favourite in your classroom or home? Let us know in the comments below!

Alanna Max

We are saddened to hear of the passing of Terry Denton, the hugely talented illustrator and author best known for bringing the wild and wonderfully anarchic world of the Treehouse series to life. 🌳

Terry’s illustrations are a pure explosion of joy. Packed with comic-style line drawings, incredible treehouse diagrams and hilarious speech bubbles, his artwork is known for inspiring imaginations and being the catalyst for endless treehouse drawings of children's own.

📚 With a high image-to-text ratio and a deliciously wacky sense of humour, the Treehouse books have earned a legendary reputation for hooking young readers, especially those who might otherwise be reluctant to pick up a book. It’s no surprise that the series features so prominently across our BooksforTopics lists, including our Year 3 Recommended Reads, our Reluctant Reader lists and even inspiring its very own Branching Out guide due to its great popularity.

In a moving tribute, his longtime collaborator Andy Griffiths shared:

“Working – and playing – with Terry over three decades has been an incredible honour and a pure delight. I’ve never laughed so hard as I did when working with him, whether in the writing room or on stage. He was a true clown and much beloved.”

Terry’s family noted that his stories will continue to bring "wonder, laughter and comfort to generations yet to come."

His publisher, Curtis Brown, shared that Terry passed away surrounded by his family on Monday. Our thoughts are with Terry’s family, friends and co-authors during this sad time. Thank you, Terry, for the millions of giggles, the brilliant doodles, and the gift of reading you have given to so many children. 🎨🏡

We LOVE this incredible post box topper spotted in Ely! 🐘📚

Look at Elmer sitting right next to a grey elephant - a perfect reminder of David McKee's classic story celebrating the joy of being unique. 🌈

For the past five years, Ely's mysterious Secret Yarn Bomber has gorgeously adorned local post boxes with colourful creations. This summer, they are hanging up their knitting needles and winding in their wool, leaving one final message:

"One final stitch. Every story has a beginning, a middle and an end..." 🧵

What a fitting final chapter to honour Elmer and bring so much delight to passers by!

❤️ Thank you to the Secret Yarn Bomber for five years of favourite stories brought to life in stitch.

Have you spotted a storybook post box topper near you? Share your photos in the comments! 👇