With world book day next week, we have asked our nursery area manager Mel, as well as all our management teams, to supply their favourite 10 children’s books for you to flick through and get inspired for your next amazon purchase. Being such an advocate of reading, Mel has managed to narrow it down to 12, so you even get two bonus books!

Here they are:

Shark in The Park – Nick Sharratt

A modern classic and always a favourite. I love a book that children can join in with and this one is a great example of that. Even from an early age, children will enjoy looking through their telescope for sharks and then very quickly start joining in with Timothy to shout “There’s a Shark in the Park”. If you love it, there are several “Shark in the….” books that you can get hold of to expand your collection!

You Choose – Pippa Goodhart

This is a lovely book that does exactly what it says on the tin. Each page asks a different question, and Nick Sharratt’s fab illustrations give options for children to choose from. This is a great book to spark conversation and encourage language with your little one, while you discuss big questions like “if you could live anywhere where would you live?” and “is there a job you’d like to do?”

Amazing Grace – Mary Hoffman

A book I grew up with and always loved so I had to include it! A fantastic story with the key message that you be anything you want to be – what better message to send to our little people?

Crazy Hair – Neil Gaiman

Something a bit different – Crazy Hair is always a popular book when we share it with the children but it’s not a well-known one. It’s all about a person with hair so crazy that all sorts of weird and wonderful things live inside it. The illustrations are beautiful and it always sparks lots of laughter and interests leading to some lovely activities and conversations about what else might be inside the Crazy Hair!

I am Enough – Grace Byers

The title says it all. A book that celebrates the fact that while we may all be different, we are all enough.

Naughty Bus – Jan and Jerry Oke

Again, not a very well known one but always popular. All about a bus that gets up to no good. Children love the photos which are used rather than drawings and, for older children, the interesting text can spark conversations around all sorts including grammar and descriptive writing!

Bodies are Cool – Tyler Feder

A relatively new book that I have fallen in love with. This book is all about body positivity which is so important to instil with her little people and it is full of diverse images of people from all walks of life. There is so much to talk about in the illustrations on each page that sparks interest and conversation from the children.

Invisible String – Patrice Karst

This a lovely story in its own right, but one which is particularly useful to use when children are experiencing loss. The book talks about how we are attached to people we love by Invisible String, however far away they are and even if they are no longer with us.

Mae Among the Stars – Roda Ahmed

Not dissimilar to Amazing Grace but I couldn’t choose between them. Another book about being able to achieve anything you set your mind to. A popular one with our many budding astronauts too!

My Shadow is Pink – Scott Stuart

Another fairly new book which is all about equality, diversity and breaking down gender stereotypes. A lovely one to read to children as they are learning about what they love and we are teaching them that we are all different and have different interests, styles and personalities and that this isn’t just OK, it’s amazing – the world would be a pretty boring place if we didn’t wouldn’t it!?

This Is Not a Stick – Antoinette Portis

This one fits perfectly in with our Muddy Boots ethos around open-ended resources. It is a great example for the children of how they can use their imagination to make resources into lots of different things. A stick is a great place to start with this but then we like to extend this with different resources – one of our favourite things is a box – endless possibilities!

Another – Christian Robinson

A book with no words, just some gorgeous images. Books like this are fab as the story can be different every time as children talk through what they think is happening on each page and they can use their imaginations to build the story.

For most parents, choosing a nursery leaves them feeling worried about moving on to the next stage of their life. At Muddy Boots Nurseries, we provide early years childcare you can be completely confident in, knowing your child is thriving in a nursery you both love