Every single day our members share books their children have been reading and have enjoyed. This is how our peer-to-peer recommendation model has succeeded over the last 7 years. Here are the ones we have curated for you!
PICTURE BOOKS
PENCIL DOG by Leigh Hodgkinson (32 pages) – we all love her illustrations!!
AWARD WINNING!!! Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob by Huw Aaron for 3-7 years (32 pages) [Winner of 2026 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Also Best Illustrated Book]. This Mimi & Max Story series is available individually too.
Wordy Birdy by Tammi Sawyer for 3-7 years (32 pages). The author has written many other fun books like Wordy Birdy Meets Mr. Cougarpants
Whatever Next! by the legendary Jill Murphy for 2-5 years
My Behaviour and Emotions Library Books for Kids on Empathy Ages 3-8| Helps Children Recognise Different Emotions & Discover Their Reasons (20 Volume Box Set) published by Woodpecker Books (Wilco)
My Feelings And Manners Library for Kids on Empathy Ages 3-8 | Helps Children Recognise Different Manners & Discover Their Reasons (20 Volume Box Set) published by Woodpecker Books (Wilco)
Mimi & Max Explore Collection of 12 Books for Kids: France, Italy, India, Egypt, South Africa, Singapore & Malaysia, France, China, and More Books | … Kids – Travel and Discover Cities| For Age 3+
There’s No Such Thing as a Snappenpoop for 3-6 years (32 pages)
The Magic School Bus Gets Recycled (Scholastic Reader, Level 2) for 4-8 years (32 pages)
WINNER – THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS 2026 FOR CHILDREN’S NON FICTION & ILLUSTRATED!!
Oh Dear, Look What I Got!: A new rhyming classic from Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury, creators of the multi-million-copy-selling WE’RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT for 3-7 years (40 pages)
Chicken Dance by Tammi Sauer and Dan Santat (award winning Illustrator everyone at kbc adores!) (44 pages)
Don’t Trust Fish! by Neil Sharpson and illustrated by the award winning Dan Santat (of the After the Fall fame – a bestseller at kbc) for 4-7 years (40 pages). Payal high recommends this book as her son Rajveer loves this book. Quoting her: “If you have a child who is a fan of funny books which make for great dramatic readalouds, this picture book about fish and how we MUST not trust them, is a must have! Be prepared to laugh out loud!”
The Great Indian Travelogue – Magical journey across India | Kids travel book | Children’s early learning picture book | Yug Books for 4-9 years (82 pages). Amardeep has this and can’t recommend it enough to learn more about each state and union territory of India. It has many interesting facts that other books haven’t covered. There are lots of other storybooks by Yug Media.
EARLY CHAPTER BOOKS
Ballerina Dreams by Michaela DePrince (based on her true story) for 5-8 years (80 pages)
The Mysterious Light (Jack Jones)
The Haunted Lighthouse: 2 (Jack Jones) for 6-10 years (100 pages)
Hotel Flamingo: The flamboyantly fun animal adventure! for 5-8 years (192 pages). There are other books in the HOTEL FLAMINGO series! Sindhuja introduced us to this series here in the kbc fb group. Quoting her: “I recently came across an absolutely delightful book called Hotel Flamingo, and it was an instant hit with my 7 year old kid.
When Anna inherits Hotel Flamingo, she is thrilled to become its new owner. But her excitement quickly turns to shock when she sees the hotel for the first time. Once a grand and famous destination, it has fallen into disrepair. The building is run-down, there are hardly any guests, and only two loyal staff members—a devoted bear and a hardworking lemming—remain to keep things going.
Determined to restore the hotel to its former glory, Anna rolls up her sleeves and gets to work. But there’s one major obstacle standing in her way: a luxurious, swanky hotel nearby that attracts all the guests. To succeed, Anna must figure out what makes Hotel Flamingo special and offer something that money can’t buy. Can she transform the neglected hotel into the most welcoming place in town and win back animals from far and wide?
At over 170 pages, this charming chapter book is packed with simple illustrations that help young readers stay engaged throughout the story. The language is clear and accessible, making it a wonderful choice for intermediate and independent readers. Filled with themes of friendship, loyalty, teamwork, perseverance, and kindness, the story presents important values in a way children can easily understand and relate to.
Warm, funny, and heartwarming, Hotel Flamingo is a book that is sure to keep young readers turning the pages. Recommended for children aged 6+ years. The series includes four books, so there’s plenty more adventure waiting after the first one!”
The Railway Cat by by Philip Ardagh (Author), Rob Biddulph (Illustrator) for 6 years+ (176 pages). This book is part of The Nine Lives of Furry Purry Beancat series. Other books that get ordered often include The Pirate Captain’S Cat.
CHAPTER BOOKS
Fluffy and Me: True Story of True Friends (296 pages)
Uncle Gobb and the Plot Plot by Michael Rossen for 7-9 years (272 pages). One of Neil’s current faves. There are other UNCLE GOBB books in this series.
Rattu and Poorie’s Adventures in History: 1857 by Parvati Sharma for 8 years+ (112 pages). Amardeep shared her review in our kbc fb group here along with inside pages. Quoting her:
“History can sometimes feel distant and difficult for children. But Rattu & Poorie’s Adventures in History: 1857 made it feel alive and exciting, for Neil. What he loved most was that the book does not read like a textbook, unlike some other history books we have read. Instead of simply listing events from 1857, it takes children on an adventure through the eyes of two sisters, Rattu and Poorie, who suddenly find themselves meeting unforgettable historical figures like Rani Lakshmibai and Bahadur Shah Zafar.
The thing I loved about the book was how naturally it blends storytelling with history. Neil didn’t even realise how much he was learning because he was completely absorbed in the journey. He kept asking questions, wanting to know whether these characters were real (can we Google them?!), what actually happened in 1857, and why people fought the British. When a book makes a child curious about history, you know that book is special.
His favourite parts were the scenes involving Rani Lakshmibai. He loved the courage, action, and the feeling that he was standing inside history rather than just reading about it – thanks to the illustrations! I grew up hating history, and I wish I had books like this to make history interesting.”
Code Name Bananas by David Walliams and illustrated by Tony Ross for 9-11 years. Neil enjoys David Walliams books big time, so when i met him he showed me this one and said “everyone at kbc should read it!” Every child must have at least one DAVID WALLIAMS BOOK!
The Accidental President by Tom McLaughlin for 9 years+ (240 pages). This is part of the extremely engaging THE ACCIDENTAL series!
The Accidental Rock Star (240 pages)
The Amazing Generation: Packed with facts, stories and secrets to help kids break free from phones.
Amardeep has shared a review and inside pages in the kbc fb group here. Excerpts:
“Sometimes, you come across a book that feels like a true gem – that holds the power to change an entire generation merely by explaining reality in simple, easy to understand words. The Amazing Generation is one such book, and it holds to power to make our children (and us) realise how technology and the tech giants have hypnotised us!
The authors explain through a fairytale of glowing stones, and gems how wizards cast a spell to make us believe that social media, video games and watching videos will give us friendship, fun and entertainment.
Then through real life stories of teens, and adults who spent their teens gaming, they explain what it actually gives – loneliness, anxiety and the inability to explore oneself!
The greatest problem? The apps and games are designed such that one spends maximum time and money on them- 5 day streak, rewards to lure you back, codes and hacks for double points, and if course spend money to advance more.
The most startling revelation for Neil was that the very tech giants who make these apps and games, know how bad and addictive they are and have banned them for their own kids, while profiting off of other kids in the world!
What I liked the most in the book is how it introduces the concept of being a rebel – not having a smartphone, not having a social media account, using technology for your benefit instead of letting it use you! Further it also explains how you can do that, by going out and making actual friends, developing actual hobbies, and pursuing actual interests.
If you buy just one book this month, it should be this one. Buy it, gift it. It’s life changing, and guaranteed to make your child think twice about screen time.”
Roverandom: An enchanting tale of humorous fantasy for younger readers from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit (128 pages)
Smith Of Wootton Major: A captivating tale of fantasy and adventure from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit (224 pages)
Farmer Giles of Ham: An enchanting fantasy tale for younger readers and adults alike from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit (240 pages)
Evie and Maryam’s Family Tree: Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2026 for 9-12 years (352 pages)
Wildlands: A gripping new novel about survival against the odds, for 8-12 years (416 pages)
SWIMMING AGAINST THE STORM for 9-11 years by Jess Butterworth (Author), Rob Biddulph (Designer) (288 pages)
Speechless by Kate Darbishire for 10-12 years (218 pages)
MANGA BOOKS by NARUTO: Masashi Kishimoto
YOUNG ADULT (YA)
A Language of Dragons: The instant #1 Sunday Times bestseller – Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2026 for 14 years+
You’ve Reached Sam: The bestselling heartbreaking YA romance with a touch of magic (304 pages)
[Note from Team Kids Book Café: For your convenience, affiliate links (MARKED IN PINK) to some of the book titles & images have been added to enable you to buy the books from AMAZON, should you wish to! A very small amount of money comes to kidsbookcafe.com when you purchase a book via the amazon affiliate link provided (at absolutely no extra cost to you!). Do let us know if you need information about other children’s books by writing to asha@kidsbookcafe.com.]
