The Boy at the Back of the

Class by Onjali Rauf

This is a lovely, warm book

that is all about kindness, and

putting yourself into someone

else’s shoes.

The Lorax by Dr Suess

This is an incredibly important

book with a message about

environmentalism.  “Unless

someone like you cares a

whole awful lot/Nothing is

going to get better, it’s not”.

You have a heart of stone if

you’re not moved by this

book.

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid

Lindgren

Pippi Longstocking was so

strong she could lift a horse

above her head. She had

independent means, no

visible parents, the cheek of

several Peter Pans and her

very own monkey. I longed to

be her when I was a child.

The Ogre Downstairs by Diana Wynne

Jones

This book has wicked stepfathers, and

chemicals that make you fly. When I

was nine years old, I read it to my

brother and sister, my cousins, to

anyone who would listen, and 35 years

later, I read it to my own children. I

have never met a child who does not

love this book.

Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane

and Jackie Morris

We need our children to have a

connection with the natural world,

and the language to describe it is

crucial. Robert and Jackie’s book is

not only a truly beautiful book, it’s

an important one too.

Cressida Cowell is the author and illustrator of the

bestselling The Wizards of Once and How to Train

Your Dragon books series, and the author of the

Emily Brown picture books, illustrated by Neal

Layton. The Wizards of Once series has been

translated into 37 languages and has been signed

by DreamWorks Animation. How to Train Your

Dragon has sold over 8 million books worldwide in

38 languages and is a major DreamWorks Animation

film franchise, as well as being made into a TV

series on Netflix and CBBC.

Cressida is  currently the Waterstones Children’s

Laureate (2019 – 2021). She is also an ambassador

for the National Literacy Trust and the Reading

Agency, a Trustee of World Book Day and a founder

patron of the Children’s Media Foundation. She has

won numerous prizes, including the Gold Award in

the Nestle Children’s Book Prize.

Follow Cressida on Twitter at @CressidaCowell

CRESSIDA COWELL'S TOP 5 READS