Welcome
Miss Harris here! Introducing you to our brand new Reading Newsletter. At Coleham School, we want children to LOVE reading as soon as they begin school, therefore reading is at the heart of everything we do. It opens doors to imagination, knowledge, and lifelong learning and helps children to connect with the world around them. To celebrate and nurture this love of reading, we are excited to launch our brand-new Reading Newsletter!
Each month, pupils and parents will discover:
- Recommended Reads
- Top Tips for reading
- What’s happening in school
- And so much more!
We believe it is not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading! Through this newsletter, we hope to share our knowledge of new and exciting book titles to spread the joy of reading, so every member of our school community recognises themselves as a reader!
Bookfest Shropshire Reading Conference
As Reading Leader here at Coleham, I was thrilled to spend a day at this year’s Bookfest Reading Conference. Even teachers need to learn new things, and learning about poetry performance, booktalk through picture books was definitely the perfect day for a Reading Leader, its safe to say Mr Hughes, Mrs Stennett and I came back to school buzzing with excitement about Reading! We cannot wait to share with our pupils some inspiring and refreshing new changes to our reading and writing curriculums at Coleham.
Booka Book Fair
Every class had the wonderful opportunity to spend time with Sian from Booka, exploring a beautifully curated selection of new books from an independent bookseller who truly understands the power of stories. You may have discovered some lovely new books for your Christmas list.
A huge thank you to Booka for inspiring our readers and reminding us that books open doors to imagination, curiosity, and endless possibilities.
Recommended Reads
EYFS
Empower little ones to be proud of where they come from with this beautifully illustrated celebration of food, family, and the magic of memories…
Tariq loves food, from delicious dinners with his big family to scrumptious surprises in his lunchbox at school.
But when he’s asked to bring in a special dish for his class picnic, Tariq begins to worry about how he’ll choose just one tasty favourite!
As his family inspire him with stories of their favourite foods, Tariq soon realises that choosing the perfect dish is about more than just how it tastes.
What special story would Tariq like his food to tell?
KS1
The narrator of this book will draw anything you want, but he can’t draw tigers! Except trying to draw them might be the only way to get better…
This book is magical. Whatever you think of, the narrator will draw it on the next page. There’s just one problem: they’re really bad at drawing tigers. Hilariously bad. So please, don’t think of tigers!
But of course, soon all you’ll be able to think of is tigers . . . so the narrator will draw them, more and more ridiculous as they go: a tiger in a mermaid outfit, one carrying a coffee and a briefcase, some just plain awful. But with practice, will they get better?
KS2
Enter an extraordinary magical adventure about family, fate and finding the courage to be truly yourself – perfect for fans of Nevermoor, Lemony Snicket and The Swifts.
‘An adventure overflowing with magic’ Beth Lincoln, author of The Swifts
‘A fantastic adventure’ The Times, Children’s Book of the Week
‘A wild feat of extraordinary imagination, fizzing with mystery, magic and humour’ Aisling Fowler, author of Fireborn
On her tenth birthday, Meticulous ‘Metty’ Jones receives her fate, as all children do, in the form of a magical tattoo on her hand. She hopes that her tattoo will reveal an exciting destiny: travel, discovery or adventure. What appears is a skull in the palm of a violet glove – Metty’s fate is to be a murderer.
When Metty’s father disappears in mysterious circumstances, Aunt Magnificent takes her to the glittering city of New London, filled with magic, wonder and enchantment. But when Metty hears rumours of a shadowy organisation known as the Black Moths, she begins to suspect they are connected to her own dark fate …
🚀 Launching our Comic Carts! 🎉
Our new wheely trolleys packed full of graphic novels and comics are officially rolling into school—bringing stories, colour, and creativity straight to readers!
📚✨ “Graphic novels don’t just hook reluctant readers—they ignite imaginations, build confidence, and turn reading into an adventure.”
We were thrilled that Graphic Novel Illustrator & Author Huw Lawrence loved the idea when he visited. When the best in the business gives a thumbs-up, you know you’re onto something! 🎨💬
Here’s to more reading, more excitement, and more fantastic books in school 🚀📖💥
Watch our Comic Cart trailer to find out why we need Graphic Novels in our life!
WRD Magazine
Did you know…
WRD Magazine releases three editions a year with extracts from books, recommendations from authors, puzzles and much, much more…
Even better, you can read it online for Free HERE
There is an article from Marcus Rashford in this edition!
Non-Fiction November 2025
Non-Fiction November is an annual celebration that was created by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups. It aims to highlight the joy and value of factual reading for young readers and beyond. As our research demonstrates, providing pupils with the opportunity to read and explore non-fiction plays a vital role in helping them to learn about their world, as well as fostering reading for pleasure.
Why non-fiction reading is important
In our research, more than half (56%) of children and young people told us that they read non-fiction. We also found that children and young people who read non-fiction are more engaged with environmental issues.
Overall, this report found that more children and young people who read non-fiction were motivated to read for educational purposes, to satisfy curiosities, to foster social connections and to support their mental well being.
Those who read non-fiction are more likely to want to take care of the environment compared with those who don’t read non-fiction (68% vs 49%).
Read the full report on Children and young people’s non-fiction reading.
https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/children-and-young-peoples-non-fiction-reading-and-environmental-engagement/
Non-Fiction November 2025 Competition
We are delighted to announce the NNFN competition for this year. Children are invited to create a piece based on a historical event, person or place near where they live. The aim is to encourage investigating the local area and learning about the past. Children can draw, or create a model or piece of art accompanied by a brief description.
- The age group categories are 5-7, 8-10, 11-16.
- For the 5-7 Age group the maximum is 50 words
- For 8-10 the maximum is 100 words
- For 11-16 the maximum is 200 words.
- We encourage the entries to be as creative as possible.
- All entries must be received by 6th December 2025.
Please send entries by post to the address in the Terms and Conditions or by email to nnfn@fcbg.org.uk with an entry form. If the entry is extremely creative, such as a 3D Model or a larger piece of work, please do send in photos of the work with a description on how it was made.
https://fcbg.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/National-Nonfiction-November-Competition-Entry-Form-Individual-Entry.docx