Welcome
Hello everyone, Miss Harris here! Welcome to December’s edition of The Coleham Reading Newsletter. This month I am keen to share with you some further book recommendations, as well as telling you a little bit about what’s coming up in school.
Read on for more information about an exciting Reading Challenge this winter, and learn more about the benefits of Audiobooks.
As we approach the Christmas Holidays, we hope you and your child enjoy a well-earned rest and a enjoy the opportunity to invest some time in a new book. Who knows, Santa may even have some new exciting book titles making their way onto his sleigh and down the chimney this Christmas time. Whatever you do to celebrate, we all hope you have a fantastic time.
Recommended Reads
EYFS
A hilarious and heartwarming picture book about sharing, big feelings, and learning how to speak up!
Packed with vibrant illustrations and laugh-out-loud moments, Bear is a delightful story that little readers will want to revisit again and again. Perfect for bedtime, storytime, or any time!
Bear is ready for the perfect day – blue skies, a cosy bench, his favourite book, a delicious cookie, and a bright balloon. Bliss!
But just as he settles in, Fox wants a spot on the bench. Then Wolf asks for a bite of cookie. Rabbit wants a turn with the book. And Elephant? Well, he has his eyes on that balloon…
Before Bear knows it, his peaceful day has turned into a chaotic whirlwind of sharing, and he’s about to explode! AAAAAARGH!
From the brilliant mind of author-illustrator Natalia Shaloshvili, Bear is a laugh-out-loud, beautifully illustrated story about learning to say what you really mean before your emotions take over.
For fans of Owl Babies and The Koala Who Could – this is a must-read for little readers learning about friendship, boundaries, and the power of their own voice!
KS1
What if your guide to the cosmos starts to lose his way?
Fascinated by her grandad, a famous astronomer, a little girl could listen to his star stories for hours. But one day he starts to forget the constellations and eventually he can’t even remember her name. Discover how love can reach across galaxies whether stars shine brightly or grow dim.
LKS2
A brand new collection of poetry by former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen, author of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, with illustrations by acclaimed artist Ed Vere.
What would it be like to live in the future? Or underwater? What would you do if you could go back in time? Or be a cat? Or a blood cell? What would happen if a monster ate every letter of the alphabet?
In this extraordinary collection of brand new poems, beloved writer and former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen will make you laugh, make you smile, make you think, and take you out of this world.
Beautifully illustrated throughout by acclaimed artist Ed Vere, this is a book to treasure and share – a perfect introduction to poetry for readers of all ages.
UKS2
Alien Grimstink has travelled ninety thousand light years to annihilate all life on Earth.
13-year-old Layla Tenby has travelled half a mile to deliver leaflets for affordable fence panels.
But, when they swap places, Grimstink finds himself battling traffic wardens and the Subway sandwich ordering system, while Layla is zapped to a strange planet and left fighting for the future of the galaxy whether she wants to or not (spoiler: she does not want to). Is Reece, Layla’s annoying younger brother, key to the galaxy’s survival, or will his friendship with new bestie Grimstink lead them all to impending doom?
From black holes to shopping precincts; from mining satellites to old people’s homes; from quantum spaceships to the middle aisle of Aldi. Is this the end of all life on planet Earth…
…or the beginning of a beautiful friendship?
Bookfest Book Award 2026
We are delighted to announce that this year our Year 5 pupils will be taking part in this years Bookfest Book Award, but what is Book Award I here you ask?
Book Award is a nationally recognised reading initiative that delivers comprehensive support for teachers and children in developing reading for pleasure. The basic idea – to find the fiction titles published in the last 12 months that Shropshire pupils aged 5-7 and 9-11 years love the most.
Schools will be given multiple copies of each of the six shortlisted titles, which will be kept by the school at the end of the project. Children read and vote for their favourite book from a shortlist of 6 books. Alongide this exciting project Bookfest Shropshire will be running competitions for the children to explore their thoughts about the books, so watch this space for more information on this in the New Year!
To wrap up the project pupils in Year 5 will be invited to attend an Awards Ceremony at Theatre Severn on 21st April at 10am, where Bookfest leaders will reveal the winning author and hear and see the shortlisted authors on stage talking about their books. We look forward to sharing more about this over the next few months.
Audio Books
Whilst we are all about books here at Coleham, we also reognise that life is busy and amidst the juggle of daily routine, it can be hard to find time to sit and read a book together as a family or one-to-one with your child. It might be that you have a reluctant reader in your household too which can sometimes turn the juggle into a battleground.
So are Audio books helpful?
In a recent study, The National Literacy Trust highlighted many benefits of listening to audio (such as audio books and podcasts) including:
- Giving your child a wider access to different types of stories
- Help to create a more immersive experience
- Can inspire creativity
- A great way to encourage reluctant or less confident readers to grow a love of stories
- Offers an oasis of time to spend time together as a family
- Can help children to learn new things
- Great for on the go
- Can support wellbeing
Where to discover audio books
- Head to your local library
- Audible playlists for every mood – Discover a new favourite story or listen together to the classics as a family. The National Literacy Trust have partnered with Audible to bring you a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books narrated for your listening pleasure.
- Discover Stories Aloud in Nosy Crow books – Every Nosy Crow paperback picture book comes with a FREE audio reading, complete with sound effects and original music. Scan the QR code in the book and hear the story.
- BBC Sounds app – Did you know there are audiobooks available on the BBC Sounds app as well as radio and music? Dive into the section marked ‘Children’ to find lots of stories as well as podcasts.
Festive Audio book Recommendations
- The Snow Queen – Suitable for children aged 7 to 11.
- The Penguin Who Wanted to Find Out – Suitable for children aged 3 to 7.
- Hanukkah Bear – Suitable for children aged 4 to 8.
- Diary of a Christmas Elf – Suitable for children aged 6 to 10.
- A Boy Called Christmas – Suitable for children aged 7 to 10.
- Ladybird Stories for Diwali – Suitable for children aged 3 to 6.
- The Dark is Rising – Suitable for children aged 9 to 11.
- The Truth About Mrs Claus – Suitable for children aged 4 to 8.
Winter Reading Challenge
Do you have a Bookworm in your house, smeone that loves reading and can never put a book down. Then ‘The Winter Mini Challenge’ might be for you. Designed to tackle the holiday reading ‘dip’ The Winter Mini Challenge, aims to encourage children aged 4-11 to keep reading over the winter holidays. This year’s Winter Mini Challenge runs from 1st December 2025 to 20th February 2026.
To complete the Winter Mini Challenge, children must read three or more books of their choice. Fact books, story books, joke books, picture books, audio books and e-books all count. Children can then sign up on the dedicated website to log and review their reads and unlock their Winter Mini Challenge certificate.
Cost: Free