Great Books Guide 2022: For 6 to 7 year olds
Here's a round-up of new children's books from the last year (2022), which we think any child aged 6 to 7 years will love.
In our selection, you'll find everything from modern fairy tales to exciting adventures and intriguing non-fiction.
-
Bad Panda
Author: Swapna Haddow Illustrator: Sheena Dempsey
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Interest age: 8-11
Reading age: 8+If being good gets you sent to a zoo thousands of miles from home, maybe being bad will get you sent back? Anyone who’s ever been cuddled, smooshed or had their hair mussed up one too many times will empathise with Lin, who is tired of being adorable.
-
Bunny vs Monkey and the League of Doom!
Author: Jamie Smart
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Interest age: 7-11
Reading age: 8+Presented as a series of short comic strip stories, with themes as diverse as filling Bunny’s house with custard and distorting the fabric of time and space, the Bunny vs Monkey universe is wildly imaginative and packed with anarchic humour and plentiful fart and poo jokes.
-
Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives
Author: Dav Pilkey
Publisher: Scholastic
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 6+This clever story within a story teaches important lessons about perspective as well as a variety of literary and drawing techniques.
-
Everything Under the Sun
Author: Molly Oldfield Illustrator: various
Publisher: Ladybird Books
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 6+Why are dogs domesticated? Why are sweets bad for you? These, and 364 other questions (including an extra one for a leap year), were sent to Molly Oldfield for her children's podcast Everything Under The Sun, and are answered in one extremely helpful book.
-
Einstein the Penguin
Author: Iona Rangeley Illustrator: David Tazzyman
Publisher: HarperCollins
Interest age: 6-11
Reading age: 8+One day, Einstein the penguin turns up at the house of the Stewart family and they discover he is on a rescue mission. Funny, intriguing and utterly heart-warming, this wonderful chapter book will delight newly confident junior readers.
-
Grimwood
Author: Nadia Shireen
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Interest age: 6-9
Reading age: 7+Fox siblings Ted and Nancy live in the big city but decide to find Grimwood, a faraway forest where they can lie low. Nadia Shireen’s first illustrated middle grade novel is a brilliantly hilarious and heartwarming tale, full of her trademark anarchic humour.
-
Kitty Quest
Author: Phil Corbett
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Interest age: 7-9
Reading age: 7+Kittens Woolfrik and Perigold set up a monster-hunting stall, although business is slow, as there appear to be no monsters on the islands of Pawdor. This hilarious comic-strip tale is quirky, colourful and fun, with plenty of riotous action.
-
Interview With A Shark and Other Ocean Giants Too
Author: Andy Seed Illustrator: Nick East
Publisher: Welbeck
Interest age: 7-11
Reading age: 8+Intrepid wildlife reporter Andy Seed is back with another collection of interviews for which he has risked personal safety, and gotten seriously wet, while talking to the giants of the oceans.
-
Leonora Bolt: Secret Inventor
Author: Lucy Brandt Illustrator: Gladys Jose
Publisher: Puffin
Interest age: 6-11
Reading age: 7+Inventor Leonora Bolt has never left the remote island she lives on with her pet otter and an eccentric housekeeper! When a young castaway washes ashore, she begins to learn all about the mainland - which is in terrible danger. Can Leonora and her friends save it?
-
Marv and the Mega Robot
Author: Alex Falase-Koya Illustrator: Paula Bowles
Publisher: Oxford
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 6+This illustrated early reader is fast paced with an inspiring Black superhero and plenty of adventure for young readers just making the transition from picture books, or kids that really love books with dynamic illustrations.
-
Mega Robo Bros: Double Threat
Author: Neill Cameron
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Interest age: 8-11
Reading age: 8+With massive mechanoid fights, explosions and laser battles, this fourth comic book adventure for the Mega Robo Bros once again asks thoughtful questions about what makes us human and features its customary cast of diverse characters.
-
Midnight Magic
Author: Michelle Harrison Illustrator: Elissa Elwick
Publisher: Little Tiger
Interest age: 5-8
Reading age: 6+A fabulous and fully illustrated rhyming story about a magical kitten and the family who adopt her. Ideal for newly independent readers or as shared reading with younger children.
-
Mike Falls Up
Author: Candy Gourlay Illustrator: Carles Ballesteros
Publisher: Little Tiger
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 7+This quirky, imaginative tale is full of unexpected twists and turns, and is sure to engage young children. Distinctive, full-colour illustrations provide humour and visual interest, while the short chapters are ideal for newly-independent readers.
-
Monster Max and the Marmalade Ghost
Author: Robin Bennett Illustrator: Tom Tinn-Disbury
Publisher: Firefly
Interest age: 7-9
Reading age: 7+Plenty of epic, slapstick battles, spooky, icky, sticky ghostliness, bum jokes and fun are the background to an evolving friendship that doesn’t always go smoothly and a backstory that is starting to get very dark. The second adventure in the series.
-
Mummies Unwrapped
Author: Tom Froese
Publisher: Nosy Crow and the British Museum
Interest age: 7-10
Reading age: 7+Fans of ancient Egypt or kids studying it at primary school will really enjoy this attractive guide to the mysterious practice of mummification.
-
My Skin, Your Skin
Author: Laura Henry-Allain MBE Illustrator: Onyinye Iwu
Publisher: Ladybird Books
Interest age: 4-8
This important non-fiction book explores the concept of racism for a young audience, explaining what it is and why it is always wrong. With colourful pages and engaging illustrations, this picture book carries an essential message that nobody should be disadvantaged because of their race.
-
Nen and the Lonely Fisherman
Author: Ian Eagleton Illustrator: James Mayhew
Publisher: Owlet Press
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 7+Merman Nen loves to explore the ocean but his heart feels empty. One night, a lonely fishman called Ernest hears his song and the pair strike up an affectionate relationship. A tender tale of love and acceptance, with lyrical text and atmospheric illustrations.
-
Princess Minna: The Enchanted Forest
Author: Kirsty Applebaum Illustrator: Sahar Haghgoo
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Interest age: 7-8
Reading age: 6-8When Princess Minna learns that her neighbour, Prince Welling-Tunboot, has fallen under a sleeping spell cast by a bad fairy, she is keen to help. He must be woken before sunset, or he will never wake again. Princess Minna summons her dragon Lorenzo, and flies to the enchanted forest to rescue the prince. But with several distractions along the way, will she…
-
Real Pigeons: Nest Hard
Author: Andrew McDonald Illustrator: Ben Wood
Publisher: Farshore
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 6+The third adventure in this series, this book follows a group of plucky pigeon as find long lost family, help the Child Beast and outwit the evil pinchy pigeon.
-
See What I Can Do!
Author: Jon Roberts Illustrator: Hannah Rounding
Publisher: Graffeg Books
Interest age: 4-8
Reading age: 6+See What I Can Do! introduces a range of characters (based on real-life children) who each share an insight about disability and point out the challenges but also positive aspects of their lives. A beautiful book that celebrates individuality, empathy and understanding.
-
Silas and the Marvellous Misfits
Author: Tom Percival
Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 7+This is the third book in the Dream Defenders series and would benefit from being read in sequence. The imaginative Dreamscape setting, short chapters and lively black-and-white illustrations make it an engaging tale which celebrates individualism and promotes emotional wellbeing.
-
Sticky McStickStick
Author: Michael Rosen Illustrator: Tony Ross
Publisher: Walker Books
Interest age: 4-8
In March 2020, Michael Rosen became ill with Covid-19 and was admitted to hospital. In Sticky McStickStick he manages to tell the honest story of what happened to him accessibly for children, using his trademark directness and sense of humour.
-
The World’s Most Pointless Animals
Author: Philip Bunting
Publisher: Happy Yak
Interest age: 6-9
Reading age: 7+From sugar gliders to red-lipped batfish, this collection of strange and unusual animals from around the world is an enjoyable factfile with lovely illustrations and an amusing read thanks to its rogue narrator, who shares jokey facts and silly names for each animal.
-
Wishes
Author: Mượn Thị Văn Illustrator: Victo Ngai
Publisher: Scholastic
Interest age: 4-5
A story expressed in muted colour and with a wonderful focus on the small details of this Vietnamese family’s life as they prepare for a perilous journey, Wishes is a deeply moving story told with very minimal text about a child’s experience of being a refugee.
