Great Books Guide Cymru 2024-25: For 4 to 5 year olds
Here's a round-up of new children's books from the last year, which we think any child aged 4 to 5 will love.
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Mi Wnei Di Lwyddo, Tyrone! / You Can Do Anything, Tyrone!
Author: Lenny Henry adapted by Anwen Pierce Illustrator: Salomey Doku
Interest level: 5-7
Reading age: 7+
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Mi Wnei Di Lwyddo, Tyrone! / You Can Do Anything, Tyrone!
Author: Lenny Henry adapted by Anwen Pierce Illustrator: Salomey Doku
Interest level: 5-7
Reading age: 7+
Follow Tyrone as he endeavours to build a rocket ship to take him to the moon in this fun book from Lenny Henry that encourages im…
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The Boy and the Octopus
Author: Caryl Lewis Illustrator: Carmen Saldaña
Interest level: 4-5
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The Boy and the Octopus
Author: Caryl Lewis Illustrator: Carmen Saldaña
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age:
Can Stanley’s octopus help Stanley face his fears? A moving and visually stunning book about expressing your emotions through art …
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Y Fainc Ffrindiau / The Friendship Bench
Author: Wendy Meddour adapted by Manon Steffan Ros Illustrator: Daniel Egnéus
Interest level: 5-7
Reading age: 7+
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Y Fainc Ffrindiau / The Friendship Bench
Author: Wendy Meddour adapted by Manon Steffan Ros Illustrator: Daniel Egnéus
Interest level: 5-7
Reading age: 7+
Tilly is struggling to make friends at her new school. By working together with a boy called Flint to fix a broken friendship benc…
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Lilly & Myles: The Torch
Author: Jon Roberts and Hannah Rounding
Interest level: 3-8
Reading age: 6+
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Lilly & Myles: The Torch
Author: Jon Roberts and Hannah Rounding
Interest level: 3-8
Reading age: 6+
Lilly is holidaying at Grandma’s seaside house in Wales. She always enjoys her gran’s tall stories about sea monsters living…
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Does a Bear Wash Its Hair?
Author: Moira Butterfield Illustrator: Adam Ming
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age: 4+
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Does a Bear Wash Its Hair?
Author: Moira Butterfield Illustrator: Adam Ming
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age: 4+
A fact-filled, rhyming picture book about self-care routines. Animals are just like you!
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The Thunk
Author: Michelle Robinson Illustrator: Deborah Allwright
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age: 4+
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The Thunk
Author: Michelle Robinson Illustrator: Deborah Allwright
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age: 4+
This is a fabulously funny picture book by the author of Ten Fat Sausages, brimming full of Michelle Robinson’s trademark silly hu…
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Spyceratops
Author: Alex Willmore
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 5+
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Spyceratops
Author: Alex Willmore
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 5+
Spy goggles? Check. Spy bike? Check. Get ready for a top-secret action-packed Spyceratops mission. Super fun – with a surprise end…
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We Went to Find a Woolly Mammoth
Author: Catherine Cawthorne Illustrator: Aysha Awwad
Interest level: 4-6
Reading age: 7+
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We Went to Find a Woolly Mammoth
Author: Catherine Cawthorne Illustrator: Aysha Awwad
Interest level: 4-6
Reading age: 7+
Join the children as they search for a woolly mammoth and discover lots of other giant Ice Age animals along the way! Charming and…
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Hamster Heroes
Author: Peter Bently Illustrator: John Bond
Interest level: 4-7
Reading age: 7+
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Hamster Heroes
Author: Peter Bently Illustrator: John Bond
Interest level: 4-7
Reading age: 7+
An action-packed and hilarious rhyming adventure which sees a team of hamster superheroes battle against a variety of rodent foes.…
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Gina Kaminski Saves the Wolf
Author: Craig Barr-Green Illustrator: Francis Martin
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age: 6+
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Gina Kaminski Saves the Wolf
Author: Craig Barr-Green Illustrator: Francis Martin
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age: 6+
Retelling of Little Red Riding Hood with a neurodivergent protagonist.
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Holey Moley
Author: Bethan Clarke Illustrator: Anders Frang
Interest level: 3-7
Reading age: 4+
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Holey Moley
Author: Bethan Clarke Illustrator: Anders Frang
Interest level: 3-7
Reading age: 4+
Moles live in holes, right? This funny book plays with rhyme as Gus the Goat tries to guess where his friend Mavis Mole lives.&nbs…
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The Best You
Author: Nima Patel Illustrator: Cally Johnson-Isaacs
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 6+
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The Best You
Author: Nima Patel Illustrator: Cally Johnson-Isaacs
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 6+
In this gentle and uplifting picture book, the common question ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ is turned on its head. C…
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I Really Really Don’t Like Parties
Author: Angie Morgan
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age: 7+
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I Really Really Don’t Like Parties
Author: Angie Morgan
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age: 7+
Dora finds parties loud and overwhelming. But when she meets a similarly quiet child at a birthday, she realises they may not be s…
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Wild Book Day
Author: Karl Newson Illustrator: James Brown
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age: 5+
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Wild Book Day
Author: Karl Newson Illustrator: James Brown
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age: 5+
It’s Wild Book Day, when all the pictures escape from the books. What fun they have! This is a book to make children leap about wi…
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Wanna see A Llama?
Author: Simon Philip Illustrator: Ian Smith
Interest level: 4-5
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Wanna see A Llama?
Author: Simon Philip Illustrator: Ian Smith
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age:
Two children are out and about in a city, looking for llamas. One of the children issupposedly a llama expert, but will the childr…
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My Family Your Family
Author: Laura Henry-Allain Illustrator: Giovana Medeiros
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 6+
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My Family Your Family
Author: Laura Henry-Allain Illustrator: Giovana Medeiros
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 6+
An accessible, useful non-fiction guide to all types of families.
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Flower Block
Author: Lanisha Butterfield Illustrator: Hoang Giang
Interest level: 4-5
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Flower Block
Author: Lanisha Butterfield Illustrator: Hoang Giang
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age:
Theo’s sunflower has grown right through the tower block! A delightful celebration of nature and community.
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Geoffrey Gets the Jitters
Author: Nadia Shireen
Interest level: 4-5
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Geoffrey Gets the Jitters
Author: Nadia Shireen
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age:
Geoffrey’s jitters are out of control! How can he get rid of them? Told with humour and great empathy, this picture book from the …
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One Little Word
Author: Joseph Coelho Illustrator: Allison Colpoys
Interest level: 5-6
Reading age: 6+
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One Little Word
Author: Joseph Coelho Illustrator: Allison Colpoys
Interest level: 5-6
Reading age: 6+
This is a poignant picture book about the power of friendship and knowing when to say sorry. The gentle, lyrical text from Childre…
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Can You Find My Eid Presents?
Author: A. M. Dassu Illustrator: Junissa Bianda
Interest level: 2-5
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Can You Find My Eid Presents?
Author: A. M. Dassu Illustrator: Junissa Bianda
Interest level: 2-5
Reading age:
Hana can't find the family's Eid presents! She looks everywhere – will she find them in time for Eid? A fun search-and-find story.…
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This Rock is Mine
Author: Kaye Umansky Illustrator: Alice McKinley
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age: 4+
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This Rock is Mine
Author: Kaye Umansky Illustrator: Alice McKinley
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age: 4+
This is a fabulously funny picture book by the author of Ten Fat Sausages brimming full of Michelle Robinson’s trademark silly hum…
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Who’s Afraid of the Light?
Author: Anna McGregor
Interest level: 4-5
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Who’s Afraid of the Light?
Author: Anna McGregor
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age:
Meet Fergus, who is a real deep-sea creature. But we can only see his eyes. What could he be? An enjoyable anarchic mash-up of fic…
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Big Bad Dragon Club
Author: Beach
Interest level: 2-5
Reading age: 5+
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Big Bad Dragon Club
Author: Beach
Interest level: 2-5
Reading age: 5+
A funny picture book about dragons learning they don't always have to be bad!
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Snail in Space
Author: Rachel Bright Illustrator: Nadia Shireen
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age: 7+
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Snail in Space
Author: Rachel Bright Illustrator: Nadia Shireen
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age: 7+
Gail is a little snail with a big dream – to become the first snail in space! A hilarious story about the power of passion and per…
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Bum or Face?
Author: Kari Lavelle
Interest level: 5-9
Reading age: 7+
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Bum or Face?
Author: Kari Lavelle
Interest level: 5-9
Reading age: 7+
Could you tell the difference between a Cuyaba dwarf frog’s face and its, ahem, bum? Would you be fooled by the smiling face disp…
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The Concrete Garden
Author: Bob Graham
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age: 7+
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The Concrete Garden
Author: Bob Graham
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age: 7+
Children join in to draw a beautiful garden with chalk. A gorgeous picture book celebrating community and the positive effect art …
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Space Pirate Bears
Author: Alastair Chisholm Illustrator: Jez Tuya
Interest level: 6-7
Reading age: 7+
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Space Pirate Bears
Author: Alastair Chisholm Illustrator: Jez Tuya
Interest level: 6-7
Reading age: 7+
A funny and inventive picture book that celebrates the power of storytelling. One dreary day Dad tells Jamie and Abby a story abou…
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A First Book of Dinosaurs
Author: Simon Mole Illustrator: Matt Hunt
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 8+
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A First Book of Dinosaurs
Author: Simon Mole Illustrator: Matt Hunt
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 8+
This fun and inventive collection of thirty roar-some, illustrated poems celebrates the weird and wonderful world of dinosaurs.&nb…
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