At Manland we strongly believe in children developing a love of reading, whether it is through books they read at school, books which are read to them at by someone else or books they discover for themselves in a library.
The ability to read confidently and fluently is a life-long skill that sets children up well for learning. Aside from that, children at Manland love reading! Fortunately, our children are already very positive about reading and relish getting ‘lost’ in a book. The Manland Book Spine encompasses a range of titles that explore relevant social issues, contain big ethical questions, raise moral dilemmas and are joyful literary experiences!
- Year 6 Reading Spine (372KB)
- Year 6 Reading Intent (191KB)
- Year 5 Reading Spine (431KB)
- Year 5 Reading Intent (155KB)
- Year 4 Reading Spine (601KB)
- Year 3 Reading Spine (532KB)
- Year 3 Reading Intent (178KB)
- Year 2 Reading Spine (603KB)
- Year 2 Reading Intent (157KB)
- Year 1 Reading Spine (615KB)
- Year 1 Reading Intent (91KB)
- Reception Reading Spine (545KB)
- Reading Intent Year 4 (161KB)
These carefully chosen titles encompass new authors (and much-loved ones too!), stories from our literary heritage, high-quality non-fiction, poetry, and characters who are ethnically diverse. Our carefully chosen Book Spine acts as both a window and a mirror – a window into other places and experiences, a mirror in which children can see themselves reflected in the characters they’re reading about. These titles also serve to complement and support our English lessons. They cover a range of genres: fiction, non-fiction, poetry and play-scripts. These texts serve to support and inspire children’s writing by providing a structure to base writing upon and ideas or plots to borrow for their own writing.
What we read shapes how we think. At Manland, we encourage children to read deeply and ‘loiter’ with a text; we have had so many rich discussions about books and stories this year. Our children have taken this one step further: not only do they want to read ALL the books on the Spine, they’re inspired to read other titles by newly discovered authors too. It is so important that children have access to familiar titles they love, and new titles to ignite and inspire. We are passionate about reading and are determined that every child leaves our school having read a healthy breadth of books combined with a true love of reading.
Phonics and Reading Scheme
We use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds phonics and reading scheme for Reception and Key Stage 1. Little Wandle Letters and Sounds is a complete systematic synthetic phonics programme (SSP) developed for schools by schools. 
Based on the original Letters and Sounds, but extensively revised to provide a complete teaching programme meeting all the expectations of the National Curriculum, the Ofsted Deep Dive into reading and preparing your children to go beyond the expectations of the Phonics Screening Check.
For further information on our phonics and reading scheme, please click here. The resources on Little Wandle’s website will help you to support your child with saying their sounds and writing their letters.
There are also some useful videos at the bottom of the page so that you can see how your child will be taught at school, how to say the letter sounds and providing some information to help you to feel confident about supporting your child’s reading at home. Find the full Reception and Year 1 teaching programme overview here to see what your child will learn and when.
Listed below are the initial phonics phases that your child will be taught in the first half of their Reception years:
Pronunciation Guide 1 – Autumn 1
Pronunciation Guide 2 – Autumn 2
Grapheme Information Sheet – Spring 1
Reading workshop
For further tips on reading, please take a look at our reading workshop slides:
Tips for parents: reading stories to children
Introduction
Your child will bring home two books. One is for your child to read to you. It has been carefully chosen so that they can work out all the words. The other book has words your child may not be able to read yet. It is for you to read to your child and talk about together.
How to read a story to your child
If you can find the time beforehand, read the read-aloud book to yourself first, so you can think about how you’re going to read it to your child.
On the first reading:
• Make reading aloud feel like a treat. Make it a special quiet time and cuddle up so you can both see the book.
• Show curiosity about what you’re going to read: ‘This book looks interesting. It’s about an angry child. I wonder how angry he gets…’
• Read through the whole story the first time without stopping too much. Let the story weave its own magic.
• Read with enjoyment. If you’re not enjoying it, your child won’t. • Read favourite stories over and over again.
On later readings:
• Let your child pause, think about and comment on the pictures.
• If you think your child did not understand something, try to explain: ‘Oh! I think what’s happening here is that…’
• Chat about the story and pictures: ‘I wonder why she did that?’; ‘Oh no, I hope she’s not going to…’; ‘I wouldn’t have done that, would you?’
• Link the stories to your own family experiences: ‘This reminds me of when …’
• Link stories to others that your child knows: ‘Ah! Do you remember the dragon in ….? Do you remember what happened to him?’
• Encourage your child to join in with the bits they know.
As a school we offer a range of text types and hope this is encouraged at home as well. To help support you and your child in selecting a book that will capture their imagination, support their love for a particular theme or engage them in a lifetime of loving a chosen author, we have worked together as a school to create an interactive and current booklist. We hope you and your child find it enjoyable reading a range of our suggestions.
Supporting your Child at Home
Made by Dyslexia is a great website (run by people with dyslexia, for use by others with dyslexia). We’ve recommended this to individual parents before, but we think it’s a useful link for all.
https://www.madebydyslexia.org/
Choosing Books Online
The Reader Teacher website will help your child find the correct book for themselves and their interests:
https://www.thereaderteacher.com/
http://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/
Manland Favourites
Who better to ask which book to read than ask other children your age? At Manland we came up with class favourites and then had a vote to choose our top 5 selections. Some books overlapped because as we know some books are great books, however old you are! So please don’t limit yourself to the class your child is in. We hope you enjoy some of our favourites too.
| Reception | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jake and the Netherland Pirates by Disney The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson Hairy McClary by Lynley Dodd I went to the Zoopermarket by Nick Sharrat The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle | Rainbow Fairy Magic by Daisy Meadows Julia Donaldson books e.g. What the ladybird heard Where’s Wally by Martin Handford The Jolly Postman by Allan Ahlberg Dinosaurs in the Supermarket by Timothy Knapman | Dick- King Smith books. E.g. Sophie’s Adventures Horrid Henry series by Francesca Simon The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy Holly Webb books e.g. Puppy Tales Space Penguins by Lucy Courtenay | Astrosaurs by Steve Cole Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl Matilda by Roald Dahl Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown The Demon Dentist by David Walliams |
| Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 | Other Popular Choices |
| Enid Blyton’s ‘Adventure Books’ Mr Gum books by Andy Stanton Tom Gates books by Liz Pinchon Born To Run by Michael Morpurgo Pippi Longstocking books by Astrid Lindgren | My Story (history series) e.g. The Trenches by Jim Eldridge Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney Diamond Brothers Detective Agency series by Anthony Horowitz Enid Blyton books e.g. The Faraway Tree and Malory Towers Michael Morpurgo books e.g. Toro Toro, Kaspar and War Horse | Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling David Walliams books e.g. Gangsta Granny and Mr Stink Jacqueline Wilson books. E.g. Lily Alone Percy Jackson series by Rick Riorden Awesome Animals series (various authors) e.g. Panda Panic and Koala Calamity | Beast Quest by Adam Blade Quentin Blake books Children’s Classics e.g. The Secret Garden and The Railway Children |
Booklist
If you would like some further inspiration for choosing a book please refer to this recommended booklist produced by James Clements (“Shakespeare and More” Director):
| Great Picture Books | |
|---|---|
| Would you Rather… by John Burningham | Good Little Wolf by Nadia Shireen |
| Mr Gumpy’s Outing by John Burningham | Hairy Maclary books by Lynley Dodd |
| Courtney by John Burningham | The Selfish Crocodile by Faustin Charles |
| We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen | A Bit Lost by Chris Haughton |
| A Friend for Little Bear by Harry Horse | Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton |
| The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle | Shh, We Have a Plan! by Chris Haughton |
| Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins | Mr Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown |
| Peepo! by Janet and Allan Ahlberg | Ladybird Picture Books- Fairy Tales |
| Funnybones by Janet and Allan Ahlberg | Slow Loris by Alexis Deacon |
| Dogger by Shirley Hughes | Owl Babies by Martin Waddell |
| I Really Want to Eat a Child by Sylvianne Donnio | Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sandak |
| The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Drywalt | Kicking a Ball by Allan Ahlberg |
| The Green Ship by Quentin Blake | Edgar Get Ready for Bed by Jennifer Adams |
| Mother Goose’s Playtime Rhymes by Axel Scheffler | |
| Picture Books for Older Children | |
|---|---|
| Tuesday by David Weisner | How to Live Forever by Colin Thompson |
| Flotsam by David Weisner | The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman |
| The Rabbits by John Marsden and Shaun Tan | The Island by Armin Greder |
| Fungus the Bogeyman by Raymond Briggs | I am the Mummy Heb-Nerfert by Eve Bunting |
| Night of the Gargoyles by Eve Bunting | Mythological Monsters of Ancient Greece by Sara Fanelli |
| The Paperbag Prince by Colin Thompson | Black Dog by Levi Pinfold |
| Retellings of Classics | |
|---|---|
| Robin of Sherwood by Michael Morpurgo | The Orchard Book of Shakespeare Stories by Andrew Matthews |
| Beowulf by Kevin Crossley-Holland | Tales of Ancient Egypt by Roger Lancelyn Green |
| Shakespeare Stories by Leon Garfield | The Orchard Book of Swords, Sorcerers and Superheroes by Tony Bradman |
| Myths and Legends retold by Anthony Horowitz | The Oxford Treasury of Fairy Tales by Geraldine McCaughrean |
| Collected Folk Tales by Alan Garner | The Odyssey Graphic Novel by Gareth Hinds |
| Stories from Shakespeare by Geraldine McCaughrean | Greek Myths by Ann Turnbull |
| Atticus the Storyteller’s 100 Greek Myths by Lucy Coats | The Adventures of Odysseus by Hugh Lupton and Daniel Morden |
| Classic Children’s Literature | |
|---|---|
| The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle | Charlotte’s Web by E B White |
| The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle | Treasure Island by Robert Louis StevensonLord of the Flies by William Golding |
| The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame | Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling |
| The War of the Worlds by H G Wells | Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson |
| Poetry | |
|---|---|
| Where my Wellies Take Me by Clare and Michael Morpurgo | The Rattle Bag edited by Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes |
| The Nation’s Favourite Children’s Poems – BBC | New and Collected Poems for Children by Carol Anne Duffy |
| Classic Poetry selected by Michael Rosen | Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl |
| The Ring of Words by Roger McGough | The Oxford Treasury of Classic Poems |
| Cautionary Verses by Hilaire Belloc | IF- A Treasury of Poems for Almost Every Possibility edited by Allie Esiri and Rachel Kelly |
| Collected Poems for Children by Ted Hughes | |
| Beautiful Non-Fiction | |
|---|---|
| The Magic of Reality by Richard Dawkins | The Usborne History of Britain |
| A Dictionary of Monsters and Mysterious Beasts by Carey Miller | Professor Stewart’s Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities by Iain Stewart |
| The Number Devil by Hans Magnus Enzenberger | What Makes Me? By Robert Winston |
| How to Keep Dinosaurs by Robert Mash | Wholly Irresponsible Experiments by Sean Connolly |
| Traditional Stories | |
|---|---|
| Tales from the West Indies by Faustin Charles | Grimm Tales by Philip Pullman |
| One Thousand and One Arabian Nights by Geraldine McCaughrean | Book House Ancient Greek Myths |
| The Thousand Nights and One Night retold by David Walser | The Odyssey retold by Robin Lister |
| The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor retold by John Yeoman | The Trick of the Tale by John and Caitlin Matthews |
| Aesop’s Fables retold by Alice Shirley | |
| Great Contemporary Fiction | |
|---|---|
| Not the End of the World by Geraldine McCaughrean | A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness |
| His Dark Materials books by Philip Pullman | Ribblestrop by Andy Mulligan |
| Lyra’s Oxford by Philip Pullman | Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer |
| Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman | The Various by Steve Augarde |
| Montmorency by Eleanor Updale | Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve |
| Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror by Chris Priestly | Coram Boy by Jamila Gavin |
| The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman | Clockwork by Philip Pullman |
| Coraline by Neil Gaiman | Once by Morris Gleitzman |
| The Last Polar Bears by Harry Horse | Diamond Brothers books by Anthony Horowitz |
| Clockwork by Philip Pullman | Young Bond books by Charlie Higson |
| Holes by Louis Sachar | The Magician of Samarkand by Alan Temperley |
| Mouse Bird Snake Wolf by David Almond | Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge |
