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Welcome to the reading page!

Rick Holland Quote: “The world belongs to those who read.”

World Book Day 2025

We will be celebrating World Book Day on Thursday 6^th March 2025. World Book Day was created by UNESCO in 1995 as a worldwide celebration of books and reading and is marked in over 100 countries around the globe.

Since it is the 30-year anniversary of this event, we would like the children to spend some time with you and other family members, discussing your favourite books from when you were children! We would then like to invite the children to create hats, head bands, head dresses or masks to celebrate these favourite texts from days gone by!

There will be time throughout the day to admire each other's creations and lots of amazing activities in class - the teachers will even be sharing their favourite children's books from the dim and distant past!

Full uniform is still an expectation for this day, but we look forward to welcoming these amazing headgear creations on Thursday 6^th March.

On Thursday, Ashdown celebrated the 30^th anniversary of World Book day and the children showed their support by creating the most amazing head dresses that showed off an older relative's/friend's favourite book from when they were a child. There was an array of masks, head dresses, head bands and hats and the children had an opportunity to admire each other's creativity during assemblies at both sites.

The children spent the whole day immersed in lots of different tasks - not only sharing their favourite books, but crafting artistic wonders, writing poetry and even planning a day out in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory!

World Book day 2025

Hook a book

To continue our drive to promote reading for pleasure, the English team would like to remind you of our ‘hook a book’ initiative, a book swap box for everyone to enjoy! At both sites, a collection box will be placed in reception for book donations of good-quality children’s books that have been grown out of or are no longer wanted. These will be available for others to take and keep. We teachers love our staff-room book-swap box, and we hope that you will too!

Book Reviews

Have you heard of Toppsta? Toppsta.com was set up by a mum to help children recommend books to each other. With no photos, no forums and no real names, it provides a space where children can give their opinion. It has over 100,000 reviews from young reviewers, parents and teachers. Parents can set up a free profile and enter book giveaways on behalf of their children. There are usually more than 10 copies of each book to win.

Children's Book Reviews | Toppsta

Still not sure what to read next? Find out which books our staff love.

Mrs Harris - Hedgehogs teacher

‘I recently enjoyed Orphans of the Tide by Struan Murray. It's a mysterious fantasy adventure that opens with a whale marooned on a city church roof. It's fast-paced and is full of jaw-dropping twists and turns. There are some chilling moments that literally sent shivers down my spine! I would recommend this book for children in years 5 and 6. Read this if you like His Dark Materials or Brightstorm.’

Orphans of the Tide is available to borrow on the free library app 'Libby'.

Cats React to Science Facts by [Izzi Howell]

If you have been in my class, then you will know that I love Science. I am also very fond of cats. So, when I discovered the book Cats React to Science Facts by Izzi Howell, I was thrilled. This book is jam-packed with interesting facts from key Science topics, such as the human body, materials and astronomy. There are also cats... LOTS of cats! On each page, a furry friend measures the facts on a 'react-o-meter' to decide if they are Wow! Or Gross! Or Mind-Blowing! With bright and bold images, hilarious jokes and puns, and cute kitties throughout, this is a great book for any age, but I particularly recommend it for children in Years 1-3.

Mrs Stephen - Interim Head of Infant School

'The main character in this book is called Hector who makes unfortunate choices most of the time. He’s got so little understanding of the world that he has no sympathy for a local homeless man called Thomas (who is taking up space in the park, and sleeping on a bench that Hector would like to sit on!).

When a spate of London landmark sculptures are suddenly stolen, including Paddington Bear and the Eros statue in Piccadilly Circus, Hector is convinced the crimes have been carried out by homeless people led by Thomas – but not long after he reports Thomas to the police, he realises that he's got it horribly wrong. Hector then has to undertake a race against time to make sure that justice is done.

This book really made me think about the real human beings whose lives are impacted by homelessness - and about the power of kindness, friendship, and empathy. By the end of the book, Hector shows us how everyone has the potential to change for the better. This is a gripping tale with a strong moral at its heart and I found learning about the homeless code absolutely fascinating. Although it started off a bit slowly, once it got going, I didn’t want to put it down. I would definitely recommend this book, which is most suited to children in Years 5 & 6.'

Libraries Week reading for pleasure poster

Click below to see which books The Reader Teacher is excited about this month.

David Keyte: Teacher & Book Vlogger - YouTube

Click here for age appropriate book recommendations.

Click here for an adults' guide to reading with children.