A selection of children's books that include themes of empathy. They sit on a light red background with a large red shape which features a star pattern inside it.

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Children's reading lists

17 books that demonstrate empathy

An image featuring typography of The Wind in the Willows against an illustration showing a river and Badger, Ratty and Mole

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Children's quizzes

Which character from The Wind in the Willows are you?

A collage of five Penguin authors set against a purple background

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Features

‘It was the first time I saw myself in literature’: Penguin authors on the book they wish they read in school

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10 ways to be extraordinary

The Wind In The Willows

The classic story, reimagined as a fully illustrated, beautiful picture book, perfect to share with a new generation. 
 
"I am Toad of Toad Hall. Motor car-snatching, prison-breaking Toad!" 
 
Enter the mischievous world of Toad of Toad Hall, and join Moly and Ratty on their riverside adventures. When Moly gets lost in the Wild Wood, Ratty and kind old Badger are there to rescue him. But when Mr Toad is sent to prison and his beloved Toad Hall is taken over by stoats and weasels, will his friends be able to save the day? 
 
A story of friendship and making amends, this classic children's book is one of the most famous animal stories of all time. Now beautifully abridged, fully illustrated and retold for a younger, modern audience, this edition will delight children from age 5 years and above.

Rashmi Sirdeshpande is a lawyer turned children's author, with two young children who ask her lots of questions. Rashmi writes non-fiction picture books that ignite children's curiosity, as well as fictional stories that crackle with imagination. When she's not playing with words, you'll find her on her yoga mat twisting herself into all sort of shapes. 
 
Jojo Clinch is an illustrator living at the foot of the South Downs, near Brighton in the UK. She works from her garden studio: drawing, painting and finding weird and wonderful landscapes for her characters to live in. Fuelled by coffee and music, Jojo's inspiration is found in her everyday life, mini-adventures with her family and a lifelong love of picture books. She is happiest creating highly-textured and colourful work, combining watery ink with crisp lines, and tiny dots with bold stripes. She also likes to mix up traditional and digital artwork, although her starting point is nearly always organic and hand-drawn.

"I am Toad of Toad Hall. Motor car-snatching, prison-breaking Toad!" 
 
Enter the mischievous world of Toad of Toad Hall, and join Moly and Ratty on their riverside adventures. When Moly gets lost in the Wild Wood, Ratty and kind old Badger are there to rescue him. But when Mr Toad is sent to prison and his beloved Toad Hall is taken over by stoats and weasels, will his friends be able to save the day? 
 
A story of friendship and making amends, this classic children's book is one of the most famous animal stories of all time. Now beautifully abridged, fully illustrated and retold for a younger, modern audience, this edition will delight children from age 5 years and above.

Never Teach a Stegosaurus to Do Sums

A love letter to learning and the power of numbers from exciting talents, Rashmi Sirdeshpande and Diane Ewen. 
 
A laugh-out-loud 'what if . . .?' adventure that celebrates maths being fun in this riotous read. 
 
If a Stegosaurus knew how to do sums - well, what would happen? Maybe she'd learn to code, to invent, to fly to the moon! 
 
From the creators of Never Show a T-Rex a Book!

Rashmi Sirdeshpande (Author) Rashmi Sirdeshpande is a lawyer turned children's author, with two young children who ask her lots of questions. Rashmi writes non-fiction picture books that ignite children's curiosity, as well as fictional stories that crackle with imagination. When she's not playing with words, you'll find her on her yoga mat twisting herself into all sort of shapes. Diane Ewen (Illustrator) Diane Ewen is a British illustrator, born in Walsall, in the West Midlands. She has always been in love with art and graduated from the University of Wolverhampton with a B.A. Honours Degree in illustration. Diane likes to create illustrations that are hand-drawn in pencil before painting in watercolour and acrylics prior to embellishing them using Photoshop but she also enjoys creating designs digitally; constantly developing her style as she progresses. She likes the fact that illustrations are the first things that entice the reader to engage with a book and is inspired by the use of vibrant colour.

A love letter to learning and the power of numbers from exciting talents, Rashmi Sirdeshpande and Diane Ewen. 
 
A laugh-out-loud 'what if . . .?' adventure that celebrates maths being fun in this riotous read. 
 
If a Stegosaurus knew how to do sums - well, what would happen? Maybe she'd learn to code, to invent, to fly to the moon! 
 
From the creators of Never Show a T-Rex a Book - WINNER OF THE QUEEN'S KNICKERS AWARD and 
SHORTLISTED FOR THE LOLLIES LAUGH OUT LOUD BOOKS AWARDS 2022

How To Change The World

Could you and your friends change the world? This book will inspire you with 15 true stories of groups of amazing humans who've changed the world. 
 
Discover the astonishing things humans can achieve: from the campaign for women's votes, to the efforts to heal the ozone layer. Or travel back to the start of democracy in Ancient Greece, and into space to see the incredible teamwork on the international space station. 
 
Above all, uncover just some of the MANY ways we can work together to change our world - all brought to life with astonishing story-telling and illustration.

Rashmi Sirdeshpande (Author) Rashmi Sirdeshpande is a lawyer turned children's author, with two young children who ask her lots of questions. Rashmi writes non-fiction picture books that ignite children's curiosity, as well as fictional stories that crackle with imagination. When she's not playing with words, you'll find her on her yoga mat twisting herself into all sort of shapes. Annabel Tempest (Illustrator) Annabel always knew she wanted to grow up to be an artist. Nothing makes her more excited than a pile of paper and a seriously sharp pencil. Annabel has created many beautifully colourful books, and she lives in the countryside with her husband and a house full of muddy boys and dogs.

Could you and your friends change the world? This book will inspire you with 15 true stories of groups of amazing humans who've changed the world. 
 
Discover the astonishing things humans can achieve: from the campaign for women's votes, to the efforts to heal the ozone layer. Or travel back to the start of democracy in Ancient Greece, and into space to see the incredible teamwork on the international space station. 
 
Above all, uncover just some of the MANY ways we can work together to change our world - all brought to life with astonishing story-telling and illustration. 
 
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this book contains images and names of deceased persons.

Never Show A T-Rex A Book!

What would happen if you showed a T-Rex a book? 
Well, she wouldn't know what to do with it . . . would she? 
 
A madcap, super silly adventure story rooted in the transformative power of books, created by incredible new picture-book duo Rashmi Sirdeshpande and Diane Ewen

Rashmi Sirdeshpande (Author) 
 Rashmi Sirdeshpande is a lawyer turned children's author, with two young children who ask her lots of questions. Rashmi writes non-fiction picture books that ignite children's curiosity, as well as fictional stories that crackle with imagination. When she's not playing with words, you'll find her on her yoga mat twisting herself into all sort of shapes. 
 
Diane Ewen (Illustrator) 
 Diane Ewen is a British illustrator, born in Walsall, in the West Midlands. She has always been in love with art and graduated from the University of Wolverhampton with a B.A. Honours Degree in illustration. Diane likes to create illustrations that are hand-drawn in pencil before painting in watercolour and acrylics prior to embellishing them using Photoshop but she also enjoys creating designs digitally; constantly developing her style as she progresses. She likes the fact that illustrations are the first things that entice the reader to engage with a book and is inspired by the use of vibrant colour.

How To Be Extraordinary

Could you be EXTRAORDINARY? This book will inspire you with the real-life stories of extraordinary people, showcasing a total variety of personalities and talents. Whoever you are, and whoever you want to be, read about the extraordinary stories of these 15 people, and decide how YOU will be extraordinary too! 
 
From around the world and throughout history, discover unsung heroes - and some well-known faces - brought to life with astonishing story-telling and illustration. 
 
Meet an artist, scientist, medic, environmentalist, musician, activist, writer, politician, and even a spy . . . above all, discover that there are MANY ways to be extraordinary and to make a real difference in the world. 
 
Featuring the real-life stories of: Aeham Ahmad, David Attenborough, Mo Farah, Keiko Fukuda, Stephen Hawking, Frida Kahlo, Abdul Kalam, Judith Kerr, Wangari Maathai, Nelson Mandela, David Nott, Michelle Obama, Krystyna Skarbek, Alan Turing, Sau Lan Wu

Welcome to a glorious new nonfiction tome covering 15 absolutely true stories of incredible human beings, each of whom are extraordinary - not by luck, but by sheer tenacity and hard work. I loved that I met both familiar and unfamiliar faces with the pages, each one with a remarkable story to tell. What great role models for young readers!

Add this one to family bookshelves and primary school class collections

This is a rich resource for KS1 libraries and classrooms. It is a book which will be dipped into and read with pleasure. This is an author to watch: one whose evident passion for writing texts which are set to ignite curiosity in young readers shines through.

Publishers are falling over themselves to produce inspirational books for young readers. How To Be Extraordinary is one of the best we've seen.

Featuring men and women to inspire every child . . . and adult!

Could you be EXTRAORDINARY? This book will inspire you with the real-life stories of extraordinary people, showcasing a total variety of personalities and talents. Whoever you are, and whoever you want to be, read about the extraordinary stories of these 15 people, and decide how YOU will be extraordinary too! 
 
From around the world and throughout history, discover unsung heroes - and some well-known faces - brought to life with astonishing story-telling and illustration. 
 
Meet an artist, scientist, medic, environmentalist, musician, activist, writer, politician, and even a spy . . . above all, discover that there are MANY ways to be extraordinary and to make a real difference in the world. 
 
Featuring the real-life stories of: Aeham Ahmad, David Attenborough, Mo Farah, Keiko Fukuda Sensei, Stephen Hawking, Frida Kahlo, Abdul Kalam, Judith Kerr, Wangari Maathai, Nelson Mandela, David Nott, Michelle Obama, Krystyna Skarbek, Alan Turing, Sau Lan Wu

Super Uma

Meet Uma - Uma the amazing, the adventurous, the seriously awesome superhero! 
 
Together with her Nani, and Chip, her unicorn side-kick, she goes on rescue missions, standing up for what is right and generally spreading happiness in Sparkleopolis, the super-sparkly, colourful city where she lives. 
 
Until one day the colour and sparkle start seeping out of Sparkleopolis. This must be a job for Uma! 
 
A brilliant feel-good tale celebrating accessibility, teamwork and kindness

Rashmi Sirdeshpande (Author) Rashmi Sirdeshpande is a lawyer turned children's author, with two young children who ask her lots of questions. Rashmi writes non-fiction picture books that ignite children's curiosity, as well as fictional stories that crackle with imagination. When she's not playing with words, you'll find her on her yoga mat twisting herself into all sort of shapes.