Use of Core Texts

Recommended books for whole class reading

At Riverview, we follow Little Wandle for our SSP. Little Wandle suggests many of our recommended texts. These include our wordless books and stories for the Foundations for Phonics.

We also use Pie Corbett’s spine lists as the foundation for our texts to ensure they are age appropriate. On occasion, we would teach texts outside of these year groups, if it fits with a topic the children are learning.

To foster a love of reading, we have compiled a list of core books for each year group. Our aim is that all children read these books during their time at Riverview.

NURSERY

Book	Title	Author(s)	Where it’s recommended from
	Where’s Spot?	Eric Hill	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Dear Zoo	Rod Campbell	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	You Choose	Pippa Goodhart and Nick Sharratt	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	We’re going on a Bear Hunt	Michael Rosen	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?	Bill Martin and Eric Carle	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Jasper’s Beanstalk	Nick Butterworth and Mick Inkpen	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	The Very Hungry Caterpillar	Eric Carle	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy	Lynley Dodd	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Each Peach Pear Plum	Allan and Janet Ahlberg	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Hug	Jez Alborough	Pie Corbett's Reading Spine
	The Train Ride	June Crebbin	Pie Corbett's Reading Spine
	Come on, Daisy	Jane Simmons	Pie Corbett's Reading Spine
	Kindness makes us strong	Sophie Beer	Little Wandle - Foundation for Phonics
	Monster Clothes	Daisy Hirst	Little Wandle - Foundation for Phonics
	Where's Lenny?	Ken Wilson-Max	Little Wandle - Foundation for Phonics

RECEPTION

Book	Title	Author(s)	Where it’s recommended from
	Owl Babies	Martin Waddell	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	The Gruffalo	Julia Donaldson	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Handa’s Surprise	Eileen Browne	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Mr Grumpy’s Outing	John Burningham	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Rosie’s Walk	Pat Hutchins	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Six Dinner Sid	Inga Moore	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Mrs Armitage on Wheels	Quentin Blake	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Whatever Next!	Jill Murphy	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	On the Way Home	Jill Murphy	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Farmer Duck	Martin Waddell	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Goodnight Moon	Margaret Wise Brown	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Shhh!	Sally Grindley	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Before After	Anne-Margot Ramstein and Matthias Aregui
	Owl Bat Bat Owl	Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick

YEAR 1

Book	Title	Author(s)	Where it’s recommended from
	Peace at Last	Jill Murphy	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Can’t you sleep little bear?	Martin Waddell	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Where the Wild Things Are	Maurice Sendak	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	The Elephant and the Bad Baby	Elfrida Vipont and Raymond Briggs	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Avocado Baby	John Burningham	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	The Tiger Who Came to Tea	Judith Kerr	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Lost and Found	Oliver Jeffers	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Knuffle Bunny	Mo Willems	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Beegu	Alexis Deacon	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Dogger	Shirley Hughes	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Cops and Robbers	Alan and Janet Ahlberg	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Elmer	David McKee	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Professional Crocodile	Giovanna Zoboli	Matthew Courtney on Little Wandle

YEAR 2

Book	Title	Author(s)	Where it’s recommended from
	Traction Man is Here	Mini Grey	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Meerkat Mail	Emily Gravett	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Amazing Grace	Mary Hoffman	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Pumpkin Soup	Helen Cooper	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Book?	Lauren Child	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Dr Xargle’s Book of Earthlets	Tony Ross	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Not Now Bernard	David McKee	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Tuesday	David Wiesner	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	The Flower	John Light	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Gorilla	Anthony Browne	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Emily Brown and The Thing	Cressida Cowell	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Frog and Toad Together	Arnold Lobel	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark	Jill Tomlinson	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	The Giraffe, the Pelly and Me	Roald Dahl	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Fantastic Mr Fox	Roald Dahl	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	The Hodgeheg	Dick King- Smith	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Flat Stanley	Jeff Brown	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Willa and Old Miss Annie	Berlie Doherty	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Island	Mark Janssen	Matthew Courtney on Little Wandle

YEAR 3

Book	Title	Author(s)	Where it’s recommended from
	The Iron Man	Ted Hughes	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Cat Tales: Ice Cat	Linda Newberry	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	The Sheep-Pig	Dick King-Smith	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	The Abominables	Dick King-Smith	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe	C.S. Lewis	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	The Battle of Bubble and Squeak	Philippa Pearce	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Hansel and Gretel	Anthony Browne	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Museum Trip	Barbara Lehman	Matthew Courtney on Little Wandle
	Hike	Pete Oswald	Matthew Courtney on Little Wandle

YEAR 4

Book	Title	Author(s)	Where it’s recommended from
	Bill’s New Frock	Anne Fine	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Charlotte’s Web	E.B. White	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Why the Whales Came	Michael Morpurgo	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	The Firework-Maker’s Daughter	Phillip Pullman	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	The Snow Walker’s Son	Catherine Fisher	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Perry Angel’s Suitcase	Glenda Millard	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Voices in the Park	Anthony Browne	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Mirror	Jeannie Baker	Matthew Courtney on Little Wandle

YEAR 5

Book	Title	Author(s)	Where it’s recommended from
	The Wolves of Willoughby Chase	Joan Aiken	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Varjak Paw	S.F. Said	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Wolf Brother	Michelle Paver	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Street child	Berlie Doherty	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	The Midnight Fox	Betsy Byars	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Tom’s Midnight Garden	Philippa Pearce	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	FArTHER	Grahame Baker-Smith	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Migrants	Issa Watanabe	Matthew Courtney on Little Wandle

YEAR 6

Book	Title	Author(s)	Where it’s recommended from
	Holes	Louis Sachar	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Clockwork	Phillip Pullman	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	The Hobbit	J.R.R. Tolkein	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Skellig	David Almond	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	Fireweed	Jill Paton Walsh	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	River Boy	Time Bowler	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine
	The Arrival	Shaun Tan	Pie Corbett’s Reading Spine Matthew Courtney on Little Wandle