The Corebooks collections

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Quentin Blake copyright
BOOKS

Corebooks have been recommended by CLPE since 1996. They are a selection of carefully chosen texts for teachers to use when they are developing collections for their classrooms and schools as part of their reading and literacy programmes. The text selections demonstrate the key role that children's literature can play across the curriculum, and in forwarding children's progress as readers. The books are chosen because they support children learning to read and in their development as readers.  

The Corebooks selection comprises of three collections for each phase of children's learning. These are:

The Learning to Read collection

These are books which are particularly supportive to children learning to read. Books are included here because they help children to behave like readers. They may be:

  • memorable texts that feature repetition and encourage predictions
  • texts within which rhythm and rhyme are important
  • texts that allow children to practise and apply their phonic knowledge
  • books with strong story shapes and structures
  • texts which positively reflect children's interests and backgrounds
  • books with supportive illustrations
  • books that draw attention to written language and to the ways books work

At Key Stage Two, the Learning to Read collection has been specially chosen to support the reading of children who are still inexperienced readers, or who are having some difficulty in reading, using texts at an appropriately pitched level for their age.

Browse the Learning to Read Collection and filter by age range

The Literature Collection

These are books which will form the basis of a literature curriculum and the collection has been designed to introduce children to a growing range of texts. Whilst some children in the class may not be able to read all the books independently, an important function of the collection is to give them access to a wider range of titles, authors and genres than they might otherwise meet. For more experienced readers, this collection offers an increasingly challenging range of material for individual or group reading. Books in this collection are likely to be:

  • texts that are multi-layered - capable of being read at different levels
  • books that deal with important themes
  • books in which language is used in lively, inventive ways
  • books by skilful and experienced children's writers and illustrators
  • traditional and contemporary 'classics' of children's literature
  • stories with different cultural settings 
  • texts that promote discussion and reflection

Browse the Literature Collection and filter by age range

The Information Collection

Information books have their own collection as they often don't fit into either of the other collections. These are high quality information texts which are interesting and enjoyable. All the information books in the core collection show how the text and pictures can work together to provide comprehensive information and an enjoyable reading experience.

There is no attempt to place books according to 'levels of difficulty' within each collection. Categorising books in this way is an inexact and artificial process. This sort of grading would also be an unnecessary constraint on choice - one of the main purposes of the collections is to enable children to develop individual preferences as readers.

Browse the Information collection and filter by age range