Children's books
Whether you're a parent, guardian, or teacher, discover book recommendations for young readers, activities and quizzes that spark engagement and learning, and competitions to win signed children's books and exciting prizes.
Plus, tick 'children's (0-6)' or 'children's (7-12)' in your profile to receive new competitions and updates directly to your inbox.
National Book Tokens Discover, the place to be for booklovers.
Find out more
Competitions
Discover our competitions to win signed children's books and exciting prizes, including National Book Tokens for young readers to spend on even more books!
Young people are obsessed with books!
That's why we're giving you the chance to nominate someone aged 16 to 24 to receive a £250/€250 National Book Token.
Nominate nowActivities
Discover activities to do together all around the theme of books and the enjoyment of reading.
Tips for children who want to write!
We asked our favourite authors to share their writing tips and advice for BBC 500 Words.
Read now
Have fun with the Bookily activity sheet
On the lookout for a rainy day activity? Discover their book choosing style, complete the word search, and more.
Download and print
We're going on a... bookshop treasure hunt!
An adventure to the local bookshop is the perfect activity for you and your family. Can you find all 16 books?
Download and print
Books to Read
Discover the best books for young booklovers, including books for fans of video games, illustrated books about disability, and books for children to pick up with their National Book Tokens.
20 brilliant books to buy with your book token
Whether they love cosy fantasy or literary thrillers, these are the most popular books for teens and young adults today.
Read now
10 brilliant children's books by Irish authors
Celebrate the talent of Irish artists with these highlights from the 2024 Recommended Irish Reads guide!
Read now
24 more children's and teen books out in 2024
The best new children's books, whether they love shipwrecks and survival, feisty friendships, or heart-pounding fantasy.
Read now
24 new children's and teen books out in 2024
The best new children's and YA titles, from brilliant graphic novels and magical delights to stories of friendship and family.
Read now
9 books for children that champion neurodiversity
Liz and Julie at Next Page Books – a children's bookshop devoted to inclusivity and diversity – share books which feature neurodiverse characters.
Read now
7 illustrated children's books about disability
James Catchpole, author of What Happened to You?, shares his top illustrated books that feature characters with disabilities or are true stories about famous disabled people.
Read now
5 books for children who love video games
Christopher Edge, author of Escape Room, recommends his top books for children – whether to introduce them to even more adventures or to inspire reluctant readers.
Read now
10 armchair adventures for junior bookworms
Katherine Rundell, author of The Good Thieves, shares her favourite adventure stories for children.
Read now
5 comic book series for kids who love graphic novels
Jamie Smart shares his top comic book recommendations.
Read now
10 brilliant books to read by Black writers
Layla, a bookseller at Round Table Books, recommends brilliant books for both children and adults written by Black authors.
Read now
Quizzes
Discover our quizzes about popular children's books, authors and illustrators – why not challenge a young booklover to beat your score?
Which Mr. Men or Little Miss character are you?
Are you clumsy or cranky? Do you spend the weekend dancing or getting into trouble? Discover your inner Mr. Men Little Miss personality.
Take the quiz
How well do you know Roald Dahl?
Matthew Dennison, author of Teller of the Unexpected: The Life of Roald Dahl, tests your knowledge of this beloved children's author.
Take the quiz
20 years of World Book Day
20 questions about World Book Day authors to celebrate 20 years of the wonderful charity which celebrates books and reading.
Play now
25 years of World Book Day
National Book Tokens is proud to have sponsored World Book Day for more than 25 years. To celebrate their big birthday, we created a quiz about World Book Day books past and present.
Play now
What's your book choosing style?
Do you like the comfort of familiar characters or enjoy challenging yourself to read new voices and stories? Discover your book choosing style!
Take the quiz
Help us find the missing book titles
Our bookshelves have fallen down and we've lost some of our book titles! Can you help us find the missing words from popular children's books?
Play the quiz
Book Doctor
Discover brilliant recommendations from bestselling children's authors.
Rashmi Sirdeshpande, author of Think Like a Boss
Rashmi Sirdeshpande has joined us to provide reading recommendations and advice to young readers.
Read now
Jasbinder Bilan, author of Asha & the Spirit Bird
Jasbinder Bilan has joined us to prescribe the best reads for young booklovers.
Read now
Sophie Kirtley, author of The Wild Way Home
Sophie Kirtley has joined us to prescribe some brilliant books for young readers.
Read now
Robin Stevens, author of Murder Most Unladylike
Robin Stevens has joined us to prescribe the best reads for young booklovers.
Read now
Emma Carroll, author of The Tale of Truthwater Lake
Emma Carroll has joined us to prescribe some fantastic books for children and adults.
Read now
Ask a Bookseller
Discover booksellers' favourite picks. Are you looking for short stories to get your kids into reading, or graphic novels for children who love all things space? Submit a question for our guest booksellers and if it's answered, we'll send you and your young reader a £15/€20 National Book Token to spend in your local bookshop.
Got a question for a bookseller?
Submit a question and if it's answered, we'll send you a £15/€20 National Book Token to spend in your local bookshop.
Ask now
Rachel from Waterstones Canterbury recommends
Rachel from Canterbury answers your questions about the best books for children.
Read now
Liz and Julia from Next Page Books recommend
Liz and Julie from Hitchin answer your questions about the best reads for kids.
Read now
Draw your dream pizza
We gave young booklovers the chance to win a signed copy of Peng and Spanners and £50 to spend on pizza.
See the winners
Design a National Book Token
This World Book Day, we invited children of all ages to design their own fabulous National Book Tokens!
See the winners
Draw your own Christmas jumper
To celebrate the publication of Jenny Pearson's Operation Nativity, we challenged young readers to design the ultimate festive jumper for the chance to win some Christmas goodies!
See the winners
Design a new superhero
We challenged children to design a new SuperQuesters character (with a special tech feature or superpower which helps the environment) to win SuperQuesters goodies.
See the winners
Create your own villain
To celebrate Ryan Hammond's Villains Academy, we asked children to create their own villain for a chance get their character illustrated by Ryan and featured on their very own National Book Token.
See the winners
Supporting reading for pleasure for children everywhere
We know that reading for pleasure is the biggest indicator of a child's future success, and has a far-reaching impact on wellbeing. That's why we celebrate books and reading for children through our charity partnerships, as well as through our year-round calendar of fun competitions, reading recommendations and quizzes.
Read more
