Here are the key books we study in class in Year 2. Below, you can click the document to find out more about how and why we use these books.

Autumn 1

This half term, we've been reading some older literature which children over the past hundred years would have read. This has enabled the children to make links with our history learning this half term.

We've looked closely at the 'Tale of Peter Rabbit' by Beatrix Potter and found out about her life. The tale acted as a stimulus for some of our writing this half term, including writing our very own versions of the story.  We've also read 'The Enchanted Wood' by Enid Blyton and have loved seeing what wonderful characters would be coming down the Faraway Tree. 

We actively encourage the children to find an author or genre that they are interested in and to read as much as possible for pleasure. This includes the children reading and listening to both stories and non-fiction texts.

Autumn 2

This half term, we've been learning about nocturnal animals so we have read the book 'The Owl Who Was Afraid Of The Dark' by Jill Tomlinson. The children loved hearing about Plop, the baby barn owl, who was terrified of the dark. Throughout his adventures, Plop meets a whole host of new characters who tell him just how wonderful the dark can be. The children also added their feelings about the dark and eventually, Plop became a night bird, just like his parents.

Jill Tomlinson has written a range of books about animals and their unusual traits which would make excellent Christmas or birthday gifts. What's even better is, some of her stories are sort novels which is perfect for children who are confident readers, while other stories she's written are in the form of picture books which would support children who are less confident readers.

Spring 1

This half term, our texts have been linked to Africa. We began by reading the traditional African folk-tale of 'Why Anansi has Eight Skinny Legs'. This prompted lots of discussion about treating people fairly and equally. The children then wrote their very own versions of the story, incorporating a new character into their writing. We were AMAZED with their wonderful work.

As a class read, we shared the story of Anna Hibiscus. These longer texts allow the children to become really absorbed in the story and they were desperate to continue reading every afternoon! Again, there is a whole series of books based around Anna Hibiscus and her life, should the children wish to read more. We also have lots of copies of these in our class library if the children should wish to borrow them.