Reading resources What makes a book 'Beanstalk Brilliant'? What makes a book 'Beanstalk Brilliant'? At Coram Beanstalk, we pay a lot of attention to detail when selecting books because all children deserve the chance to find books they love. We know that children are unique but books with certain characteristics are more likely to appeal to a wider range of children. And of course, it is often the approach taken by the adult that shapes a child’s experience of a book. Here’s what we consider when choosing books to recommend… We like to choose books that are: Funny in a way that appeals to children's sense of humour; sometimes just on the edge of acceptable! Topical/popular - on a subject or in a style that’s appealing to children at the moment Fun looking and not overwhelming - the pictures or graphics are appealing, the balance of images/space/text isn't off-putting, the amount of text/thickness of the book isn't scary Balanced – not all about the words, has part or all of the story in the illustrations. May even be wordless. Informative - on a subject that has a track record and continues to be appealing to children Not embarrassing, patronising or preachy We choose books that: Have lots of opportunities for book-chat Lend themselves to playing book-based games Have lots of layers to explore Are far, far removed from reading scheme books Are begging to be read again and again Don’t feel like books you ‘should’ be reading We choose books that help children: Feel empowered and inspired through what they read Have positive reading experiences that make them want to get more involved with reading Discover what they enjoy reading See reading as something they can be part of See the value reading adds to their lives See themselves and their lives reflected Widen their understanding of the world Build knowledge and vocabulary Fall in love with reading The books we choose have a combination of these characteristics and lend themselves really well to being shared with children across lots of different ages and stages. Our Beanstalk Brilliant Top 40 books Our Beanstalk Brilliant Books of the Month