Supporting the National Year of Reading 2026
Books to Read this Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day is a time to reflect on the sacrifices made by others during times of war. For children, books can be a gentle and powerful way to understand the meaning behind the poppies, the stories of bravery and the importance of peace. These thoughtful reads help young readers understand and connect with history – perfect for sharing in the classroom or at home.
War Dog
by Tom Palmer (author) and Carolina Rabei (illustrator)
This beautiful picture book is a testament to the love and loyalty of dogs and the importance of animal companions.
Judy is a dog who lives on a ship called HMS Grasshopper. As the ship’s mascot, Judy has many duties. She catches rats, watches out for soldiers who may fall overboard, and she listens out for danger. Judy loves her crew, and they love her.She knows that she brings comfort to the men, making her job very important during these hard times. But when her soldiers are taken prisoner and she is separated from her beloved Frank, she must find the strength to keep going. She is their only hope.
Alive with Poppies
by Tomos Roberts (author) and Sharon Rentta (illustrator)
Each autumn, a small red flower begins to appear. It flourishes at a time when others do not. But what does it mean? And why do people wear it?
Tomos Roberts’ moving poem, explains the history and the importance of the poppy symbol from the First World War to the present day. Alive with Poppies strikes a chord with young readers wondering how the poppy came to be such an important symbol.
Goodnight Mister Tom
by Michelle Magorian
A tender and beautifully evoked story which sweeps readers back into the Second World War era. When the war thrusts scrawny evacuee Willie Beech into the care of a gruff old man, an unlikely bond flourishes between them. But as Willie enjoys his first ever taste of kindness, suddenly his happiness is under threat again… This heartwarming classic sets universal human themes against a stunning and memorable wartime backdrop.
Poppy Field
by Michael Morpurgo (author) and Michael Foreman (illustrator)
A new wartime classic from two legends of children’s literature! Michael Morpurgo and Michael Foreman have teamed up with the Royal British Legion to tell a new story inspired by the history of the poppy. When John McCrae wrote his famous poem In Flanders Field among the trenches of war-torn Belgium, neither he nor a local village girl who saves a discarded draft of it could know what enormous power that poem would have on generations to come.
My Story: The Trenches
by Jim Eldridge
My Story: The Trenches is a thrilling wartime tale about the Great War.
It’s 1917 and Billy Stevens is a telegraph operator stationed near Ypres. The Great War has been raging for three years when Billy finds himself taking part in the deadly Big Push forward. But he is shocked to discover that the bullets of his fellow soldiers aren’t just aimed at the enemy…
Voices #1: Now or Never – A Dunkirk Story
by Bali Rai
Now or Never brings a young soldier, Private Fazal Khan, from his home in India to the battlefields of the Second World War.
Fazal’s world is now focused on Company 32 and the animals he cares for in the midst of one of the most frightening times in history. And as he and his friends make their way to the beaches of Dunkirk, Fazal must deal with even more than the terrors of a dangerous trek to reach the evacuation zone.
The Company’s captain defends his troops in the face of a terrible betrayal at the point of rescue: not everyone has welcomed the help brought by the Royal Indian Army Service Corps. Now Fazal is forced to question why he is even there and why he is expected to be loyal to a king whose people don’t all see him as their equal.
