The School Practice Collection, (located on the first floor of the Library) includes children's books, resource books for teachers and lots of other material such as dvds and cds. Institute of Education students can take 20 items out from here in addition to their main library allocation of 15 items. You can spot a School Practice item as it will have SP in front of its number on the catalogue
There is so much more to children's books than Harry Potter, vampires and werewolves (though they are all good...) and we can provide lots of different storybooks to support your studies, increase your knowledge of children's literature and above all, enjoy a good read! Our storybooks are divided into 2 sections (SP 823 then arranged by author); Infant which have blue tape and Infant on the spine and Junior which have Junior on the spine, so do watch that you are in the right section when you're looking for things.
The Infant section is mainly books suitable for younger children - board books for babies and pictureBooks for preschool and primary children but there are a few books which could be used with much older children - they may be pictureBook format but their content means an older audience
The Junior section covers eveything from very early readers to teen fiction although it is primarily books suitable for primary/junior children
Need a story on a particular topic? Use our Story Index, which is available through Library Search. Simply select Collections from the menu bar.
Then select Story Index to view the entire collection. You can sort the collection by 'relevance', 'date', 'title', or 'author'. Or you can search the Story Index using keywords, for example pets, to see all stories in the collection that match the subject.
Select a title that interests you to see more information about it and its location in the library:
If you can't find a story suitable for your topic, please contact librarians@derby.ac.uk as we don't like to be beaten on a query!
We have a number of Storysacks which you can borrow to support your studies. You can locate them all on the library catalogue (search "Storysack" and then use the 'kit' filter) or there are laminated sheets on the shelves illustrating which Storysacks we have. The sacks are kept downstairs near the Library Counter - if you wish to loan one just ask and staff will happily issue the one you need.
If you want some help using the Storysacks have a look at Storysacks by Neil Griffiths or Storysacks - the next step: using storysacks in the early years setting. All you then need is your imagination..
There are a number of booklists which we produce to help you make the most of the School Practice collection
Award Winning Children's Books - Award-wining books and books by award-winning authors.
Current and past winners of Children's book awards are also here: Carnegie Medal, Kate Greenway Medal, Costa Children's Book of the Year (Ceased in 2022), Children's Book Award, Blue Peter Book of the Year Awards, Waterstones Award, UKLA Book Award, Sainsbury's Children's Book Award, Booktrust Storytime Prize, Booktrust Lifetime Achievement Award, Waterstones Children's Laureate.
Children's Novelty Books - A list of pop-up, lift-the-flap, novelty and wordless children's books available in the School Practice Collection
Dual & Foreign Language Children's Books - A list of dual language books and foreign language books held in the School Practice Collection
History Through Story - A list of selected books, available in the School Practice library, that may be used to complement the teaching of history through story.
Multi-Cultural Children's Books - A list of fiction books, with a multi-cultural aspect, held in the School Practice Collection
Non-Sexist & LGBT+ Children's Fiction - A list of fiction books, with positive gender and LGBT+ approaches held in the School Practice Collection
New titles have been ordered. They now appear on Library Search, but they have not yet arrived in the library. Click the linked titles below to see the status of the new books (SJB 24/04/2023).
Fiction
Cats We Meet Along the Way: Winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2023
Gretel the Wonder Mammoth: A story about overcoming anxiety
Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear
Station Cat: A Story of Kindness and Hope
What Do You See When You Look At a Tree?
People
Dare to Be Different: Inspirational Words from People Who Changed the World
Julia Donaldson's Book of Names
Kid Innovators: True Tales of Childhood from Inventors and Trailblazers
Kid Scientists: True Tales of Childhood from Science Superstars
Rescuing Titanic: A True Story of Quiet Bravery in the North Atlantic
Women in Science: Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World
Science
Am I Made of Stardust?: Dr Maggie Answers the Big Questions for Young Scientists
Galapagos Trust activity pack (Marti the Hammerhead Shark and Tessa the Tortoise)
Lift-the-flap Questions and Answers about your Body
Science and Math for Curious Kids: A World of Knowledge - From Atoms to Zoology!
Books For Keeps is a really brilliant (free) source of information on children's books and reading. It was launched in 1980 and ever since has been reviewing hundreds of new children’s books each year and publishing articles on every aspect of writing for children. There are over 12,500 reviews and more than 2,000 articles including interviews with the top children’s authors and illustrators. Grab a coffee, curl up in a chair and immerse yourself in the magical world of children's books and reading.
