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Children's reading lists

13 wonderful children’s books by Black authors and illustrators

A selection of children's books that include themes of empathy. They sit on a light red background with a large red shape which features a star pattern inside it.

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17 books that demonstrate empathy

A selection of fiction books with empowering girl characters on a light blue background with orange squiggles and doodles

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12 books packed with girl power

Why it’s important for children to put down their phones

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Features

A Rocket Audio Collection

Listen Up!

Brought to you by Puffin. 
 
Listen Up! A brand new audio bundle following Rocket on her adventures! Including the stories, Look Up!, Clean Up!, and Speak Up! 
 
LOOK UP! Meet hilarious, science-mad chatterbox, Rocket - she's going to be the greatest astronaut, star-catcher, space-traveller that has ever lived! But... can she convince her big brother to stop looking down at his phone and start LOOKING UP at the stars? 
 
CLEAN UP! Join Rocket as she sets off on a mission to save a Caribbean island from plastic pollution! When Rocket goes for a holiday to visit her grandparents, she's shocked by the pollution that is spoiling their island home and putting the local sea life at risk. Can she think of a way to save the day? 
 
SPEAK UP! Join Rocket as she organises a peaceful protest to save her local library! Bookworm Rocket loves to collect new books on her weekly visit to the library, and to read all about inspirational figures like Rosa Parks. She is heartbroken when she discovers the library will be closing down! Can she use what she's learnt from Rosa and speak up to save the day? 
 
© Nathan Bryon 2019, 2022 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Nathan Bryon is an actor, a BAFTA nominated writer and a Sunday Time Best Selling Author, who grew up eating as much Uxbridge Road Caribbean food as his bank balance would allow. His first book Look Up! was the number 1 picture book from a debut author and illustrator in 2019 and won the Waterstones Children’s book prize in 2020. 
 
 
Nathan’s debut feature film RYE LANE which he co-wrote with Tom Melia was released in 2023. The movie was made in partnership with BFI BBC Films and Fox Searchlight and has received 16 BIFA nominations.

A brand new audio bundle following Rocket on her adventures! Including the stories, Look Up!, Clean Up!, and Speak Up! 
 
LOOK UP! Meet hilarious, science-mad chatterbox, Rocket - she's going to be the greatest astronaut, star-catcher, space-traveller that has ever lived! But... can she convince her big brother to stop looking down at his phone and start LOOKING UP at the stars? 
 
CLEAN UP! Join Rocket as she sets off on a mission to save a Caribbean island from plastic pollution! When Rocket goes for a holiday to visit her grandparents, she's shocked by the pollution that is spoiling their island home and putting the local sea life at risk. Can she think of a way to save the day? 
 
SPEAK UP! Join Rocket as she organises a peaceful protest to save her local library! Bookworm Rocket loves to collect new books on her weekly visit to the library, and to read all about inspirational figures like Rosa Parks. She is heartbroken when she discovers the library will be closing down! Can she use what she's learnt from Rosa and speak up to save the day?

A World Book Day 2022 Mini Book

Rocket Rules

Hi! I'm Rocket! 
 
My family says that one day I'm going to change the world. But every day I like to make a difference - even if it's just something super small . . . 
 
Join picture-book hero Rocket from the award-winning Look Up! series as she explains her ten 'Rocket Rules' for living life in the best (and most fun!) way possible. 
 
From always being curious to standing up for what you believe in, this mini guide to changing the world - one small step at a time - contains empowering and engaging ways for little ones to make a big difference. 
 
Bestselling duo Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola have created this inspirational mini picture book especially for World Book Day 2022.

Nathan Bryon (Author) Nathan Bryon is an actor, a BAFTA nominated writer and a Sunday Time Best Selling Author, who grew up eating as much Uxbridge Road Caribbean food as his bank balance would allow. His first book Look Up! was the number 1 picture book from a debut author and illustrator in 2019 and won the Waterstones Children’s book prize in 2020. 
 
 
Nathan’s debut feature film RYE LANE which he co-wrote with Tom Melia was released in 2023. The movie was made in partnership with BFI BBC Films and Fox Searchlight and has received 16 BIFA nominations. Dapo Adeola (Illustrator) Dapo Adeola is an illustrator, author and character designer who was awarded Illustrator of the Year at The British Book Awards in 2022. Dapo rocketed into the picture book world with his greatly acclaimed illustrator debut, Look Up!, written by Nathan Bryon and published by Puffin in 2019, which won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize in 2020. Dapo illustrated My Dad is a Grizzly Bear and My Mum Is a Lioness written by award-winning author Swapna Haddow (both published by Macmillan Children's Books), and collaborated with Malorie Blackman on their picture book We're Going to Find the Monster! 
 
Dapo made his author debut in 2021 with the Puffin published picture book Hey You!: An Empowering Celebration of Growing Up Black, featuring 18 talented Black British illustrators, which also went on to win Illustrated book of the year at The British Book Awards in 2022. Dapo was announced as the winner of the inaugural Illustrator of the Year Award for The Laugh Out Loud Book Awards (the Lollies), which celebrates the best and funniest children's books in the UK and Ireland, voted for by children in 2023. 
 
Born in Britain and of Nigerian heritage, Dapo is an avid believer in the importance of equal representation in the creative arts. He currently lives in Manchester.

Hi! I'm Rocket! 
 
My family says that one day I'm going to change the world. But every day I like to make a difference - even if it's just something super small . . . 
 
Join picture-book hero Rocket from the award-winning Look Up! series as she explains her ten 'Rocket Rules' for living life in the best (and most fun!) way possible. 
 
From always being curious to standing up for what you believe in, this mini guide to changing the world - one small step at a time - contains empowering and engaging ways for little ones to make a big difference. 
 
Bestselling duo Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola have created this inspirational mini picture book especially for World Book Day 2022.

Clean Up!

Join Rocket as she sets sail on a brand new mission - to save a Caribbean island from plastic pollution! 
 
When Rocket goes on holiday to visit her grandparents, she's shocked by the pollution that's spoiling their island home and putting the local sea life at risk. 
 
Can she think of a way to save the day? 
 
Once more featuring the lovable Rocket, discover Bryon and Adeola's incredible follow-up to the award-winning Look Up! A heartwarming story that empowers and educates young readers. 
 
Praise for Clean Up! 
 
"Clean Up! reminds us that there are always things we can do to make the world better" - Book Trust 
 
"Interwoven facts and an inspirational surfing grandma add up to a picture book with a lovely balance of urgency, humour and heart." - The Guardian

Join lovable, passionate Rocket as she sets off on a mission to save a Caribbean island from plastic pollution! 
 
 
When Rocket goes for a holiday to visit her grandparents, she's shocked by the pollution that is spoiling their island home and putting the local sea life at risk. Can she think of a way to save the day? 
 
 
This is a heartwarming, timely and empowering picture book, showing how we ALL can make a difference. It's a sequel to Nathan and Dapo's debut Look Up!

Look Up!

Meet hilarious, science-mad chatterbox, Rocket - she's going to be the greatest astronaut, star-catcher, space-traveller that has ever lived! 
 
But... can she convince her big brother to stop looking down at his phone and start LOOKING UP at the stars? 
 
Bursting with energy and passion about science and space, this heart-warming, inspirational picture book will have readers turning off their screens and switching on to the outside world. 
 
*Winner of the UKLA Awards 2021* 
*Shortlisted for the Sainsbury's Children's Book Awards 2019* 
"Outstanding - a breath of fresh air, just like Rocket herself" - Kirkus Reviews 
"Energetic and with a wry, sweet take on family dynamics, it will alert readers to the mysteries of the night skies" - The Guardian

Look Up! by Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola features science-crazed chatterbox Rocket, who is determined to get her whole town out watching a meteor shower - to the annoyance of her big brother, who would rather stay glued to his phone. Energetic and with a wry, sweet take on family dynamics, it will alert readers to the mysteries of the night skies.

Rocket wants to be the greatest astronaut, star-catcher and space-traveller who has ever lived, just like Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space. 
She's so excited about seeing a meteor shower that she makes an announcement over the supermarket loudspeaker when the cashier isn't looking, and hands out flyers to her fellow shoppers, much to her older brother Jamal's disdain - after all, Jamal prefers to be looking down at his phone most of the time and not up at the stars. And when Jamal gets too into his gaming to take Rocket to the park to watch the meteor shower, what will she do? Fortunately a knock at the door provides a joyous solution... 
Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola's charming picture book gifts us with a gorgeous character in Rocket, a girl whose passion for all things space is as inspiring to the reader as her heroine Mae Jemison is to her. Adeola has a real talent for portraying expression, from teen Jamal's sulks to Rocket's jubilation at watching the stars. 
Sprinkled with facts about meteors and space, this charming picture book is also a lovely representation of family, sibling relationships and one girl's infectious enthusiasm.

Young Rocket, an admirer of astronaut Mae Jemison, never stops telling others to "Look up!" Named for a rocket that blasted into space on the day she was born, Rocket is preparing herself to be the "greatest astronaut, star catcher, space walker who has ever lived." She sets up her telescope each night to wish on a star, her everyday clothing choice is an astronaut suit, star earrings are her favorites, and she has lots of information for those around her, especially concerning the Phoenix meteor shower to be visible that night. Her first-person commentary describes her family, her passion for space, and informs anyone who will listen about the Earth's travel through a comet's trail of dust. A multiethnic cast of characters with expressive cartoon faces fill this brightly colorful book with strong contrasts between indoor and outdoor images, variation of fonts, and speech or thought bubbles. All leads to the night sky event, when a frustrating sky search for the meteor awakens self-absorbed brother Jamal who finally turns off his phone to "Look up!" and give a bit of encouragement to his younger sister. ­VERDICT Ideal for space or science-inclined readers, this book includes brief information about outstanding scientist Jemison and a short list of facts about meteors and comets enclosed in an embrace of family relationships and a child's joy in the world around her. A suggested first purchase for all libraries.

Rocket is on a mission...to get her angst-y teen brother to put down his cellphone and look up. An aspiring astronaut, Rocket makes it a point to set up her telescope and gaze at the stars every night before bedtime. Inspired by Mae Jemison, Rocket, a supercute black girl with braids and a coiffed Afro, hopes to be "the greatest astronaut, star catcher, and space walker who has ever lived." As the night of the Phoenix meteor shower approaches, Rocket makes fliers inviting everyone in her neighborhood to see the cosmic event at the park. Over the course of her preparations, she shares information about space-shuttle missions, what causes a meteor shower, and when is the best time to see one. Jamal, Rocket's insufferable older brother, who sports a high-top fade and a hoodie, is completely engrossed in his phone, even as just about everybody in the neighborhood turns up. The bright, digital illustrations are an exuberant celebration of both space and black culture that will simultaneously inspire and ground readers. That the main characters are unapologetically black is made plain through myriad details. Rocket's mother is depicted cornrowing her daughter's hair with a wide-toothed comb and hair oil. Gap-toothed Rocket, meanwhile, makes her enthusiasm for space clear in the orange jumpsuit both she and her cat wear-and even Jamal's excited by the end. Outstanding-a breath of fresh air, just like Rocket herself.

Nathan Bryon

Dapo Adeola

Join the brilliantly passionate and instantly loveable Rocket as she organises a peaceful protest to save her local library! 
 
Bookworm Rocket loves to collect new books on her weekly visit to the library, and to read all about inspirational figures like Rosa Parks. She is heartbroken when she discovers the library will be closing down! Can she use what she's learnt from Rosa and speak up to save the day? 
 
This empowering, heartwarming picture book is a love letter to libraries and the power of reading. And it shows the incredible power we ALL have when we find our voice and speak up about the things that matter. 
 
Read more Rocket stories from award winning duo Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola: 
Look Up! 
Clean Up! 
 
Love the series? Check out Dapo Adeola's debut picture book Hey You!, a lyrical celebration on growing up Black.

Nathan Bryon

Books by Nathan Bryon

Articles featuring Nathan Bryon

13 wonderful children’s books by Black authors and illustrators

17 books that demonstrate empathy

12 books packed with girl power

Why it’s important for children to put down their phones

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