Ned the hedgehog is looking for a home in the cold, dark forest. He needs somewhere warm and cosy to sleep, but all he keeps finding are other creatures' homes: rabbits', foxes', owls', bats'. Will he ever find a snug safe bed of his own? This beautiful book is written and illustrated by award-winning author and illustrator Tim Hopgood. Yellow/Band 3 books offer varied sentence structure and natural language Text type: A story with predictable structure and patterned language. A map of the forest on pages 14-15 shows Ned's journey and all the animals he encounters along the way. Curriculum links: Knowledge and understanding of the World This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

When Clare and her family go on holiday, she is not allowed to take her pet spider Harry with her - so when he sneaks away with her Clare is told off. But when her mum's suitcase goes missing, who can save the day? Purple/Band 8 books offer developing readers literary language, with some challenging vocabulary. Text type: A story with a familiar setting Posters on pages 22 and 23 advertise Harry's services for finding lost items and remind the readers of Harry's talents. Curriculum links: Citizenship: People who help us; Animals and us. This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Once upon a time there were two good friends, a frog and a toad... Frog wanted to be alone. Toad thought Frog was sad, so set out to cheer him up. The much-loved Frog and Toad stories were written and illustrated Arnold Lobel and have been loved by generations. Children can recap the story using the story map on pages 14-15, providing lots of speaking and listening opportunities. Green/Band 5 books offer early readers patterned language and varied characters. Ideas for Reading provide practical support and stimulating activities.

Build your child's reading confidence at home with books at the right level Discover how people have mapped Australia - from songs that recorded what the landscape looked like, and early explorers' drawings, to modern maps and satellite images. Emerald/Band 15 books provide a widening range of genres including science fiction and biography, prompting more ways to respond to texts. Text type: An information book Curriculum links: geography, history

While Pam naps in her rocking chair, her cats cause havoc around her - but will their noise be enough to wake her up? This lovely story is wonderfully illustrated by Tomislav Zlatic. Pink A/Band 1A books offer emergent readers very simple text supported by illustrations. Text type: A simple story with a familiar setting Children can discuss the different events that happen around a sleeping Pam in the illustrated kitchen scene on pages 14-15. Curriculum links: Knowledge and Understanding of the World

Build your child's reading confidence at home with books at the right level Sally Prue's gripping retelling of Shakespeare's devastating tragedy is both shocking and riveting. Find out how far Iago will go to get revenge on Othello, and what the terrible consequences will be. Pearl/Band 18 books offer fluent readers a complex, substantial text with challenging themes to facilitate sustained comprehension, bridging the gap between a reading programme and longer chapter books. Text type: Fiction from our literary heritage Curriculum links: English: fiction from the English literary heritage

Artist Jon Stuart shows how he produces computer-generated images. The process starts with a simple block of cubes, which are added to, given texture, before being bent, stretched, twisted into the correct shape and size. He then adds background, lighting and colour to bring the whole scene to life. This is a Band 06/Orange book in the Collins Big Cat reading programme which offers varied text and characters, with action sustained over several pages. This is an information book with a flow chart on pages 22 and 23 that summarises the process of producing CGI. Contents are listed on page 1 while a glossary and index are detailed on pages 20 and 21. This book supports learning around art and design, and investigates different kinds of art, design and craft. It also supports ICT education, and is an introduction to modelling and creating pictures. This book has been levelled for Reading Recovery. For more guided reading books in this Collins Big Cat band, try Pompeii (9780007461875) written by Fiona Macdonald with imagery by Giorgio Bacchin

Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Levelled for guided and independent reading, each book includes ideas to support reading. Teaching and assessment support and eBooks are also available. Learn about extreme exploration. Adventure with the bravest explorers up the highest mountains, down into the deepest seas, across parched deserts – and even into space! Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. Text type: An information book Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities. Curriculum Links – Geography

Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available. From volcano eruptions to building bridges, preventing diseases to playing football, maths is all around us. Come on a journey to discover the incredible ways maths is used in the world! Pearl/Band 18 books offer fluent readers a complex, substantial text with challenging themes to facilitate sustained comprehension, bridging the gap between a reading programme and longer chapter books. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.

From the pyramids in Egypt to the Sydney Opera House, landmarks have been built all over the world. Find out what makes them so special. Turquoise/ Band 7 books offer literary language and extended descriptions, with longer sentences and a wide range of unfamiliar terms. Text type - An information book. A map of the world on pages 22 and 23 shows the location of all the landmarks. Curriculum links - Geography: ‘the location and characteristics of a range of the world’s most significant human and physical features’.

Ever wanted to make a maraca? This step by step guide will show you how, with clear, engaging photos that show just how easy it is to make and personalise your very own maraca. Lilac/Band 0 books are wordless books that tell a story through pictures and are designed to develop understanding about how stories work. Text type: A wordless instruction book. Children can recap the stages on pp.14-15 Curriculum links: Art and Design: Containers

Collins Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds features exciting fiction and non-fiction decodable readers to enthuse and inspire children. The 7+ books are designed for children aged 7+ who need more practice to acquire phonics skills. They have age-appropriate content, more mature images, and are fully aligned to Letters and Sounds Phases 3–5. Learn all about football skills in this fun non-fiction book, with step-by-step instructions showing how to do skills from sole rolls to trapping, and profiles of players famous for their amazing skills. Green/Band 5 books offer early readers patterned language and varied characters. The focus sounds in this book are: /ai/ ay, ey /ee/ ea /igh/ i-e, i /oa/ o, oe, ow, o-e /oo/ ew, ou, u, u-e /ar/ a /ow/ ou /or/ al, our, augh, aw, au. Pages 30 and 31 allow children to re-visit the content of the book, supporting comprehension skills, vocabulary development and recall. Reading notes within the book provide practical support for reading Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds with children, including a list of all the sounds and words that the book will cover.

Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available. Many people have searched for the Lost City of Atlantis. Does it really exist, or is it just a myth? Are any other stories of sunken cities based on facts? And how many other ruined cities are still buried beneath the waves, waiting to be discovered? White Plus/Band 10+ books provide challenging plots and vocabulary as well as opportunities to practise inference, prediction and reading stamina. Pages 46 and 47 allow children to re-visit the content of the book, supporting comprehension skills, vocabulary development and recall. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities. Abbie Rushton has heard lots of stories about Atlantis and had often wondered if it was a real place. She genuinely didn't know the answer so she loved researching this book to see if she could find out! She was thrilled that she could share some information about Dunwich as she's been fascinated since she visited as a child. She doesn't live far from Dunwich now and still enjoy visiting the beach and the last grave on the clifftop.

So, you think you know the desert? This simple non-fiction report explores the exciting, extraordinary elements of the desert, from beautiful plants, to fantastic creatures, tall buildings, and children themselves! Amazing photographs accompany this information book. Pink B level/Band 1B books offer simple, predictable text with familiar objects and actions Text type: A simple information book. Photographs of all the different things that can be found in the desert on pages 14-15 help children to recap and provide a wealth of speaking and listening opportunities. Curriculum links: Knowledge and Understanding of the World

Collins Arabic Big Cat is a guided reading series for ages 3 to 11. The series is structured with reference to the learning progression of Arabic at nursery and primary schools researched especially for Collins. This carefully graded approach allows children to build up their reading knowledge of Arabic step by step. Level 10 books include characters that express emotions and stories with more events. Non-fiction titles introduce terms that might be new to many children. Level 10 books continue to use single spacing and more high-frequency words appear without vowel markings to help the students get used to the traditional norms of printed Arabic. Prince Mimo is upset - he wants the moon. So the King and Queen send their servants, Grim and Misery, out to catch the moon for him, with hilarious consequences. This charming story by award-winning author Mal Peat and Elspeth Graham is illustrated by Xiao Xin. Children can recap the main stages of the story on pages 14-15, providing lots of speaking and listening opportunities.

Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available. Have you ever looked up at the sky and wondered how amazing the Moon and stars look? Have you wondered how far away they are? For thousands of years, people all over the world have looked up at the sky and told fascinating stories to explain how the Sun, Moon and stars came to be. White Plus/Band 10+ books provide challenging plots and vocabulary as well as opportunities to practise inference, prediction and reading stamina. Pages 46 and 47 allow children to re-visit the content of the book, supporting comprehension skills, vocabulary development and recall. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities. Anita has always been fascinated by the stars. As a child, she remembers visiting the London Planetarium, and being completely transfixed. She also loves reading stories about how people long ago found ways of understanding how the world worked, before science offered explanations. Being able to combine these two was a treat!

Little Red Hen is looking for Granny's house in the big, bad city. Should she trust the smiley stranger who wants to help her? Turquoise/ Band 7 books offer literary language and extended descriptions, with longer sentences and a wide range of unfamiliar terms. Text type - A traditional tale The story is followed on pages 22 and 23 by a map of Mr Fox's whole route, which is a great way to recap and discuss the story with children and gives an opportunity to extend into further work outside the reading session. Curriculum links: geography: 'Pupils should be taught to use simple compass directions (North, South, East and West) and locational and directional language [for example, near and far; left and right], to describe the location of features and routes on a map'.

Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Levelled for guided and independent reading, each book includes ideas to support reading. Teaching and assessment support and eBooks are also available. When Tara Binns opens her dressing up box something exciting happens ... Tara Binns is an environmental engineer! Eco-friendly energy is good for the planet, but what if it spoils a beautiful view? Tara Binns makes a big splash in the world of wind power and everyone is blown over by the strength of her sparky ideas. This exciting title in the Tara Binns mini-series is written by Lisa Rajan. Topaz/Band 13 books offer longer and more demanding reads for children to investigate and evaluate. Text type: An adventure story Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.

Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Levelled for guided and independent reading, each book includes ideas to support reading. Teaching and assessment support and eBooks are also available. When Tara Binns opens her dressing up box something exciting happens ... Tara Binns is a robotics engineer! When a delivery robot ignores simple instructions and messes up the lab, the robotics team are left confused. Smart robots are supposed to be intelligent! But Tara later discovers that the robot is even smarter than expected ... This exciting title in the Tara Binns mini-series is written by Lisa Rajan. Ruby/Band 14 books give increasing opportunities for children to develop their skills of inference and deduction. Text type: An adventure story Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.

Build your child's reading confidence at home with books at the right level A gripping retelling of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic tale of mystery and friendship. When Mary Lennox is sent to live with her uncle at his remote home on the moor, she thinks she'll be lonely and bored. But when she finds a rusty old key and discovers a secret cousin she never knew she had, everything at Misselthwaite Manor changes. Diamond/Band 17 books offer more complex, underlying themes to give opportunities for children to understand causes and points of view. Text type: Fiction from our literary heritage Curriculum links: English: fiction from the English literary heritage

Kind Emma lives all alone in her little cottage by the wood, with no one to talk to. But one snowy night Emma hears a knock at her door, and a tiny voice asking for help. When she takes pity on the little thing at the door and gives it shelter and food, she finds that her whole life is changed – and she at last has a friend to talk to. Orange/ Band 6 books offer varied text and characters, with action sustained over several pages. Text type – A traditional story. A pictorial diary on pages 22 and 23 retells the story from Kind Emma’s viewpoint and provides lots of opportunities for speaking and listening activities. Curriculum links – Citizenship: Taking part. This book has been levelled for Reading Recovery. This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available. The discovery of a mysterious scorched letter launches Wolfie and his volcanologist mother, Isabella, on a thrilling adventure around the world's volcanoes. From Pompeii to Antarctica, they face beauty and danger in equal measure in their quest for the treasures of the volcano. This exciting adventure story is written by Hawys Morgan. Lime Plus/Band 11+ books provide challenging plots and vocabulary as well as opportunities to practise inference, prediction and reading stamina. Pages 46 and 47 allow children to re-visit the content of the book, supporting comprehension skills, vocabulary development and recall. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.

Build your child’s reading confidence at home with books at the right level Join an expedition climbing Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. From Base Camp to the summit, find out what to wear, what to take with you and how to survive! Emerald/Band 15 books provide a widening range of genres including science fiction and biography, prompting more ways to respond to texts. Text type – An information book. The book is organised into short chapters to help children practise the skills of locating and identifying important information. The glossary and index can be used to develop children's information retrieval skills further. Curriculum links – Geography

The start of a New Year is celebrated in different ways all over the world. Find out how inside! Green/ Band 5 books offer early readers patterned language and varied characters. Text type - An information book. A map of new year celebrations can be found on pages 22-23 to encourage children to discuss the information. Curriculum links - Geography: 'Pupils should be taught to ... understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the United Kingdom, a region in a European country, and a region within North or South America'.

Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available. Lola’s auntie Flo has always been an adventurous sort, which is why it was no surprise when she took up the challenge of a trip to Egypt to investigate a newly found pyramid. It was all in a good cause – raising money for a local charity. Then things got strange when Flo disappeared without a trace. The last Lola heard was when a postcard arrived which didn’t sound like her auntie at all – that’s when Lola knew Flo was in trouble. Join Lola and her mum as they pack their rucksacks and set off on a thrilling trip to Egypt on the trail of auntie Flo. Will they be able to piece together the evidence to find her? This humorous mystery story was written by Ciaran Murtagh. Lime Plus/Band 11+ books provide challenging plots and vocabulary as well as opportunities to practise inference, prediction and reading stamina. Pages 46 and 47 allow children to re-visit the content of the book, supporting comprehension skills, vocabulary development and recall. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.