We have developed this area of the website to encourage our pupils to read widely and often.

It contains links to websites at the bottom of the page that list brilliant books and awesome authors. We have also asked teachers and pupils to list some of their favourite authors and books.

At Four Marks we believe that children deserve a rich curriculum that encourages extensive reading of whole books and other kinds of texts. We believe that active encouragement of reading for pleasure is a core part of every child’s educational entitlement, whatever their background or attainment because we know that extensive reading and an exposure to a range of texts makes a huge contribution to children’s educational achievement.

 

We aim for all children to read for pleasure by the time they reach the end of their primary school years. Research shows that this is the single most important factor in helping to determine future academic success. We read widely and often in school, and as parents, we hope that you will read widely and often with and to your child.  Even when a child can read with reasonable fluency, it is important to regularly share books with your child, and expose them to a range of literature that will broaden their horizons, and help them develop a love and thirst for reading that goes beyond the simple ability to read.

 

At Four Marks we aim to promote the concept of reading for ‘fun’, ‘enjoyment’ and ‘pleasure’ and we ensure that we include a range of ‘real’ books within the Curriculum for English, as well as carefully chosen books to help your child learn to read.  We will also give children the opportunity for sustained reading from a range of self-chosen fiction and non-fiction texts from our school library.

Our Reading Dog

Maggie, our Reading Dog, loves listening to stories. She visits our school library once a week, and children are selected to come and read to Maggie. We find that this helps to develop children's confidence and enjoyment of reading. Maggie has been assessed and accredited by Pets as Therapy, and her visits are fully risk assessed and supervised. Before a child is selected to read with Maggie, consent is obtained from parents. 

Below is a selection of stories read aloud by members of our school staff to listen to. For our developing readers, why not have a copy of the book for your child to read along to- a brilliant way to introduce your child to longer chapter books and to build thier reading stamina: 

Bedtime Stories for Younger Children: 

Meet Mr Pusskins. He's the grumpiest yet most lovable cat around!  Mr Pusskins has an owner who adores him and wants to make his life utterly blissful. But Mr Pusskins doesn't want to play mouse games, he doesn't want snuggles and he certainly doesn't want cosy bedtime stories. What Mr Pusskins wants is...ADVENTURE!

Marjorie is an insecure cow who wishes she had some special talent. She can't ride a bicycle or do handstands like the other cows. Then one morning (thanks to a bunch of scheming chickens and a paintbrush), Marjorie is astonished to discover something extraordinary: shes laid an egg!

As any dog will tell you, losing your bone is serious business. But this particular canine is a very determined digger. Deeper and deeper he digs--turning up all kinds of extraordinary underground things.

Marjorie the cow is terribly excited. She's going to enter her daughter, Daisy, in the Baby Cow Contest. Daisy has been a very special cow ever since the day that she surprised everyone by hatching out of an egg! Marjorie feels sure that Daisy will win, hooves down.

But the other mothers are starting to talk... Daisy isn't quite like the other babies; she's small and feathery, and she can't even chew the cud yet. Is there something Marjorie should know?

Slinky Malinki wakes from a cosy sleep, stretches and slips out through the catflap and into the night. He's soon joined by his friends Greywacke Jones, Butterball Brown, the Poppadum kittens and the rest of the gang. Hobnobbing happily on the wall,ten in a row, the cats are disturbed by the crotchety Scarface Claw. The cats hiss and yowl until all the neighbours complain. Scarface slopes off and Slinky Malinki invites his friends home to sit in front of the fire, hobnobbing happily, ten in a row.

Stories to Read Along To 7-9 years

Poor Ellie is horrified when Tuffy drags a dead bird into the house. Then a mouse. But Tuffy can't understand what all the fuss is about. Who on earth will be the next victim to arrive through the cat-flap? Can soft-hearted Ellie manage to get her beloved pet to change his wild, wild ways before he ends up in even deeper trouble?

Bob is untidy, Bob eats baked beans for dinner every night, Bob is happy. Until one awful morning when he awakes to a spotless house and an infestation of house elves. He and the elves share very different views on housekeeping.

 In the deepest, darkest jungle grows something of such immense value that men will do ANYTHING to get their hands on it: the elusive and delicious chocoplum! Fintan Fedora is determined to prove to his father, owner of the Fedora Fancy Food Company, that he will one day be good enough to take over the family business - so he sets out to find the rare chocoplum before anyone else. Little does Fintan know that there are two  kidnappers on his tail, as well as an evil businessman who wants the chocoplum for himself.

Boggle hats are the latest thing.

Everybody at school wants one - but only Lola, expert parent-nagger, actually has one. So she decides to form a club to show the other children how best to nag their parents into buying them one.

Tactics range from the "Oh, please, please, please" Nag to the Huffy Nag and the Blazing Tantrum.

But when the children try out some of these nags, they get mixed results - and discover that the best way of all is either just to be pleasant and polite and say please, or even earn a bit of money and buy one for themselves!

Stories to Read Along to: Older Readers 9-11 years

Dresden, 1945. Elizabeth and Karli's mother works at the zoo, where her favourite animal is a young elephant named Marlene. Then the zoo director tells her that the dangerous animals – including the elephants – must be shot before the town is bombed. Unable to give Marlene up, their mother moves her into the back garden to save her… and then the bombs start to fall.

Their home destroyed, the whole family must flee the bombed-out city and through the perilous, snow-covered landscape, all the while avoiding the Russian troops who are drawing ever closer. It would be hard enough to do, without an elephant in tow…

It's 1943, and Lily Tregenze lives on a farm, in the idyllic seaside village of Slapton. Apart from her father being away, and the 'townie' evacuees at school, her life is scarcely touched by the war. Until one day, Lily and her family, along with 3000 other villagers, are told to move out of their homes – lock, stock and barrel.

Soon, the whole area is out of bounds, as the Allied forces practise their landings for D-day, preparing to invade France. But Tips, Lily's adored cat, has other ideas – barbed wire and keep-out signs mean nothing to her, nor does the danger of guns and bombs. Frantic to find her, Lily makes friends with two young American soldiers, who promise to help her. But will she ever see her cat again? Lily decides to cross the wire into the danger zone to look for Tips herself…