German books
“Wir gehen auf Bärenjagd” by Helen Oxenbury, Michael Rosen and Rolf Inhauser. The classic story including sounds that are worth comparing with English and an easy story to act out.
KS1 to Year 4
“Vom kleinen Maulwurf, der wissen wollte, wer ihm auf den Kopf gemacht hat” by Werner Holzwarth and Wolf Erlbruch
The little mole wants to find out who pooed on his head. He tries to find the one animal responsible and talks to various others on the way. Very repetitive and the children love it.
KS1 and 2
“Zilly im Winter” by Korky Paul und Valerie Thomas
A lovely story about a witch and her black cat. This one is great for teaching clothes. You might need to shorten the text a bit.
Another one from the same series is “Zilly die Zauberin”. This one talks about colours and rooms/furniture.
KS2
“Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt” – by Eric Carle
One of the books you can buy in nearly every language. Easy to understand because children know the story. Can be used for introducing days of the week or food. Easy to adapt and children can change/create their own version.
KS1 and Year 3
“Steinsuppe” by Anais Vaugelade and Tobias Scheffel
A great story that introduces food and animals. You might need to shorten the story.
KS2
“Mutig, mutig” by Lorenz Pauli and Kathrin Schärer
A lovely story about how to be brave and show off in front of your friends. Fantastic illustrations that make it easy to follow the plot.
Year 4, 5 and 6
“Der Hase mit der roten Nase” by Helme Heine
A lovely book to introduce colours and body parts.
KS1 and year 3
“Kleiner weisser Fisch” by Guido van Genechten
Another good one for teaching colours and animals.
KS1 and Year 3
“Irgendwie anders” by Kathryn Cave and Chris Riddell
A book about being different and friendship. Great if you want to start some work on feelings.
KS2