Why coloured Book Bands are a powerful tool for developing confident, independent readers.
Reading underpins every other area of learning, builds imagination, and opens the door to lifelong enjoyment, and helping children to become skilled, enthusiastic readers is one of the greatest gifts that schools and families can provide.
Traditionally, many schools have used published reading schemes - structured sets of books produced by a single publisher - to guide children’s reading journey. These schemes certainly have their place, especially in the very early stages, but relying on just one scheme can also have limitations. That’s where Book Bands - organising books into levels by colour - offer such an effective, flexible, and child-friendly alternative.
What Are Book Bands?
Book Bands are a levelling system widely used in primary and elementary schools globally. Books are grouped into colour-coded bands (e.g. Lilac, Pink, Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, Orange, Turquoise, etc.), each representing a step in reading development. Instead of restricting children to the titles of one publisher’s scheme, Book Bands allow schools to bring together:
- Scheme books from multiple publishers.
- High-quality children’s literature from a ranged of high-quality, well-known authors.
- Variety of non-fiction texts with engaging layouts and information.
- Picture books with strong visual storytelling.
This creates a much richer and more balanced reading experience, while still providing structure and progression. Book Bands allow schools to combine the strengths of schemes - from publishes such as those below - with the richness of children’s literature, giving the best of both worlds: structure without restriction; progression with variety; and support alongside enjoyment.
BROWSE BY PUBLISHED READING SCHEME
BROWSE OUR BOOK BAND COLLECTIONS
To support every child on their reading journey, we have carefully curated a wide selection of Book Band–leveled readers drawn from a range of respected, high-quality publishers. By bringing these collections together, children are able to enjoy:
- Variety: stories, non-fiction, and poetry from different authors and styles.
- Consistency: all books are colour-banded, so you can be confident they are pitched at the right level.
- Choice: children can select books that match their interests while still building key reading skills.
- Quality: each title has been chosen from publishers with a strong reputation for supporting literacy and fostering a love of reading.
