Kirjallisuusdiplomi

Story Diploma for families and groups

The Story Diploma is designed for children below school age, families, and early childhood education workers. The Story Diploma includes many different kinds of books and enjoyable stories to include in readalongs, as well as age appropriate guided reading.

The Story Diploma is completed by reading or listening to ten (10) books. You can select books from the suggestions in the lists or choose your own. Track the number of books read by coloring the Reading Gull picture, which can be picked up from the library or print your own. You can find it here.

When your Reading Gull is colored and assembled, an adult can take a photo of it. As a prize for completion, visit the library and show your picture or tell about the books you read, and you can get a Reading Diploma and a crown for your Reading Gull! Day cares and other children’s groups can receive a Group Diploma.

Audiobooks can be read for the Story Diploma and in general, books in any language count. When you click on a book cover from the Story Diploma website, you can find a short description of the book and a link to find out in which libraries the book is available.

You can also search books to read or to listen from the E-library.

Ask at your local library for more information about completing the Reading Diploma as well as book tips. Reading aloud with children is fun and a great way to spend time together!

Table of contents

Courage and fear • Accepting yourself and others • Nature and animals • All kinds of feelings • Home and family • Fairy tales

Courage and fear

Never, not ever! Alemagna Beatrice

Never, not ever!

Pascaline (a bat) DOES NOT WANT to go to school. 'Never, Not Ever!', she shrieks loudly on the first day. So loudly, in fact, that something amazing happens - and it changes everything.

The pandas who promised Bright Rachel

The pandas who promised

Red panda cubs Popo and Ketu live happily with their mama. As the sisters grow, they promise that they will ALWAYS stay close to home. But while Popo is content to stay in the family's cosy treetop nest, bold Ketu dreams of excitement and exploration.

Barnaby unboxed! Fan Terry

Barnaby unboxed!

In a world where pets are perfectly designed and expertly trained, Barnaby seems like the ideal companion. He’s part mouse, part elephant, and proud to be the newest arrival at the Perfect Pet Shop. When a little girl chooses him, Barnaby’s dream of being loved at last comes true – until someone new appears who seems even more perfect than he is.

Basil dreams big Fraser Lu

Basil dreams big

Basil the bat doesn’t believe he can fly. No matter how hard he tries, he just can’t do it. But when a thundering storm threatens the safety of his beloved friend, Moth, will Basil find his wings and believe in the bat he CAN be?

The princess and the pee Gleed Effua

The princess and the pee

Once upon a bed, in a royal palace, there lived a little princess with a big imagination called Amma. But every bedtime brought with it a whole host of worries. Her blankets felt heavy and the shadows on the walls looked dark and scary.

Safe at last Jones Richard

Safe at last

James lives in a little wooden house beside the sea. Every day he rides his bike around the island, saying hello to all his animal friends. Every day is perfect. Perfect, that is, until one night a fierce storm arrives.

A hug for you King David

A hug for you

This is the story of a new hug's adventure and the boy who shared it with the world. The book, inspired by true events, tells the story of one little boy with a big idea that came straight from the heart.

Shhh! Quiet! Kinnear Nicola

Shhh! Quiet!

Quiet little Fox has a problem: her friends are so noisy, she can never make herself heard. It takes courage for Fox to speak up and warn her friends - and even more courage to tell that scary bear a bedtime story!

I'm not (very) afraid of being alone Milbourne Anna

I'm not (very) afraid of being alone

The fear of being alone is common to many young children. This story explores that worry in a gentle, humorous way, coming to a comforting conclusion that might help allay any similar fears a reader may have.

Be bold, Bob Porter Jane

Be bold, Bob

In the heart of the forest, everyone is getting ready for the Big Show. Bob is desperate to join in, but every time he tries to sing in front of anyone he gets so nervous that his trunk gets tangled and all he can do is squeak.

The duck who didn't like water Small Steve

The duck who didn't like water

Duck is not like other ducks. Duck doesn’t like water and is perfectly fine alone, thank you very much. But then, one dark and stormy night, an outgoing, water-loving, and very lost Frog turns up at Duck’s door. Can this odd couple find Frog’s home? Whale   785

Weirdo Smith Zadie

Weirdo

Meet Maud: a guinea pig who inexplicably wears a judo suit - and not everyone understands or approves. When Maud is thrown into a new and confusing situation, it takes brave decisions and serendipitous encounters for her to find her place and embrace her individuality.

Rabbit Bright Wang Viola

Rabbit Bright

When night falls, one brave rabbit sets out to explore the darkness. But, as Rabbit Bright soon discovers, there's light everywhere if you just know where to look.

Accepting yourself and others

New In Town Altes Marta

New In Town

This dog may be alone and without a home, but he's excited and ready to embrace a new life in a new town - and everyone in it! This town is a busy, vibrant place but sometimes it's hard being new and feeling different.

The stompysaurus Bright Rachel

The stompysaurus

One morning, Stompysaurus wakes from a happy dream, feeling excited for the new day, until things start to go a bit wrong. His brother's being a tease, his breakfast isn't his usual favourite and NOTHING is going right. His STOMPS and ROARS start rising inside him, until they EXPLODE! But a tricky start doesn't have to mean a stompy finish.

I Am Enough Byers Grace

I Am Enough

We are all here for a purpose. We are more than enough. We just need to believe it.

What happened to you? Catchpole James

What happened to you?

Constantly seen first for his disability, Joe is fed up of only ever being asked about his leg. All he wants to do is play Pirates.

Twinkle twinkle little dinosaur Frost Kit

Twinkle twinkle little dinosaur

Teo is a very special dinosaur – he has magical sparkling feet that shine brightly wherever he goes. But, he is also a SHY dinosaur, and wishes that his feet would stop drawing so much attention.

All Sorts Goodhart Pippa

All Sorts

Organizing is Frankie's favourite thing to do in the whole wide world. But the one thing Frankie cannot seem to sort is herself! Where does one little girl belong in a world of endless colors, shapes, and sizes?

I'm Sticking with You Halls Smriti

I'm Sticking with You

It's wonderful to have good friends to see you through the good times and the bad. But sometimes, friends can also be a bit - well - overbearing.

Tomorrow I'll be kind Hische Jessica

Tomorrow I'll be kind

Immerse yourself in the beautifully hand-lettered words of widsom, hope, and positivity alongside adorable illustrations of love and caring.

Something's Wrong! - A Bear, a Hare, and Some Underwear Jory John

Something's Wrong! - A Bear, a Hare, and Some Underwear

Jeff the bear has definitely forgotten something. Why does he feel so oddly off? So he asks his friend Anders the rabbit what could possibly be wrong. It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that he's wearing underwear...over his fur...could it?

So Devin wore a skirt Lalji Shireen

So Devin wore a skirt

Devin’s family are all dressed up for Nanabapa’s Big Birthday, and everyone looks fabulous! But Devin doesn’t have anything special to wear. Then, he spots one of his sister’s skirts lying on her bed – it’s the deepest blue, and it shimmers in the light. So, Devin puts the skirt on...and it feels amazing! But what will everyone say?

Sulwe Nyong'o Lupita

Sulwe

Sulwe's skin is the colour of midnight. All she wants is to be beautiful and bright, like her mother and sister. Then a magical journey through the night sky opens her eyes and changes everything.

Hank goes honk Powell-Tuck Maudie

Hank goes honk

Meet Hank the Goose. He's never met a balloon he didn't pop, or a conversation he didn't - HONK! - interrupt. Hank even honks in the library and during movies! But being this way isn't always fun - and it's upsetting everyone else...

Cloud boy Stobbs Greg

Cloud boy

When Bobby gets distracted, he starts to float. Everyone tries to help him, but there are so many sights and sounds and smells which draw his attention away from everyday things.

A fox called Herbert Sturton Margaret

A fox called Herbert

Meet Herbert: the rabbit who knows he was born to be a fox. When his mummy isn't looking, he puts on pointy fox ears, makes himself a bushy tail, and asks his sister to paint him orange, just like a fox. But Mummy doesn't understand: why can't he just be a good rabbit?

I think I think a lot Whipple Jessica

I think I think a lot

A young girl notices and wonders about the ways she and her classmates approach doing good work, caring about people's feelings, and showing they're grateful. She comes to accept herself just as she is and celebrates the differences between herself and her classmates. "I care a lot. Not more than other kids, just in my own way."

Me and other bunnies Willems Mo

Me and other bunnies

A hare-larious picture book about bunnies! There are ME bunnies. There are YOU bunnies. There are US bunnies..and WE bunnies..and THEM bunnies.

Nature and animals

The poo that grew Bently Peter

The poo that grew

The animals were in a funk. The poop was EVERYWHERE. It stuck to paw and claw and trunk, To tail and horn and hair. Dung beetles love to chew on other animals' tasty poo. But when the monkeys make fun of them for having such a stinky lunch, the beetles decide to munch elsewhere. What the monkeys didn't realise is that without the beetles, there's no one to clean up their business.

The song of the tree Bickford-Smith Coralie

The song of the tree

Bird loves to sing in the towering tree at the heart of a jungle. But when it’s time to say goodbye, Bird wonders who will sing for the tree.

Big gorilla : a book of opposites Browne Anthony

Big gorilla : a book of opposites

What's the opposite of old? Young! What's the opposite of sad? Happy! But what's the opposite of opposite...? Featuring a range of exquisite primates, from gorillas to chimpanzees, white-faced capuchins to orangutans, this book is sure to charm readers of all ages.

Look What I Found in the Woods Butterfield Moira

Look What I Found in the Woods

Set off on an outdoor adventure to find natural treasure, from prickly pine cones to swirly snail's shells, then learn more about the found object with irresistibly illustrated and informative nature notes.

If winter comes, tell it I'm not here Ciraolo Simona

If winter comes, tell it I'm not here

Nothing is better than summer, swimming every day and eating ice cream. But a little boy's big sister has BIG news. She tells him that summer is going to end soon ... and winter is coming!

Bothered by bugs Gravett Emily

Bothered by bugs

Pete the Badger is choosing a delicious recipe from his new fruit cookbook when his peace is interrupted by a teeny tiny fly. The fly becomes a swarm and soon all the animals are being bothered by bugs and insects of all kinds – so they help Pete capture every single one. But...disaster! Now nobody's around to clean up the poo, and come autumn, there's not a berry or a cherry to be found.

The flower thief Hemming Alice

The flower thief

Squirrel is so excited. It's spring and the most perfect flower has started to blossom. But Squirrel is worried there's a FLOWER THIEF about. After what happened to the leaves in autumn (THEY ALL DISAPPEARED), Squirrel's not taking any chances...

Mouse seasons Linni Leo

Mouse seasons

There is more than one way to prepare for a long winter, as Frederick tells his friends in the classic story. Gathering food and other supplies is important, but gathering the smells, sounds, and sights of a beautiful day to recall later are just as vital.

My friend Earth MacLachlan Patricia

My friend Earth

Our friend Earth does so many wonderful things! She tends to animals large and small. She pours down summer rain and autumn leaves...

Pocket full of rocks Mahoney Kristin

Pocket full of rocks

Rocks in winter. Petals in spring. Seashells in summer. Acorns in fall. What's hiding in your pockets?

When a star falls Mortimer Helen

When a star falls

Will I fall? asked the snowflake. Yes, but you will cover the world in soft, white wonder. Will I fall? asked the raindrop. Yes, but you will fill streams and ponds with freshness and life. Will I fall? asked the seed. Yes, but new shoots will soon show from the place where you land. Join one little girl and her father as they explore the wonders of the natural world and the changing seasons.

Boo! Read Kate

Boo!

It all begins with one tiny pink fish who sets off a chain reaction of chaos beneath the waves until suddenly - SNAP! - she finds herself all alone in the ocean. Where has everyone gone, and how can such a tiny creature rescue her friends?

Busy spring Taylor Sean

Busy spring

In this uplifting picture book about spring, follow two children and their father through their backyard as they discover all the different ways nature wakes up from its long winter sleep.

When spring comes Trukhan Ekaterina

When spring comes

When spring comes, the bees are buzzing in the blossom, flowers are blooming in the soft, green grass and the sleepy hedgehog is waking up from his winter sleep.

Nature Trail Zephaniah Benjamin

Nature Trail

All around us from parks to gardens and flowerpots to pavements, there's a world of wonder just waiting to be discovered. Why not look and see what you find?

All kinds of feelings

A Shelter for Sadness Booth Anne

A Shelter for Sadness

A small boy creates a shelter for his sadness, a safe space where Sadness is welcome, where it can curl up small, or be as big as it can be, where it can be noisy or quiet, or anything in between.

The grand hotel of feelings Branković Lidia

The grand hotel of feelings

Welcome to the Grand Hotel of Feelings, where all kinds of feelings come and stay. Every guest has unique needs. Anger is very loud and needs plenty of space to scream and shout. Sadness speaks in a small voice and occasionally floods the bathroom. Anxiety takes many shapes and loves the spotlight. Some feelings are big and some are small, some are fun and some are tricky, but all feelings must be listened to and acknowledged. After all, they’re just passing through.

The Goody Child Lauren

The Goody

Chirton Krauss is a good child - the very goodest. He does everything he is told, when he is told. He even does good things without being told. But what will happen when Chirton Krauss decides that being THE GOODY isn't so good after all?

Ten-word tiny tales of love Coelho Joseph

Ten-word tiny tales of love

Is it possible to spin a tale of love using just ten words? It most certainly is!

I'll love you till the crocodiles smile Cristaldi Kathryn

I'll love you till the crocodiles smile

I will love you till forever and forever and more, till my love shakes the jungle with a lion-size ROAR, as night blankets the forest near a soothing waterfall and the chimpanzees sleep in trees, two hundred feet tall…

Where happiness begins Eland Eva

Where happiness begins

Everyone needs happiness in their lives. It can be hard to find and sometimes it feels far away. But there is one place where happiness can always be found!

I hate everything Henn Sophy

I hate everything

Have you ever had a day when you just hate EVERYTHING? You have? Well, what if you had a friend who helped you to work out that rather than hating everything, you LOVED everything instead? Sounds good, right?

Leaves Hogtun Stephen

Leaves

When a wise old tree takes a tiny sapling into his care, they both learn what it means to make memories and put down roots. But when the old tree's leaves begin to fall, it's time for the sapling to grow up and take her own place in the world - and to learn how to hold on to the memories that mean so much.

Dragons don't share Kinnear Nicola

Dragons don't share

  Ruby is a very good dragon. She follows all the rules in her Dragon Rule Book: she steals from everyone, and never shares her treasure with anyone! The other animals are desperate – until they come up with a clever plan to change the Dragon Rules…

Sometimes I Feel... Maycock Sarah

Sometimes I Feel...

Sometimes I feel as big as a bear . . . But there will always be someone bigger than me. There are lots of ways that we can feel, so many emotions big and small.

I'm (almost) always kind Milbourne Anna

I'm (almost) always kind

Being kind is super important, but it isn't always easy. To be truly kind, it turns out, you have to try to look at things from other people's points of view.

Only a Tree Knows How to Be a Tree Murphy Mary

Only a Tree Knows How to Be a Tree

Every person has their own thoughts in their head, and their own feelings in their heart. Every single person is different. And only they know how to be them.

How we feel Osakwe Leah

How we feel

Sometimes we dance with excitement, and at other times we may tremble in fright or beam with joy. This book introduces feelings and the importance of sharing them with each other.

Meesha Makes Friends Percival Tom

Meesha Makes Friends

Meesha loves making things. But there's one thing she finds difficult to do - make friends. She doesn't know quite what to do, what to say or when to say it, and she struggles reading and responding to social cues.

When Cucumber lost his cool Robinson Michelle

When Cucumber lost his cool

Kevin the cucumber is so cool - everybody knows it! Whenever anyone gets hot and bothered, Kevin is always there to cool them down. But when Kevin starts to feel like his friends are leaving him out, something happens that has never happened before: KEVIN. LOSES. HIS. COOL!

Bedtime stories for hard days Stuart Scott

Bedtime stories for hard days

Bedtime Stories for Hard Days is a thoughtful, loving collection of very short rhyming stories to help children unwind after a day of heightened emotions.

Home and family

A Home for Luna Gemmill Stef

A Home for Luna

When Luna washes up on a strange shore she is scared and lonely. Will she ever feel at home in a place so different from the one she remembers?

A home for Stone Averiss Corrinne

A home for Stone

When a little boy finds a lonely stone on a quiet beach, he decides to find him the perfect home among other stones just like him. But nowhere feels quite right for little Stone. And just as the boy is about to give up, he realises that he may have had the perfect home for Stone all along...

Gozzle Donaldson Julia

Gozzle

It's springtime. Bear has woken up hungry and finds a lost egg outside his cave. Breakfast? No! Out hatches Gozzle, a very sweet little gosling who is convinced that Bear must be her daddy – and that she should be able to climb, dig and eat honey just like him.

Two families to call my own Earle Phil

Two families to call my own

Florrie now lives in two different houses: One with her mum. One with her dad. And everything finally feels just right. Until Florrie's dad gets a new girlfriend... who's not her mum! Will having two families be too much for Florrie?

We are like birds Ekboir Laila

We are like birds

Flor is only seven years old and has moved home three times. Now her family is moving again and she has to start all over again in a new country and a new school.

Sisters Evans Harriet

Sisters

Sisters share all your hopes and they soothe all your fears, as days drift to months and float into years.

Brothers Evans Harriet

Brothers

Families are different, with brothers big and small. Stepbrothers or half-brothers, we love them, one and all.

Poor Louie Fucile Tony

Poor Louie

Louie's life is the dream life of every Chihuahua. But when Mum's belly grows bigger, things begin to change...

Shu Lin's grandpa Goodfellow Matt

Shu Lin's grandpa

Shu Lin is starting at a new school. She stands alone in the playground and at lunchtime she eats by herself from little boxes of brightly coloured food. But when Shu Lin’s grandpa comes to school and shows the class his amazing Chinese paintings, everything changes….

The Forgettery Ip Rachel

The Forgettery

Amelia’s granny forgets lots of things. Little things, like where she put her glasses, and big things like people and places. But everything anyone has ever forgotten is stored in The Forgettery, and there Amelia and her granny learn the power of making memories.

Home is a wish Kuo Julia

Home is a wish

Sometimes we leave home in the mornings, in the evenings, or for much longer. But we always come back. Home becomes wish when we move, when the new place isn’t the same. Everything might be different: the sounds, the smell, the people, the weather.

The invisible Percival Tom

The invisible

Isabel and her family don't have much, but they have what they need to get by. Until one day, there isn't enough money to pay their rent and bills and they have to leave their home full of happy memories and move to the other side of the city.

The bed book Plath Sylvia

The bed book

A Tank Bed's got cranks. And wheels and cogs. And levers to pull, if you're stuck in bogs. Or a Jet-Propelled Bed for visiting Mars. With mosquito nets For the shooting stars. Beds come in all shapes and sizes, and need not be boring beds at all...

It's a Moose! Rosoff Meg

It's a Moose!

When he first arrives, everyone is expecting the usual kind of baby. But right away, his family notices there's something different about this one. Instead of two feet, he has four hooves. Instead of drinking milk, he eats twigs and weeds. Instead of a tiny human, they bring home a moose baby!

Fairy tales

Illustrated myths from around the world

Illustrated myths from around the world

A rich collection of classic and lesser known myths from all around the world.

Paddington's London treasury Bond Michael

Paddington's London treasury

Paddington Bear from deepest, darkest Peru arrives in London. The Brown family meets him on Paddington Station.

Little Red Riding Hood and other stories Cousins Lucy

Little Red Riding Hood and other stories

"Where are you going, Little Red Riding Hood?" asked the wolf. The famous characters in Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs and The Enormous Turnip are given new life and a sprinkle of modern magic.

A midsummer night's dream Ellinas Georghia

A midsummer night's dream

Shakespeare’s comedy about four lovers' mishaps in an enchanted forest is unforgettably re-imagined by Shakespeare’s Globe as a picture book for very young readers.

Good night stories for rebel girls Favilli Elena

Good night stories for rebel girls

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls introduces us to one hundred remarkable women and their extraordinary lives.

Gender Swapped Fairy Tales Fransman Karrie

Gender Swapped Fairy Tales

People have been telling fairy tales to their children for hundreds of years. And for almost as long, people have been rewriting those fairy tales - to help their children imagine a world where they are the heroes.

You Choose Fairy Tales Goodhart Pippa

You Choose Fairy Tales

Make up your very own fairy tale adventure where you choose what happens next! Which fairy tale hero would you like to be today? Where will you go on your fairy tale quest?

Tell your own story Guillauin Adam&Charlotte

Tell your own story

If you could choose your own story, what story would you tell? Join in and read along in this funny picture book where YOU pick the story.

Help! We need a story Harris James

Help! We need a story

It's a dull day in the jungle and Artie the macaque's friends are bored, bored, BORED! But with paper, pens and ink, a splash of inspiration, and a pinch of imagination, Artie creates something magical...a book! Filled with hordes of zombie hens, a fire-breathing dragon and robot sharks (yikes!), Artie's newly-created book busts the friends' boredom, and the next day they can't wait to do it all over again.

Once upon a big bad wolf Hodgkinson Leigh

Once upon a big bad wolf

Have you ever wondered why the Mean Old Witch is mean? Or why the Big Bad Wolf is bad? They weren’t always that way...The Big Bad Wolf used to be small and sweet. But when a witch was mean to him, everything changed...

Who will comfort Toffle? Jansson Tove

Who will comfort Toffle?

Who Will Comfort Toffle? A tale of Moomin Valley sees Toffle driven from his home by the frightening noises of the forest.

Are you a sleepy monster? Karsten Guilherme

Are you a sleepy monster?

Are you all set for SLEEPOVER TIME? Monster has your scary pyjamas ready and UNDER the bed is looking perfectly yucky and monstrous. Wait, what do you mean you sleep ON THE BED? Are you not a monster? ALL monsters sleep under the bed! Can you persuade Monster to sleep on the horribly soft bed with a disgustingly fluffy teddy?

Peasant Pig and the terrible dragon Scarry Richard

Peasant Pig and the terrible dragon

Busylande is a very busy, happy kingdom - until a roaring dragon kidnaps Princess Lily. Who will save her? The knights do try, but everything goes wrong. Now it's all up to Peasant Pig and Lowly Worm . . . but they've not faced a challenge like this - ever!

The jeweller's apprentice Scheffler Axel

The jeweller's apprentice

When Mr Peacock hires a shy little chicken as a new apprentice in his jewellery shop, he has no idea what awaits him: a royal visit from the Lion Prince, a mysterious robbery, and a miraculous discovery!