Read Write Count with the First Minister: P2 Books

Through Read Write Count with the First Minister, every child in Primary 2–3 receives a free bag with books, educational games and writing materials that change on a yearly basis. This book list contains some of the titles we have previously gifted to Primary 2.

If you’re a learning professional, it’s worth exploring if any copies of these books are in your school or setting, as they have been specifically selected to support and encourage reading for pleasure. All of them also offer excellent opportunities to explore literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing and further learning across the curriculum. Otherwise, if you’re looking for a great read at home – these books are perfect for cosying up together!

As with all our resources, we advise that you read the book before using it with your class and use your judgement about whether it is appropriate for the children you work with.

Nadia Shireen Barbara Throws A Wobbler

Barbara has had a very bad day – there was an odd pea at lunch, she couldn’t find her matching socks and now, she’s dropped her ice cream! Feeling overwhelmed, Barbara throws a great big wobbler. However, she soon realises that just as she made her wobbler, she can “unmake” it too! Gifted as part of our 2025 bags, this bright and funny picture book is excellent for exploring difficult emotions.

Clive McFarland Lily Murray The Ballad of Cactus Joe

Also in our 2025 P2 bag, this picture book follows Cactus Joe, the meanest prickle machine in all the desert. When birds ask Cactus Joe if they can nest on him, he slowly starts to shed his prickly exterior and realise there’s more to life than being tough. A great rhyming story with some excellent non-fiction information about desert wildlife at the end!

Ana Gomez Naomi Jones How to Make a Story

Milo decides he’s going to tell a story – he just doesn’t have a beginning, middle or end. Luckily, with some real-world inspiration and his own imagination, he soon starts putting the pieces of his own playful adventure together. Part of our 2024 P2 bag, this picture book has great advice for creating your own stories – including the most important fact: stories should be shared!

Zoe Ingram My First Book of Dinosaurs

This beautifully illustrated picture book is perfect for any fan of dinosaurs, or those just keen to learn more! Did you know that diplodocuses had to regrow new teeth every 35 days? Or that a tyrannosaurus rex could weigh up to 7,000 kg? Gifted as part of our 2024 bag, this book is jam-packed with dinosaur facts sure to delight any budding palaeontologist!

Gemma Merino The Dragon Who Didn't Like Fire

This little dragon isn’t like her brothers and sisters – she can’t breathe fire, she can’t fly, but she absolutely loves to swim! Perhaps she isn’t a dragon after all? This gentle picture book from our 2023 P2 bag is a lovely exploration of how wonderful it is that everyone is unique.

Andrew Sanders Aysha Awwad Where Has All The Cake Gone?

When a cake goes missing from the kitchen, Dad asks Albert where it has gone. Luckily, Albert has the answer – and it involves penguins, kangaroo, a snowball fight, a train journey and a huge jar of marmalade! From our 2023 P2 bag, this picture book is laugh-out-loud funny and full of fun details perfect for picking up on rereads.

James Jones Naomi Jones The Perfect Fit

Triangle can’t seem to find where she fits in – she can’t make the same blocks like squares or roll around like circles. However, even when she manages to find other triangles, suddenly everything feels a bit too repetitive. This fun picture book celebrates uniqueness, whilst also being a great introduction to mathematical concepts like shapes and patterns and was included in our 2022 P2 bag.

Chris Naylor-Ballesteros Out of Nowhere

Beetle and Caterpillar love spending their days together, sharing a picnic together on the rock that overlooks the forest. When Caterpillar goes missing, Beetle decides to set off to try and find her. Soon, a beautiful butterfly appears out of nowhere – and Beetle realises despite her changes, she is still the same underneath her wings. Included in our 2022 P2 bag, this striking picture book uses bold illustrations to explore friendship and change.

Alex Griffiths The Bug Collector

From our 2021 P2 bag comes a great exploration of the importance of looking after nature and the environment. After a trip to the museum, George becomes obsessed with bug-catching. However, he quickly realises the garden is empty, and the bugs he’s kept in jars look very unhappy. Now, it’s up to George to come up with a solution to let both the bugs, as well as his local environment thrive.

Dan Taylor Sarah Coyle The Biggest Story

Errol wants his mum to tell him a story, but when she’s too busy, she encourages him to come up with his own! The only problem is, Errol is sure that he doesn’t know how to tell a story. With a little help from lots of visiting animals, Errol’s imagination soon starts spinning! Included as one of the books in our 2021 P2 bag, this bright and colourful picture book is perfect for inspiring young storytellers.

Barroux How Many Trees?

All of the animals are arguing about how many trees it takes to make a forest. However, whilst they’re talking, none of them seem to notice the voice of the littlest resident – the ant! Great for prompting questions about nature, this book from our 2020 P2 bag also explores the idea of inclusion and voice.

Matt Carr Rocketmole

Armstrong is a star-nosed mole, and all his friends think he should spend his life digging through the soil under the ground. However, Armstrong has dreams of building a rocket to travel into outer space! From our 2020 P2 bag, this warm and funny picture book is all about following your dreams and is filled with lots of wonderful details about space.

Megan Brewis Steve, Terror of the Seas

Steve is the scariest fish in all of the sea, even though his teeth aren’t sharp and he’s not very big. In fact, there are scarier fish in the sea like sharks or angelfish. So why is everyone so scared of Steve? This funny picture book from our 2019 P2 bag is a great hook for readers that’s also filled with lots of fish you can learn about together!

Marta Altés The King Cat

The King Cat is the king of his house – as it should be. That is until a disgusting dog shows up and dribbles everywhere! Can the King Cat find a place in his house, and his heart, for the new dog? This hilarious picture book was included in our 2019 P2 bag and is great for exploring change, meeting new people and friendship.