Book Ahead is an initiative by the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) in England, which aims to get enjoyable books into the hands of young children in Early Years settings to develop enjoyment in reading at an early stage, and also to strengthen the links between those settings and their local public and Schools Library Services.

It is based on a booklist commissioned from the School Library Association, written by Julia Eccleshare, with contributions from other library organisations, and published in the SLA's Riveting Reads series. The booklist is available free and each local authority in England was funded by the DCSF in 2008 to purchase books from the list to use with Early Years settings such as playgroups and nurseries in their area.

The full version of the booklist is available online, including search and index facilities, the introduction and the appendices. The whole booklist is also available to download as a PDF file. The booklist is supported by a dedicated microsite at http://www.bookahead.org.uk/.

Book Ahead was officially launched by Schools Minister Jim Knight in June 2008.