Age 4 plus
Britannica’s 5-Minute Really True Stories for Family Time
Stories by Alli Brydon, Catherine D. Hughes and Jackie
McCann
WHAT do families all over the world eat for breakfast? If that intriguing thought tickles your curiosity taste buds, then tuck into this brilliant book crammed full of stories to share, entertain and educate… and all in less than five minutes.
There are thirty amazing stories to share with all the family in the second book of a clever and colourful series which comes from Britannica Books, a reference imprint for young readers, published in an exciting partnership between What on Earth Publishing and Encyclopaedia Britannica. Their mission is to inspire children’s curiosity and passion for learning, offering engaging non-fiction books that you can trust, with experts behind every page, and Britannica’s 5-Minute Really True Stories for Family Time certainly fits the bill.
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These fascinating true stories reveal the science and
history behind family time activities. What did the world’s first playgrounds
look like, where do different people take their holidays, and how did dinosaurs
look after their babies? Through the pages of this fact-filled compendium,
readers meet all types of families – both human and animal – and learn about
the many ways they spend time together.
Discover fascinating facts on the workings of a bicycle,
funeral traditions from around the world, playground science, family reunions, epic
animal journeys, the history of swimming, the different ways we celebrate,
welcoming a new baby, a world of birthdays, camping adventures and so much more. From tidy up time to cosying up with pets, and with up-to-the-minute,
expert information and stunning, specially commissioned artwork by Anneli Bray,
Vivian Mineker, Sophia Moore and Syklar, this joyful book is the perfect
celebration of the everyday family time which has become such a central role in
all our lives. And don’t miss the other fabulous book in the series, 5-Minute
Really True Stories for Bedtime, with an audiobook read by Joanna Lumley.
(Britannica Books, hardback, £12.99)
The After School Detective Club: The Case of the Smuggler’s Curse
Mark Dawson and Ben Mantle
THEY might not yet be the ‘famous five,’ but the four
members (and a dog called Sherlock!) of the After School Detective Club are
certainly sleuthing in the footsteps of Enid Blyton’s eternally popular
adventurers. Welcome to the first thrilling case for a new crime-cracking gang
of youngsters who are set to do for Suffolk what the Famous Five did for
Cornwall. The After School Detective Club is the brainchild of bestselling
author Mark Dawson and award-winning illustrator Ben Mantle, and features a delightful
modern twist on a classic favourite. Lucy, Max, Charlie and Joe aren’t looking
for new friends because they have too many of their own problems to worry
about. But when the four of them, and Charlie’s faithful dog, Sherlock, spot a
phantom figure on Southwold beach one winter’s night, they are thrown together
to unravel a mystery that none of them expected. The deeper they dig, the
bigger the adventure becomes… motorboats and tracking devices, bedroom
breakouts and daring sea rescues are all in a day’s work for the newly formed
After-School Detective Club. But when their investigations lead them into
trouble with the police, there is only one thing left to do – they must go
undercover for a final showdown with a ruthless gang of smugglers. With danger,
daring, detective work, friendships and fun, there is so much to enjoy in this
thrill-a-minute new adventure series… and look out for the next case which is
due to be investigated in June!
(Welbeck Flame, paperback, £6.99)
The Hunt for the Nightingale
Sarah Ann Juckes and Sharon King-Chai
COPING with loss and bereavement is one of life’s greatest
tests and it is this emotive subject that Sarah Ann Juckes tackles through the
medium of nature in her stunning and sensitively conceived middle grade novel.
Written as a sort of love letter to the natural world, The Hunt for the
Nightingale is full of hope, heart and humanity, and comes packed with a
gorgeous gallery of black and white bird drawings by Sharon King-Chai, an Australian-born,
award-winning designer and illustrator. Ten-year-old Jasper has been waiting
all spring for his beloved nightingale to return to his garden and sing. But it’s
not there, and neither is his sister, Rosie. His parents seem sad and
preoccupied so gathering his courage, his backpack and his treasured Book of
Birds, Jasper sets out alone on a walk to find them both. The expedition takes
Jasper through town and country, meeting a host of characters who are also
searching for lost things. Helping his new friends, Jasper begins to see that
he may not find what he is looking for when he reaches the journey’s end, but
even in the darkest of moments, a nightingale’s song can be heard somewhere. Using
the song of the nightingale – one of the most beautiful sounds on the planet –
as her motif and her inspiration, Juckes reveals to youngsters the healing
power of the natural world and its ability to bring hope for the future.
Tear-jerking in its recognition of the pain of grief, and yet life-affirming in
its beauty and heartfelt messaging, this is a story that shines brightly in
life’s darkest corners.
(Simon & Schuster, paperback, £7.99)
Monster Doughnuts:
Cyclops on a Mission
Gianna Pollero and Sarah Horne
WHEN you’re a monster hunter, you might have to think
outside the box to catch your prey. And when the box has doughnuts in it, your
secret weapon could prove to be explosive! Welcome back to the adventures of
tenth-generation, monster-hunting heroine Grace, the ingenious invention cooked
up by sparkling new writer Gianna Pollero and illustrated by the award-winning
Sarah Horne. Grace has a unique way of bumping off monsters… she and her sister
run a bakery, Cake Hunters, where they make fabulous creations full of a
special exploding baking powder that will get rid of any troublesome monster. And
now Grace has a new and unlikely partner in crime… 360-year-old cyclops Mr
Harris. Their new and perilous mission from the Secret Service is to rid the
city of a pesky Bottom-Biter who is causing havoc. If only Mr Harris would stop
just eating the monsters and honing his advanced patisserie skills in Grace’s
bakery, what a team they will make! The hilarious Monster Doughnuts series has
all the perfect ingredients for laughter-loving, sleuthing youngsters to enjoy…
short chapters pitched perfectly for new and reluctant readers, sparkling
dialogue, monsters, madness, and lots of crime-cracking action. Explosively
funny!
(Piccadilly Press, paperback, £6.99)
The Worst Class in the
World Dares You!
Joanna Nadin and Rikin Parekh
THERE'S double trouble, and double the fun, in a two-in-one classroom
adventure book that is set to take a star role in this year’s World Book Day
Title. The Worst Class in the World series was cunningly created by
award-winning author Joanna Nadin and illustrated by rising star Rikin Parekh. Highly
illustrated throughout and featuring two hilarious, knockabout adventures in
one book, these stories are ideal for children ready for their first chapter
books. Head teacher Mrs Bottomley-Blunt thinks 4B is the worst class in the
world. She says school is not about footling or fiddle-faddling or fun. It’s
about learning and it’s high time 4B tried harder to excel at it. But best
friends Stanley and Manjit didn’t literally mean to let free flying minibeasts in
the classroom. And they really didn't literally mean to do a series of dares to
become the Overlord of the Universe. These things just happened, even though
they had foolproof plans to get away with it all! With a rich sprinkling of
naughty-but-nice teacher and parent jokes to get young readers giggling, a
bookload of classroom anarchy, and fast-paced action to keep the pages turning,
this is a joyous and playful parody of school life in all its riotous, raucous
glory!
(Bloomsbury Children’s Books, paperback, £5.99)
A Hero Called Wolf
Lucy Rowland and Ben Mantle
HEROES come in all shapes and sizes… but why are they are
never, ever wolves? The creative king and queen of book-themed stories, author Lucy
Rowland and illustrator Ben Mantle, play wolf with their inspirational and
joyful take on adventures in a fairy tale world. Wolf used to be bad but now he
loves reading and has made lots of new friends. There’s just one problem. The
more he reads, the more he starts to realise something… every book has a hero. The
heroes are handsome, tough and strong and, most importantly, the heroes are
never, ever wolves. But when a giant comes stomping into the library one day,
can Wolf find the courage to speak up? Because heroes don’t have to be
handsome, tough and strong. Maybe true heroes are kind and brave… just like
Wolf! Full of madcap fun, larger-than-life characters and the simple joys of
reading and imagination, this playful, heart-warming story speaks loudly about
being brave and kind, and finding the hero inside you. Written in Rowland’s
trademark bouncy and addictive rhyme, and richly illustrated with an abundance
of wit and warmth by Mantle, A Hero Called Wolf is the perfect book to empower
your own little heroes!
(Macmillan Children Books, hardback, £12.99)
Colour and Me!
Michaela Dias-Hayes
COLOUR is the name of the game in a beautiful new picture
book from author and illustrator Michaela Dias-Hayes who is on a mission to
help and empower young children of colour. Colour and Me! champions children with
brown skin through a bright, beautiful and heartwarming story. It stars a
little girl learning to mix paints to make new colours and discovering that there
is beauty in every single shade, particularly the colour brown which suits her
perfectly. The book was inspired by a conversation shared between the author
and her young son, and made her determined to create a book that would dispel
negative feelings about skin colour. With a fun, rhyming story about
self-confidence, colour, creativity and expressing and a rainbow of colours to
enjoy in the little girl’s journey, this is an uplifting and gently
inspirational introduction to the whole concept of colour.
(Owlet Press, paperback, £7.99)
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