Age 4 plus
Fluffy, Flying Seed
Mary Auld and Dawn Cooper
FOLLOW a tiny dandelion seed with its fluffy parachute as it
is carried by the wind and lands safely in a meadow... the perfect place to
grow! Fluffy, Flying Seed is the fourth book in a charming and innovative series from
exciting, young and independent children’s publisher Mama Makes Books. The Start Small, Think Big series unfolds a world of
discovery, beginning from the small and familiar to new areas of knowledge
where they really have to think big! In this new journey into the world of
plants and their importance to us and our ecosystem, the learning begins the
moment a child opens the book’s alluring textured cover complete with a peep-through
hole. Here, youngsters watch as the dandelion plant grows,
protects itself, reproduces and transforms from a bright yellow flower into a
delicate white ball of fluffy, flying seeds. Brimming with facts about
germination, photosynthesis, seed dispersal, parts of a plant and food chains,
Mary Auld’s easy-to-follow story progresses in a way that builds understanding
and Dawn Cooper’s gorgeous colour illustrations bring the story and the science
to life. And to make Fluffy, Flying Seed truly special, there is a
big fold-out at the back with a map showing the temperate regions where
dandelions grow across the world and an I-Spy game to take readers back through
the book to look for meadow-dwelling animals. A dazzling addition to any home,
school or library!
(Mama Makes Books, hardback, £10.99)
Poetry Prescription: Words for Love
Chosen by Deborah Alma
TREAT yourself to – and with – these beautiful poems which have been specially selected to lift the spirits and heal the body. Words for Love, and Comfort, are the first two titles of the new creative Poetry Prescription series... eight pocket-sized gift books containing carefully curated ‘prescriptions in verse’ compiled by Deborah Alma, the founder of the Poetry Pharmacy. Billed as the perfect antidote for life’s ailments, the collections are inspired by the cool Poetry Pharmacy shops in London and Shropshire... social media favourites with a clear focus on promoting well-being through the written and spoken word. Each of the themed titles – which will also include Wild Remedy, First Aid, Inspiration, Becoming, Joy and Calm – offers an array of poems to inspire, heal and comfort, and have been carefully curated by poet and editor Alma who has used poetry while working with people with dementia, in hospice care, with women’s groups, and with children in schools.
(Macmillan, hardback, £9.99 each)
Age 9 plus
Shiver Point: Beneath the Ghostly Graves
Gabriel Dylan
(Piccadilly Press, paperback, £7.99)
School for Fireflies
Erica Gomez
DETECTIVE work proves to be marvellously magical in an
exciting debut novel from Erica Gomez who was born and raised in London to
Nigerian parents. Starring two Black girls passionate about solving mysteries,
School for Fireflies follows Siddy and Zadie whose lives take an unexpected
turn when they discover they are far from ordinary. ‘The grown-ups aren't telling us the whole story, so we've
got to find it...’ When best friends Siddy and Zadie start the year at the
magical School for Fireflies – a hidden institution where students are trained
to harness magical abilities – they discover they are anything but normal.
Amidst the excitement of new powers and potions, there is a decades-old mystery
waiting to be solved. The girls must put their detective skills to use to
secretly find a long-lost diary. And they soon realise that the clues they
uncover might be tied to the reason Siddy’s dad disappeared without trace many
years ago... Gomez reveals that she wrote School for Fireflies as a way
to cope with living with chronic pain after being diagnosed with a neurological
disorder. And her sparkling first novel is full of those ingredients that
children love... feisty friends, lots of magic, boarding school fun, and a
spooky mystery to solve. Who could ask for anything more?
(Knights Of,
paperback, £7.99)
Let’s Play Rugby
Gordon D’Arcy, Paul Howard and Ashwin Chacko
GET your youngsters up and running with this winning picture
book which puts the all-action sport of rugby union at centre stage! Let’s Play
Rugby is bursting with interactive storytelling and is the work of retired
medal-winning Irish rugby player Gordon D’Arcy, former sports journalist and
author Paul Howard, and illustrator Ashwin Chacko. Brimming with the game’s
special verve, speed and hands-on fun, we join a team gathering for the big
final! Are you ready to help your team win? Up and at ‘em as you tackle the
biggest player on the pitch, push into the scrum, and dive across the try-line.
Do you have what it takes? This imaginative and inspirational story puts young
readers in the boots of a young player and at the heart of the action as they
navigate a rugby match. Each turn of the page invites youngsters to learn more
about the game by encouraging them to throw the book over their head for a
line-out, push against the opposition pack in the scrum, and weave their
fingers through players to score a try. Full of colour, entertainment and
terrific tackles, Let’s Play Rugby is the perfect first rugby training ‘manual’
for your sporty children. So what are you waiting for? Crouch, bind, set... and
play!
(Little Island Books, paperback, £8.99)
Our Love
Fátima Ordinola
THE eternal beauty of love – and particularly a mother’s
love – springs to life in colour, words and pictures in a stunning picture book
from gifted Peruvian illustrator Fátima Ordinola. The perfect story to share
with little ones, Our Love speaks loudly of unconditional love as a luscious
gallery of animals, sea creatures and birds – complete with their own special
babies – take centre stage on every page.‘Our love is bigger than any river, It can climb higher than
any tree. Our love is in everything... Because our love is everywhere.’ From
cuddling koalas to snuggling penguins, protective lionesses to gentle
elephants, the lyrical text and gorgeous illustrations capture exquisitely the
reassuring bond between a parent and child through the lens of the animal
kingdom. Ordinola’s expressive watercolour artwork is cleverly
matched to the book’s important messages which remind young children about the
power and strength of parental love. And watch their little faces light up when
they turn to an unexpected fold-out double-page at the end and discover a
parade of all the animals they have met along the way!
(Post Wave Children’s Books, hardback, £12.99)
Age 3 plus
Doodle and Dot: The Trouble With Triangles
Lily Murray and Bia Melo
(Oxford University Press, paperback, £7.99)
Hannah and the Violin
Satoshi Kitamura
MUSIC maestro please! Japanese author and illustrator
Satoshi Kitamura warms up young imaginations – and the orchestras of their minds
– for an enchanting picture book full of creativity, music and dance. When
Hannah spots a leaf on the grass, she thinks it looks like a violin, and
decides to pick up a twig see if she can play it. Soon everything – and that
includes birds, flowers, clouds and animals – are singing and dancing to the
music! Kitamura’s joyful book celebrates the sense of play, creativity and
imagination that exists within us all as music and the mind blend perfectly to
make sweet harmony for an unforgettable orchestral ‘performance.’ Through
words, pictures and youthful playfulness, little Hannah’s leaf violin shows us
that, with a little imagination, we can conjure up music and rhythm from
something as simple as the sounds of insects and birds. And when the ‘music’
takes us, we can dance, sing, share our joy with others, and be transported to
new worlds. A creative masterpiece!
(Scallywag Press, hardback, £12.99)
The Great Unicorn Rescue
Diane Ewen
A GLORIOUS spectrum of vibrant colour, a truly heartwarming
tale about a little girl scared of the dark, and a celebration of friendship
blend together in one magical picture book from illustrator – and now author –
Diane Ewen. Filled with adorable unicorns, playful adventures, and youthful
fears and fun, The Great Unicorn Rescue is magical to read and magical to see. Louella
lives on the edge of a forest. But this isn't just any forest... this forest
has unicorns in it! Louella’s unicorn is called Norrie and they love collecting
shells from the stream and spending all day together. Norrie’s special power is
being able to cast a bright beam of light... so although Louella’s biggest fear
is the dark, she never has to worry with Norrie around. Until one day when
Louella’s school has a class trip into the forest and Norrie doesn’t appear.
Where could Norrie have got to? Can Louella overcome her biggest fear to help out
her friend? In this enchanting story about friendship and facing fears with your
pals alongside, bravery brings its own special rewards. Packed with Ewen’s
enchanting artwork, which is inspired by her love of bright colours, this is a
book that has been perfectly designed to empower.
(Macmillan Children’s
Books, paperback, £7.99)
How to Walk a Whale
Sam Wilde and Sarah Horne
WHAT would really happen if your pet was a blue whale? The
answer might surprise you! Little ones can enjoy lots of giggles, fascinating
animal facts, and some jaw-droppingly helpful reminders of the responsibilities
of having a pet (and particularly a surprising pet!) in this adorable picture
book from author Sam Wilde and illustrator Sarah Horne. How to Walk a Whale –
fourth book in their delightful Peculiar Pets series – explores what a whale of
a time you might have with a rather large sea creature that eats up to four
tons of food a day! And as blue whales swim halfway around the world every
year, feeding and exercising, this pet might be more of a challenge than you
bargained for. The idea of having a pet, and just what is entailed in that, is
pushed to hilarious extremes as creative illustrator Horne lets loose her
imagination on Wilde’s warm-hearted and fun-filled story. And if meeting a very
wild and peculiar pet wasn’t enough, you can learn more fascinating facts about
blue whales in a section at the back of the book.
(Oxford University Press, paperback, £7.99)
Say Cheese!
Sophie Aggett and Pauline Gregory
A BUNCH of barnyard friends go photobombing barmy in this delightfully funny, lift-the-flap board book full of cheesy smiles and gorgeous grins. Say Cheese! – the creative work of author Sophie Aggett and illustrator Pauline Gregory – puts every child’s favourite animals in the picture in a farmyard filled with photo fun.‘A photo at the pond – get set! The piglets get their pink feet wet. Say Cheese!’ The animal friends on the farm love to take photographs – the goats pose politely, the horses happily wave their hooves, and the cows are dressed in their very best. When everyone is ready, they smile and say ‘Cheese!’ but someone is always jumping in the way! Can the animals EVER get their perfect picture? With hilarious surprises hiding behind every flap, a fun rhyming story and Gregory’s bright, laugh-out-loud illustrations, little ones will love spotting the photobombing culprits and discovering if the animals can get the picture they want. Snap happy fun!
(Little Tiger Press, board book, £7.99)
Upside Down Opposites
Danielle McLean and Matt Hunt
GO from happy to sad and high to low... all with the flip of
a book! Opposites are part of everyday life and it’s a concept that children
are never too young to learn. So here’s an inventive board book that teaches
little ones first opposites in the most delightful and entertaining way. Upside
Down Opposites has transformations on every page, allowing little ones to read
it, flip it and watch the upside-down picture change into its opposite. Featuring
the bright, striking artwork of acclaimed illustrator Matt Hunt and simple,
accessible pairings like happy and sad, dry and wet, high and low and good and
bad, this is the perfect stylish and fun way to introduce little ones to first
words and opposites... no matter which way they'd like to hold the book!
(Little Tiger Press, board book, £7.99)
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