Discover the ideal gift book for your curious kids, enter (if you dare!) a spooky family house where grudges and glory are passed down as heirlooms, get ready to kick off a whole year of fascinating football facts, and hold on tight as you head off into a sci-fi universe for an out-of-this-world adventure with a super selection of children’s books
Age 7 plus
Everything Under the Sun: All Around the World
Molly Oldfield
QUESTIONS, questions, questions… being curious about everything under the sun is all part of growing up. So here’s the ideal gift book for every parent, teacher or carer who needs some help with providing answers… a coruscating collection of 366 curious questions (one for every day of the year!) asked by children from around the world and answered by experts. Based on the award-winning podcast by The Original QI Elf, Molly Oldfield, who spent 12 years researching and writing questions for the BBC quiz show, Everything Under the Sun: All Around the World is a brand new version of Everything Under the Sun which was published in 2021 and sold more than 38,000 copies.
Working alongside author and illustrator Lauren Child and
magician Derren Brown, Oldfield conjures up a fantastic selection of quirky
questions that will keep young minds busy all the year round. How were
rollerskates invented? How do boats float? Do snails go upside down? Where is
the happiest place in the world? Why do sea turtles cry? Can chickens get
chickenpox? Learn about everything from wormholes in space time, to how frogs
jump, ponder about why we daydream and find out if people can mind read. This brilliant book explores everything from science and
nature to robots and rainforests, alongside some very knowledgeable experts,
not least epidemiologist, doctor and science writer Tim Spector who reveals
what is the healthiest food in the world. Fascinating facts are accompanied by gorgeous, full-colour
illustrations from the likes of international artists Folasade Adeshida, Neil
Badenhorst, Belinda Chen, Sophie Escavy Lim, Marta Antelo, Fernando Martin,
Juliana Eigner, Andrés Landazabal, Henry Rancourt, Francesca Tiley, Daniel
Gray-Barnett and Meg Rennie. Whether you read a question a day, or dip into it whenever
you are feeling curious, this is a book to treasure and share all year round,
and, without question, the perfect gift!
(Ladybird, hardback, £25)
Age 8 plus
Skulkmoor
Hana Tooke
WELCOME to Skulkmoor Manor… a house with a murderous history
where grudges and glory are passed down as heirlooms! Dutch-born writer Hanna
Tooke - bestselling author of The Unadoptables and The Midnighters – unleashes
her imagination (and own personal experiences) on a gorgeously gothic and
mysterious adventure brimming with dark family secrets, devilishly bad deeds,
and just a touch of murder. Once, the great house of Skulkmoor stood proudly on its
hillside, commanding the attention of anyone who came by. Now, it is a curious
puzzle of a place – not least thanks to the giant wall which cuts it straight
in half, separating the two warring families that live inside it. For you see,
many years ago, the Fox family was torn apart by a question of murder – and of
inheritance. With no clear heir, the vast family fortune – and the house – has
been literally divided into two. But now, two young cousins, one from rival
sides of Skulkmoor, must race to solve the crime… or face losing their home
forever. Can Ted and Iris put their differences aside and save their family
fortune, or will they play their part in destroying everything? Skulkmoor is a delicious mix of adventure, atmosphere and chilling
gothic thrills as Tooke conjures up a brilliantly evocative backdrop and then
uses her warm and witty storytelling to bring us an unforgettable cast of weird
and wonderful characters and themes around finding your tribe. Add on the
emotional heft from lead character Iris sharing the author’s own personal
disability and you have a sensational page-turner with a very human and
heartwarming twist.
(Puffin, hardback, £14.99)
Age 7 plus
Football School Facts: A Fact for Every Day of the Year
Alex Bellos, Ben Lyttleton and Spike Gerrell
THE dream team are back and they are ready to kick off a
whole year of fascinating football facts! Football School Facts: A Fact for
Every Day of the Year is the twelfth book in the bestselling Football School
series from authors Alex Bellos and Ben Lyttleton, and illustrator Spike
Gerrell, in which football and facts come together in a perfect, goal-scoring
formation. Packed with over 365 incredible stories, stats, goals and birthdays,
this brilliant addition to the series delivers an amazing new football fact
every day of the year. This veritable bumper bundle of football bliss gives readers
a fact for every day of the year. Each month is introduced by a birthday list
of key players, followed by plenty of terrific time-based trivia. Bellos and
Lyttleton blend the beautiful game with an addictive sense of fun and humour, perfectly
complemented by Gerrell’s hilarious cartoon illustrations. Did you know that
Erling Haaland is a record-breaking goal-scoring machine, that a player was
once sent off for farting on the pitch, or that Diego Maradona has a religion
named after him? Discover all this and much, much more about your favourite
players, great goals, super stadiums and marvellous mascots. The ultimate
football fan year book for all the family to enjoy!
(Walker Books, hardback, £14.99)
Age 7 plus
Cosmic Cadets and the Universal Uni-korn
Ryan Crawford and Rochelle Falconer
(Oxford University Press, paperback, £7.99)
Age 6 plus
Astrosaurs: Mission to Infinity
Steve Cole, Tobey Cole and Alex Lopez
BLAST off with Teggs and the crew for three astronomical
space adventures in the first of a new graphic novel format for bestselling
author Steve Cole’s out-of-this-world and fun-filled Astrosaurs series. It’s 20
years since these deliciously daffy dinosaur adventures hit the shelves and now
Cole has harnessed his son Tobey as co-author and the talents of Spanish
illustrator Alex Lopez to bring the space romps to a new generation of
children. Young stegosaurus Teggs is the new captain of the DSS
Sauropod, a spaceship designed to defend the Jurassic Quadrant from evil,
carnivorous dinosaurs looking for their next meal. With his crew, Ginni, Arx
and Iggy, Teggs must defeat cunning raptors aiming to disrupt the Great
Dinosaur Games, protect the last remaining plateosaurus eggs as they travel to
their new home at the far end of the galaxy, and uncover the mystery lurking in
the watery depths of Aqua Minor. From powerful pongs to egg-cellent explosions,
missions never quite go to plan… but the Astrosaurs are always there to save
the day! With three adventures, one fearless dino crew and all in an
easy-to-read format, these are new missions impossible that simple explode with
meteor mayhem, galactic giggles and over-the-moon mischief!
(Piccadilly Press, paperback, £8.99)
Age 5 plus
Where's Stitch? Halloween Edition
Marvel Entertainment International Ltd
CAN you spot Stitch? Don’t miss out on all the spooky fun
packed inside Disney’s simply marvellous limited edition of the Lilo &
Stitch search-and-find activity book featuring a brand-new Halloween scene and
a glow-in-the-dark cover! Brought to life by stunning, full-colour original
illustrations, the Where's Stitch? Halloween edition is available for a limited
time only. Look for Lilo’s mischievous alien pet in jam-packed scenes from the
beaches of Kaua’I to the Galactic Federation and back. Can you spot Stitch,
Lilo and their 'Ohana friends hiding amongst the pumpkins? Perfect for Marvel
and Disney fans young and old, this beautifully created search-and-find book
guarantees hours of entertainment!
(Studio Press, paperback, £7.99)
Age 3 plus
Hank Meets Frank
Maudie Powell-Tuck and Duncan Beedie
IF you fell in love with an obnoxious goose called Hank – the
one with a bad habit of honking – in talented author Maudie Powell-Tuck and
bestselling illustrator and author Duncan Beedie’s hilarious picture book Hank Goes Honk, then prepare for more zany antics in their brilliant Hank Meets
Frank… new title in a growing series of hilarious picture and board books. Hank’s adoring fans know that he can be a little pesky, a
little pecky and a teensy bit objectionable. But not today! Not when his little
cousin Frank is here to visit. You see, Frank is sweet as a daisy and cute as a
button. Butter wouldn’t melt. So, Hank is going to be on his very best
behaviour. In fact, they’re both going to be little angels. Isn't that right,
Hank? Frank? Guys?! How great it is to see that Hank is still ruffling feathers
as Powell-Tuck and Beedie work their magic on another comedy-filled story in
which everyone’s favourite goose gets a cautionary lesson about the perils of
one-upmanship. With an adorable anti-hero, a tale told with deadpan humour, and Beedie's brilliant illustrations, this new adventure will
have all the family honking with laughter!
(Little Tiger Press, hardback, £12.99)
Age 3 plus
Bear’s Nap
Emily Gravett
MEET a sleepy bear who’s looking for nap time bliss only
to be met with a cheep, a squeak, a croak and a cluck! Youngsters will revel in
the colourful and endearing delights of a spectacular new rhyming picture book
from talented author and CILIP Kate Greenaway award-winning artist Emily
Gravett. Written and illustrated with her signature affection and a
freewheeling sense of fun which tumbles out of every page, Bear’s Nap is a joy
from bedtime to morning. All Bear wants is a quiet nap… but he can't work out
who is keeping him awake with their cheep cheeping. An increasingly frustrated
bear leaves his cosy cave to ask the other animals, but they say none of them
cheep. Maybe the culprit is closer to home! All the family will love meeting
the animals and joining in with their familiar noises in this funny, endearing
and stunningly illustrated story. With a jaunty rhyming story and a comedy
twist in the tail, this is the perfect gift book for your own little sleepy
bear!
(Two Hoots, hardback, £12.99)
Age 3 plus
Clive Penguin Learns to Fly, Sort of
Huw Lewis Jones and Ben Sanders
WHO'S ever heard of a flying penguin? Yes, hat-loving Clive
Penguin is back and he’s on a sky-high mission to take flight! You’ve got to
hand it to Huw Lewis Jones and Ben Sanders... they certainly know how to create
an adorable penguin. Lewis Jones, a real life polar-exploring adventurer, and
award-winning illustrator Sanders combine their talents on their second
ice-coated and quirky picture book adventure starring a penguin who wants to
rise above the crowd. Affronted by the narrator’s praise for ‘majestic’
swooping seagulls, Clive is determined to take to the sky himself. He's going
to fly and who says penguins can’t do it? Youngsters cannot help but fall in
love with the hilariously deadpan Clive Penguin as he sets out to prove that reaching
for your dreams and ignoring naysayers can sometimes help you to achieve the
impossible (sort of!) With Lewis Jones providing Clive’s unique voice and
Sanders delivering a perfectly matched gallery of illustrations using flashes
of orange neon ink, this is the coolest picture book you will read this autumn!
(Little Tiger Press, hardback, £12.99)
Age 3 plus
Nibbles: The Very Hungry Book Monster
Emma Yarlett
(Little Tiger Press, paperback, £7.99)
Age 2 plus
Albert’s Bubble Bath
Mark McKinley
LEARNING to share is one of life’s toughest hurdles for
toddlers so introduce them to this hilarious cautionary tale starring a grumpy
bear called Albert! Albert’s Bubble Bath is the laugh-out-loud creation of
author and illustrator Mark McKinley who has the gift of putting humour into
his adorable picture books. Albert is a grumpy bear and he doesn't like a lot
of things. He doesn't enjoy picnics, or fishing, and he especially loathes
singing around the camp fire. But there is one thing he likes a lot… bubble baths.
The only problem is that the other animals in the forest like bubble baths too
and he can't seem to enjoy his in peace and quiet. Albert has some cunning
plans. He puts up lots of signs, he hires the best security… he even buries his
bath underground. But whatever he does, other animals keep finding their way
into Albert’s lovely, relaxing bubble bath. In one last desperate bid for
solitude, he takes his bath to the skies. Will one mishap too many mean that
Albert might finally have to share? Little ones will love heading to the skies
with grumpy Albert in this sparkling, bubble-filled picture book from a fresh
and funny new talent.
(Oxford University Press, paperback, £7.99)
Age 2 plus
Winnie and Wilbur: Looking for Wilbur
Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul
THE adventures of Winnie the Witch and her black cat have
provided spellbinding, bite-size stories for over three decades and the two
madcap stars take centre stage again in this super new picture book. Written by
the ever-inventive Valerie Thomas and brilliantly illustrated in Korky Paul’s
distinctive and charismatic style, Winnie and Wilbur’s escapades are always
mad, bad and dangerously hilarious, and in their latest outing there are laughs
galore and a chaotic and multi-coloured adventure in which Winnie ends up
painting the town red! When Winnie wakes up from an afternoon nap in her
sun-filled garden, she discovers that her beloved black cat, Wilbur, has
vanished. She can’t find him anywhere and her friends haven’t seen him either.
Can Winnie use her magic to track down her missing pet? Thomas’ exuberant and
warm-hearted story is tingling with magic, mischief and mayhem while Paul’s richly
detailed and playful artwork brings all the antics to life. A chaotic caper
that’s guaranteed to cast a spell!
(Oxford University
Press, hardback, £12.99)
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