Discover Children's Books

THANK YOU to all my followers! To those who have been with me from the start way back in 2020 (remember that?!) and to every single one of you who have joined me since!

I love discovering and sharing new picture books and am so grateful to you all for your support.

You might not know that I'm a children's author myself, so keeping up with al the wonderful books out there is so inspiring and helpful to my own writing too!

HUGE thanks to all the amazing publishers who send me books in return for my honest reviews.












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For the whole of February, will be donating 10% of children's book sales to - as part of the Read if Forward Projects. So your purchases will help boost reading and bring much needed books and resources into schools and homes across the UK.

When you buy from Bookshop.org you are also supporting Independent Bookshops so it's a much better place to buy than that other big online book retailer!

If you wish, you can select which Indie you want to benefit from your purchases, or you can leave it to Bookshop.Org to sort this for you.

Whichever you choose, get in quick and you'll also be supporting the amazing BookTrust with the fabulous work they do.

Search for Bookshop.org/read-it-forward.

Ooh! Look what was waiting for me when I got home this evening!!

The Dodo who Dreamed she Could Fly is written by the fabulous & illustrated by the super-duper

Just heard that the wonderful are sending me an advance copy of this beauty by What a treat!

Rory's Room of Rectangles by Ian Eagleton and Jessica Knight

It's Rory's first Fathers' Day without his Dad living at home and he's struggling to work out how he feels.

On the one hand, he loves spending time with his dad at the weekends, but now he and his mum are living with Mum's new boyfriend, Tony, who is also really nice. Rory misses his dad, but he doesn't want to upset Tony or his Mum. Who should he send his card to?

Rory ends up scribbling on his paper in frustration, then tears his card in two and shoves it in his pocket.

Seeing Rory's distress when Fathers' Day arrives, Tony suggests an outing. He takes Rory the art gallery. Here Rory discovers lots of wonderful paintings, including some that look a bit like his own angry drawing.

With Tony's help, and a surprise visit from his dad, Rory learns that both his dad and Tony love and care about him and that he doesn't have to choose between them.

A heartwarming story of a blended family that many young children will relate to, with engaging illustrations by debut illustrator Jessica Knight.

Ian Eagleton is author of Nen and the Lonely Fisherman which won the Polari Prize, 2022 and shortlisted for the British Book Awards.

Rory's Room of Rectangles is published by Owlet Press, 2023.

THIS arrived today. Eeeeppp!
Review coming soon.

How to Make a Book by Becky Davies and Patricia Hu

This is SUCH a clever book, not only because it tells you EVERYTHING you need to know about how a book gets published, but it is actually all about how THIS book got published!

So the images inside refer to this ACTUAL BOOK! If you're not careful you'll get yourself stuck in a loop about just how exactly they slotted in images of the actual book being made INTO the actual book!

Anyway, technicalities aside, this book is a fantastic insight into the book creation process. It matches up very accurately with my own experiences, having published around 65 books with 8 major publishers. The process is remarkably similar for every publisher I've worked with!

In a nutshell, this brilliant book covers the process from an idea, through research to the creation of a draft manuscript. Then we discover how a book is edited, designed, printed, marketed and distributed to the people who are going to read it.

It's a pretty substantial achievement, communicating this process in a fun and engaging way but Becky Davies and Patricia Hu have done it with great skill and style. It's a must-have for any would-be author or illustrator, whatever your age and a book I wish I'd had when I first started trying to create children's books of my own.

How to Make a Book is published by Little Tiger, 2022.

This copy was gifted by the publisher in return for an honest review.

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The Lights that Dance in the Night by Yuval Zommer

The evenings are drawing in and the leaves are blowing, so what better time to start thinking about cosying up at home with this gorgeous book!

If you're not aware of Yuval Zommer, you really MUST check out his fantastic range of picture books and large format non-fiction. His incredible illustrations are full of warmth, colour and character and his distinctive style is unlike anything else on the market.

The Lights that Dance in the Night is a lyrical, poetic tale told by the Northern Lights as they sweep across the chilly, Arctic skies. Along they way, they bring joy to all the arctic animals.

Whales sing, seals clap their flippers, and wolf packs howl as the beautiful lights sparkle and sway around them. At last they reach some humans, who raise their voices and tell stories to keep hope alive through the cold, dark, wintery nights.

Each spread in this beautiful book is a masterpiece filled with colour and warmth, set against the chilly blue background of the arctic winter. I've always dreamed of seeing the Northern Lights and this book has certainly fuelled my desire to one day visit our arctic wilderness.

With the added glitter on the stunning cover, this would make a wonderful gift for the festive season.

The Lights that Dance in the Night is published by Oxford Children's Books, 2022

We are the Shapes by Kevin Jenner
Packed with perfectly-shaped puns, We are the Shapes is a clever and fun look at friendship, stereotypes and getting along with others, all set in the world of shapes.

We first meet the squares - straight, reliable, supportive and honest, the squares like everything to be just so. But the triangles... well they are a different set of characters all together. They are edgy, creative and don't mind being a little bit different.

Unfortunately the squares and triangles don't seem to be able to see each others good qualities and end up arguing about everything. Until...

Along comes a circle. They don't have sides, and they're not into picking sides either. Instead, they try to turn things around and help the squares and triangles work together. It doesn't go according to plan first time, but then, there's always pizza...

I love how Kevin Jenner has used common shape-related expressions to convey the personalities of these adorable, if troublesome, shapes and it's refreshing to see examples of perseverance from the peace-making circle, who keeps trying to help their friends get along, even when their first idea falls flat.

It's also incredible how a few dots for eyes, eyebrows and mouths can turn humble shape into a great characters! Great fun with a strong call to avoid stereotyping others and find ways to get along!

We are the Shapes is published by happy yak, part of the Quarto Group, 2022

My copy was gifted by the publisher in return for an honest review and came with some cute bookmarks, a limited edition print, and an activity sheet for children.

And Everything will be Glad to See You - Selected by Ella Risbridger, illustrated by Anna Shepeta

Nosy Crow have a habit of producing some totally stunning poetry anthologies and this is their latest release.

Curated by Ella Risbridger and gorgeously illustrated by Anna Shepeta, all the poems in this anthology are written by women and girls (plus one non-binary author) including contributions from well know and contemporary poets.

So why only include poems by women? Ella Risbridger does a great job of explaining this choice in her introduction. The fact is, that throughout our literary history, the voices of people who identify as women have not been given equal space to those who identify as men. For instance, did you know that of the 21 Poet Laureats in the uk, 20 have been men and only one has been a woman. Need I say more?!

Anyway, between the pages of this gorgeous hardback you'll find over a hundred poems by a diverse range of women and girls from all over the world. Anna Shepeta's wonderfully inclusive illustrations feature Black, Indigenous and People of Colour, as well as characters from different cultures and eras.

You'll read the words from poets you know, such as Emily Dickenson, Maya Angelou and Berlie Doherty, and others that you might be yet to come across including Yang Kuei-Fei and Imtiaz Dharker.

With poems and illustrations for every mood, theres so much to get stuck into.

Nosy Crow also provide free teaching plans for children aged around 9-11 years. Click on the link or visit the Nosy Crow website to download.

And Everything will be Glad to See You is published by Nosy Crow, 2022.

My copy was gifted by the publisher in return for an honest review.

Birds of a Feather by Lauren Fairgrieve and Kate Read
Nosy Crow are always coming up with fantastic, innovative books and this is a great example of their dedication to bring the best books to young readers!

Written in partnership with the National Trust, Birds of a Feather looks at ten of our best-known native birds, starting with a press-out-and-make activity where you can create 3D models of each bird, to play with, hang up or turn into a mobile.

At the back of the book is a beautifully illustrated full colour booklet with illustrations and information about each bird, including where they live, how they got their names, what they eat and some really interesting folklore too.

The press-outs are really easy to make and can be returned to their pages when you've finished, though you'll probably want to thread some string through the handy hole punched into each bird and hang them around your room!

Birds of a Feather is a great way for children to experience and learn about some of our most commonly seen birds and hopefully inspire them to spend more time spotting and finding out about our small, feathered friends.

Lovely!

Birds of a Feather is published by Nosy Crow, 2022

This book was gifted by the publisher in return for an honest review.

A Day in the Life of a POO, a GNU and YOU by Mike Barfield and Jess Bradley

You might have read my glowing review of the sequel to this book, A Day in the Life of a Caveman, a Queen and Everything in Between.

Well, this is the first book in the series and winner of the Sainsbury's Children's Book Award and the Blue Peter Book Award, both in 2021.

So what's it all about??

A Day in the Life of a POO, a GNU and YOU is comical encyclopedia of the human body, the animal kingdom plus a selection of natural phenomenon.

Set out in comic book form, we start off with a hilarious look at the goings on inside the human body, where the heart, stomach, liver and other organs are portrayed as funny characters, going about their days.

The way Mike Barfield and Jess Bradley bring the subject to life is pure genius. They take learning-by-stealth to a completely new level - I reckon even GCSE students would love it!

The second section takes a closer look at a range of animals and plants, including spiders, worms, jellyfish, pangolin, skunks, vampire bats and slugs.

The sheer amount of information contained within this book is incredible and the way that this creative duo has turned dry facts into fun and memorable narrative is totally inspirational.

How amazing would it be if all our science and geography lessons were taught this way?!

A must-have for every home and school library.

A Day in the Life of a POO, a GNU and YOU is published by Buster Books, 2020

This copy was gifted by the publisher in return for an honest review.

Martha Maps it Out by Leigh Hodgkinson
I had no idea what this story was about but OH MY! Leigh Hodgkinson has created something WONDERFUL again!

Starting off with a super-fun diagram of SPACE, we gradually zoom in on Martha's life. From space to a beautiful annotated map of the world, to a map of Martha's city and then a map of her street. Each spread brings us closer in to Martha's world.

Every spread is full of loads of tiny details of Martha's life, carefully labelled in hand written notes. We learn about her neighbourhood, her family, her home and her interests through a series of colourful diagrams that are a joy to peruse.

Eventually Martha maps out her thoughts, hopes and dreams so by the end of the book we feel we have got to know her really well! There is so much to spot and discuss in what is a brilliantly conceived and a skilfully created book about one child's life.

Martha Maps it Out by Leigh Hodgkinson

Every child is the centre of their own universe and this approach is great for helping children understand how special they are, whilst also giving them perspective on their place in the world and the wider universe. It's so uplifting to view Martha's hopes and dreams and see the support and love of her family woven into every image.

Brilliant!

Martha Maps it Out is published by Oxford University Press, 2022

This book was gifted by the publisher in return for an honest review.

Water by Catherine Barr and Christiane Engel

I acquired my copy of this fabulous book after making some rather heavy hints to Janetta Otter-Barry at the Youth Libraries Group conference where I was invited to speak about one of my own books. One look at the sumptuous cover and I was hooked!

Janetta very kindly indulged me, so I'm delighted to be able to bring you this latest offering from non-fiction master, Catherine Barr.

Once inside, readers are quickly drawn in by Christiane Engel's beautiful illustrations, which are full of lovely details to fuel your little readers' curiosity and keep their attention as they discover how water first appeared on the earth and why it is so important to all the life our world supports.

Full of fascinating facts, many of which are new to me, Water is one of those wonderful factual books that is also really accessible to read. For example do you know that the water in your glass might well have been drunk by a dinosaur, or that freshwater habitats support over 15,000 types of fish?

Each spread takes us to a different part of the world, as well as covering the water cycle, the importance of water in different habitats, water's uses in farming and producing power, as well as pages on the effects of climate change, drought, and water pollution.

With strong messages of the need to protect our planet's water throughout, and a practical guide on using water wisely at home, this book has so many layers, that come together as a very well-rounded and enticing book that would be a great addition to any home or classroom library.

Great job!

Water is published by Otter Barry, 2022.

Wild Life - The Extraordinary Adventures of Sir David Attenborough by Leisa Stewart-Sharpe and Helen Shoesmith.

David Attenborough has been a huge inspiration to me throughout my life. As a child I wanted to BE him. He is the reason I spent hours as a child pond-dipping and studying what I found under a microscope, and he is the reason I went to university to study Biology and spend my early career working for environmental organisations.

Wild Life charts his incredible life and career as he grew from curious child to climate crusader and wildlife advocate.

For almost 70 years, David Attenborough's programmes have taken us all over the world, fascinating viewers of all ages with his close encounters with wildlife. In this fabulous illustrated biography we find out how he came to be such an important icon and how his work has helped raise generations of wildlife lovers and climate activists.

Packed with fun and inspiring illustrations, Wild Life is a very accessible and fascinating read - and a fitting tribute to an amazing man. Readers will learn that everyone starts life as a child and that anything is possible if you have passion and determination to follow your dreams.

You'll visit some of the most memorable moments from some of David's documentaries, and learn about some of our planet's most unusual animals along the way!

Wild Life is published by Wren & Rook, part of the Hachette Group, 2022

Watch out for Leisa's new book Frozen Planet, her third BBC documentary companion book, which is out on 6 October, just in time to accompany this brilliant television series.

The Big Book of Blooms by Yuval Zommer

Oh my!

I'm a HUGE fan of Yuval Zommer's books! He produces some of the best non-fiction books I've ever seen and are simply gorgeous to read and to own.

Published in HUGE big format, The Big Book of Blooms is a riot of stunning illustrations and bite-sized facts about flowers from all over the world.

We look at flower families, flower anatomy and learn about the concept of pollination. We discover how flowers are used in medicine, meet carnivorous species and discover the wonders of giant water lillies, pitcher plants and cacti.

There is so much to see, learn and experience in this book and, like Yuval Zommer's other publication, ,the collage-style illustrations are the perfect inspiration for budding artists, young and not-so-young!

In case there wasn't enough detail in this stunning book, you can also hunt for the golden bulb on every page (answers are at the back) and are invited to grow your own blooms too.

Written with expert input from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London, the Big Book of Blooms is beautiful in every way and a book I will treasure!

Check out my review of Zommer's The Street Beneath my Feet here

And the other Big Books here

The Big Book of Blooms is published by Thames & Hudson, 2020.

Coming to England by Floella Benjamin and Diane Ewen

Anyone of a "certain age" will probably remember Dame Floella Benjamin as the fun-loving presenter of pre-school programme Play Away. In those days it was really unusual to see Black people on television. She has since gone on to receive a BAFTA and OBE, and was appointed a Baroness in 2010.

Arriving in England in 1960 as part of the Windrush generation, Floella dreamt of meeting the Queen. And in 2012 her dreams came true. According to an interview with Desert Island Discs, Floella spoke to Her Majesty about the racism she suffered when she arrived in the UK.

Coming to England is the uplifting story Floella's life in Trinidad and journey to live in the UK.

Life in Trinidad was filled with family, friends and colour. So when her Dardie sees an invitation to come to England in the local paper, he decides to make the journey to become a jazz musician. One year later, Floella's Marmie goes to join him, leaving Floella and her five siblings in the care of their auntie.

At last the children were ready to make the fifteen day journey themselves. And with no parents around to keep an eye on them, they got up to all sorts of mischief on the boat!

Imagine how awful it must have been to arrive, full of expectation, to discover England to be cold, grey and full of unfriendly people.

Rather than dwelling on the negatives, however, this book valiantly draws out the positives - a brave thing to do given the way this country has treated thousands of people just like Floella.

Coming to England is an important insight into the experiences of Windrush families and a poignant reminder that whatever our heritage, we are all just people, with the same hopes, fears, challenges and dreams.

Coming to England is published by Macmillan, 2020.

Coming to England by Floella Benjamin and Diane Ewen

Anyone of a "certain age" will probably remember Dame Floella Benjamin as the fun-loving presenter of pre-school programme Play Away. In those days it was really unusual to see Black people on television. She has since gone on to receive a BAFTA and OBE, and was appointed a Baroness in 2010.

Arriving in England in 1960 as part of the Windrush generation, Floella dreamt of meeting the Queen. And in 2012 her dreams came true. According to an interview with Desert Island Discs, Floella spoke to Her Majesty about the racism she suffered when she arrived in the UK.

Coming to England is the uplifting story Floella's life in Trinidad and journey to live in the UK.

Life in Trinidad was filled with family, friends and colour. So when her Dardie sees an invitation to come to England in the local paper, he decides to make the journey to become a jazz musician. One year later, Floella's Marmie goes to join him, leaving Floella and her five siblings in the care of their auntie.

At last the children were ready to make the fifteen day journey themselves. And with no parents around to keep an eye on them, they got up to all sorts of mischief on the boat!

Imagine how awful it must have been to arrive, full of expectation, to discover England to be cold, grey and full of unfriendly people.

Rather than dwelling on the negatives, however, this book valiantly draws out the positives - a brave thing to do given the way this country has treated thousands of people just like Floella.

Coming to England is an important insight into the experiences of Windrush families and a poignant reminder that whatever our heritage, we are all just people, with the same hopes, fears, challenges and dreams.

Coming to England is published by Macmillan, 2020.