BOOKS
Editor’s Choice
Previews Children’s Previews
In a “laugh-out-loud, brilliantly silly” illustrated adventure, a small and smelly windy moment sets off a chain of events which lead to a national crisis. From the sibling creators of Escape the Rooms, which has sold strongly.
Ben Miller, Reference
Nicolette Jones, Mary Kate McDevitt (illus) Writes of Passage:
Words to Read Before You Turn 13 Nosy Crow, 5th, £12.99, hb, 9781788005029
Nicolette Jones, children’s book critic for the Sunday Times, expertly selects more than 100 pieces of writing in a stunning collection certain to empower, inspire and entertain. From children’s books to Shakespeare, Greta Thunberg, Lin Manuel Miranda and Martin Luther King Jr, the extracts span prose, poems, speeches and lyrics, each with astute commentary from Jones. The beautifully designed hard- back has strong gift appeal, sporting an eye-catching neon, foil-stamped jacket and a ribbon marker.
Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini (illus) How I Became a Dog Called Midnight Simon & Schuster, 12th, £7.99, pb, 9781471192463 A boy and his dog discover that all the best magic happens at midnight in the latest comedy caper from the actor and comedian. Now in paperback.
Follow 10 little dinosaurs as they dress up, explore and more in a counting story based on the nursery rhyme “This Little Piggy”. First in a new series.
Rod Campbell The Boo Zoo Campbell, 12th, £6.99, board, 9781529074673 Say boo to all the favou- rite animals from Dear Zoo in a chunky board with large flaps, perfect for small hands.
Rose Cobden, Samantha Meredith (illus) It’s Potty Time! Ladybird, 12th, £6.99, board, 9780241559031 A rhyming potty-training board book in the shape of a potty. Features a diverse cast and a gender- neutral focus, unlike many on the market. Written with potty-training expert Amanda Jenner.
Editor’s Choice
Jacqueline Wilson, Mark Beech (illus) The Magic Faraway Tree Hodder, 26th, £12.99, hb, 9781444963373 Wilson revisits Moonface, Silky et al in a much- publicised new story set in Enid Blyton’s magical world. It sees three modern children discover the Enchanted Wood while on holiday.
0-5/ Baby & toddler
Teen & YA
Christine Pillainayagam Ellie Pillai is Brown Faber, 5th, £7.99, pb, 9780571366910
Fifteen-year-old Ellie is trying to navigate friendship, first love, strict parents, an over- dramatic personality and many, many misun- derstandings. Most days she is somewhere between invisible and not very cool—and she is usually OK with that. But being brown in a predominantly white world makes her hyper- aware of her colour and how that feeds into her sense of identity. A major lead for Faber from a UK YA author, I loved the fresh and original voice of this coming-of-age début, approaching big themes with a light touch.
Baby Touch Rainbow Ladybird, 5th, £7.99, board, 9780241547410 Sturdy, shaped pages each display a different rainbow colour, full of textured touch and feel patches to stimulate the senses. New in the long- running series.
Mike Brownlow, Simon Rickerty (illus) Ten Little Unicorns Orchard, 12th, £6.99, board, 9781408364055 Now in board, the 10th title in the bestselling counting series, starring magical unicorns and sporting a super sparkly foiled cover.
Coral Byers, Alberta Torres (illus) This Little Dinosaur Macmillan, 12th, £6.99, pb, 9781529084757
52 18th February 2022
Pop-Up Peekaboo Pets DK, 5th, £7.99, board, 9780241538517 A new addition to DK’s award-winning board series; five titles in the series each sold more than 10,000 copies through the TCM in 2021.
Oliver Jeffers Book of Colours HarperCollins, 17th, £7.99, pb, 9780008520922 One of two new boards (the other is Book of Opposites) based on the bestselling Here We Are picture book, which was inspired by the birth of Jeffers’ son.
Flora Martyn, Hannah Tolson (illus) A Walk in the Woods Bloomsbury, 26th, £6.99, pb, 9781526629630 Lucy, Oscar and their dog explore the seasons in nature in a non-fiction picture book packed with things to spot. Published in association with the Woodland Trust.
Gareth Peter,
Garry Parsons (illus) My Daddies! Puffin, 12th, £6.99, board, 9780241405789 Now in board, an own- voices celebration of a same-sex family and their adopted daughter.
Camilla Reid, Clare Youngs (illus) Look, It’s Moo Cow Nosy Crow, 5th, £7.99, board, 9781839943683
One of two launch titles (the other is Look, It’s Roar Lion) in a major new series matching friendly animals with a hide-and- seek narrative and multi- sensory novelty elements, including tuggable felt flaps, foil highlights and a mirror ending.
Sam Taplin, Polly Noakes (illus) Sleepytime Music Usborne, 26th, £12.99, hb, 9781474997805 Snuggle up with five gentle classical tunes and enchanting woodland animals in a tranquil sound book, ideal for naps and bedtime.
Edward Underwood 100 First Words: Nature Nosy Crow, 5th, £12.99, board, 9781788009980 New in the series of large- format first-word books which combine stylish good looks with engaging, accessible content. Seven themed spreads include Garden, Countryside, Forest and Cold, with a large card flap on each page.
Characters Hey Duggee
The Sharing Badge Ladybird, 12th £4.99, board, 9781405950763 The squirrels learn about sharing in a new tie-in to the popular CBeebies show.
Paw Patrol I Love You Daddy Farshore, 12th, £6.99, pb, 9780008518141 A celebration of kind, funny, clever and heroic daddies, timed for Father’s Day.
Peppa Pig Granny and Grandpa Pig’s Day Out Ladybird, 26th, £6.99, pb, 9780241543382 Peppa and George take a beach camping trip with their grandparents. Also this month comes push-and-pull novelty title Peppa to the Rescue.
Picture books
Derrick Barnes, Gordon C James (illus) Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut Walker, 5th, £7.99, pb, 9781529504040 A trip to the barber shop becomes a joyful celebration of confidence
and self-esteem. First published in 2017 in the US, where it won awards including the Newbery and Caldecott Honors. Now in paperback.
Davina Bell, Allison Colpoys (illus) Tomorrow is a Brand-New Day Scribble, 12th, £12.99, hb, 9781913348281 Hard days come and go, but love is with us always. An uplifting tribute to learning and growing, from the creators of All the Ways to Be Smart, which was an Independent Booksellers Book of the Month in 2019.
Rachel Bright, Chris Chatterton (illus) The Stompysaurus Orchard, 12th, £12.99, hb, 9781408356173 A little dinosaur learns to cope with overwhelming feelings and frustration in a reassuring story in the DinoFeelings series. Previous titles, including The Worrysaurus, are paperback bestsellers.
Anthony Browne Ernest the Elephant Walker, 5th, £7.99, pb, 9781529504033 A baby elephant gets lost in the jungle in a tender story of finding help in unexpected places from the former children’s laureate. Now in paperback.
Matt Carr Ginny’s Big Adventure Hodder, 12th, £6.99, pb, 9781444952117 One scruffy, plucky guinea pig is on a quest to find where she truly belongs in a funny, fast-paced adventure from the creator of Superbat.
Joseph Coelho, Allison Colpoys (illus) My Beautiful Voice Frances Lincoln, 3rd, £7.99, pb, 9780711248311 A clever teacher coaxes a shy child to read her poem aloud in this inspirational and very beautiful story about a child unlocking the power of their own voice. An Editor’s Choice in hardback.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
