This preview highlights titles to be published in May
05
Niki Daly On My Papa’s Shoulders Otter-Barry, 5th, £12.99, hb, 9781913074456 A little boy recounts his journeys to school in a tender celebration of families, and especially the bond between a father and son. The book has an urban South African setting.
inspired by Green’s son’s voyage around the world.
Louise Greig, Lizzie Stewart (illus) The Enormous Morning Farshore, 12th, £7.99, pb, 9781405298568 A girl and her father take a journey through the wonders of a new day, in a tender celebration of nature, love and belong- ing. Gorgeous, evocative art from Waterstones Children’s Book Prize winner Stewart.
Matt de la Pena, Christian Robinson (illus) Milo Imagines the World Two Hoots, 12th, £7.99, pb, 9781529066326 A train journey through a bustling city reveals that we are all more alike than we are different. Tender and compelling, from the duo behind Last Stop on Market Street. Now in paperback.
Alex English, Pauline Gregory (illus) Monkey Bedtime Faber, 5th, £6.99, pb, 9780571352777 A little boy lets a monkey in through his window and its friends soon follow… Riotous rhyming fun with a suitably snuggly bedtime ending.
Julia Green, Alex Latimer (illus) The Boy Who Sailed the World David Fickling, 5th, £6.99, pb, 9781788452335 A boy sails the world in a boat he has built himself in this lyrical celebration of the natural world and the joy of adventure,
Fiction 9-12
Ellie Clements The Wondrous Prune Bloomsbury, 12th, £6.99, pb, 9781526638328
Sophy Henn The Music in Me Simon & Schuster, 12th, £6.99, pb, 9781471194252 Have you ever thought about all the different types of music that make you, you? A playful and reassuring look at emotions, told in a rousing rhyming text with charac- teristic panache.
Marjoke Henrichs No! Said Rabbit Scallywag Press, 5th, £7.99, pb, 9781912650828 Parents everywhere will recognise the contrary toddler in this everyday battle of wits. Shortlisted for the 2021 Book Trust Storytime Prize, now in paperback.
Lotte Jeffs, Sharon Davey (illus) My Magic Family Puffin, 26th, £7.99, pb, 9780241540138 A little girl with two mummies shares the magic of her family in a celebratory, reassuring read-aloud story. The author is a journalist and host of the LGBTQ+ parenting podcast “Some Families”.
Huw Lewis Jones, Fred Blunt (illus) A Quokka for the Queen Happy Yak, 17th, £6.99, pb, 9780711267954 In time for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, a funny, silly rhyming story about generosity and the joy of giving.
Naomi Jones, James Jones (illus) One More Try OUP, 5th, £6.99, pb, 9780192779014 Building a tower from circles, diamonds and triangles is proving to be a wobbly business. Can Circle persuade the other shapes to keep going? Eye-catching geometrical characters are paired with playful storytelling in the follow-up to The Perfect Fit.
Patrice Lawrence, Camilla Sucre (illus) Granny Came Here on the Empire Windrush Nosy Crow, 5th, £6.99, pb, 9781839942310 The award-winning YA author makes her picture book début with the heartfelt intergenerational story of a girl who discov- ers her grandmother’s history, enriched by Sucre’s stylish illustrations.
Yijing Lu Through the Forest Lantana, 5th, £11.99, hb, 9781913747770 Walking through a dark forest, a young boy learns to treasure his memories and find his true path in life in a powerful and evocative début.
David McKee Elmer and the Bedtime Story
Andersen, 5th, £7.99, pb, 9781839130953 Elmer is looking after two baby elephants. Can he find the perfect bedtime story to lull them to sleep? Now in paperback.
Tola Okogwu, Chante Timothy (illus) Daddy Do My Hair: Beth’s Twists Simon & Schuster, 26th, £6.99, pb, 9781398511460 A joyful, rhyming celebra- tion of Afro hair and father-daughter relation- ships. Originally self- published by Okogwu, the text has been refreshed and paired with brand new artwork by rising illustrator star Timothy.
Gareth Peter, Jane Massey (illus) Every Day Bloomsbury, 12th, £6.99, pb, 9781526619723 A father and child share a day full of all the little things that make life special. A reassuring and gentle celebration of fatherhood, from the author of My Daddies.
Lucinda Riley & Harry Whittaker, Jane Ray (illus) Bill and the Dream Angel Macmillan, 12th, £12.99, hb, 9781529051193 Second in the Guardian Angel series, this time about moving house and overcoming fears. From the bestselling adult author, writing with her son; the gift hardback includes an angel ribbon marker.
Alice Tait (illus) No, Nancy, No! A Seaside Adventure Walker, 5th, £14.99, hb, 9781406394382
One to Watch
Uprooted by her single mum, along with a troublesome older brother, Prune is struggling to settle in a new town when she discovers an incredible magi- cal superpower: her drawings start coming to life. Could this be the cata-
lyst to draw her family back together? A warm and charming journey of self-discovery, I particularly loved the irresistible voice of heroine Prune. Planned as part of a series about remarkable chil- dren from the same neighbourhood.
Teen & YA Simon James Green
Gay Club Scholastic, 5th, £7.99, pb, 9780702313677
Nancy and sausage dog Roger return for a summery day at a bustling beach. The gift hardback format includes lots of flaps, a fold-out map and a pop-up pirate ship.
Agent Llama Little Tiger, 12th, £6.99, pb, 9781801040037 Meet Charlie Palmer, awesome spy and fluffy llama, on a mission to save the world. A hilarious, gender-flipped take on the traditional spy caper with punchy, cinematic art from Beedie.
Fiction 5-9
Sean Taylor, Jean Jullien (illus) How to be Cooler than Cool Walker, 5th, £7.99, pb, 9781406394429 From the creators of the fabulously funny Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise comes a slapstick story about being yourself and not fearing appearing silly. Now in paperback.
Barry Timms, Ged Adamson (illus) This is Not a Dinosaur! Nosy Crow, 5th, £6.99, pb, 9781839944956 One to Watch in my April 2021 preview, This is Not a Unicorn has gone on to sell more than 12,000 copies. The sequel tackles another favourite subject, full of witty word play, bold commercial art and neon splashes.
Claire Helen Welsh, Nicola O’Byrne (illus) Slime? It’s Not Mine! Macmillan, 26th, £7.99, pb, 9781529064452 Lenny the ring-tailed lemur is back for a third cheeky adventure, starring an array of slime- producing animals.
Angela Woolfe, Duncan Beedie (illus)
Kirsty Applebaum, Sahar Haghgoo (illus) Princess Minna: The Unicorn Mix-Up Nosy Crow, 5th, £6.99, pb, 9781788009751 One of two launch titles (the other is The Enchanted Forest) in a cheerful, full-colour series from the acclaimed middle-grade author, paired with new illustrator Haghgoo. Expect funny, magical adventures, perfect for readers moving on from picture books.
Anthony Burt, Ciara Flood (illus) The Animal Lighthouse Guppy, 12th, £6.99, pb, 9781913101527 A baby, washed up on a hidden Caribbean island, is raised by a wonderful family of animals—until the day a pirate ship is spotted… A fun, accessible piratical début for emerg- ing readers.
Sue Cheung Maddy Yip’s Guide to the Holidays Andersen Press, 5th, £7.99, pb, 9781839131974 Second in the funny series for readers aged eight- plus, following Maddy and her British Chinese family, peppered with Cheung’s own comic-style art.
One to Watch
Barney is a shoo-in for his school’s LGBT society president, until voting is opened up to the entire school out of respect to students who might not be out. Drama, bitching, backstabbing and outrage follow in an astute takedown
of school and social media politics. My favourite of Green’s books to date, this is funny and clever with an opposites-attract romance at its heart. Look out for a fabulously eye-catching rainbow holo-foil cover, perfect for Pride displays.
TheBookseller.com
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