This preview highlights titles to be published in October
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Editor’s Choice
Editor’s Choice
Editor’s Choice
Picture books
Rachel Morrisroe, Richard Merritt (illus) The Robin Who Stole Christmas Puffin, 12th, £7.99, pb, 9780241489048
Rotten Robin persuades Foul Owl and Unpleasant Pheasant to ruin Christmas by kidnapping Santa and stealing all the presents. Unluckily for Rotten, the other robins are outraged by the bad name he is giving to their breed so they put a stop to his antics, but can Rotten be persuaded that the real joy of Christmas is in giving, not taking? This jubilant escapade, wrapped in a brightly coloured, commercial package, is a fresh take on the meaning of Christmas trope, and will delight the under fives.
Fiction 5–9
Nikita Gill, Chaaya Prabhat (illus) Animal Tales from India: Ten Stories from
the Panchatantra Nosy Crow, 12th, £16.99, hb, 9781839944628
A monkey outwits a crocodile, a lapwing learns to listen and elephants are rescued by tiny mice in this re-telling of 10 ancient Indian fables from the Panchatantra, an ancient Indian collection of interrelated animal fables whose wisdom still resonates today. Gill’s charming and gently witty text is lusciously illustrated by Goa-based artist Prabhat, and Nosy Crow is publishing in a cloth-bound, sumptuously illustrated edition, making this an ideal gift for read- ers aged five and up.
Fiction 9–12
Lisa Williamson, Jess Bradley (illus) Bigg School: Best Friends Forever Guppy Books, 12th, £7.99, pb, 9781913101558
Williamson’s empathy for young people shines through in this first in a new series, in which Lola and her best friend Evie transition to secondary school. After being put in differ- ent classes Evie teams up with the glamorous Cleo so Lola, who isn’t interested in make-up and boy chat, starts to feel left out. Lola also has divorced parents and an irritating brother to contend with. Yes, these are familiar tropes, but this book is funny, touching and wise. As good as Jacqueline Wilson at her best.
Top sellers
Tom Fletcher, Greg Abbott (illus) A Christmasaurus Carol Puffin, 12th, £14.99, hb, 9780241595879 The Christmasaurus returns in this new festive novel from Fletcher, which was inspired by A Christmas Carol. The Christmasaurus books now have combined UK Total Consumer Market sales of over 1.3 million copies, according to Puffin.
Pippa Goodhart, Nick Sharratt (illus) You Choose Christmas Puffin, 26th, £12.99, hb, 9780241556016 Make up your own Christmas adventure with the latest addition to the bestselling You Choose series.
Andy Griffiths, Terry Denton (illus) The 156-Storey Treehouse Macmillan Children’s Books, 26th, £7.99, pb, 9781529088687 Paperback publication of the latest book in this bestselling series, and this time the Treehouse and
TheBookseller.com
its inhabitants are getting ready for Christmas.
Jeff Kinney Diary of a Wimpy Kid: No Brainer Puffin, 24th, £14.99, hb, 9780241583135 In the latest instalment of the Wimpy Kid series, Greg is up to his eyeballs in stress and has to cope with overdue homework assignments and flaky study partners.
Ladbaby (Mark & Roxanne Hoyle), Gareth Conway (illus) Greg the Sausage Roll: The Perfect Present Puffin, 26th, £7.99, pb, 9780241548363 Greg goes on another festive caper in his latest adventure, which sold 50,000 copies through the TCM when released in hardback, according to Puffin.
Marcus Rashford, Carl Anka Heroes Macmillan Children’s Books, 12th, £9.99, pb, 9781035006649 Rashford profiles some of the people who have inspired him in the third
book in his uplifting non- fiction series.
they be connected? DFB is promising huge consumer advertising for Smart this year, as well as retail promotions and author events.
0-5 baby & toddler
Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, Florencia Gavilan (illus) Leo Messi Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, 5th, £9.99, hb, 9780711290570 Discover the story of Leo Messi, who started playing football in the streets of Argentina and went on to become one of the great- est footballers of our time. Other titles coming in the Little People, Big Dreams series are Mozart (521) and Steve Irwin (613).
Jamie Smart Bunny vs Monkey: The Impossible Pig DFB, 5th, £12.99, hb, 9781788453004 Pig has vanished in the newest Bunny vs Monkey title, and there is a strange, bearded figure sitting on a cloud. Could
C S Lewis, Joey Chou (illus) The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe HarperCollins Children’s Books, 12th, £8.99, board, 9780008627362 Lewis’ classic children’s story is retold with gentle illustrations for the young- est of readers in board book format.
Sonali Shah, Chaaya Prabhat (illus) The Best Diwali Ever Scholastic, 12th, £7.99, board, 9780702331039 Board book edition of Shah and Prabhat’s celebration of Diwali, the festival of lights.
Sam Taplin, Róisín Hahessy (illus) Bedtime for Baby Bears Usborne, 12th, £7.99, board, 9781803706535 There are five soft blankets to touch in this book about
four cheeky bears who do not want to go to bed.
Sam Taplin, Jo Rooks (illus) Christmas Sound Book Usborne, 12th, £7.99, board, 9781801314923 Usborne’s Christmas titles include this sound book, with five festive buttons to press, as well as Christmas Sticker Book (9781803708737) and Sticker Dolly Dressing: The Nutcracker (9781803707761).
Anne-Kathrin Behl National Trust. Big Outdoors for Little Explorers: Snow Nosy Crow, 12th, £6.99, board, 9781839948473 Help Polar Bear as he looks for a Christmas tree with this toddler title, with flaps to lift on every page and a Stories Aloud QR code on the back cover. Published in collaboration with the National Trust.
Characters
The World of Sylvanian Families Macmillan Children’s Books, 5th, £14.99, hb, 9781529093179
Discover everything there is to know about the Sylvanian Families characters in this official guide, which also contains an original illustrated story, maps and a history of Sylvanian Families around the world. Sylvanian Families: Sticker Dress-Up Christmas (292) will also be published in October.
Picture books
Kwame Alexander, Dare Coulter (illus) Unspoken Andersen Press, 5th, £8.99, pb, 9781839133404 Paperback publication of Alexander’s exploration of the story of slavery, with powerful mixed-art illus- trations from Coulter.
Philip Ardagh, Ben Mantle (illus) Bunnies in a Sleigh: A Crazy Christmas Story! Walker Books, 5th, £12.99, hb, 9781529507126 Santa’s elves are suspi- ciously unwell but the gang of vehicle-loving bunnies come to the rescue in the third title in Ardagh and Mantle’s delightfully zany series.
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