BOOKS
Editor’s Choice
Previews Children’s Previews
Fiction 9–12
A M Dassu Kicked Out Old Barn Books, 19th, £7.99, pb, 9781910646892
In this sequel to Boy, Everywhere Sami and his friends are horrified when their friend Aadam is accused of theft. What’s more, Aadam is at risk of deportation, so the boys decide to organise a football event to raise money to help. This is a story of friendship, resilience and hope, and while Dassu doesn’t shy away from the horrors of racism and the refugee experience, she spreads a message that everyone, including children, can do something to help. Uplifting and powerful.
Kaye Baillie, Diane Ewen (illus) There Was a Young Reindeer Who Swallowed a Present Macmillan Children’s Books, 26th, £7.99, pb, 9781529068597 A reindeer gobbles down a present, a tree and even a bauble in this cumulative rhyming story, inspired by the old lady who swallowed a fly.
Grahame Baker-Smith The Ever-Changing Earth Templar Publishing, 26th, £7.99, pb, 9781800782327 The paperback publica- tion of Baker-Smith’s journey through the Earth’s evolution. Baker- Smith has also illustrated Templar’s new edition of J M Barrie’s Peter Pan (9781800782327).
Natalie Barnes, Andrea Stegmaier (illus) Eight Nights, Eight Lights Little Tiger, 12th, £7.99, pb, 9781801042925 Celebrate Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, and follow eight different families in this picture book, previously published in hardback.
Editor’s Choice
Mac Barnett, Jon Klassen (illus) How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? Walker Books, 5th, £12.99, hb, 9781529512779 Award-winning duo Barnett and Klassen tackle the question of how Santa goes down the chimney in this humorous picture book.
Non-fiction: History
Lucy Hannah, Zarghuna Kargar, Sarah Rahmani (illus) Rising After the Fall:
Afghan Women Share Their Stories Scholastic, 12th, £12.99, pb, 9780702323126
Hannah and Kargar combine Afghan women’s diary extracts with chapters on the history of Afghanistan to show how the lives of women in the country have changed since the fall of Kabul in 2021. Created with development programme Untold Narratives and illustrated by Afghan artist Rahmani, this book mixes the personal with the political to give an all- encompassing and powerful picture of the reality of life for Afghan women. A book that will spark conversa- tions in homes, schools and libraries.
David Barrow Have You Seen Dinosaur? Gecko Press, 1st, £11.99, hb, 9781776575138 In this follow-up to Have You Seen Elephant?, which was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, boy, dog and elephant search for a dinosaur in a busy city. Delightful.
Duncan Beedie Heavy Metal Badger Little Tiger, 12th, £12.99, hb, 9781801045056 A musical badger tries
22 21st July 2023
different music groups before finding a metal band in this fun celebra- tion of being yourself.
Emma Bettridge, Josephine Birch (illus) Red is Home Graffeg, 5th, £8.99, pb, 9781802585346 Red the dog lives in two different places and must learn to cope with change. Will comfort children in split-household families.
Quentin Blake, Emma Chichester Clark (illus) Three Little Monkeys and the Grand Hotel HarperCollins Children’s Books, 12th, £12.99, hb, 9780008357931 The three little monkeys cause chaos in a hotel in the latest in this popular series from Blake and Chichester Clark.
Dawn Casey, Katie Hickey (illus) Once Upon a Silent Night Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 26th, £7.99, pb, 9781408896914 Casey and Hickey’s beautiful version of the Nativity Story, told in rhyming verse, is now out in paperback.
Catherine Cawthorne, Aysha Awwad (illus) We Went to Find a Woolly Mammoth Hodder Children’s Books, 12th, £7.99, pb, 9781526365590 Meet a rhino, sabre-tooth cat and giant armadillo while hunting for the woolly mammoth in this bright and humorous guide to one of the most popular pre-historic animals.
Eoin Colfer,
Chris Judge (illus) Cloud Babies Walker Books, 5th, £7.99, pb, 9781529512700 This tender story about a girl who has to spend time in hospital and finds comfort in the movement of the clouds was based on events in the illustrator’s life. Now out in paperback.
Scallywag Press, 5th, £1299, hb, 9781915252524 A boy in a grump agrees to go on a hike with Grandpa, and as they explore the forest they talk about how other people might be feeling bad, even if they don’t show it on the surface. From the creator of The Rabbit Listened.
Abi Elphinstone, Fiona Woodcock (illus) The Frost Goblin S&S Children’s, 26th, £8.99, pb, 9781471199806 Join Bertie and the Frost Goblins in this story about magic and finding your place in the world, now out in paperback.
Sophie Dahl, Lauren O’Hara (illus) Madame Badobedah and the Old Bones Walker Books, 5th, £12.99, hb, 9781406384420 Mabel joins Madame Badobedah on a new adventure to return a priceless emerald to the Natural History Museum in the second title in Dahl’s series. The first, Madame Badobedah, has sold more than 16,000 copies through the TCM, says Walker.
Elizabeth Dale, Patrick Corrigan (illus) The Night Billy Saved Christmas Templar Publishing, 12th, £7.99, pb, 9781800787827 A boy with a bunch of balloons is swept into the air, where he spies Santa in need of some help. Published with an intricate gatefold of Santa and his sleigh.
Benji Davies The Great Storm Whale S&S Children’s, 12th, £12.99, pb, 9781398503502 Return to the world of The Storm Whale in this celebration of love, in which Noi’s grandma tells him about a long-ago friendship between a little girl and a whale.
Patricia Cleveland-Peck, David Tazzyman (illus) You Can’t Let an Elephant Pull Santa’s Sleigh Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 12th, £12.99, hb, 9781526635426 In this festive addition to the You Can’t Take an Elephant on the Bus series, raccoons, alpacas and more get tangled up in all kinds of escapades. Also out in paperback (433).
Rachael Dean The Winter Wish HarperCollins Children’s Books, 26th, £7.99, pb, 9780008497606 A boy makes a magical Christmas window to entice people into his family’s bookshop in this sweet tale, published in hardback last year.
Cori Doerrfeld Beneath
Lucy Fleming Lily, the Pond Mermaid Walker Books, 5th, £12.99, hb, 9781529504477 Lily the pond mermaid likes keeping everyone safe in this story about anxiety, from the creator of Ella’s Night Lights.
Nyanda Foday, Joelle Avelino (illus) Bookworms Andersen Press, 5th, £7.99, pb, 9781839131493 The message of this powerful story by former Birmingham Young Poet Laureate Nyanda Foday is that everyone needs to see themselves in books. Previously published in hardback.
Michael Foreman The Snowman and the Robin Scholastic, 12th, £12.99, hb, 9780702323102 A snowman explores the streets of London at night with his friend, a robin, in this love letter to Foreman’s home town. A key festive release for Scholastic.
Helena Garcia, Jess Rose (illus) My Mummy is a Witch Owlet Press, 2nd, £8.99, pb, 9781913339562 This celebration of mothers and daughters, as well as all things witchy, was originally published in hardback in April.
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