This is another instalment in the popular ‘Planet Omar’ series. Like all the books in the series, it is written in a very accessible style, with short chapters, easy to read layout, entertaining pictures and doodles to explain sections of the texts, clearly defined and recognisable characters and a story with excitement and intrigue. This…
Rob Biddulph must ring a bell with most people who lived through the pandemic and had something to do with children, as ‘Draw with Rob’ was such a wide spread phenomenon. Here he is, turning his hand to fiction writing, with the determined and plucky character Peanut Jones (there must be a considered link to…
This is the fifth edition of this classic annual guide – an inspirational month-by-month journey for children aged 7+ through the seasons. With fantastic illustrations this book links seasonal nature to spotter guides and activity ideas for both indoors and outside. It also celebrates various religious festivals and special days of the year. Children (and…
John Francis is an environmentalist who spent 22 years travelling around using no motorised transport. For 17 of these years he walked in silence. On his journeys he learned a great deal about our world, and experienced many acts of kindness. In this book he has collected many examples of kindness, big and small, from…
This is an exciting, beautifully told story of young otter Sedge, and Silken who is struggling with life in the beaver colony and their individual journeys on the rising river. Will they find each other? Can they survive? Holly Webb has long been a fan of otters, and this love of them, and of the…
This is a beautiful and empathetic picture book. Erin loves to spot animals in the cloud shapes in the sky, and doing this helps her to feel close to her family even when she has to spend long periods in hospital. However, these long absences from school cause her to feel that she doesn’t really…
This story of Frank, a young boy (I’ll have to be quite explicit here as all the men in the family are called Frank!), and his relationship with his family (mum, dad and grandpa) is sweet, revealing and sad but shows great depth, humanity and a super learning curve for young readers. Suddenly, Frank is…
Books about dangerous animals are usually very popular and I think this one will be no different. Instead of sorting the animals by type or by habitat, this book divides them by what makes them dangerous, e.g. mimicry, venom and poison and speed. Ben Rothery’s amazingly detailed illustrations make this book accessible to pupils from…
When the three siblings Milo, Mia and Birdy end up spending the summer holidays in a cottage at the edge of a wood, they could not imagine the adventures that would occur during their stay, for this is a special wood, in the middle of which sits the fabulous Magic Faraway Tree. It is the…