Tag: Children’s books
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The Street Art Mystery
by Sharna Jackson Paperback, £8.99 Another excellent middle grade mystery from the author of High Rise. Margot is (maybe) about to start a new school in London, moving from Luton to live with her mum. She and her two friends are spending a weekend at the Notting Hill Carnival, in her (maybe) new home. The…
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The Secret World of Spider Webs
by Jan Beccaloni and Namasri Niumim Hardback, £14.99 A gorgeous children’s non-fiction book stuffed with excellent facts and Namasri Niumim’s accurate and appealing illustrations (see inside the book here). As with all the best children’s books, it is good for adults too. The Secret World of Spider Webs is hugely popular at Riverside, and not…
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My Rice is Best!
By Selina Brown and Maxwell A. Oginni Penguin, Paperback, £7.99 Any books about food immediately draw me in, and this was no exception! Brown’s storytelling and Oginni’s illustrations are bound to start conversations about favourite foods and cooking. Each page is brimming with as much energy as the children in the book, Yinka and Shane,…
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Lands of Belonging: a History of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Britain
By Donna and Vikesh Amey Bhatt and Salini Perea Nosy Crow, Paperback, £9.99 This colourful and accessible book manages to bring together history, geography, culture and religion while remaining very readable. Perfect for ages 9 and up, it is helpful for adults too, as I certainly learnt some interesting things while reading it. Lands of…
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Otto The Top Dog
By Catherine Rayner Paperback From the winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal comes the most adorable children’s book about dogs ever written. I suspect Catherine who wrote and illustrated the book does herself have a sausage dog, as the adorable and pitch perfect observations of Otto, a dachshund who loves his bed, (as we know…
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The Year we Learned to Fly
By Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael López Paperback £7.99 This bright and beautiful picture book opens with kids who are stuck indoors during endless rain and can’t think of anything to do… this is the start of so many children’s books. But this one is different. Grandmother helps the children fly using their imaginations, which take…
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Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob
By Huw Aaron Paperback £7.99 This is a very funny and fresh take on the going-to-bed-now picture book for little children. The parent and child Disgusting Blobs who are settling in for the night are appealing and cuddly despite dripping slime. A cast of those we are used to thinking of as baddies and monsters…
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The Comet
by Joe Todd-Stanton Paperback £7.99 A child and their dad have to make the difficult move from the seaside to the big city when the father looks for a new job. This is a gorgeously-illustrated, bittersweet picture book in dreamy colours about the meaning of home, but also about the power of the imagination and…
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Spinning
by Tillie Walden Originally published in 2017 in the US and now republished in the UK, this graphic memoir follows Tillie throughout her teens as she moves from New Jersey to Texas, continues her intense figure skating training regimen and tries to figure out who she is. The minimalist illustration style and the gorgeous use…
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Black Artists Shaping the World
by Sharna Jackson Beautifully illustrated by Marilyn Esther Chi, this children’s guide to the work and lives of 14 inspirational artists is an absolute treat. Featuring images of key artworks, this is a book to read again and again. Black Artists Shaping the World includes some of my all-time favourites, including Lubaina Himid and Kehinde…
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Tales of London Town
by Joan Aiken Tales of London Town is a beautifully presented set of linked short novellas for children by Joan Aiken, one of my all-time favourite authors. She’s probably best known for her epic fantasy adventure series, the Wolves Chronicles, featuring The Wolves of Willoughby Chase. She also wrote a wide range of hugely entertaining…
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The Bat Book
*currently out of print, check second-hand shops and online stores!* “Bats can’t launch off the ground into flight like birds do, so instead they climb to a high point, hang upside down, and launch into flight”. I had always wondered about this. I am also delighted to discover that there are megabats and microbats. An…
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Flower Block
By Lanisha Butterfield and Hoang Giang Paperback, £7.99 A spirit-lifting picture book for young children, a small boy turns a tower block into a Flower Block by planting a sunflower seed. Jeremiah meets all the neighbours in his block of flats when his flowering plant creates a friendly wilderness. It’s a book about community, and…
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Frida the Rock and Roll Moth
By Kim Hillyard Paperback, £7.99 Who would not want to rock out, especially if they had a Flying V guitar in imperial purple? Frida the Rock and Roll Moth is ready to take her place in the world of rock, but suddenly worries that perhaps she will not shine as she had hoped… This is…
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Wilding
By Isabella Tree Hardback, £20 Wilding is a stunning illustrated guide to bringing wildlife back, and is suitable for all ages. A combination of photos and gorgeous illustrations from Riverside favourite Angela Harding makes this a proper reference guide as well as a joy to sit down with. Telling the story of the rewilding project…
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Big by Vashti Harrison
By Vashti Harrison Paperback, £8.99 A gorgeous picture book from Little Leaders author Vashti Harrison. A little girl is happy with her body and herself, until people start to tell her that she’s too big… As Harrison explains: “In childhood, big is good. Big is impressive, aspirational. But somewhere along the way, the world begins…
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Jamie
By L D Lapinski Paperback, £7.99 I was eagerly awaiting this 2023 release: a middle grade book with a non-binary main character fighting for their rights? Sign me up! I am most happy to report: the book lived up to my hype. Our charming protagonist is at a crossroads. Having come out as non-binary to…
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The Poet X
The Poet X follows Xiomara, a Dominican American 15-year-old from Harlem, as she navigates high school and family life. The novel focuses on how difficult it can be to reconcile the idea your parents have of you and who you actually are, as Xiomara tries to find a balance between exploring her growing interest in…
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