Roderick Cave & Sara Ayad (British Library) A splendid hardback volume, this new title from the British Library may not be what one expects at first. This is not a “best 100 children’s books ever” kind of book; rather, as Cave and Ayad mention in their introduction, as well as many favourites the book includes tomes that …
2016 marks the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, which will be tomorrow, 23rd April. There are a lot of books about Shakespeare and his plays for school-age children, so I thought I’d have a look at books that offer a slightly different format from those we might usually encounter. William Shakespeare: Scenes from …
There are so many wonderful Christmas themed books available at this time of year but I do think Christmas is also a great time to introduce children with some classic tales. Here are a few, all re-imagined visually, which you might want to consider. A story full of dogs and illustrator Alex T. Smith were …
This summer, Puffin is bringing a series of timeless and unforgettable stories to life for a new generation of readers to discover. From Goodnight Mister Tom to Charlotte’s Web, Watership Down to Tarka the Otter, these treasured children’s books have all stood the test of time, remaining as relevant and resonant today as when first published. Now, these much-loved tales are …
I am putting it out there straight away: I am no fan of science-fiction. Spaceships, other planets, aliens etc … apart from in a dystopian setting (in small doses) , they don’t do much for me. But Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time has been calling me for a while. Firstly because it is a crucial to …
Henrietta Stickland (text) & Paul Stickland (illustrations) (Doubleday) It is twenty years since Dinosaur Roar! first hit the shelves and Doubleday are celebrating with a beautiful hardback anniversary edition, published in association with the National History Museum. It is not difficult to see where this picturebook’s enduring success lies: a short rhythmic text full of repetition and a focus on …
Fanny Britt (text) & Isabelle Arsenault (illustrations) translated from French by Christelle Morelli and Susan Ouriou (Walker Books) Hélène has a tough time at school, secluded and taunted by her former friends about her weight. At home, her mother is exhausted and overworked. She finds comfort in reading Jane Eyre, identifying with the heroine’s hardships …
This October Hesperus Press is launching a new imprint, Hesperus Minor, which will publish a carefully selected list of well-loved children’s classics introducing them to a new generation. These are nostalgic books adults will have fond memories of and want to share with their children and loved ones. Given a charming series look the …
Kenneth Grahame (text) & David Roberts (illustrations)(Oxford University Press) I only discovered The Wind in the Willows as an adult, another cultural gap attributed to my non-British upbringing, and I was not bowled over by it, I have to admit. But I do believe that if one is to build a library for a child The …
Clement C. Moore (text) & Eric Puybaret (illustrations)(Macmillan Children’s Books) The Night Before Christmas was first published, anonymously, in 1823 in a New York newspaper under the title A Visit from St Nicholas, and was later attributed to Clement Clarke Moore. The cultural significance of this poem cannot be underestimated; it is largely responsible for …
