Jill Murphy (Walker Books) Mothering Sunday is nearly upon us and no other series has ever quite captured the highs and lows of parenthood as effectively as Jill Murphy’s Large Family series. The first in the series, Five Minutes’ Peace, celebrates its thirtieth birthday this year and has been republished in several formats for the occasion. The children were having breakfast. This was …
siblings
A picturebook a week: The NEW Small Person
Lauren Child (Puffin books) A new Lauren Child picturebook is always a treat, and they have been few and far between in the last few years as the award-winning illustrator has focused on writing fiction of late. But she is back with a BANG, with a candid tale of welcoming a new sibling and the many …
Apple and Rain
Sarah Crossan (Bloomsbury Children’s Books) Apple has been brought up by her rather strict Irish Catholic grandmother after her mother walked out on her one doomed Christmas morning. Since then she has not stopped hoping that one day she would return. When she eventually returns, out of the blue, it could not be at a better time: …
Two brand new series from Holly Webb
May saw the publication of two brand new series by bestselling author Holly Webb. Though she is best known for her animal stories, these two series focus on different genres, although interestingly both feature a dog as one of the main characters! Maisie Hitchins: The Case of the Stolen Sixpence with artwork by Marion Lindsay (Stripes …
Magical Mystical Australia
Lately, I have come across two beautiful little novels, both with a magical, mystical atmosphere, and both set in Australia. The Naming of Tishkin Silk Glenda Millard, with artwork by Caroline Magerl (Phoenix Yard Books) Griffin Silk is an uncommon little boy, and it becomes quite obvious to him as he soon as he starts school and …
My Brother Simple
Marie-Aude Murail “Simple”, translated by Adriana Hunter (Bloomsbury Children’s Books) Kleber is starting his second year of sixth-form at the prestigious Lycée Henri IV and as well as worrying about the school year ahead, he must also find himself and his older brother, Barnaby, somewhere to live. Barnaby, known as Simple, is twenty-two years old but has …
Me, the Queen and Christopher
Giles Andreae (text) & Tony Ross (illustrations)(Orchard Books) When Freya is invited to meet the Queen and have tea at Buckingham Palace, she buys a pretty new dress and practises her curtsey, but nothing can quite prepare her for the discovery of what really happens behind the scenes at the palace, as she discovers that Queen lives a …
Princess Academy
Shannon Hale (Bloomsbury Children’s Books) When representatives of the king arrive in an isolated mountain village to announce that the priests have divined that the future princess will come from there, fourteen year-old Miri’s life is turned upside down, as are the lives of all of the other girls in the village. For now they must leave the …
Martha and the Bunny Brothers: I Heart School
Clara Vulliamy (HarperCollins Children’s Books) Martha is so excited, because today is a very special day: it is Martha’s first day at school! But before she goes off on this new adventure, there are so many things to do, such as choosing her outfit and packing her bag. Meanwhile her two little brothers feel left out; what will they …