Mum and Dad told me they’ve got a wild plan . . . We’re exploring Australia in a snug little van. Ride along with Hunter as she discovers beaches and billabongs, paddocks and plains, forests and dugouts, and even underwater worlds. With a home on wheels and the open road ahead, a big adventure awaits. From Jessica and Stephen Parry-Valentine, the creators of travel channel Flying the Nest, comes a delightfully illustrated recount of a family road trip that celebrates Australia’s natural beauty.
Here at BooksForTopics HQ, we were delighted to be involved in judging the longlist for this year’s Diverse Book Awards. Now in their fourth year, these awards were created by award-winning author Abiola Bello and award-winning publicist Helen Lewis, to highlight the best of the diverse voices published in the UK and Ireland.
We are very excited to share the shortlist for these awards, showcasing the best of the UK and Ireland’s diverse children’s books, and featuring several of our own favourite authors, illustrators and titles.
Among the selected picturebooks are Dadaji’s Paintbrush, a universal story of love and loss in a beautiful Indian setting, which features on our Year 1: 50 Recommended Reads booklist. Also shortlisted is Our Tower by Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho, a modern-day fable about learning to find nature and magic everywhere, which was the BooksForTopics pick for the 2023 Read for Empathy collection.
The Children’s category highlights a BooksforTopics favourite, The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries: Drama and Danger, which our review panel described as, “…a fantastic mystery story, which could also lead to discussions about race, theatre, slavery and family history.” Author Sangu Mandanna is shortlisted for Kiki Kallira Conquers a Curse – a welcome return for one of our favourite characters who first featured on our Diverse & Inclusive Books for Upper KS2 booklist with Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom.
Check out the full shortlist for the 2023 Diverse Book Awards below!
A BEAUTIFULLY EVOCATIVE STORY OF A CHILD’S JOURNEY TO ENGLAND ON BOARD EMPIRE WINDRUSH, FROM AN INTERNATIONALLY CELEBRATED, MULTI-AWARD-WINNING POET AND AN EXTRAORDINARY DEBUT ILLUSTRATOR.
“you’re stepping into history
bringing your Caribbean eye
to another horizon”
With one last hug, Windrush chid waves goodbye to his Caribbean home and sets sail across the ocean to Britain. In this powerful picture book, full of hope and promise, celebrated poet John Agard and illustrator Sophie Bass movingly evoke the journey made by children and their families as part of the Windrush Generation.
A beautifully lyrical and empowering picture book about the importance of dreaming big, from award-winning author Manjeet Mann and the exceptionally talented debut illustrator, Amanda Quartey.
Small lived in a small house.
She had a small room
with a small window
and at night
she slept in a small bed
with a too small blanket.
Despite being small,
Small had BIG dreams.
In Small’s world, everything is small – her shoes, her bed, everything. But her dreams are big. And Small discovers that when you dream big, anything – and everything – can happen.
Small’s Big Dream is the first picture book from Manjeet Mann, with artwork by exciting debut illustrator Amanda Quartey. Manjeet Mann is the author of the Costa Children’s Book Award winning The Crossing and critically acclaimed and Carnegie-shortlisted Run, Rebel.
A heart-warming, fresh and original story about family and friendship from brand-new picture book author, writer and performer Jordan Stephens.
Sunny loves jigsaw puzzles – the bigger the better. When she completes one, she gets a warm, happy honeybee buzz. One day, her Gran gives her a ONE-THOUSAND-PIECE puzzle. Piece after piece, all by herself, she puts together the picture, until … DISASTER! The final piece is missing. Sunny may be small, but she is very determined – so she sets off to find it.
As the day whizzes by in a whirl of new places and friends, Sunny discovers that looking for something is every bit as fun as finding it, and that perhaps the missing piece was there all along …
The sparklingly funny debut picture book from Juno Dawson, bestselling writer and activist.
Sometimes people say to me: ‘What happened to your brother, Bill?’
That’s when I look them in the eye and say: ‘Hun, you need to chill.’
When Bill can’t be found at school one day, the imaginations of the other children run wild. Is he on holiday? Is he lost in the park? Has he been eaten by a shark?! It’s up to Bill’s sister to explain…
Juno Dawson’ debut picture book is a witty and fun-filled rhyming story about family, identity and allyship. Bold, joyful and warm-hearted, its message of love and inclusivity shines through on every page.
A heartfelt and humorous adventure from the bottom of the sea and beyond, following one fish on an epic journey.
Deep, deep, deep under the sea … lives Blobfish! Blobfish loves telling jokes, although he has no one to share them with, so he sets off on an adventure to find a friend. But sometimes friends turn up in the most unexpected places, even at the bottom of the ocean. This heartfelt and humorous story gently introduces children to themes of friendship, belonging and the issue of plastics in our oceans.
Join Rotten Robin and his gang of feathered friends as they hatch a plan to steal Christmas in this hilariously unconventional festive tale!
A little red robin – who just so happens to be the world’s most wanted thief – has a rather unusual plan this festive season. He hates Christmas, and so he’s going to STEAL it – baubles, mince pies, Santa, and all!
But Rotten Robin hadn’t realised the feathers he’d ruffle by taking away the Yuletide celebrations – and when he’s forced to give back everything he’s stolen, he realises that Christmas might not be that bad after all…
This brand new Christmas story from picture book rising star Rachel Morrisroe and illustrator talent Richard Merritt is a unique take on a festive tale, full of humour and heart – and the perfect Christmas gift.
In a faraway forest a baby is lost and found, protected by a she-panda.
Nine years later another baby, the panda’s child, is in great danger, and only a boy and the spirit of the forest can save him.
This magical, powerful story by Jackie Morris, co-creator of The Lost Words, and award-winning illustrator Cathy Fisher, is a book for all ages to treasure, exploring our most vital connection with wild nature.
“Watch out, dragons. We’re coming!”
Rain raps the windows. Wind rattles the doors. And off they go, grandchild and grandpa, down to the beach for a wild and wonderful adventure, looking for the Storm Dragon!
© BooksForTopics 2015-2024
review
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?
yes
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Any other comments
Any other comments
