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Age Group: KS1

Picturebook

From the creator of Jabari Jumps and Jabari Tries, the tale of a stalling child with a lively imagination – and a passion for animal facts – makes for the best kind of bedtime story.

Mama would like Sweet Pea to settle into bed, but it’s not quite time. Even though the bed is fluffy, it’s not as snuggly as curling up like a pig in the mud, or as spacious as sleeping in the wide ocean like a blue whale. It’s not as fun as sleeping high up in a tree like a koala, or hanging upside down like a bat. And it’s definitely not as relaxing as sleeping standing up, like an emperor penguin. But after mimicking all the ways different animals rest, this little one concedes that a comfy bed, a soft pillow, and a good-night wish offer the best way to fall asleep after all. Gaia Cornwall brings us a loving, humorous story for even the most energetic of bedtime listeners.

Picturebook

We called it ‘The Dulling’.

It had been creeping in for such a long time, and had started so gradually, that most people barely even noticed.

As the Dulling spread, people began to fight and isolate themselves from each other. Neighbours became enemies, friends became strangers, and soon all colour was drained from the world.

When the world is plagued with isolation and cursed to live without colour‚ it is up to a group of determined children to grow a seed of hope that will inspire everyone to come together and build a better future.

This timeless fable‚ from debut author Lucy Farfort‚ is sure to entrance and empower in equal measure.

Picturebook

My toes tingle with excitement. It’s ballet class today!

Snowflakes are falling softly outside when Thomas and his friends arrive at Mr Elliot’s dance studio. Prancing and whirling and twirling around the room, the boys and girls perfect their steps – first and second position, pliés, curtsies and more. Then, it’s time for the most exciting moment … picking out costumes for their first ever performance: The Nutcracker!

Joyful and spirited, this young celebration of dancing is inspired by the author’s time learning ballet as a child, and will have little dancers, and aspiring dancers, pointing their toes and joining in.

Non-fiction

Uncover the stories of gods and goddesses from around the world, in this dynamic anthology of ancient myths.

Discover 23 captivating stories of gods and goddesses from civilisations around the world in this book that introduces children to ancient cultures with colourful illustrations and incredible storytelling. Young readers will delight in myths that explain the beginning of the world, the way gods helped humans, the divine’s power over weather and other natural phenomena, and much more.

Gods of the Ancient World is a perfect global introduction to the most fascinating stories about gods and goddesses from ancient history.

Further featuring:

– The incredible myths and legends behind each god or goddess with real-world art references.
– Illustrations bring each god and goddess to life for a young audience.
– Fact boxes call out key information to draw the reader in.
– A global look at mythologies, with Maya, Japanese and Yoruba deities as well as Ancient Greek and Roman gods.

Authored by Classics expert Marchella Ward, a researcher at the University of Oxford, this beautifully illustrated treasury of ancient mythologies is perfect for children age 9-12, with amazing real-life photos of ancient objects which show how people worshipped the gods through art.

Picturebook

This heart-warming and heartfelt debut picture book from multi-award-winning author, Patrice Lawrence, will help ensure that the struggles and achievements of the Windrush generation are never forgotten.

One day, Ava is asked to dress as an inspirational figure for assembly at school, but who should she choose? Granny suggests famous familiar figures such as Winifred Atwell, Mary Seacole and Rosa Parks, and tells Ava all about their fascinating histories, but Ava’s classmates have got there first – and she must choose someone else. But who?

And then Ava finds a mysterious old suitcase – Granny’s “grip” – and Granny begins to share her own history, and how she came to England on the Empire Windrush many years ago. She tells her story through the precious items that accompanied her on the original voyage, each one evoking a memory of home, and as Ava listens to how Granny built a life for herself in England, determined to stay against the odds and despite overwhelming homesickness, she realises that there is a hero very close to home that she wants to celebrate more than anyone – her very own brave and beloved granny.

Picturebook

When a young boy and his mother travel overseas to her childhood home in Korea, the town is not as he imagined. Will he be able to see it the way Mummy does?

This gentle, contemplative picture book about family origins invites us to ponder the meaning of home. A young boy loves listening to his mother describe the place where she grew up, a world of tall mountains and friends splashing together in the river. Mummy’s stories have let the boy visit her homeland in his thoughts and dreams, and now he’s old enough to travel with her to see it for himself. But when mother and son arrive, the town is not as he imagined. Skyscrapers block the mountains, and crowds hurry past. The boy feels like an outsider – until they visit the river where his mother used to play, and he sees that the spirit and happiness of those days remain. Sensitively pitched to a child’s-eye view, this vivid story honors the immigrant experience and the timeless bond between parent and child, past and present.

Picturebook

Make up your very own fairy tale adventure where YOU CHOOSE what happens next! Which fairy tale hero would you like to be today? Where will you go on your fairy tale quest? And what fairy tale baddy would you least like to meet?

The possibilities are infinite in this captivating creative toolkit which will inspire children from three up to make their own stories again and again.

Picturebook

This fantastic split page, spiral bound book allows the reader to mix and match different combinations of fairy tales with hilarious results. What would happen if Goldilocks had two horrid stepsisters and fell asleep for a hundred years? Would she be woken by a hungry wolf or Little Red Riding Hood’s Granny?

Picturebook

A follow up to the bestselling The Great Nursery Rhyme Disaster. Fairy tales have never been funnier than in this outrageously silly picture book!

Once upon a time there lived an old Big Bad Wolf. He no longer has any huff and puff to blow down the Three Little Pigs’ houses so he scampers off into the pages of the Fairy Tale book to find a new one. He tries one tale after another, but things never quite work to plan. Will he find a fairy tale that suits him perfectly?

With all the well-known and well-loved fairy tales, including Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Picturebook

From the inimitable O’Hara sisters, Once Upon a Fairytale is a story where the reader gets to decide on the adventure – the possibilities are endless.

Did you ever wish to feast with fairies, live in a tree, or ride a unicorn across the sun-lit sky? Here, in this magical world, you can. You can choose to be a clever princess, or a curious gingerbread man, or perhaps a gentle knight. Maybe you’ll live in a tree, or a tower on a hill. You can eat fresh-buttered sunbeams with fairies, or newt pie and pigtail pudding with ogres. Everywhere you look, you will find a new adventure. Just pick the one you like best.

A captivating book where the child chooses the story they want to tell – empowering children to become storytellers and weave their very own fairytale.

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