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Don’t Think of Tigers

Picturebook

This book will open up a world of amusement and learning. It’s clever, it’s funny and it’s confidence-building For what artist-in-training doesn’t have to look – really look – at their subject? And looking, they will wonder. And wondering, they may care all the more for the natural world.

Young reader: enjoy reading it with your family and friends, and then enjoy using it as an inspiration for your own attempts. And remember the Alex Latimer’s advice: you may not call such attempts ‘art’, they may seem like failures to be scrapped rather than framed, but this could be just the beginning of your journey.

Teachers: if you read it aloud in class, you are guaranteed gasps and laughter. Or you might choose to use it as a resource for Art lessons. But do read the concluding note, about the author’s own creative journey, and be sure to get his other titles for the school library.

This is a great book for sharing, in a group, as a class, or just among friends. In this case, it genuinely can be described as inspired and inspiring, and is a real pleasure to read.

How to Question Everything: A Kids’ Toolkit for Critical Thinking

Susan Martineau & Vicky Barker

Non-fiction

This is a timely and essential resource for homes and classrooms. It discusses how news, information, stories and adverts are presented both in paper and online and gives children the skills to be a critical reader. It includes information around fact checking and using reliable sources to corroborate a story; it explores how AI and editing tools can be used to manipulate images and it explains misinformation and disinformation.

What is particularly useful is that it encourages children to ask questions around the motivation of the person sharing the information – who is telling the story and why are they sharing it? – and to be aware of confirmation bias, especially where algorithms are used on social media. It encourages readers to be subjective, especially when presented with emotive or sensationalised content and it touches on respectful online behaviours and bullying too.

There is a strong and supportive message that using critical thinking skills can help avoid news anxiety, but the book also acknowledges that news can stir up a wide range of emotions and this is something to consider when reading it with children, alongside the social media influences they have access to.

Although this seems a lot to pack into a short book, the reader is not bombarded with information and the clear design and infographics really help present useful facts and tips with real clarity.

Whisper, Shout: Let It Out!

Anuska Allepuz & Madhvi Ramani

Picturebook

An empowering and colourful picture book to help young children celebrate their voice and express themselves.

Whisper, Shout: Let It Out! is a joyous book to share with any child. The perfect book for shy, anxious or quiet children, to help with building confidence and a positive mindset.

Debut author Madhvi Ramani has taken voice lessons for a number of years, teaching her how to be confident in her own voice. The gorgeously bold and bright illustrations from the talented Anuska Allepuz are paired with lots of ways for children to exercise their voice, building self-reliance and self-esteem.

Everyone should be encouraged from a young age to celebrate and delight in their own special voice.

Breaking News: How to Tell What’s Real From What’s Rubbish

Nick Sheridan

Non-fiction

A funny, practical and ever-so timely guide to the NEWS for 8–12-year-olds. Find out how to understand and navigate 24/7 news, how to spot the facts from the fake . . . and what to do if the news becomes overwhelming. Perfect for fans of Matthew Syed’s You Are Awesome and Rashmi Sirdeshpande’s Dosh.

It’s never been easier to access the news; TV, radio, billboards, newspapers and endlessly buzzing on to the screens in our pockets. But with more and more news available, it’s hard to know what to trust. Where do stories come from? What’s real news and what’s fake? And what role does social media play in all of this?

Insightful, hands-on, essential and reassuring, Breaking News will help children navigate the peaks and pitfalls of our modern day news cycle, through laugh-out-loud text, amusing illustration and interactive activities.

It Might Be An Apple

Shinsuke Yoshitake

Graphic novel

It Might Be an Apple is a boisterous, philosophical shaggy dog story for young children – and probably a few adults.

The story follows a child’s hilarious, wildly inventive train of thought through all the things an apple might be if it is not, in fact, an apple.

Distrusting the apple’s convincing appearance, the child’s imagination spirals upwards and outwards into a madcap fantasy world – maybe it’s a star from outer space with tiny aliens on board?

Perhaps it wants a cool hairstyle?

Does it feel scared, or snore at night?

Children can see what all these crazy, funny things might look like.

This book is not only huge fun, but it also encourages a questioning, challenging approach to the world around us.

Why Did My Brain Make Me Say It?

Sarah Ziman

Poetry

In this debut collection for children Sarah takes the reader on a vibrant journey based on her acute observations of everyday life and language. Loosely arranged across a school year – September through Halloween, Christmas, Spring, Summer holidays, a new school year/just before secondary – Sarah’s witty observations, juxtapositions, and playful use of language pervade every poem and bring a vivid charm and freshness to every page.

This debut collection heralds the emergence of a strikingly new and inventive voice in children’s poetry.

The Remarkables: The Most Incredible Children I’ve Met – So Far!

Clotilde Perrin

Picturebook

Meet 38 extraordinary children: an electric child, a flying child, elastic, invisible, miniature, a child made of cake.

The Remarkables is a big book of fantasy and humor that entertains and provides a way to talk about emotions and identity. Through Perrin’s unique imagination, this inclusive encyclopedia celebrates individuality, strengths, and differences, allowing every reader to explore what miraculous superpower they would wish for—or might have.

Known for her original lift-the-flap explorations of fairytale stories, Perrin here turns the lens onto her child readers, showing each one that they are a superhero.

Each child describes their characteristics, tells anecdotes, and presents the special powers that make them unique. A “class photo” brings everyone together with a quiz finale for readers to discover their own superpowers.

Voices in the Park

Anthony Browne

Picturebook

Four different voices tell their own versions of the same walk in the park. The radically different perspectives give a fascinating depth to this simple story which explores many of the author’s key themes, such as alienation, friendship and the bizarre amid the mundane.

Anthony Browne’s world-renowned artwork is full of expressive gorillas, vibrant colours and numerous nods to Magritte and other artists, while being uniquely Browne’s own style.

Big Ideas for Curious Minds

The School of Life

Non-fiction

Children are, in many ways, born philosophers.

Without prompting, they ask some of the largest questions about time, mortality, happiness and the meaning of it all. Yet too often this inborn curiosity is not developed and, with age, the questions fall away. This is a book designed to harness children’s spontaneous philosophical instinct and to develop it through introductions to some of the most vibrant and essential philosophical ideas of history. The book takes us to meet leading figures of philosophy from around the world and from all eras – and shows us how their ideas continue to matter.

The book functions as an ideal introduction to philosophy, as well as a charming way to open up conversations between adults and children about the biggest questions we all face.

How To Talk So People Will Listen (And Sound Confident Even When You’re Not)

Lizzie Waterworth

Non-fiction

Find your voice and own the room, even when your legs are shaking!

Professional cartoon voice artist Lizzie Waterworth tells you all about her strategies for confident speaking, from breathing exercises to what to do with your hands, and how to conquer that pesky inner voice that whispers “what if…?”.
Packed with funny stories from Lizzie’s world of cartoons, and top tips from a host of professional voice artists and public figures, such as Stephen Fry, David Menkin, and BBC presenter Ben Shires, this book is full of practical advice to help you find your voice!