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Picturebook

It is sad but true that no one is ever pleased to see Cyril the cloud. He’s always being blamed for ruining everyone’s fun: casting shadows over everywhere he goes, and making things look dull and miserable. So, one day, Cyril drifts far, far away in search of a friendly face: over farmland, towns, and an ocean . . . Eventually he arrives in a new land whose ground is baking hot. Here everyone welcomes the shade Cyril gives. This makes Cyril so happy that he cries big glorious tears of joy. And his tears soak the land and everything seems to smile. And that is all Cyril ever wanted – to look down on the world and see a happy smile. A beautiful story that taps right into what Tim Hopgood’s books are all about: celebrating the natural world and promoting a positive outlook on life.

Picturebook

Clouds gather, skies darken, rain drops, puddles appear… Let’s go puddling!

Pull on your wellies and button up your coats for this playful, interactive story all about children delighting in the joy of splish-splash-sploshing in muddy puddles with their friends, and cherishing snuggles on the sofa afterwards. Emma Perry’s debut on the Walker list encapsulates the joy of being outside whatever the weather, and is paired perfectly with Claire Alexander’s watercolour artwork to recreate splashing puddles and raindrops!

Picturebook

Hello, Star. I know you’re scared, but you’re not alone.

When a young girl learns that a bright light in the sky is coming from a dying star, she promises to keep it company until the light goes out. Every night she reassures her friend that she’s still there.

As the years pass, the girl learns everything she can about planets, space, and the universe, inspired by her dimming friend – until she realises she needs to do something more.

This touching tribute to stars, space, and science celebrates how a small act of compassion can flourish into a life full of meaning and wonder.

Non-fiction

When Mae Jemison was a little girl, she dreamed of blasting off into space on a rocket ship. She was so excited as she watched the Apollo Moon landings, but she wondered… why none of the astronauts were women?

Mae loved science and was so bright that she started college at just 16, and was training to be a doctor by the age of 20. She joined the Peace Corps, using her medical knowledge to help people in countries all around the world. Upon returning to the United States, she was accepted into NASA’s astronaut program.

After hard work and training, in 1992 Mae became the first Black woman to travel into space! This inspiring book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the groundbreaking astronaut’s life.

Non-fiction

Little Neil’s dreams took flight when he rode on his first airplane as a child. After studying aeronautical engineering and time spent in the navy, he became a pilot. From there, he was selected to take a trip to where no human had gone before – the moon! Along with his team, Buzz and Mike, he was the captain of the Apollo 11. And Neil took a giant step for humankind as the first person to ever step onto the surface of the moon.This inspiring book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the legendary astronaut.

Picturebook

A long time ago a mouse learned to fly… and crossed the Atlantic. But what happened next? Torben Kuhlmann’s stunning new book transports readers to the moon and beyond! On the heels of Lindbergh: The Tale of a Flying Mouse comes Armstrong: A Mouse on the Moon where dreams are determined only by the size of your imagination and the biggest innovators are the smallest of all. The book ends with a brief non-fiction history of human space travel from Galileo s observations concerning the nature of the universe to man’s first steps on the moon.

Graphic Novel

Join an astronaut for a day as she goes on her first ever spacewalk, and new crew members arrive. Find out how she trained for her mission and what it’s like living and working in space. How do you eat and drink at zero gravity? How do space toilets work? What are space suits designed for?

Chapter book

Lucky thinks he’s an ordinary Human boy. But one night, he dreams that the stars are singing to him, and wakes to find an uncontrollable power rising inside him.

Now he’s on the run, racing through space, searching for answers. In a galaxy at war, where Humans and Aliens are deadly enemies, the only people who can help him are an Alien starship crew – and an Alien warrior girl, with neon needles in her hair…

Chapter book

A small village in the wilds of Northumberland is rocked by the disappearance of twelve-year-old Tammy. Only her twin brother, Ethan, knows she is safe – and the extraordinary truth of where she is. It is a secret he must keep, or risk never seeing her again.

But that doesn’t mean he’s going to give up.

Together with his friend Iggy and the mysterious (and very hairy) Hellyann, Ethan teams up with a spaceship called Philip, and Suzy the trained chicken, for a nail-biting chase to get his sister back… that will take him further than anyone has ever been before.

Non-fiction

Welcome to Planetarium.

This museum is open all hours. It will take you on an incredible journey through the Solar System and beyond, towards the most distant objects in space. So how big is the Universe? How did it start and when will it end? What exactly is a black hole? And are we really alone in the Universe?

With specially written text for younger readers, step inside to explore the marvellous wonders of the Universe.

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Stone Girl Bone Girl

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Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

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