Children&#8217;s Books: 10 You Might Have Missed

Smile Out Loud is a humorous poetry anthology that does exactly what it says in the title: it makes the reader smile and laugh! Offering a variety of poems on all sorts of themes, there is a poem that will appeal to every reader. It also provides examples of rhyming and non-rhyming poetry, something which is important for children to experience.

The first thing to note about this book is the brilliant introduction by Joesph Coelho. He talks about the importance of performing poetry, using actions in poems and most importantly, enjoying poetry that makes you smile, giggle or gives you big belly laughs. This really helps the reader understand the purpose behind the book and each poem.

Not only will the title of the poems hook the reader in but excitingly, each poem is bursting with positivity and also comes with its own small set of instructions which explain how best to read the poem, whether any actions are needed and also how to engage the audience. This will not only help any reader of poetry to think about their audience when performing aloud, but also provide support and inspiration to those looking to write their own poetry in a similar format. The layout and spacing of the poems vary well and showcase different ways to present poetry.

The illustrations by Daniel Gray-Barnett used on each page are playful and engaging in much the same manner as the poems. They are colourful, bold and will no doubt also have the reader chuckling along.

This would be a fantastic book to support any young poet in an English lesson and it would also be a great book to share with a whole class during reading time.

Publisher: Wide Eyed Editions

Publication date: May 2022

2. Magicborn

By Peter Bunzl

Reviewer: Christine Ivory

Chapter book (9+)

A tale of magic, friendship and the importance of finding out who you truly are, Magicborn is the heartwarming new story from Cogheart author Peter Bunzl.

Set in Georgian England, Tempest embarks on a journey to find out who she really is and is determined to find her real parents after the Almost Drowning wiped her memory. When the Royal Sorcerer walks into her life and she meets two other children, Peter and Kwesi, she discovers that magic lives inside her and she can do amazing and wonderful things. Being Magicborn however, has its dangers and she soon finds herself captured and transported to Kensington Palace. But with a lost curse following their every move, will they be able to escape the clutches of their cruel master and survive?

Peter Bunzl has already proved to be a master storyteller and this new book is no exception. The reader is privy to information before the characters through the use of two different perspectives from different timelines and this provides some real excitement and dramatic irony when the reader can see the characters heading towards the same realisations later in the book.

The relationships between the three main characters are particularly sweet and it is wonderful to see their friendship blossom. It is also lovely to see how relationships with parents or carers are represented: both positive and negative ones. I would recommend this to Upper KS2.

Publisher: Usborne

Publication date: May 2022

3. Zeina Starborn and the Sky Whale

by Hannah Durkan

Reviewer: Christine Ivory

Chapter book (9+)

If you are a lover of Cogheart or Brightstorm, Zeina Starborn has to be added to your TBR pile or school library without delay! Set in a fantasy world where the divisions between the rich and the poor are stark, readers have front-row seats as a spoiled heir, Jackson, and a determined Below, Zeina, are thrust together for the adventure of a lifetime. But this world of inventors, explorers and mighty sky whales may not be as it seems… and Zeina and Jackson are determined to find the truth.

Great descriptions of this fantasy world transport the reader, painting a clear picture of the experiences of the main characters. The characters are most definitely a strength of this book as you cannot help but love Zeina’s no-nonsense approach and inquisitive mind. Jackson also has many loveable qualities and it is really interesting to see how he navigates a world that many on the outside would deem easy due to his family fortune. Throwing these two characters together provides some great entertainment as they clash and grow as individuals.

This book would be perfect to use as a class text for UKS2 with lots of opportunities to explore setting or character descriptions as well as giving children inspiration to design their own inventions for the fantasy world. Teachers could explore how to write effective persuasive adverts by creating one for the Sky Whale hotel or even write non-chronological reports about the many inventions they come across.

Publisher: Orion

Publication date: May 2022

4. Animal Sidekicks

By: Macken Murphy & Dragan Kordic

Reviewer: Louise Buisson

Non-fiction (6+)

Children’s films and books are full of nature’s duos: now it is time to learn about how pairs of animals and animal-plant combinations work together for mutual gain and survival in the real world.

Each double-page spread in this fascinating non-fiction book gives information about a different relationship. The reader learns how each member of the pair acts to benefit the other. For example: did you know that, in Columbia, there is a frog that babysits the eggs of a tarantula – stopping them from being eaten by ants – in return for being protected from predators such as snakes?

In addition to the main relationship, the reader is presented with plenty of interesting and delightful facts about each of the animals or plants themselves. Did you know that a skink lizard can make its tail fall off and grow again if it gets trapped? AND, sometimes, there is enough tail left over that the skink actually ends up with two tails!

The book covers a wide range of biomes and habitats: even the human scalp! All of the pages are beautifully illustrated to capture the reader’s imagination and make them want to discover more about the natural world.

This book would be a welcome addition to any Key Stage Two non-fiction collection and could also be used as inspiration for fiction writing.

Publisher: Neon Squid

Publication date: April 2022

5. One Tiny Dot

By Lucy Rowland & Gwen Millward

Reviewer: Hayley Warner

Picturebook (3+)

One Tiny Dot is a brilliant picture book from Lucy Rowland with illustrations by Gwen Millward. It tells the powerful story of one small blue dot that grows bigger with each kind act it witnesses. The dot begins by hitching a lift on a boy’s shoe and soon it is spreading kindness and happiness through the whole town, before finally collating in a huge beach party for all (and an even bigger blue dot!).

The underlying message throughout this story is that kindness can grow with each action by anyone – whether big or small – and that it really does not take a lot to be kind. There is a rhythmic pattern to the story, which helps to keep the message light-hearted as well as simple to understand. This means this is the perfect story that children can join in with too. Furthermore, some key words on each page are enlarged or in bold, making them stand out, and I really liked how the text changes in size and location on each page.

The colourful illustrations by Gwen Millward really help to emphasize the fact that kindness really can spread. The Blue Dot itself looks welcoming, diverse and friendly, and with each turn of the page more of the characters within the town are embracing it.

Not only does this book focus on the importance of kindness, but it also showcases the emotion of anger. This was a particular highlight for me, as the blue dot was able to see sadness within anger and use kindness to help support anger to overcome this.

I could imagine this book being shared in early years and key stage one classrooms as well as a whole school assembly on the value of kindness. Furthermore, it is a book that could be used in the subjects of PSHE or art to produce a whole school or class project.

Publisher: Templar

Publication date: April 2022

6. Carnival of the Lost

By Kieran Larwood & Sam Usher

Reviewer: Marion Park

Chapter book (9+)

A thrilling read for ages 9+.
Deep in the heart of Victorian London are dangerous and murky alleyways and buildings and some equally threatening characters. Poor children are disappearing from the riverbanks and there have been reports of a mechanical monster sucking them away into the Thames. After being bought from a seaside circus show, Sheba the wolf girl finds herself part of a strange carnival troupe in the city and together they become determined to try to solve this mystery, even though others have failed. As this action-packed adventure takes hold, Sheba learns that things aren’t always as they seem and the oddballs she has ended up with are in fact her true friends.

Larwood mixes fantasy, adventure and history to create an enthralling narrative which is difficult to put down! The prologue alone is one of the most gripping openings I’ve ever read and really hooks the reader in. There are some really lovely black and white illustrations but it’s the quality description of characters and places and well-written action adventure sequences that allow the reader to form a mental image of what is going on. I really rooted for the carnival troupe of misfits as they battled their enemies and sought truth and justice. I’m so pleased this is the first in a series!

From a teaching point of view, the rich vocabulary and style of writing make this book perfect for study in Upper KS2. There are plenty of passages of text that really lend themselves to inspiring children’s writing and lots to discuss as the story progresses too. I look forward to reading this with future classes.

Publisher: Faber

Publication date: February 2022

7. The Shop Of Impossible Ice Creams

By Shane Hegarty & Jeff Crowther

Reviewer: Marion Park

Chapter book (6+)

This summery adventure is the first in a comic, heart-warming illustrated series, for ages 7 and up and will appeal to fans of The Nothing to See Here Hotel and Charlie Changes into a Chicken .

When a boy called Limpet moves with his mum and evil little sister to the seaside town of Splottpool, he is worried about all the Things That Could Go (Badly) Wrong. His mum wants to open the Shop of Impossible Ice Creams where she will serve all sorts of weird and (possibly) wonderful flavours and his sister will no doubt embarrass him by telling everyone why his nickname is Limpet when he should be called Liam.

He starts a new school and soon meets Norman, who helps him on the adventure that is about to begin. Limpet discovers that Splottpool already has an ice cream shop run by Mr Fluffy and it’s his Mega Emporium of Amazing and Spectacular Ice Creams. But all is not as it seems. How will his mum’s crazy shop survive if people don’t like Brussels sprouts ice cream? What if all his bad luck comes at once? How can they ever compete with Mr Fluffy? After a heart-warming and humorous adventure, Limpet comes to realise that with good friends and perseverance, you make your own luck.

My 7-year-old and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story is engaging and funny and this, coupled with great characters, leads to a bedtime-read that is tricky to put down. The cartoon style, black and white illustrations interspersed throughout the story add to the amusement with a few pages being dedicated to larger pictures on their own. I would definitely recommend this book, which would be ideal for children in Years 3 and 4 as an independent read, and will also appeal more widely to other age groups too.

This book has been selected for our Summer 2022 Recommended Reads.

Publisher: Hachette Children’s

Publication date: June 2022

8. The Wild Garden

By Cynthia Cliff

Reviewer: Caroline Waldron

Picturebook (4+)

Jilly is a young girl who lives in a small village with her Grandpa and her dog, Bleu. The village garden is tidy and orderly, with plants grown in neat, straight rows. Here the villagers plan their crops thoughtfully, planting seeds and caring for them carefully, before harvesting them and eating or storing them.

Outside the village is a chaotic, tumbling wilderness, full of hidden treasures if you know where to look. This is Jilly and Grandpa’s favourite place. Here they pick wild food to eat and see all manner of wildlife from birds and bees to deer and squirrels.

One day the villagers decide that their garden is too small and make plans to expand their garden into the wilderness. But Jilly and Grandpa are worried. What will happen to their favourite wild places and the creatures who live there? Can they save their beloved wilderness from the bulldozer? Can the villagers be taught to appreciate the role both can play? Fortunately, Jilly and Grandpa have a plan…

This is a beautiful book with rich, colourful illustrations and an engaging storyline. The neatness and order of the village garden only highlight the wild beauty of nature left to run wild. A great book for stimulating discussion about the benefits of both structured gardens and ‘the great outdoors’ and the role we play in both, emphasising that there are different ways that things can flourish and grow. Also great for discussing the different seasons, the role they play and the cycle of planting, growing and harvesting.

A beautiful book, suitable for children of all ages.

Publisher: Prestel

Publication date: March 2022

9. How to Steal the Mona Lisa

By Bethany Walker & Jack Noel

Reviewer: Kristen Hopwood

Chapter book (8+)

A funny art heist mystery from the duo behind Chocolate Milk, X-Ray Specs and Me.

Mia lives in Colpepper and at the start of a new school year, the headteacher tells the students that there is no longer an art department! Mia is horrified as she longs to be an artist. Much of the book is written as emails between Mia and her granny, who is a journalist and travels the world. The emails provide a great comfort to Mia who often feels quite left out at home – her parents seem more interested in Seabert, their pet starfish. Mia’s also had a falling out with her best friend, Jake, who keeps coming up with wilder and wilder conspiracy theories about everyone from local businesses to teachers in the school.

One day, the Royal Family announces a £25 million reward for a painting that has been missing for about 200 years – a second version of The Mona Lisa. As the hunt is on for the missing painting, criminals start to think that it might be hidden at Mia and Jake’s school.

The layout of the book is fun and really appealing with different size fonts and small illustrations around the writing. The story is mainly told through emails between Mia and her granny but there is occasionally a newspaper article, blog, or notes between the characters. It’s funny and I enjoyed the mystery element where people aren’t what they seem. A great medium-length book for Year 4 and up, and one that will appeal to fans of Liz Pichon, Danny Wallace or Sam Copeland.

Publisher: Scholastic

Publication date: March 2022

10. The Hospital: The Inside Story

By Dr Christle Nwora & Ginnie Hsu

Reviewer: Louise Buisson

Non-fiction (6+)

I have yet to find a child who doesn’t stare in awe when an ambulance whizzes past and wonder what is going on inside and what will happen when it gets to the hospital. Whether a child finds the thought of a hospital daunting or intriguing, this book will interest them greatly.

As well as explaining what happens when an ambulance is called, the author, Dr Christle Nwora, takes the reader through a day in a busy hospital. We meet a diverse range of people who are visiting the hospital for a wide range of reasons. Children are introduced to how everyday experiences, such as eating and playing, are able to take place in a hospital, which will be reassuring for them. In addition to this, the author explains the purposes of the machines and the other equipment found on a ward or which they might experience in A&E, such as a heart monitor or stethoscope. She also explains what happens in an operating theatre and the job of each person present during an operation.

In the course of the book, we also learn about the other services that the medical professionals provide which are in or linked to the hospital. These include: physiotherapy, radiology and healthcare professionals in the community. This non-fiction book demystifies the hospital experience for children and can also help to build a sense of appreciation for the everyday heroes working hard in all sorts of different hospital jobs.

Publisher: Neon Squid

Publication date: April 2022