Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books

Fox and the Mystery Letter

Picturebook

Fox has a mystery to solve – and a friendship to fix!

In the dense forest, in a lonely cottage, there lives Fox. Fox is perfectly happy all by himself – until one day, a letter arrives: “Dear Fox: I know how much you enjoy puzzles. I bet you can’t resist this one . . . Head to the forest path to begin your journey. From an old friend.”

Fox doesn’t need any mysterious puzzles, adventures or memories of his old- But he stops himself from finishing the thought. Still, it can’t hurt to look at the first clue. Of course, one clue leads to the next: Fox follows arrows in the mud, notes taped to trees, swirling smoke signals, a map from a bottle and gifts from fellow animals – on the trail of a friendship that once was.

Author-illustrator Alex G. Griffiths creates an irresistible mystery for readers to solve in this witty, whimsical picture book – with important themes of friendship, forgiveness and opening up about your feelings.

Louis Braille

Ana Albero & Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

Non-fiction

Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara‘s prolific series Little People, BIG DREAMS is incredibly popular with young readers and school librarians alike. These books bring non-fiction to the youngest primary children, offering insights into the lives and achievements of different people in a simple, illustrated biographical style.

This book explores the life and legacy of Louis Braille, from a childhood accident in his father’s workshop to his move to a specialist school in Paris. Louis spent his teens developing a revolutionary method of tactile reading for those who, like him, had lost their sight.

This inspiring story introduces the concept of braille and demonstrates to children how one person’s ideas can change the world.

Weirdosaurus

Philip Bunting

Non-fiction, Picturebook

Welcome to the world of Weirdosaurus…

Meet a dinosaur with a built-in megaphone. Spot the one with metre-long, sword-like claws. Say hello to a flying carnivore as tall as a giraffe!

This book is bursting with the strangest, silliest and downright weirdest dinosaurs that ever stomped the Earth. From frilly heads to feathery tails, toothy grins to enormous claws, every creature inside is wonderfully odd in its own way.

Travel back in time and meet over 80 prehistoric peculiarities, each with its own vital stats, dino scale diagram, Latin name (and how to say it) and some seriously strange features. With Philip Bunting’s hilarious illustrations, cheeky jokes and eye-popping facts, every page is packed with surprises.

With well-known favourites and dinosaurs you’ve never heard of, Weirdosaurus is the perfect book for dino-mad kids who love the weird and wonderful. If you thought you knew dinosaurs… think again!

My Friend, Billy Whiskers

David Litchfield

Picturebook

This is a perfect picture book to share with a child who has the everyday childhood worries about making friends alongside the lack of confidence that can accompany this.

David Litchfield, as author and illustrator, conjures up the wonderful Billy Whiskers, the imaginary friend who provides Patrick with companionship in those moments when he most needs it. The illustrations provide a real feast for the eyes and provide endless possibilities for thought provoking questions to share with children and for children to raise for themselves.

The illustration of Partick sharing the book ‘The Bear and the Piano’, (Litchfield’s earlier picture book) and declaring “Oh, I like this story Billy.”, provide some insider humour for the reader, not least as Patrick appears towards the end of the story when he has grown-up and is a grandfather, sharing the book once more but this time, sharing the book, and sharing his imaginary friend Billy Whiskers, with his granddaughter.

What is so delightful in this book is that once Partick has gained confidence enough to make friends, Billy Whiskers is seen slowly leaving his side but returning throughout Partick’s life – at those key life moments, like having a child of your own, when worry and lack of confidence can so often reappear. The imaginary friend is depicted as positive and life affirming, and a normal part of life and this is a reassuring idea for the young child. This is a beautiful picture book that will enthral children and adults alike.

These Are My Rocks

Bethan Woollvin

Picturebook

From the creator of the New York Times Best Illustrated Book Little Red, These Are My Rocks is the perfect picture book for children who love collecting.

Join the narrator, as they proudly introduce the reader to their prized collection, featuring BIG things to small things … and spiky things to wobbly things!

Each page is bursting with humour – and they are interactive too – with children encouraged to interact with the book, with invitations to point, make noises, clap their hands and think about what they could collect..

Interactive books engage young children and capture their natural curiosity and These Are My Rocks encourages the development of important early-learning skills such as listening, choosing, matching, counting and moving by playing on the theme of interaction.

These Are My Rocks is stylish, humorous, inclusive and utterly engaging – and a celebration of children’s love of collecting.

Adnan: The Boy Who Helped His Mummy Remember

Diala Brisly & Mark Arrigo & Steven Chatterton

Picturebook

Adnan is the heartwarming story of a refugee boy’s attempts to heal his mother’s mental health issues with the power of his creativity as they rebuild their lives in their new home.

Sometimes, when something sad happens, people can push it so far down because it hurts too much.
That’s why Mummy doesn’t remember.

This touching and sensitively told children’s book is a story about a boy and his mother, about trauma and recovery, and how to deal with the challenges of mental health.

It tells the story of an imaginative ten-year-old Syrian refugee boy who flees his home country with his mother. Now settled in the UK, he must use all his creativity to break through his mother’s PTSD or risk losing her forever.

The book is based on a short film of the same name, which has collected multiple awards and made Official Selection at its first Oscar qualifying festival.

Inspired by her own experiences as a refugee, Syrian artist Diala Brisly’s illustrations are powerful and evocative, highlighting the contrast between Adnan’s hope and the helplessness of the mother.

The charity Choose Love will receive 2% of the book’s recommended retail price on every copy sold. Choose Love (formerly Help Refugees) goes where the need is greatest. They fill the gaps and act where others won’t. Sometimes that means search and rescue boats. Sometimes it means providing food or safe, secure long-term housing for refugees. Since 2015, they’ve supported over 120 incredible projects and reached over one million people.

Once Upon a Dragon’s Fire

Beatrice Blue

Picturebook

By the author of Once Upon a Unicorn Horn, shortlisted for the 2020 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize.

The second title in a new series about how magical creatures came to have their gifts. Do you know how dragons got their fire? It all began once upon a magic kingdom, when a fearsome, terrifying dragon stalked the land. He was so mean he ate kittens for breakfast, he was so scary he made children scream, and he was so evil that he blew huge storms out of his jaws, which is why it was always so cold.

Or so the stories said. When two children called Freya and Sylas met the dragon, they found something very different indeed…

Frida Kahlo (Little People, Big Dreams)

Gee Fan Eng & Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

Non-fiction

In this international bestseller from the critically acclaimed Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Frida Kahlo, the world-renowned painter.

When Frida was a teenager, a terrible road accident changed her life forever. Unable to walk, she began painting from her bed. Her self-portraits, which show her pain and grief, but also her passion for life and instinct for survival, have made her one of the most famous artists of the twentieth century. This moving 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 artist’s life.

Flooded

Mariajo Ilustrajo

Picturebook

Flooded is a visually stunning book with a powerful story about learning to face up to problems before they grow too big.

In Flooded, the city faces a problem. It seems like a normal day; the city wakes up to find itself a little bit wet. No one minds at first as it was just a little bit of water, but as the city carries on with its usual rhythm, the smaller animals start to realise that it is all becoming a rather big problem.

Flooded is a fun story illustrating how small problems can grow into bigger problems if we don’t give them enough attention. It is also a story about how problems are easier to solve together and communities that work with a positive common goal can be very powerful.

This book is full of surprises and has a pull-out page at a very significant part of the story, which really creates excitement for younger children as they are reading the book. When sharing this book with my class, it really made them think and predict about how the animal’s problem could be solved. They absolutely loved the artwork featuring gorgeous, blues and blacks as well as yellow shades for a very significant character within the book.

We Are Britain!

Benjamin Zephaniah & Prodeepta Das

Poetry

This is a collection of poetry from the performance poet Benjamin Zephaniah. The poems celebrate the diversity of British society by portraying different British children in their home environments. The children featured in We Are Britain! are from a range of backgrounds and cultures and it shows that despite their differences, the children have many similar preoccupations whatever their cultural background.

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Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books

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