Publisher: Penguin Random House Children's UK

Two Places to Call Home

Picturebook

Popular author Phil Earle offers a new picturebook with an authentic representation of a child experiencing parental separation and divorce.

Meet Florrie. Florrie has two of everything…. including two different homes. Her mum’s and her dad’s. When her parents separated, Florrie and her brothers were expected to divide their time between the two homes, and at the beginning of the book, this makes her feel a little uneasy.

This book shows how each parent works separately with her to make her feel comfortable about the situation, giving her coping mechanisms when she misses her other home. The lovely twist at the end is how Florrie is then able to help her father, when she realises that he misses her when she is not with him too.

This uplifting picture book will help children to embrace change, and could be a brilliant starting point for discussion about feelings about separation and divorce as well as about navigating negative thoughts and feelings towards changes outside of own’s own control. Beautifully illustrated by Jess Rose, the details in the pictures really bring the story alive, and provide great talking points when reading this story with your child, whether they have personally experienced separation or not.

Secret Beast Club: The Unicorns of Silver Street

Jobe Anderson & Robin Birch

Chapter book

Secret Beast Club will make a fantastic addition to a class library with an appeal to fans of Beast Quest, Rainbow Magic and The Boy Who Grew Dragons. It will definitely be a popular reading-for-pleasure choice and even better it’s the start of a series to collect.

Aisha and Jayden are polar opposites, but best friends. One thing they can always agree on is that it’s best to stay inside their inner city flat. That is until Aisha’s tablet is taken and they race after the culprit to the canal. The thief turns out to be a gargoyle and the canal boat is the headquarters of the Secret Beast Club – an ancient Society dedicated to protecting magical creatures!

After meeting the society’s leader, Leila, and the ghostly founder Pablo Fanque, the children are invited to join the society. The children have been recruited as they possess the skill of secret sight and are needed to help track a young unicorn, who escaped from a nearby Bewilder Bubble (an ancient, hidden space where magical creatures reside) on Hackney Marshes. They must get to it before SUUCS do, as the Seekers of Unusual and Unique Creatures Society hunt magical creatures.

As well as the unicorn rescue mission, this is a story about friendship and also highlights the beauty and value of the natural spaces that can be found in the city. The pair of friends learn much about themselves and the power that lies in their unique differences and they discover that there is magic everywhere, especially when you look outside. This is a great illustrated early chapter book that will engage children with the pacey, modern storyline and magical elements.

Space Band

Chapter book

Can the worst band in the world become the best band in the universe? This is the strap line for Tom Fletcher’s latest story and is the premise behind Space Band.

Music-loving George wants his band, The Earthlings, to be the best. Along with friends Bash and Neila, George prepares to play in his school’s Battle of the Bands, despite their lack of confidence and talent. However, when they are transported across the universe to another planet, they must play to save not just themselves, but also the whole of planet Earth.

This is ultimately a story of friendship, belonging and believing. The Earthlings have to work together to try and win the Intergalactic Battle of the Bands and defeat the dastardly Megavolt. Yet when they form friendships with the bands from other planets, they face a huge dilemma when they realise that defeating other bands also means destroying their home planets.

This is a fun story with plenty to keep the reader entertained. The space information appears to be well-researched and adds lots of factual detail. George’s song lyrics are included and, by scanning a QR code or visiting the nominated website, you can link to various music providers and listen to the songs, as recorded by McFly. This adds another dimension to the story and could link in some music appreciation along the way.

Practise with Peppa: Wipe-Clean First Counting

Peppa Pig

Non-fiction

Help support your child’s number and counting skills with Peppa Pig and friends in this colourful wipe-clean activity book. Children will practise counting from 1-20, use numbers in a sequence, draw in the missing objects on the pages to make the correct number of items and other activities that make learning seem effortless and fun!

Ideal for young readers who are starting school and developing their early number skills and pencil control. Children can wipe the page clean and practise again and again. Includes a free pen.

The perfect follow-on title from Practise with Peppa: Wipe-Clean First Numbers, which practises first numbers from 1-10. For more confident learners, why not also try Practise with Peppa: Wipe-Clean Telling the Time.

Look Up!

Dapo Adeola & Nathan Bryon

Picturebook

Look Up! is an entertaining and vibrant story book about a space-loving girl called Rocket. Rocket is excited about the chance to view an upcoming meteor shower, and she wants everyone she meets to be ready to look up and see it. Frustratingly, her much older brother would rather look down at his phone. With a little sibling compromise and a never-giving-in approach from Rocket, the pair have a wonderful time together and Rocket helps everyone to see how amazing the sky can be when you just look up.

This book is great fun and always a bit hit with Year 1. Many children at this age can relate to the frustration of seeing older family members immersed in their phones, but also know the feeling of being excited by the night’s sky and fascinated by stories about space.

The story includes space facts and references to significant figures in space history like Mae Jamison, who was the first black female astronaut to travel into space. The underlying values of the importance of community and family bonds give a real warmth to this super story book.

Jesus’ Christmas Party

Nicholas Allan

Picturebook

A delightful retelling of the nativity through the eyes of a grumpy innkeeper whose sleep is disturbed by unexpected visitors, a shining light and loud singing in the sky…

The innkeeper and his wife settle down to sleep after a hectic day, but a stream of visitors keep showing up, asking for Mary and Joseph. ‘Round the back!’ the innkeeper shouts, grumpily!

Eventually, desperate for sleep, he flies into a rage and goes to see what all the fuss is about: it sounds like some kind of party out in the stable! But as soon as he sees newborn baby Jesus, the innkeeper softens and joins in the celebration.

The Snowy Day

Ezra Jack Keats

Picturebook

The magic and wonder of winter’s first snowfall is perfectly captured in Ezra Jack Keat’s Caldecott Medal-winning picture book. This celebrated classic has been shared by generations of readers and listeners, a must-have for every child’s bookshelf and a perfect gift for the holiday season.

New York Public Library’s #1 book on the list of “Top Check Outs of All Time”

In 1962, a little boy named Peter put on his snowsuit and stepped out of his house and into the hearts of millions of readers. Universal in its appeal, this story beautifully depicts a child’s wonder at a new world, and the hope of capturing and keeping that wonder forever. The quiet fun and sweetness of Peter’s small adventures in the deep, deep snow is perfect for reading together on a cozy winter day.

Never Let a Diplodocus Draw

Diane Ewen & Rashmi Sirdeshpande

Picturebook

Following on from Never Show a T-Rex a Book and Never Teach a Stegosaurus to Do Sums, this latest what-if dinosaur adventure has captured the imaginations of little ones afresh.

The story invites the reader to suppose what could happen if a big fun-loving dinosaur let her artistic side go wild. From crayons and paint to full colour explosions – anything could happen! Young children love the larger-than-life character and can relate to the sheer joyfulness of getting vibrant and messy with art projects. Adults who have ever set foot in an EYFS classroom while the paints are out will find plenty of familiar scenes to smile about too.

Amid the host of dino-themed books available, we especially enjoyed this series. It is refreshing to have a female dinosaur as a lead character, doing something other than marauding after prey!

A super-fun ode to boundless creativity.

Tatty Ratty

Helen Cooper

Picturebook

Molly’s toy rabbit, Tatty Ratty, is lost again. Might he be driving a train?…or sailing on a pirate ship? An imaginative and heart-warming story, with glowing illustrations from Helen Cooper, twice winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal.

The Extraordinary Life of Mary Seacole

Alleanna Harris & Naida Redgrave

A doctress

An activist

An inspiration

Mary Seacole is now known for her medical work in the Crimean war, and as a brilliant woman who combated the racial prejudice she experienced in her lifetime. But for a long time her story was lost.

From growing up in Kingston, Jamaica as the daughter of a doctress to helping soldiers in the war, discover the details of the amazing life that Mary Seacole led in this beautifully illustrated book with real-life stories, timelines and facts.

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Publisher: Penguin Random House Children's UK

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