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Publisher: Penguin Random House Children's UK

Non-fiction

The olden days were pretty fun if you liked wearing chainmail or chopping people’s heads off but there was one TINY LITTLE problem back then . . . doctors didn’t have the slightest clue about how our bodies worked.

It’s time to find out why Ancient Egyptians thought the brain was just a useless load of old stuffing that might as well be chucked in the bin, why teachers forced their pupils to smoke cigarettes, why hairdressers would cut off their customers’ legs, and why people used to get paid for farting. (Unfortunately that’s no longer a thing – sorry.)

You’ll get answers to questions like:
Why did patients gargle with wee?
How did a doctor save people’s lives using a washing machine, a can of beans and some old sausages?
What was the great stink? (No, it’s not what doctors call your bum.)

If you’re sure you’re ready, then pop a peg on your nose (there was a lot of stinky pus back then), pull on your wellies (there was a lot of poo there too), wash your hands (because they certainly didn’t) and explore this gross and gruesome history of the human body!

Picturebook

Sometimes we are loud, sometimes we are quiet, sometimes bold and clanky, sometimes soft and cuddly. Sophy Henn celebrates all the different, extraordinary and sometimes contradictory things we are in this joyful and colourful rhyming picture book. Perfect to read aloud – and then read again, and again!

Short story collection

A collection of 20 stories from India’s rich folklore heritage. From wicked magicians to wise old priests, charming princes and beautiful princesses, to greedy tigers and wily jackals, these magical tales are full of adventure and trickery, and infused with deeper messages about morality, Life and the world around us. Founded on the work of folklorist, Joseph Jacob, and from tales from India’s Mughul period, award-winning author Bali Rai’s lively retellings are a delight for readers of all ages.

The book includes endnotes with a glossary, additional information as well as ideas for activities that children can do to explore the stories further.

Chapter book

Grandfather is off on an expedition to the North Pole to find the Last Polar Bears and with him goes Roo – a dog of character and strong views. The intrepid explorers set sail on the good ship Unsinkable and embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

Eccentric, moving and very funny, their story is told through a series of extraordinary letters.

Picturebook

When the old oak tree in the park dies, the local paper runs a competition for children to write a poem about trees. Jed starts writing immediately. The prize is his photo in the paper and lunch with the mayor! But best of all, Jed discovers that even an old oak tree can have many new lives . . . Recycling makes caring about the environment a worthwhile project for all young readers.

Picturebook

The Paperbag Prince is an old man living in a railway carriage on a rubbish dump. But he knows that even rubbish can sometimes contain treasure, and that if he stays long enough, gentle nature will heal the countryside and make the green come again.

Picturebook

The polar bear is bored of his white environment and his hard life. He dreams of soaking himself in all the luminous colours of the rainbow. But when his wish is granted, he realises to his cost that his arctic camouflage no longer works and he needs the advice of others to escape his prism…

A moving tale of hopes and dreams from an award-winning picture book team. The lyrical text is complemented by beautiful watercolours in which the joy and pain of the Rainbow Bear sing out.

Picturebook

Once upon a time, Little Red set off into the woods to catch a wolf . . .

But the woods aren’t all they seem – and are there even any wolves left? Mini Grey re-imagines the classic Little Red Riding Hood fable in an entirely new way. Can Little Red help her new friends in need and recover the wild days of the past?

This is a powerful, moving and funny picture book which will have children and adults revisiting its exquisite pages time and time again, and discussing the important message it holds. From the award-winning author/illustrator of The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon, The Pea and the Princess and Biscuit Bear.

Non-fiction

This is our Blue Planet: a beautiful blue marble suspended in a sea of stars. Dive into these incredible stories from BBC Blue Planet II.

Unlike billions of other worlds in the Milky Way, 71 per cent of our Blue Planet is covered by ocean. It’s home to the greatest diversity of life on Earth but is our least explored habitat; we’ve better maps of Mars than of the ocean floor.

With so much more to discover, take a deep breath . . . and dive into a wondrous world beneath the waves .

Explore coral reefs that shimmer in a kaleidoscope of colours. Venture to the bottom of the ocean where creatures beyond your wildest imagination live in the dark. Chase sea otters through kelp forest seas, and glide the open ocean with humpback whales.

Picturebook

In the house there lives a family: a mum, a dad, a girl and a boy. But they are not alone; a secret mouse family is living there too, who only come out when everyone else is asleep.

One day they are spotted and the mouse catcher is called … Will they escape in time?

A story of home and hope from picture-book genius, John Burningham.

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