Protecting the Planet: The Secret World of SeahorsesNicola Davies and Lou Baker-SmithWalker Books This immersive addition to the Protecting the Planet series is written in an accessible narrative s…

Protecting the Planet: The Secret World of SeahorsesNicola Davies and Lou Baker-SmithWalker Books This immersive addition to the Protecting the Planet series is written in an accessible narrative style by zoologist,, Nicola Davies with impressive mixed media illustrations by Lou Baker Smith. I’m fortunate to have seen live seahorses off the coast of Kerala but I doubt many readers of this book will have been so lucky as to see these graceful, fascinating, almost magical creatures.

Molly, Olive and Dexter: Who’s Afraid of the Dark?Catherine RaynerWalker Books Friends Molly the hare, Dexter the fox and Olive the owl return in a tale of nighttime nerves. It begins with the thre…

Molly, Olive and Dexter: Who’s Afraid of the Dark?Catherine RaynerWalker Books Friends Molly the hare, Dexter the fox and Olive the owl return in a tale of nighttime nerves. It begins with the three enjoying watching the sun setting, but as darkness descends, Molly hears a rustling sound that troubles her. It’s only Dexter cleaning his whiskers. Next Dexter feels something brushing against him and before long, Olive too is spooked though it’s merely shadow shapes.

Flember: The Golden HeartJamie SmartDavid Fickling Books Jamie Smart brings his superb Flember series to a close with a spell-binding adventure, full of inventiveness surprises at almost every turn…

Flember: The Golden HeartJamie SmartDavid Fickling Books Jamie Smart brings his superb Flember series to a close with a spell-binding adventure, full of inventiveness surprises at almost every turn of the page, as well as illustrations of characters and diagrams that add to the story. On account of the heinous Iola Gray and her sinister plans, Flember Island is in grave danger.

Murder At ChristmasFleur HitchcockNosy Crow Having been at boarding school in England while her mother (a diplomat), father and younger brother, Billy, have been living in Australia, Grace is excit…

Murder At ChristmasFleur HitchcockNosy Crow Having been at boarding school in England while her mother (a diplomat), father and younger brother, Billy, have been living in Australia, Grace is excited to be spending Christmas in Bath, staying in her Aunt Mollie’s hotel with Mum and Billy. (Aunt Mollie is mum’s twin sister.) Mum goes to visit their Gran who lives nearby in a residential care home but after several hours she hasn’t returned so Grace and Billy start worrying and their aunt isn’t around either so the siblings are left on their own.

A Welly full of ChristmasAttie Lime, illustrated by Nadine LicenceTiny Tree Books I loved Attie’s Blue Jelly and Strawberries and so was eagerly anticipating her new seasonal offering, which is sub…

A Welly full of ChristmasAttie Lime, illustrated by Nadine LicenceTiny Tree Books I loved Attie’s Blue Jelly and Strawberries and so was eagerly anticipating her new seasonal offering, which is subtitled ‘Poems for Festive Fun’ and fun is what is contained herein. There are forty poems, just over half of which actually contain the word Christmas; others focus on wintry weather, snow and there’s one, …

Flipped!Philip CaveneyFox and Ink Books This story takes inspiration from both the COVID pandemic and Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. Set in 2020 during a COVID lockdown, its main protagonist …

Flipped!Philip CaveneyFox and Ink Books This story takes inspiration from both the COVID pandemic and Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. Set in 2020 during a COVID lockdown, its main protagonist is fifteen year old Flip. His mother is a nurse practitioner at the local hospital and after on-line lessons undertaken with no enthusiasm during the summer term on Flip’s part, the school holiday has begun.

Dinosaur DynastyJack TiteBig Picture Press Countless children are dinosaur obsessed becoming so from an early age. Doubtless they will be thrilled to discover this amazing book from mega publishers…

Dinosaur DynastyJack TiteBig Picture Press Countless children are dinosaur obsessed becoming so from an early age. Doubtless they will be thrilled to discover this amazing book from mega publishers Big Picture Press. Author/illustrator Jack Tite’s Dinosaur Dynasty is quality non-fiction presented in a child-friendly, informative manner. He takes us back to the prehistoric world hundreds of millions of years ago to the Mesozoic Era when the planet was ruled by dinosaurs.

The Clean-Up MonsterMy Dinosaur ShoesEleni Tassopoulos Wehner and Danamarie HoslerBarefoot Books These two board books feature happenings in the daily lives of neurodivergent siblings Roscoe and hi…

The Clean-Up MonsterMy Dinosaur ShoesEleni Tassopoulos Wehner and Danamarie HoslerBarefoot Books These two board books feature happenings in the daily lives of neurodivergent siblings Roscoe and his elder sister, Ivy. In the first, when their mother tells the children that it’s time to tidy up the job seems an overwhelming muddle of dough and toys. If only the ‘clean-up monster’ would come to their aid.

Baxter’s ViewKerri Cunningham (Murphy’s Sketches)Fox & Ink Books Herein we meet siblings, Rory the elder and his younger brother, Baxter. They see the world differently: ‘Baxter likes to bounce…

Baxter’s ViewKerri Cunningham (Murphy’s Sketches)Fox & Ink Books Herein we meet siblings, Rory the elder and his younger brother, Baxter. They see the world differently: ‘Baxter likes to bounce, and hum, and flap. Sometimes it can take a while to get wherever they’re going. Sometimes this makes Rory cross.’ We join Baxter and Rory as they visit the park with their mum.

LionbornSharique Zea The story begins in London with two mysterious figures, Abigor and Baka standing over a sleeping infant attempting to extract its blood and becoming frustrated at being unable …

LionbornSharique Zea The story begins in London with two mysterious figures, Abigor and Baka standing over a sleeping infant attempting to extract its blood and becoming frustrated at being unable to do so because just prior to their arrival protective light entered his body. Their intended victim is Fionn Hurley and they have identified him as a Lionborn. Fast forward to when Fionn is twelve.

Refuge: The Graphic NovelAlan Gratz and Sid FiniScholastic This graphic novel version of the excellent Refuge book that was published in 2017 will bring the stories to a whole new audience particul…

Refuge: The Graphic NovelAlan Gratz and Sid FiniScholastic This graphic novel version of the excellent Refuge book that was published in 2017 will bring the stories to a whole new audience particularly those who prefer to read predominantly visual tellings. Set in 1938, 1994 and 2015 respectively, we follow three characters, Josef, a Jewish boy who is escaping Nazi Germany aboard a passenger ship full of German Jews in 1938-9, Isabel, a Cuban girl who in 1994 is fleeing from Havana together with a group of other Cubans on a leaky boat and Mahmoud, a Syrian boy escaping from Aleppo in 2015 hoping to reach the EU.

One Cherry, One CheetahJackie MorrisOtter-Barry Books Originally published as a smallish hardback, it’s great to see this available in board book format. A dozen exquisite watercolour and gold leaf…

One Cherry, One CheetahJackie MorrisOtter-Barry Books Originally published as a smallish hardback, it’s great to see this available in board book format. A dozen exquisite watercolour and gold leaf paintings, all except one of wild animals, are to be found in this super-stylish counting book. To start with there is just one cherry - it’s almost begging to be eaten immediately.

The Cloud KingdomMáire Zepf, illustrated by Andrew WhitsonLittle Island Books Nancy is a bibliophile and spends almost all her time reading. Then one summer’s day so engrossed was she in her book t…