Small Monster, Big Monster by Allan Sanders, Phaidon, £7.95Refrigerator is EMPTY. Monster is FULL (of pizza!). An eye-wateringly bright board book, featuring splendidly zany, toddler-pleasing pairs of opposites.
The Flying Machine of Dreams by Kate Wakeling, illustrated by Viviane Schwarz, Otter-Barry, £12.99A delectable picture-book collaboration that perfectly distils the wonder of the everyday, from the textures of a leaf to a squishy-cushioned den. Wakeling’s irresistible poetry is richly heightened by Schwarz’s sweet, strange illustrations. The Weather Shop by Thomas Lee, translated by Deborah Smith, Do Re Mi, £12.99Translated from Korean, this intricate, inviting, Scarryesque picture book features a shop full of rain balloons, cloud pillows and snow sprays (and a sunshine scarf to warm everyone after the blizzard).
Bison Rule, OK! by Sarah Ziman, illustrated by Nia Havilliard, Otter-Barry, £8.99What annoyed Big Sister this week? What’s the cure for everything in the school medical room? And what’s so good about having a bison as your friend?
Witty, satisfying, resonant and fun, this enticing poetry collection will tempt a range of 6+ readers. African Queens by Onyinye Iwu, Walker, £12.99From Hatshepsut, the pharaoh her successors tried to erase, to Amanirenas, the Sudanese queen who fought the Romans and won, these strikingly illustrated stories of bold and fearless African rulers will grip 7+ history buffs. The Palace of Facts by Kate Olesin, illustrated by Andy Smith, What on Earth Books, £22This gigantic, spectacularly colourful nonfiction treasury is crammed with 400 facts, displayed in the Hall of Mirrors, the Fossil Hall, the Aquarium, the Maze (“The world’s largest maze, in Yancheng, China, is designed in the shape of an elk”) and many more.
A rainy-day delight for trivia mavens of 7 or 8+. Stableheart: Helping Hero by Nicci Johnson, S&S, £7.99Sad to leave her foster parents and the pony she loved to ride, Pres isn’t yet ready to trust her Aunty Janelle, or form a new bond with the rescue pony at the city stables. But what if he really needs her?
This heartwarming, layered, readable story will please 8+ horse lovers and Jacqueline Wilson fans. How to Steal the Future by Christopher Edge, Macmillan, £7.99At the heart of a dangerous, ever-changing maze hides the Avenir, a mystery with the power to unlock the future. Drew is looking for his sister Evie, who disappeared during her own attempt to reach the centre.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
