A Midsummer Night’s Drama Louie Stowell and Isobel Lundie Little Tiger The whole story is presented in three acts and includes a performance of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream unlike anything you’ve experienced before. It’s penned, so we’re led to believe by a clever bear, Bill, residing in a treehouse with his friends Sir Bun Bun, Foxy and Lady Bushytail. The friends love to act plays at their theatre, The Glade and these attract large audiences from all over the kingdom. There’s great excitement as Bill and his pals are performing a brand new play. Its entire cast comprises a fairy ..read more

The Time Machine Next Door: Rule Breakers and Kiwi Keepers The Time Machine Next Door: Rebellions and Super Boots Iszi Lawrence, illustrated by Rebecca Bagley Bloomsbury Education In the first story, having failed at the first fraction in his maths test at school, Sunil runs into the toilets crying. His pretence at being ill results in his being sent home sick from school. Sunil is fed up: no cricket practice for him, insists Dad who asks Aunt Alex – she with the ‘Boring Machine’ – to babysit for the evening. Perhaps things won’t be so bad after all. However Alex refuses to let Sunil dabble w ..read more

Bun on the Run Smriti Halls and Chris Jevons Scholastic Starring Bernard the Bun, this is a delectably funny take on the traditional tale The Gingerbread Man. As the tale opens Bernard sits atop a display in the baker’s shop, a perfect confection of its kind. The thing is that Bernard has a yen to see life beyond the bakery and so down he jumps and off he sets only to be confronted with a drooling dog. Our quick thinking Bernard turns down the dog’s offer to tarry awhile with “You can chase, chase, chase, / you can run, run, run. / But you can’t catch me. / I’m Bernard the bun!” and dashes aw ..read more

Champ Payam Ebrahimi and Reza Dalvand Greystone Kids Abtin Moleski was born into a family of champion athletes but no good at sports and without the slightest urge to win, he doesn’t feel he really belongs. Despite everything his family has done to help him become a champion, he has no interest in being a sporting hero. Abtin’s passion is for art and upset at being a huge disappointment to others in the family, he resolves to do whatever it takes to make his father, indeed the entire family, proud. To this end he works and works until at last he has what he thinks is a solution. What he doe ..read more

When the Wild Calls Nicola Penfold Little Tiger In this powerful sequel to Nicola Penfold’s Where the World Turns Wild we join Juniper and her brother Bear in a raw and incredibly thought-provoking dystopian adventure that sees them (against their father’s wishes), returning from their new home in Ennerdale where they live with their Dad, his new partner, Willow, and their baby, Fern, to the city. They feel driven by the thought that their beloved grandmother, Annie-Rose, and friend, Etienne, are still in the city where disease is fast spreading. Juniper is determined to rescue them and bring ..read more

How Many Dinosaurs Is Too Many? Lou Peacock and Nicola Slater Nosy Crow One day a child, (our narrator) gets a dinosaur and what fun the two have. However another dinosaur would surely mean more fun and so right on cue, a second one appears. And so it goes on until the blissfully happy child has amassed ten different dinosaurs, a veritable soccer team. Of course, there is a price to pay for all these new, very energetic and hungry companions that do pretty much whatever they want, causing chaos at mealtimes, bath times and bedtimes too. Enough is enough, indeed way too many and out goes th ..read more

Here Be Giants Susannah Lloyd and Paddy Donnelly Frances Lincoln Children’s Books This sequel to Here Be Dragons is every bit as comically entertaining as its predecessor. We join the same hapless knight as he sallies forth with his trusty steed, on a new and perilous quest, determined to prove to the other knights that he’s no fool. Having paused to consult his Giant Spotting Book, he starts looking out for LARGE things as per its instructions, measuring various normal sized objects, significantly an armour clad damsel. However, he fails to notice something that alert readers will have spott ..read more

Wise Up! Wise Down! John Agard, JonArno Lawson, illustrated By Satoshi Kitamura Walker Books Three awesome creative people from children’s literature have collaborated on what is sure to become a favourite poetry book for many readers. Two friends John Agard and JonArno Lawson provide the words and the distinctive art of Satoshi Kitamura provides the wonderful, whimsical illustrations. So, when you open this book be prepared to embark on a foray into a lively, thought-provoking conversation between prize-winning poets. It’s so cleverly put together with the two voices taking turns throughout ..read more

The Last Zookeeper Aaron Becker Walker Books This is an ark story of an altogether different kind. Set in a post apocalyptic world, it has no text, only a series of amazingly detailed wordless spreads and there’s not a single human in sight. Instead, AI in the form of a ginormous, towering robot with the letters NOA on its arm and wind turbines to power it on its back, steps onto a flooded landscape with its incredible architecture. It appears that he’s stumbled upon a ruined zoological garden where half a dozen or so iconic species are stranded. He feeds them but as the waters rise ever hig ..read more

Puppet David Almond, illustrated by Lizzy Stewart Walker Books David Almond’s sublimely written poignant fable, with Lizzy Stewart’s impressive illustrations will really pull at your heartstrings. Silvester is a widowed puppet maker; together with his wife, Belinda, he gained a reputation for creating some of the most beautiful puppets and shows in the area. As a result, the local museum wants to exhibit the subjects of his work and a young woman, Louise from the university wants to write a short history of his creations to be offered for sale when the exhibition opens. All he has left are hi ..read more