Books we loved in April 2026

This very sweet board book will make the bedtime routine fun for all little dinosaurs! Includes surprise pop-ups and a flap to lift. Perfect for babies and toddlers.

Join Easter Bunny as he delivers eggs! With soft, felt edges and colours, animals and vehicles to discuss, this book is ideal for busy little hands. 

Join Spot as he searches for baby animals on the farm. Lift the flaps to find the animals.

Everyone’s good at something, but what am I good at? A gentle story that will echo young children’s worries, while providing reassurance. A joyous celebration of individuality.

When Super Uma notices that her usually vibrant city is losing its sparkle, she sets out to find out why. While she tries to solve the mystery with her Nani and unicorn sidekick, she learns the importance of empathy and accessibility. 

Mead and Woodward’s adorable, poignant and heart-warming book about how older siblings feel when a new baby arrives is as warm and comforting as a blanket, understanding that while it’s lovely to be the biggest, little ones are still little and need lots of support. 

A woman throws a ball for her dog on the beach, which becomes a long and excitable chase through town and countryside with an ever-increasing crowd of dogs. 

Neil Clark’s delightful, colourful, screen-printed picture book reminds young readers that we can all have introverted and extroverted moments, and that when we want some soothing alone time, it’s perfectly okay. 

Molly lives with all the other monkeys in the jungle, but Molly has a secret: she’s a pig. A picture book with a message about difference and inclusion. 

Sammy created a robot and it … went a bit rogue. Will Mum ever let him out of his room? And can the humans stop the robots? A very funny story told in letter form, great for primary-aged children.

This deeply moving companion book to Michael Rosen’s Sad Book explores the power of memory when dealing with grief and loss with Rosen’s inimitable warmth, simplicity and directness. 

What came first, the chicken or the egg? Find out once and for all in this fascinating book as you explore the life cycles of seven plants and animals through interactive flaps and wheel mechanisms. 

This contemporary twist on the traditional fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel is full of silliness and humour. With short chapters and colourful illustrations, it is perfect for early readers. 

Follow the everyday adventures of Jake, the middle child in a loving Black British family. This illustrated chapter book contains four interconnected stories and is ideal for children transitioning to independent reading. 

A wonderfully illustrated and inspiring picture book about Lilian Bland, the first woman in the world to build and fly an aeroplane. 

Tiny Hercules has been banished to the human world – can Jeff help him in his epic quest to defeat a lion? Brilliant, action-packed fun with laugh-out-loud moments. 

All sorts of emotions are explored in this poetry collection, along with playful poetic forms, pleasing rhymes and ​‘stretch vocabulary’ to entertain and even challenge your mind. Ideal to share with a class.

Immerse yourself in the history and mythology of the Ancient Romans in this wonderfully funny and informative comic-strip format non-fiction book.

Daffodil struggles to look on the bright side when Dad’s holiday surprise turns out to be a dreary caravan park in the middle of nowhere. Bursting with wry humour and witty illustrations, readers will laugh out loud at the Patterson family’s hilarious holiday exploits. 

Hugely entertaining and packed full of quirky, fascinating and sometimes revolting animal facts, this non-fiction book is sure to be a big hit with junior readers. 

Dive into some of history’s most peculiar mysteries and missing marvels in this hilarious, comic strip non-fiction book. 

When Yumna discovers that her friends have powers, she thinks that’s the biggest shock she’ll have. Until a friend vanishes when a new family comes to town… 

With all the excitement of a James Bond movie, this madcap adventure races along and is hard to put down. Packed with puns and outlandish gadgets this is hilarious, thrilling fun. 

Part cautionary tale and part punchy, coming-of-age story, Boy vs Realiy exposes the pressure an online presence can bring and how badly it can sometimes warp life in the real world. 

If Alex hadn’t climbed the fence to get the football back, it would never have happened. He wouldn’t have died and wouldn’t have been made undead by a 250-year-old vampire. 

An unusual kidnapping, a diverse cast and a Venetian backdrop combine to create a readable mystery adventure. 

A story of death, magic and the afterlife told by Marinka, who is desperate not to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps and wants to find her own destiny. Loosely based on the Slavic myth of Baba Yaga, this story is delightfully macabre and utterly engrossing.

Angel doesn’t meant to cause trouble. But everyone assumes she does. A gripping book about how easy it is to be misunderstood. Readable and real.

Endgame is the culmination of three previous books exploring the potential misuse of AI and other technologies: Echostar, AdelAIDE, and The Foundation. It can be read as a stand-alone story, but will be most appreciated by those who have read at least one of the preceding books. Dyslexia-friendly. 

Catherine Fisher’s classic tale of magic, courage and music is set on the eerie Gwent levels, where the mists rise from the waterlogged fields, and no one is safe from the vengeance of the river. 

Brothers Ben and Max grapple with disturbing arrivals on their planet that could have devastating consequences. Set 20 years after the bestselling Chaos Walking trilogy, this is a gripping dystopian sci-fi story exploring identity, family, fear of ​‘the other’ and what it means to be human.