Books we loved in September 2025

In an inspired reimagining of the Jules Verne classic Around the World in Eighty Days, readers are swept across the globe against a backdrop of fearlessness, treachery, sabotage, and family secrets.

This super fun board book helps little ones learn to count from 1–20 and is filled with a wonderful array of colourful, characterful cats. The rhyming helps language acquisition in little ones and also supports the learning of numbered sequences.

Bananas are yummy! Have fun sharing this bright board book with a baby or toddler – as long as you have a banana on hand! 

Dodo goes for a little stroll through the jungle – and doesn’t notice the tiger creeping behind him. A very funny book that tells one story with the words and another in the pictures. 

Featuring a typical selection of toddler or pre-schooler activities, Wow! Look at Me! supports little ones in achieving new skills and cheerleads their efforts. 

A little girl has a new baby sister, but she’s confused: why does everyone keep calling the baby funny names? An adorable picture book aimed at little ones who have just gained a younger sibling. 

A child goes to the shops to get a carrot, but things don’t really go to plan when they get a parrot instead. An utterly delightful picture book about making the best of things when they don’t quite go your way.

Tiny Tiger really wants all the cake and the ice cream and he wants to live on the moon, drive the car, and wear pyjamas to school. Why can’t he do everything he wants?

A child joins a new school and gets a whirlwind tour from a very confident pupil. Along the way, she realises that he doesn’t need a tour guide right now – he needs a friend. 

Mae and her cat Tiger are best friends and queens of the jungle. When Tiger passes away, Mae gradually comes to terms with her loss in this touching picture book.

In this comic-inspired picture book, Super Goat Girl realises she’s not like the other heroes in her new superhero school. As chaos ensues in the playground, it’s up to Super Goat Girl to discover what makes her super special and save the day.

This version is richer for the addition of the themes of manipulation, hope and love. The illustrations, both the bright and the brooding, reflect the disturbing plot.

Each of the 50 poems featured in this splendid collection focuses on a different emotion, from kindness and joy to guilt and jealousy. With vibrant illustrations throughout, it’s an ideal book to foster a love of poetry and encourage emotional literacy.

As Froggy sets off to explore the big wide pond, he is determined to embrace every adventure that comes his way – even the perilous ones! Silly, imaginative and with friendship firmly at its core, this quirky comic book tale is full of humour.

When Sana buys a hamster, she is shocked to discover that he can grant wishes! Hilarious chaos ensues as she tries her best to keep her mischievous, magical pet out of trouble.

What Came First sets out a useful timeline showing young readers a sometimes surprising order of events with several quirky ​“which came first?” questions per page. 

When Will and his dog Whisper are summoned into Wolf World, Whisper transforms into a talking wolf! Together, they brave many canine dangers in this illustrated, action-packed adventure.

This beautiful book explores five different environments in which to spot nocturnal life: a garden; woodland; countryside; heathland; and the sky. Informative and stylish, this is a book to treasure. 

Rebellious star Nora Nightsky visits Earth to grant the wish of a girl called Olivia in this hilarious illustrated adventure, which crackles with magic and mischief. 

Children are curious about how things work – and fortunately Maddie Moate is too, which is why she’s written this book packed full of information about how the everyday and not so everyday things around us function.

This engaging, illustrated non-fiction book explores ancient Roman life through a series of 20 objects, from a wooden nit comb to exquisite jewellery.

Can Tick get to Kings’ Keep before the invading army? A thrilling adventure. 

With non-binary characters, a transgender vampire, a reluctant ghost, a stowaway frog who may be more powerful than he looks, and a unique imagining of a world infested by magical energy, this is an inclusive, funny and thought-provoking fantasy adventure. 

Desperate to escape her stifling, aristocratic world, Hero hatches a plan to be kidnapped by infamous highwayman Gentleman Jack. Fast-paced and full of danger, this thrilling novel brings highway escapades in the Georgian period to life.

Theo and his new friends the Moonlighters must find the powerful Spellstones. But could this quest prove deadly? A charming magical adventure. 

Four misfit students and their teacher are trapped in school during a flood. They must work out their differences and come together to save the day in this emotional and gripping story about friendship. 

Kofi earns a scholarship to a prestigious private school and must overcome bullying and academic pressures to achieve his dream of becoming a professional athlete. A moving and important story. 

Ruby can’t stand her ​‘perfect’ cousin Yasmin. But there are always two sides to every story… A contemporary teen short story that’s suitable for dyslexic readers. 

Red is visually impaired, yet she can clearly see that it’s her village, not the nearby woods, where danger lurks. A beautifully written take on a familiar fairy tale, exploring themes of power, feminism, and looking after the environment. 

Reading like a high-octane action movie, this nail-biting tech thriller is packed with edge-of-seat moments and a tantalising search for the truth about a young man’s past.