Books with family and friends looking after children

Layn Marlow’s utterly delightful story about a boy’s love for seals and his faith in finding them is touching and sensitively told, illustrated in a mix of soft watercolours and beautifully details. There’s something here about ​“if you build it, they will come” in Noah’s summoning of the seals by building a sand one and imbuing it with love: a message about believing in our wishes and working hard to make them happen.

Elin and her grandad must save a family of beavers after their habitat is filled with plastic and rubbish.A heartwarming story which includes lots of information and an activity inspiration.  

Magnus has gone to live with his grandparents, who give him a soft toy lion. Then Cub comes alive! A moving story about bravery, and kinship care.

A sweet and surreal story with lush painterly illustrations and a high quality production. Nora’s tiger is sure to delight little ones who dream of tigers coming to tea, and then staying to play in the garden!

Gran injures her knee while teaching a dance class so Kwesi choreographs some very special moves to put her at the centre of the action once more. This exuberant picture book celebrates the joy of dance and the loving relationship between grandparent and child.

A lovely book about a young girl who loves jigsaw puzzles.

Sam Usher’s beautiful picture book starts off as a story about an exciting everyday life kind of event: getting a pet is a big part of anyone’s childhood. Yet what starts as a new pet story changes unexpectedly into something much more fantastical and dreamy.

Izzy Gizmo is a girl that loves inventing things: the Swirly Spagsonic, the Tea-Mendous and the Beardtastic, for instance. But unfortunately, something always goes wrong… 

Tyra loves her new life with Nan but is anxious about starting a new school in case she doesn’t fit in. A heart-warming tale, designed specifically to appeal to reluctant and dyslexic readers.

Marvin, a secret superhero with a robot sidekick named Pixel, is super excited because he’s going on a school trip to the Natural History Museum to see some REAL dinosaur bones. But he’ll need all his superhero skills when the bones come to life!

Twins Scarlett and Thomas have a grandad with a time machine! When Thomas is struggling with his homework on Vikings, Grandad suggests he meets some. So Thomas whooshes back to the year 859AD, but without the crucial device to bring him home. Now Scarlett will have to go after him! 

Dilly discovers she’s a Cloud Witch! But can she and her friends stop the suppression of magic on the island? A glorious magical adventure.

Recently orphaned Will is sent to stay with an uncle he doesn’t know in a remote, mountainous valley. By caring for an injured osprey, he slowly comes to terms with his grief and learns to trust again. 

When history obsessed 12-year-old Relic Hamilton accidentally unleashes an evil genie, he is whisked away on a time travelling, action-filled adventure to hunt it down alongside a secret society of tech-savvy genie hunters. 

Set against the backdrop of a climate catastrophe, this gripping dystopian thriller is oppressively atmospheric as it depicts a reality where if you can’t pay, you can’t breathe. 

Al’s mum is back in prison again – and Al thinks it’s their neighbour’s fault, so he plots revenge with his beloved pet rats, Venom and Vulture. A moving insight into the world of a young boy affected by poverty, neglect and crime, who eventually learns to trust. 

Can Mimi save her gran from losing her memories? An inclusive, searingly emotional story with magic realism elements.

Ferris’s new foster brother is a tornado of chaos, but when their school is closed down, can the foster brothers work together? Funny and moving, and packed with comic strips and cartoons.