Books We Love in May 2024

The Wrong Shoes

Author: Tom Percival
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+

Will and his dad don’t have much, and when there’s the chance to make easy money, Will must make a difficult decision. Moving and gritty, this is a fantastic read. 

The Girl Who Couldn’t Lie

Author: Radhika Sanghani
Publisher: Usborne
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+

Can thirteen-year-old Priya be honest about how she feels without ruining her life? Funny, fresh and full of heart.  

Nature's Fascinating Friendships

Author: Mike Hills Illustrator: Kerry Hyndman
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 6-8

Kerry Hyndman and Mike Hills explore symbiotic relationships in nature, from scary tarantulas who are homies with poisonous frogs, to fig wasps that pollinate figs and nobly die in the act. 

Ember Spark and the Thunder of Dragons

Author: Abi Elphinstone Illustrator: Kristina Kister
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+

A cracking fantasy adventure featuring devious baddies, a golden flying bathtub, a host of magical creatures, a conspiratorial teacher, a heartbroken baby dragon and even an encounter with the Loch Ness Monster. 

Pink Trucks

Author: Sam Clarke Illustrator: Cory Reid
Publisher: Five Quills
Interest age: 4-6
Reading age: 6+

Sink is a massive fan of trucks, but he realises he has none that are pink. Rebelling against the normal “colour rules” he decides to build himself a brilliantly pink truck. 

Playtime: A Tummy Time Play Book for Babies

Author: Mama Makes Books
Publisher: Mama Makes Books
Interest age: 0-1

A delightful book to play with when it's propped in front of a baby.

Future Hopes

Author: Eli Brown L R Lam M G Leonard Rebecca Lim Oisin McGann Tolá Okogwu Neal and Brendan Shusterman Louie Stowell Bijal Vachharajani Editor: Lauren James
Publisher: Walker Books
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+

A diverse and exciting collection of short stories with an environmental theme from a group of exceptional authors. Some are funny, others scary, some deal with difficult emotions while others are more slapstick, but all are compulsively readable.  

Dexter Lost His Boo-Woo

Author: Shane Hegarty Illustrator: Ben Mantle
Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books
Interest age: 4-5

A funny and rhyming picture book about favourite toys, blankies and snugglies, and what happens when we lose them, with a really enjoyable, readable rhyme.

Ballet Besties: Yara’s Chance to Dance

Author: Yasmine Naghdi with Chitra Soundar Illustrator: Paula Franco
Publisher: Piccadilly Press
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 7+

When Yara’s dance school is threatened with closure, she and her ballet friends stage a special performance, which they hope will save the day. The first in a series, this heartwarming, illustrated chapter book is ideal for ballet enthusiasts.  

Little Snail’s Book of Bugs

Author: Yuval Zommer
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Interest age: 4-5

Join Little Snail as he meets all the bugs, insects and other tiny creatures in the garden. A stylish, yet child-friendly guide to the tiny creatures that are so vital to our planet. 

Guess Who’s Going to Sleep

Author: Smriti Halls Illustrator: Marta Altés
Publisher: Walker
Interest age: 2-3

Lift the flap board book with optical illusions 

Rewild: Can Nature Heal Our World?

Author: Ben Martynoga Illustrator: Moose Allain
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 12+

Positive, informative non-fiction book on Rewilding  

The Ballad of Cactus Joe

Author: Lily Murray Illustrator: Clive McFarland
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Interest age: 4-5

Cactus Joe is lean and mean and happy by himself. Or is he? Funny and visually enticing, this is a must-read for the grumpy cactus’s expressions alone! 

The Magic Callaloo

Author: Trish Cooke Illustrator: Sophie Bass
Publisher: Walker
Interest age: 4-5
Reading age: 6-8

In a wonderful allegorical story highlighting a crucial part of Black history, superstar children’s author Trish Cooke tells a tale inspired by the real stories of enslaved Africans who made patterns in their cornrowed hair, using them as maps to escape their enslavers.

When I Feel Red

Author: Lily Bailey
Publisher: Orion
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+

A touching and accessible book about finding your own way.

Wow! What a Day!

Author: Illustrator: Alberta Torres
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books
Interest age: 2-3
Reading age: 4+

Follow one toddler’s lively account of their busy day in this charmingly playful and inclusive board book about daily routines for pre-schoolers.

Betty Steady and the Toad Witch

Author: Nicky Smith-Dale Illustrator: Sarah Horne
Publisher: Farshore
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 7+

How to Teach Grown-ups About Climate Change: The Cutting Edge Science of our Changing Planet

Author: Patricia Daniels Illustrator: Aaron Blecha
Publisher: What on Earth Books
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 8+

This practical and helpful book has lots of great ideas for saving the planet, including using renewable energy, recycling and reusing clothes and moving to a more plant-based diet. 

Mathematicians are Counting the Stars!

Author: Saskia Gwinn Illustrator: Ana Albero
Publisher: Magic Cat Publishing
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 6+

In this beautiful and fascinating cartoon-style picture book, Saskia Gwinn and Ana Albero explain all the different ways that mathematicians are finding out brilliant things about the world and using maths to help our future.

Nush and the Stolen Emerald

Author: Jasbinder Bilan
Publisher: Chicken House
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+

Can Nush find her family’s emerald in Queen Victoria’s palaces? A jewel of a book – shining a light on historical events through memorable characters and a pacy plot. 

Animal All-Stars: Incredible Facts, Stats and Stories from the Greatest Record-Breakers in the Animal World

Author: Clare Balding Illustrator: The Boy Fitz Hammond
Publisher: Wren & Rook
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 8+

Sports expert Clare Balding is here to commentate on a stupendous set of eight edge-of-your-seat sporting events featuring all manner of brilliantly fast, strong and agile animals.

The Letter With the Golden Stamp

Author: Onjali Q Rauf Illustrator: Pippa Curnick
Publisher: Orion
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 7+

Is someone spying on Audrey and her family? Fun, fast-paced chapter book on the adventures of a young carer. 

Monkey King and the World of Myths: The Monster and the Maze

Author: Maple Lam
Publisher: Hachette
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 7+

Sun Wukong, legendary monkey king and warrior, faces an ancient evil which threatens the world. Join him on a wild and comical adventure as he battles the monsters of ancient Greece. 

Hide and Seek

Author: Rhian Tracey
Publisher: Piccadilly
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 8+

Fans of historical fiction will find much to enjoy in this tense tale of secrecy and betrayal in rural Wales during World War II. 

Aya and the Star Chaser

Author: Radiya Hafiza Illustrator: Kaley McKean
Publisher: Macmillan
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+

Mixing Bengali folklore with elements from classic fairytales, this coming-of-age fantasy revolves around a falling star, a young girl with spectacular gifts and a power-hungry witch. 

My Friend Andy

Author: Emma Chinnery
Publisher: Little Tiger
Interest age: 4-5
Reading age: 6+

When Fluffy the dog becomes lost in the big city, she is saved by a homeless man and his dog. Their adventure encourages readers to reconsider the perception of homeless people. 

Clarice Bean, Smile

Author: Lauren Child
Publisher: Harper Collins
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 7+

A funny chapter book about Clarice Bean’s latest adventures. 

Frida the Rock-and-Roll Moth

Author: Kim Hillyard
Publisher: Ladybird
Interest age: 4-5

Outside In: Nature Poems

Author: Daniel Thompson Illustrator: Julia Murray
Publisher: Collins
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 7+

This wonderful collection of 50 poems celebrates different aspects of the natural world, from animals and plants to seasons and weather. Perfect for anyone with a love of the outdoors, each verse is accompanied by charming, colourful artwork. 

Watch Out! There’s a Monster Coming!

Author: Karl Newson Illustrator: Zehra Hicks
Publisher: Andersen Press
Interest age: 4-5

Tiptoeing, sneaking,snuffling and creeping, a monster travels far and wide in pursuit of its favourite snack. But will it find what it hungers for? And is it what we expected? 

Woodland Explorers Club: Benji’s Emerald King

Author: Ewa Jozefkowicz Illustrator: Gillian Flint
Publisher: Zephyr
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 7+

When Benji and his friends discover a damaged oak tree in Willow Wish Woods, they form the Woodland Explorers Club and vow to protect the forest and its inhabitants. Celebrating friendship, teamwork and caring for the environment, this magical, nature-inspired mystery contains a wealth of interesting wildlife facts. 

New Arrivals at Willow Farm

Author: Helen Peters Illustrator: Isobel Lundie
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 7+

This delightful, illustrated chapter book contains two short stories about animals on Willow Farm: Snowy the sheepdog wants to play with the sheep, rather than herd them, and Cowslip the calf is desperate to find a friend. Ideal for reluctant and dyslexic readers.