Weekend reads roundup: 16 May 2026, part three

 

Missing.

Created by Kōwhai Studio.

Illustrated by Eli Vaughan.

Kōwhai Studio, 2026.

Board book.

Aotearoa.

Lantern Festival in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

A bit meh. Heading towards earnest territory.

• Ducks! by Deborah Underwood and T. L. McBeth. 
• Where is the green sheep? by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek.
• Winnie-the-Pooh: a wander in the wood.

 

Mama Shamsi at the bazaar.

Written by Mojdeh Hassani and Samira Iravani.

Illustrated by Maya Fidawi.

Dial Books for Young Readers, 2022.

Picture book.

Samira is excited to go to the bazaar with her grandmother for the first time, but finds the bustling market to be intimidating, until Mama Shamsi helps her find a way to feel safe.

Neurodiverse representation. Loving grandparent. A gentle read.

Possible read-alikes:

• Tiny worlds by Brittany Cicchese.
• The space between by Clare Helen Welsh and Fiona Lumbers.
• A cup of quiet by Nikki Grimes and Cathy Ann Johnson.
• Bessie's bees by George Kirk and Ana Gómez.

 

Colin's castle.

Written and illustrated by Holly Swain.

Farshore, 2024.

Picture book.

My notes very helpfully say “duck.”

So, there’s a vegetarian vampire whose new home – a castle – is invaded by Duck.

Possible read-alikes:

• Knight Owl and Early Bird by Christopher Denise.
• Mother Goose Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins.
• The Kerfuffle by Clotilde Perrin, translated by Daniel Hahn.
• There's a bear on my chair by Ross Collins.

 

Negative cat.

Written and illustrated by Sophie Blackall.

Nancy Paulsen Books, 2021.

Reading and shelter cat adoption. The cat isn’t a typical cat – a ‘negative cat’ – but he loves being read to, which helps his human improve his reading ability.

Possible read-alikes:

• Boo loves books by Kaye Baillie and Tracie Grimwood.
• "Let's get a pup!" said Kate by Bob Graham.
• I am a wolf by Kelly Leigh Miller.
• This is the dog by Maura Finn and Nina Rycroft.

 

Love birds.

Written by Jane Yolen.

Illustrated by Anna Wilson.

Cameron Kids, 2022.

Friendship founded through a shared love of birds.

Possible read-alikes:

• Daisy by Jessixa Bagley.
• The word collector by Peter Hamilton Reynolds.
• Millie Fleur's poison garden by Christy Mandin.
• Jayden noticed by Carolyn Crimi and Shamar Knight-Justice.

  

Beware The Blue Bazzoo.

Written by Karl Newson.

Illustrated by Andrea Stegmaier.

Happy Yak, 2025.

Picture book.

Rhyming text.

Published as Beware the Blue Bagoo in 2023. 

Assumptions and rumours. 

Possible read-alikes: 

• The cafe at the edge of the woods by Mikey Please.
• The Bewilderbeast by Josh Pyke and Binny Talib.
• Beware, beware the drop bear! by Heath McKenzie.
• The grizzled grist does not exist! by Juliette MacIver and Sarah Davis
• The pirates are coming! by John Condon and Matt Hunt.

 

Henry's little sister.

Written and illustrated by Jo Weaver.

Hodder Children's Books, 2023.

Picture book.

Baby elephants! Lost baby elephants ☹. Loving big brother! Found baby elephants 😊.

Possible read-alikes:

• The great unicorn escape by Diane Ewen.
• Being a cat: a tail of curiosity by Maria Gianferrari and Pete Oswald.
• Little and big by Anne Gutman, and Georg Hallensleben, translated from French by Jill Davis.
• I can't sleep by Emma Farrarons.
• Mabel and the big wide world by Paul Stewart and Jane Porter.

 

Confetti and the rainbow garden.

Written by Shane Jenek AKA Courtney Act.

Illustrated by Dylan Finney.

Pantera Press, 2025.

Australian.

Picture book.

Flowers. Grandmother. Family. Cousins. Fairies. Finding yourself. Acceptance of differences. And, alas, shades of twee.

Possible read-alikes:

• Prunella by Beth Ferry and Claire Keane.
• Skipping to Sammy's beat by Coral Vass and Blithe Fielden.
• The wildest thing by Emily Winfield Martin.
• I am me: a book of authenticity by Susan Verde and Peter H. Reynolds. 

Lonely Bird

Lonely Bird’s dream.

Written and illustrated by Ruth Whiting.

Candlewick Press, 2023 / 2024.

Picture book.

I lovely Lonely Bird – such a beautiful and gentle being. Lonely Bird is so creative – both the books, and the character.

Possible read-alikes:

• Unflappable by Matthew Ward and Scott Magoon.
• Milo and Twig by Liz Brizzi.
• Nelly: the very different bird by Alex Macdonald.