Helga makes a name for herself.
Written by Megan Maynor.
Illustrated by Eda Kaban.
Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020.
ISBN 9781328957832.
A story of dreams, persistence, and determination. And the friendship of a loyal pet.
Viking stereotypes and references are many, with an author's note about horned helmets and female warriors.
A sprinkle of happiness.
Written by Lucy Rowland.
Illustrated by David Litchfield.
Scholastic UK, 2024.
ISBN 9780702313776.
Rhyming couplets tell a story of spreading kindness and love through a community.
This worked quite well at a daycare storytime about growing and spring.
A unicorn, a dinosaur, and a shark were riding a bicycle.
Written and illustrated by Jonathan Fenske.
Scholastic Australia, 2024.
ISBN 9781761528217.
Sequel to A unicorn, a dinosaur, and a shark walk into a book.
There are stories that demand dramatic reading. I can see this as a four-part readers theatre in my head. I've even cast the parts, based on my team.
One more day until Pride.
Written by Gareth Peter.
Illustrated by Max Rambaldi.
Puffin Books, 2024.
ISBN 9780241632406.
A diverse group of children prepare for Pride, each representing a colour of the rainbow.
There are various disabilities featured, including: wheelchair user, glasses, cochlear implant, vitiligo, prosthetic arm.
The children are from many cultures, and have different family dynamics.
The last double page spread shows the children as adults, again with different families, and breaking gender norms.
New Zealand title: Titiro Look.
Written and illustrated by Gavin Bishop.
Translated by Darryn Joseph.
Gecko Press, 2024.
ISBN 978177657545.
What a taonga! Bilingual / dual language te reo Māori and English, with the te reo Māori as the first / prominent language. The words include the usual, but then there's others that lift this book out of the ordinary.
Words like: maimoa cherish; tipihaere roam.
The people featured are all different, with different cultural backgrounds.
The very polite knight.
Written and illustrated by Ian Smith.
Affirm Press, 2024.
ISBN 9781922848314.
Cute, with fairytale leanings: the youngest and quiet son / child who is polite, and achieves the impossible quest.
Be true to you!
By Maggie Hutchings and Hayley Wells.
Affirm Press, 2024.
ISBN 9781922863898.
Rhyming text. Diverse children, including one in a wheelchair, and transgender.
The knight snacker.
Written and illustrated by Valeria Wicker.
Little, Brown and Company, 2023.
ISBN 9780316456340.
I really wish publishers would routinely include information about how the book was illustrated. Especially with the rise in AI - it would be good to have this information to hand. To know that there was a creative person behind the work.
Sparkle and Splodge.
Written and illustrated by Neil Clark.
Ladybird Books, 2024.
ISBN 9780241563328.
Rhyming couplets tell the lives of two opposing characters. The key is balance: a tidy place, with messy play.
I felt this was borderline didactic, and was close to shouting 'message'.
Pie-rats! Written by Lisa Frenkle Riddiough.
Illustrated by David Mottram.
Viking, 2024.
ISBN 9780593203286.
Rhyming couplets, mostly, and enough to make you hungry! Thanks publisher - because I now know that the art of this book was made using pen and ink drawings, then coloured digitally.
Goodnight Sun.
Written by Eoin McLaughlin.
Illustrated by Morag Hood.
Faber and Faber, 2024.
ISBN 9780571377527.
Poor Sun doesn't want to go to sleep, and is a bit afraid of the dark. Thankfully, Sun has friends around to help.
A gentle and reassuring book.
A fairy called Fred.
Written by Robert Tregoning.
Illustrated by Stef Murphy.
Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2024.
ISBN 9781526648884.
Rhyming couplets tell the story of a fairy who wants to grant dress wishes, and a young boy who wishes for the perfect princess gown to wear to a friend's party.
There's no judgement here, just a couple of people living their dreams.
Not-a-box city.
Written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis.
HarperCollins, 2024.
ISBN 9780061827280.
Rabbit, from Not-a-box, attempts to keep their box city to themselves, but has a change of heart. And, with the help of friends, makes a wonderful city to share.
A book in which the message of sharing = great / selfishness = sadness - doesn't override the story.
Beach bummer.
Written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins.
Disney-Hyperion, 2024.
ISBN 9781368090247.
BRUCE!!!!
Poor Bruce. Poor, poor Bruce. For such a grump, he is so easily persuaded by pleading eyes.
I love Bruce. I identify with Bruce.
A rainy dragon day.
Written and illustrated by Julie Völk. Translated from the German by Melody Shaw.
Original title: Drachenregentage.
Gecko Press, 2024.
ISBN 9781776575794.
A toilet book that I'd happily read at storytime. Yes, this is a book that deals - mostly - with where dragons go to the toilet.
This is an interesting question.
Another question is: are Germans more open / relaxed about toilet routines than those of English heritage? I don't live in the UK, but my ancestors did. I live in colonised Aotearoa New Zealand, which has inherited many English hang-ups. Including toileting.
This is not the first Germanic-area book I've read, in which the human is shown on the toilet, with toilet noises.
Michael Morpurgo presents Owl or Pussycat?
With set design by Polly Dunbar.
David Fickling Books, 2020.
ISBN 9781788450720.
A delightful story of school firsts, including childhood crushes, and stage fright.
Polly Dunbar's set design is as warm and cuddly as the story.
Stegosaurus makes its way home.
Written by Elizabeth Gilbert Bedia.
Illustrated by Marie Bollmann.
Dorling Kindersley, 2024.
ISBN 9780241636695.
Although a bit longer for my regular storytime, there's a few dinosaur-loving preschools in my area, that this would be perfect for.
This is a solid example of non-fiction facts woven into a story, without lessening the story itself.
The boy who said wow.
Written by Todd Boss.
Art by Rashin Kheiriyeh.
Beach Lane Books, 2024.
ISBN 9781534499713.
A true story of a non-verbal child, who's heartfelt 'wow' at the end of an orchestral concert was recorded, and wowed so many.
The last zookeeper.
Written and illustrated by Aaron Becker.
Walker Books, 2024.
ISBN 9781529517873.
A magical wordless book, the tale of Nöa, the robot, and their mission to rescue the animals under their care, as their part of the world succumbs to rising sea levels.
The detail of the tiger in a cage, as the only predator, is a nice touch. There is no sign of the tiger at the end, however they must be there somewhere.
There's nothing cuter than a puppy.
Written by Tom Nicoll.
Illustrated by Ross Collins.
Macmillan Children's, 2024.
ISBN 9781035029327.
Alliteration is the name of this game, with increasingly bizarre combinations of animals and clothing. Perfect to read for speech therapy and pronunciation practise.
Agatha May and the anglerfish.
Writtey by Nora Morrison and Jessie Ann Foley.
Illustrated by Mika Song.
Dial Books for Young Readers, 2022.
ISBN 9780593324752.
Rhyming text. Agatha moves to her own beat.
I picked this because the anglerfish was my favourite in a book we had. It was so scary and ugly - and I loved it. (I mentioned to this book to a couple of my siblings, and they were terrified and couldn't even look at the book as children.)
I found a story of a child who doesn't fit, but also a teacher who cares and knows the child will achieve their dreams.
Merdaddy.
Written and illustrated by Wednesday Kirwan.
Greenwillow Books, 2024.
ISBN 9780063280274.
Collage forms the vase of the art work.
A tale of fun and connection between a father and child.
A tale of imagination and play.
The gecko and the echo.
Written by Rachel Bright.
Illustrated by Jim Field.
Orchard Books, 2022.
ISBN 9781408356067.
Rhyming text in a moralistic tale of sharing and giving out love, to receive in return.
No cats in the library.
Written and illustrated by Lauren Emmons.
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2024.
ISBN 9781665933681.
I wish my library had a read-aloud cat.
Diverse characters, including in a wheelchair, and different body types, populate this tale of an inner-city library. Illustrated in shades of oranges and turquoise.
