Egg them on to cracking reads
Instead of chocolate, why not treat younger readers to a gift they’ll enjoy over and over again? EMMA LEE-POTTER picks the best new children’s books for the Easter holiday
PICTURE BOOKS
With summer on the horizon, publisher Nosy Crow has teamed up with the National Trust to launch a series of countryside books for children.
In LOOK AND SAY WHAT YOU SEE ON THE FARM (Nosy Crow,
£6.99) illustrator Sebastien Braun guides young readers through life on the farm with clucking hens, cows being milked and pigs rolling in the mud.
Meanwhile, Rosalind Beardshaw’s COLOURS: A WALK IN THE COUNTRYSIDE (Nosy Crow, £6.99) teaches preschoolers about the glorious colours of nature.
Under-fives adore Julia Donaldson’s picture books, especially The Gruffalo and Stick Man. Her latest THE DETECTIVE DOG (Macmillan,
£6.99), follows the adventures of an intrepid dog detective, hot on the tail of a book thief.
Beautifully illustrated by Sara Ogilvie, this rhyming story is perfect for reading aloud. ELLA QUEEN OF JAZZ (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, £11.99) is a captivating tale of music, friendship and courage. Published to mark the centenary of Ella Fitzgerald’s birth, it charts the life of the legendary singer, from her battle to overcome prejudice to her little-known friendship with Marilyn Monroe.
Written by Helen Hancocks and aimed at children of four and up, it’s bound to inspire a new generation of Ella fans.
FIVE PLUS
If you’re looking for an Easterthemed read, DAISY AND THE TROUBLE WITH CHOCOLATE
(Red Fox, £5.99) is just the ticket. Young Daisy Butters has a lot on her plate over the Easter holidays.
She’s looking after the school hamsters, helping with her neighbour’s Easter egg hunt and creating mayhem on a visit to a chocolate factory. Kes Gray’s new adventure is zany and fun. From The Tale Of Peter Rabbit to Watership Down, rabbits feature widely in children’s fiction. THE ROYAL RABBITS OF LONDON (Simon & Schuster,
£6.99), by husband and wife duo Santa Montefiore and Simon Sebag Montefiore, tells the engaging story of Shylo, the weakest bunny in the pack, who longs to join the secret society of rabbits that once lived underneath Buckingham Palace.
This year sees the 75th anniversary of Enid Blyton’s much-loved Famous Five series. All 21 Famous Five stories are being republished to celebrate the occasion, complete with dashing new covers by Laura Ellen Anderson. FIVE ON A TREASURE ISLAND (Hodder Children’s Books, £6.99) is the first story, chronicling the escapades of Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy the dog on Kirrin Island. A new audiobook of Five On A Treasure Island, narrated by Great British Bake Off star Mel Giedroyc, is out in May too.
NINE PLUS
M G Leonard’s acclaimed Beetle Boy was one of my favourite children’s books last year.
The second in the trilogy BEETLE
QUEEN (Chicken House, £6.99) is just as fast moving and gripping as its predecessor, charting the quest of three children and their heroic pet beetles to stop evil fashionista Lucretia Cutter from obliterating the world.
Lucretia, who is part human, part beetle, makes Cruella de Vil seem like a pussycat.
Comedian-turned-children’s author Danny Wallace has built up an enthusiastic following for his stories about 10-year-old Hamish Ellerby who lives in a boring town where nothing ever happens.
Nothing, that is, until Hamish finds his mum and his brother floating on the ceiling, spots
weird seeds falling from the sky and keeps hearing strange burping noises. HAMISH AND THE GRAVITYBURP (Simon & Schuster, £6.99) is quirky, silly and very entertaining. DRAGON’S GREEN (Canongate,
£12.99) is novelist Scarlett Thomas’s first foray into children’s fiction and grips the reader from the very first page.
When Effie Truelove’s beloved grandfather dies, she promises to look after his magical books and embarks on an adventure involving a green hardback called Dragon’s Green, a bun shop that acts as a portal to the mysterious Otherworld and a secret organisation with plans to destroy the universe.
A surefire winner for nine to 12-year-olds – and many older readers too.
TWELVE PLUS
The best books captivate, entertain and make readers think – and Rachael Lucas’s THE STATE OF GRACE
(Macmillan, £6.99) ticks all of these boxes.
Lucas, the author of several novels for grown-ups, tells the story of 15-year-old Grace, a girl with Asperger’s who describes her brain as being like “a million shooting stars flying out in different directions”.
A witty and engaging read about family, friends and first love.
Samantha Shannon got the idea for The Bone Season series while she was a student at Oxford. She was so inspired by the city’s historic buildings that she decided they would be the perfect backdrop for a dystopian fantasy series.
The third book THE SONG RISING (Bloomsbury, £12.99) sees feisty heroine Paige Mahoney take on the dangerous role of Underqueen, ruling over London’s criminal population. For something lighter, SEVEN DAYS OF YOU (Little, Brown, £6.99) is the romantic tale of two teenagers who fall in love in Tokyo. Sophia, who has spent her life moving between different countries and schools, has seven days to spend with Jamie before she has to leave Japan and move to the other side of the world.
Cecilia Vinesse describes her debut novel as “a love letter to Tokyo”.