Top summer reads for children

She says: “There’s been research that shows your phone is toxic; psychologically they draw you in and change the way your brain works. Children end up with a really short attention span. I think a lot of mental health issues in teenagers are to do with social media and they could improve that if they would read.” Nicola is also concerned that schools are no longer stocking their libraries as they once did and this will have a knock-on effect in the future. As she explains: “Education is about more than facts and figures, but schools have no money in their budgets for books and public libraries are closing. Reading teaches empathy and feelings and how the world works. We are more wellrounded people if we read; fiction takes us out of ourselves.” One of the local authors supported by Nicola is Harry Heape, whose first book, Shiny Pippin and the Broken Forest, was published in January this year. Harry, who lives in Calderdale and works for Suma Wholefoods in Elland, started writing eight years ago and was inspired by Andy Stanton’s Mr Gum books, which he read to his three daughters when they were young.

“I didn’t know what I was doing when I started,” says Harry, “but I took a lot of advice, did a lot of research and got a lot of feedback. I feel that I have learned a huge amount. I found an agent, who got me a publishing deal and when I started working with a publisher I had the mindset that they have produced hundreds of books and I have just written one.”

With his first book under his belt he visited the Children’s Bookshop, which he describes as “an Aladdin’s cave”, and was invited to meet young members of Nicola’s book club. He now talks at literary festivals, in schools and libraries up and down the country. His second book, Shiny Pippin and the Monkey Burglars, is due out in August.

Nicola says she’s often approached by would-be authors, many of whom have selfpublished, and her advice to them is to do as Harry did and research what is already out there. As she explains: “Publishers are experts in their fields and know how to produce a book. Authors need to realise what they’re up against; there are a lot of high quality children’s books.”

So anyone who feels inspired to write about Willow the rescue hound, now bookshop dog, needs to do their homework first.

The Children’s Bookshop is hosting a special event at Lindley Library on Friday, June 29, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the publication of The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr. The tiger-themed picnic in the library garden, from 5.30pm until 7pm, is part of the Lindley Carnival weekend festivities.

The story of two holes who have nowhere to live. Nobody ever wants a hole! This is a clever and funny story about finding your place in the world.

Terry is a rather ordinary fish. The shiny, fancy tropical fish won’t have anything to do with him. Terry makes himself a tropical costume and soon finds he’s in with the crowd.