Telling tales Anatomicum
Emily Rhodes selects 10 new children’s books for Christmas
Three Little Monkeys Ride Again
Quentin Blake; illustrations by Emma Chichester Clark (Harpercollins, £12.99) Age 3–5 When Hilda Snibbs takes her three naughty monkeys to visit her mother in the countryside, mayhem is sure to ensue. This winning combination of Quentin Blake’s anarchic storytelling and rich, mixed-media illustrations by Emma Chichester Clark is the pair’s second book about Hilda Snibbs and her mischievous trio, destined to become classic picture-book characters.
Gaspard the Fox
Zeb Soanes; illustrations by James Mayhew (Graffeg, £12.99) Age 3–5 The BBC’S Zeb Soanes was inspired to write about Gaspard after he helped care for an injured urban fox and formed such a bond that she became a regular visitor to his London home. In this charming tale, Gaspard goes on an adventure one evening, in search of his supper. On his travels, he meets Peter the cat and Flinty the dog, who help him navigate a canal, with its colourful boats and people, some of whom are friendlier than others. This gentle urban adventure is brought to life by James Mayhew’s expressive illustrations.
Starbird
Sharon King-chai (Two Hoots, £12.99) Age 3–7 Intricate illustrations of plants and animals fill the pages of this exquisite book, a lyrical folk tale about love and freedom in which the magical Starbird tries to escape from the Moon King.
The Most Beautiful Ballets
Elodie Fondacci; illustrations by Gemma Roman (Auzou, £20) Age 6–12
This enchanting 3D sound book uses gorgeous papercut illustrations to recreate scenes from the ballet stage. A button on each page plays orchestral extracts from favourites, including Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty. A beautiful gift that will capture the imagination of any young ballet lover.
Kind
Alison Green and Axel Scheffler (Alison Green Books, £12.99) Age 3–8 This collaboration by top illustrators is an inspiring book about the many ways that children can be kind. Thoughtful ideas include sharing toys and helping those from other countries to feel welcome, with the aim of reminding children and grown-ups that even the smallest acts of kindness can make a positive impact. One pound from each sale goes to the charity Three Peas, which helps refugees from war-torn countries.
Jennifer Z. Paxton and Katy Wiedemann (Big Picture Press, £25) Age 7–9 The latest offering from the awardwinning ‘Welcome to the Museum’ series provides a feast of anatomical knowledge as it guides readers through the human body, explaining everything from how the brain works to how we use muscles to show emotion. A huge, impressive book that will fascinate any budding scientist or doctor.
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse Charles Mackesy (Ebury, £16.99) Age 7+ The hit book of the season, this celebration of friendship will resonate with children and adults alike. Charles Mackesy, a cartoonist for The Spectator, explores powerful emotions and ideas in a series of heartfelt illustrated conversations between a boy and his animal friends. In one particularly moving moment, which became an online sensation, the horse confesses that the bravest thing he’s ever done is to ask for help.
We are Artists
Kari Herbert (Thames & Hudson, £14.95) Age 10–13 In this inspiring, smartly illustrated book, the author celebrates 15 women artists—including
Frida Kahlo, Tove Jansson and Georgia O’keeffe—and explores how they ‘made their mark on the world’. Through stories about their lives, she looks at how each artist’s unique approach made an impact both on the art scene and on the wider world. In the vein of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, the book introduces creative role models to give children the confidence to be different.
Guardians of Magic
Chris Riddell (Macmillan, £12.99) Age 8–12 This inventive fantasy adventure is the first book in a new ‘Cloud Horse Chronicles’ series by awardwinning author and cartoonist Chris Riddell. It’s a thrilling tale of good versus evil that sees three brave children fighting to protect the future of magic from some dangerous enemies.
The Good Thieves
Katherine Rundell (Bloomsbury, £12.99) Age 9–12 Vita Marlowe arrives in New York from England and soon befriends a pickpocket and two aspiring circus performers who live in Carnegie Hall. They embark on a quest to get back the home of her beloved grandfather from a sinister conman. The Good Thieves is a pacy and satisfying tale written with the imaginative flair that one has come to expect from this superb storyteller.