It’s a new year which means it’s the perfect time for new reading material for all the little, (and not so little), people in your life so here are Mini Travellers Children’s Book Recommendations for January 2019.
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Picture books
The Extraordinary Gardener by Sam Boughton (Tate Publishing)
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Joe is a small boy who dreams of filling his city with beautiful plants and creatures. So one day he plants a seed on his balcony to make his dreams come true. This is a beautiful book about nature and the power of imagination.
Grandma Bird by Benji Davies (Simon & Schuster)
Noi is spending the summer at Grandma’s house, but Grandma lives on a tiny, windy island in the middle of the sea and she’s always too busy to play. So Noi goes off to explore by himself but then a storm strikes and he finds himself stranded. With charming illustrations and a dramatic rescue, this is the latest story by the creator of The Storm Whale.
Perfectly Polite Penguins by Georgiana Deutsch and Ekaterina Trukhan (Little Tiger Press)
Penguins are always perfectly polite, well apart from Polly. But when the other penguins decide they don’t want to be polite either, chaos ensues! Packed full of humour (and penguins), this is a very funny story about manners.
5-8 year olds
Egypt Magnified by David Long and Harry Bloom (Wide Eyed Editions)
With a magnifying glass that can be used to explore the detailed artwork and search for items on each page, this book has already proven to be a big hit in my house. Perfect for learning about ancient Egypt, this book is packed full of information about everything from pyramids, to mummies and pharaohs.
The Sound of Magic: Cinderella by Sanna Mander (Lincon Children’s Books)
This re-telling of Cinderella is brought to life with striking illustrations and a magical wand which makes sounds when tapped over the pages. My 4 year old absolutely loved waving the wand as we read the story together.
My First Book of London by Ingela P Arrhenius (Walker Studio)
With stunning illustrations this is a fantastic way to explore all the famous sights in London from the London Eye to the Tower of London. My boys love reading this and learning more about our capital city.
8-12 years
A Darkness of Dragons by S.A. Patrick (Usborne Publishing)
When Patch is thrown in jail for playing a forbidden spell, he meets Wren, a girl cursed to live as a rat. Together with a fire-breathing dracogriff, these three unlikely friends find themselves determined to stop the evil Piper of Hamelyn who is on the loose once again. This is an epic reimagining of the classic story of the Pied Pieper of Hamelyn packed with song-spells, dragons and battles.
Little Bird Flies by Karen McCombie (Noisy Crow)
Bridie has always loved the remote Scottish island she lives on, even though she secretly dreams of life in America. But when her family struggle under the cruelty of their new Laird, they are forced to find a way to escape. With a feisty heroine, this beautifully written, gripping tale is the first in a new series.
Magical Myths and Legends chosen by Michael Morpurgo (Oxford University Press)
Collated by Michael Morpurgo this is a fantastic collection of magical stories retold by different authors featuring characters including Mulan, Thor and Robin Hood. With illustrations, and stories of varying lengths, this is perfect for children to read alone or share with an adult.
Young Adult
Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus (Penguin)
Echo Ridge is a small town that keeps losing its homecoming queens. Now there are two murders, both unsolved and the killer claims to be coming back. Ellery has just moved to Echo Ridge to live with her Gran but soon starts to discover just how deep some of the town’s secrets are buried. Packed with intrigue, this gripping thriller is a real page-turner.
Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman (Walker Books)
When a California drought quickly escalates until the taps run dry, a group of teens is forced to make life and death decisions to survive. I got completely swept up in this powerful story and it left me wondering about our own water supply in light of climate change.
The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke (Simon and Schuster Children’s)
Frey and her friends are Boneless Mercies, death-traders hired to kill quickly and mercifully. It’s a job that only women will do but Frey’s blood cries out for glory. When she hears of a monster attacking a northen jarldom, she decides it could be the Mercies chance to change their fate, but it will come at a price. I absolutely loved this epic tale with its strong, fierce heroines and would highly recommend it.
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A mum of two, Naomi Jones spent eight years working for Children’s Publishers in London and now works as a freelance writer, editor and children’s publishing professional.