Welcome to this latest round up of what has been happening in the world of children’s books over the last month, plus details of some book related events to look forward to. There has been such a wide range of articles, discussions and comment over the last few weeks that it would be impossible to include it all but I do hope that this selection of links and reviews will be helpful to you.

In addition to the links below I would particularly like to draw attention to #WitchWeek24. This annual event is on this occasion celebrating the books written by award winning author Joan Aiken, to mark her centenary this year. Organised by Chris Lovegrove, over a period of nine days there are daily postings highlighting different aspects of this highly regarded author’s work. Please do visit his blog here to find out more about the event. The opening post featured a fascinating insight into Joan Aiken’s childhood and early career by her daughter Lizza Aiken. I will be taking part on Wednesday sharing some thoughts on A Necklace of Raindrops and Other Stories, a collection in which the author collaborated with much loved illustrator Jan Pieńkowski.

What I’m reading…

Shadow Creatures by Chris Vick is inspired by his own family history and provides insights into life under the Nazi regime in Norway during World War 2. This is powerful historical fiction drawing on oral history passed down through the generations, using the memories of those alive at the time to highlight the resilience of ordinary people experiencing occupation. I found Shadow Creatures an illuminating and powerful read and would recommend it for children of about 12+. This would be an excellent book for use in the classroom as part of the history curriculum and would also appeal to readers who enjoy historical fiction. You can read my review here.

This week I read a highly entertaining and original debut by teacher Jack Jackman. Maisie vs Antarctica is the first in a new series featuring a likable father and daughter duo and perfect for adventure lovers of about 9+. Masie thinks that her Dad is possibly the most boring person in the world but when a babysitter lets him down at the last moment he reluctantly takes his daughter on a trip to Antarctica via Argentina, Once there Masie starts to wonder if there is more to her father than she realised. Crash landing on the ice and escaping from a leopard seal are only the start of the thrills and danger they face together. I really liked the balance between humour and adventure and the close relationship of the two main characters. A thoroughly enjoyable read, Maisie vs Antarctica is published by Nosy Crow with an eye catching cover by Marco Guadalupi. I should like to thank Hannah Prutton for my review copy.

Last but definitely not least my two year old grandson has started to develop his own personal taste in books. On the days when I look after him there is, as you would expect, a basket of books close at hand and I used to work my way through a few with him happily listening, lifting flaps and so on. Over the last couple of weeks he has rummaged through the basket himself, each time selecting The Whales on the Bus by by Katrina Charman illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Each group of creatures mentioned carries on with their chosen activity ‘all day long’. A certain little person is now only happy if I sing this book to him ‘all day long’. A definite hit!

News, articles and resources…

National Non-Fiction November – National Non-Fiction November is the Federation of Children’s Book Groups’ annual celebration of all things factual. The theme for NNFN2024 is ‘Why Don’t You?’ which aims to stimulate discussion about hobbies and leisure activities and to encourage children to try something new. The FCBG have organised a competition for children who are invited to create a short ‘advert’ for their hobby. A booklet of ideas has been created to support book groups, libraries, teachers and families and a special book list will be available soon. Do have a look at the FCBG website to find out more. You may find this comprehensive list of information titles compiled by LoveReading4Kids helpful too.

Michael Rosen Day – on Tuesday 12 November there will be a special day of poetry, stories and creativity to celebrate 50 years since Michael’s first book. You can join Michael in  a special online appearance, hosted by the amazing MC Grammar at 10am on 12th November and there is a special resource pack for you to download too. The organisers are hoping to see as many schools and libraries as possible joining in the fun.

Empathy Action Month – Every November, Empathy Lab help young people focus on ways to make a difference, and reflect on the Empathy Resolutions made for Empathy Day. They want to encourage everyone to make every day an Empathy Day, and to keep taking steps to build a better, more empathetic world. There is a different theme for each week of the month with ideas to inspire young people plus additional resources and book lists.

Tom Palmer’s Remembrance Day Resources – This year’s Remembrance Sunday will be marked on 10^th November, with Armistice Day on Monday 11^th November 2024. To help schools mark the occasion and link it to developing literacy in the classroom, Tom Palmer will be offering free resources for schools to use based around his books. These resources include a film featuring Tom at one of the sites at which an allied aircraft crashed during WW2 and a live virtual event on 11th November incorporating art, music, poetry and veteran interviews. Huge thanks to Tom for the time and effort he puts into creating these free resources.

Literacy Hive November Calendar – this is an excellent way to ensure that you don’t miss out on any special book related events over the coming month. Sian Hardy has collated a veritable treasure trove of resources on her website and it is both useful and easy to navigate. Highly recommended for schools.

Vote in this year’s Books Are My Bag Readers Awards – it is possible to cast your vote in this year’s Books Are My Bag Readers Awards via the website linked above but you only have until 11.59pm on Sunday 3rd November so you’ll have to be speedy! The six shortlists include books by beloved, bestselling authors and poets. There are four titles in both the YA and children’s categories to choose from so do have a look and vote if you can.

The Disgraceful History of Nursery Rhymes: How to Make Reading Fun – At the Centre of Literacy for Primary Education on Monday, November 11th 6 – 8pm. author and child psychologist Nick Tucker discusses why nursery rhymes have played such an important and occasionally controversial role in early childhood as part of an oral culture. The talk will be followed by Q and A and signing of their book Nursery Rhymes with Pictures by Robert Lacey and Ben Coppin. Tickets free on a first come first serve basis. 

Live talk and Q&A with the Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2024-2026 Frank Cottrell-Boyce – Bring the Waterstones Children’s Laureate directly into your classroom! Schools can register to join this free Book Trust special virtual visit, allowing children to ask the new Laureate questions and find out more about them. Thursday 21 November 11am start (45 – 60 mins max) Suitable for: Year groups 5, 6 and 7.

Winner of the Little Rebels Award Announced – The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries: Portraits and Poison by J T Williams with illustrations by Simone Douglas, is the winner of the 2024 Little Rebels Award. Many congratulations! I thoroughly enjoyed this book so am delighted that it has been selected by the judging panel. You can find out more about this award and the shortlisted titles on the official website above.

The (Incomplete) Lit in Colour Book List – this excellent resource from Penguin Books offers a snapshot of exciting new texts that have just been published and spotlights older classic texts to support
teachers and young people diversify their reading. This is the list suitable for the primary age group.

The Book Trust Great Books Guide 2024-25: best new children’s books – Here are 100 books from the last year that the Book Trust team think are great. Books are grouped together by interest age and you can browse the suggestions on the website or download the free guide as a PDF.

An Audience with Mac Barnett – if you missed the excellent chat between Nikki Gamble and Mac Barnett I can highly recommend watching the recording via the link above. Their discussion included talk about Mac’s book La Porta Segreta, the craft of writing children’s books and why children are his ideal readers.

THE JOY BRINGERS: An interview with Karin Celestine – author Ian Eagleton interviews Karin Celestine about her new book, the third in a series based around the season suitable for both children and adults. Karen says that she wants to encourage people “to remember to stop and notice the small joys in their days even, or especially. when times are tough, and to bring some joy to others too.” This lovely interview is today’s “small joy.” 

The Lion, The Witch and The Wonder by Katherine Rundell – in a series of five original essays for BBC Radio 4, award-winning writer Katherine Rundell explores the world of children’s fiction in a journey that reveals its fundamental importance to us all. All five episodes are now available to listen to. It’s great to see children’s books featured in the mainstream media.

Small Stories of Great Artists by Laurence Anholt – a poignant but lovely interview for the Federation of Children’s Book Groups. Laurence Anholt’s picture books about the great artists were popular in the school library for many years and I have no doubt that his new anthology will be enjoyed by many.

SLA Announcement – Alison Tarrant’s Departure – I should like to add my voice to the many who have expressed their gratitude to Alison Tarrant for all she has done over the last six years representing school librarians and libraries. During a challenging period Alison has supported and promoted the SLA members and school libraries in general through the Great School Libraries campaign and always with good cheer. She will be much missed.

Just Imagine: A Symphony of Stories – A Symphony of Stories is James Mayhew’s second book of stories inspired by classical music. It includes The Carnival of the Animals, The Four Seasons, The Sunken Cathedral, The Planets, The Butterfly Lovers, and The Firebird. In this recording of an interview that took place last month, James discusses his musical research and creative decisions when writing the stories and creating the images. I have earmarked some time this weekend to catch up with this.

Children’s and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels – Spellbinding witches; memories of home; treasure hunters; fake facts; fearsome creatures; a great guide to graphic art and more are among the themes covered in the latest selection of new book chosen by Imogen Russell Williams.

National Literacy Trust: Inclusive Libraries Conference – the inaugural Inclusive Libraries conference took place at the start of September 2024, running both in Leeds and London. The National Literacy Trust have made recordings of the keynote speakers and panel discussion available on their website, linked above. You can also download a talking points resource and read a blogpost about the conference by Dawn Woods Member Development Librarian for the School Library Association.

Book Clubs in Schools: Mostly Book Talk – Ali Palmer and Katy Donnelly from Book Clubs in Schools produce a podcast about children and teenagers’ reading for pleasure. hatting to authors, teachers, librarians about middle grade and YA books to share new releases and chat about the books we are reading. Episode 13 is out now and features an interview with J. P Rose about Birdie and Anthony McGowan about Dogs of the Deadlands. 

Book Clubs in Schools: Picture Book Club – a new venture from Book Clubs in Schools which provides all the materials you need to run a peer led book club in a primary school encouraging oracy and informal book talk – Y5s leading small book clubs for Y1s. Schools are provided with a box of 15 picture books, carefully selected to give a diverse range of authors and styles. There is a simple training session planned for teachers to deliver to the older children selected to lead the book clubs plus stickers, bookmarks and a small booklet for the younger pupils to complete – three boxes to choose from and each box costs £125 including UK postage.

The Reader Teacher: November 2024 Children’s Books I’m Most Excited About – Scott Evan’s monthly videos are a good way of keeping up to date with what is being published at the moment. His selection for November includes King Winter’s Birthday by Jonathan Freedland and illustrated by Emily Sutton which looks beautiful.

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award: Nominated Candidates for 2025 – this global award is given annually to a person or organisation for their outstanding contribution to children’s and young adult literature and the laureates are selected by a twelve-member expert jury. Candidates are nominated by organisations and institutions from all over the world. A total of 265 candidates from 72 countries and regions have been nominated for the 2025 award. The full list is available to view via the link above. If you are active on Twitter (X) Mat Tobin, @Mat_at_Brookes, is spotlighting this important award so I would suggest you follow him and #CelebratingALMA to find out more.

Finally, some book reviews that caught my eye recently…

Fly: A Child’s Guide to Birds and How to Spot Them by David Lindo illustrated by Sara Boccaccini Meadows – this is a lovely review by Jo Bowers for Just Imagine and I wanted to highlight some information books as we are celebrating non-fiction this month. One of a series of books published by Magic Cat Publishing, Jo says that Fly is a beautifully illustrated nonfiction book packed with information; a book to stimulate children’s curiosity about birds.

The Story of Britain’s Black Nurses by K. N. Chimbiri – another great information book this time from Scholastic. The final paragraph of Veronica Price’s helpful review tells us all we need to know: “I whole-heartedly recommend this book to primary and secondary school librarians and hope that it will inspire gratitude towards those who work so hard to improve the health of our nation, and perhaps inspire a future generation of nurses and healthcare professionals.”

The Boy Who Cried Ghost by Ian Eagleton – not only a review but also an excellent Q&A with the author. Thank you to Nicki Cleveland for her great review, her pupils for their thoughtful questions and Ian Eagleton for the care with which he answered them. A perfect blogpost for Empathy Action Month.

There is quite a lot to get through this month, I know, but I do hope that something included here will be helpful or interesting to you. Happy reading and I hope to produce a special festive issue next month.