July has seen some exciting releases of picture books, and we are excited to share our top picks with you! From pirating adventures to stories of the classic Clarice Bean, this month’s line-up of picture books are full of best-sellers and illustrations by acclaimed artists.
Hedgehog and Goat – Paula Green
Illustrated by Kimberley Andrews
A charming illustrated chapter book for children six years and up about friendship and finding the magic in the everyday. A delightful illustrated novel for children about a goat and a hedgehog who meet in a farm field and become best friends. Goat has a tiny pink shed in a rolling paddock. She likes to stand on top of the little shed and dream of meeting other goats in other paddocks. Sometimes she looks at the sky and imagines the clouds are her friends, especially when they look like goats bouncing and bounding in their sky paddocks. Most of the time Goat is lonely. She wishes the family in the pink house at the top of the hill would find another goat for the paddock. A best friend goat. One day, while Goat is looking at the sky and dreaming of having a best friend, she hears a strange squeaky sound coming from a ball of prickles. Goat realises it’s a hedgehog, and that the strange squeaky noise is crying. This is the beginning of a most unexpected friendship, which somehow works even though Goat is a creature of the day and Hedgehog prefers the night. Life in the paddock is never boring now they can watch the clouds together, and from time to time they are joined by visitors. Even though the two characters never leave their paddock, excitement always has a way of finding them. Chock-full of philosophy and rural charm, Little Tales of Hedgehog and Goat is made magical by Paula Green’s prose and Kimberly Andrews’ lively illustrations. It’s a perfect bedtime chapter book to be enjoyed by child and adult, and all fans of Winnie the Pooh, the Wind in the Willows and Snake and Lizard.
Clarice Bean: Scram! – Lauren Child
The exceptionordinary, effervescent Clarice Bean is back with her trademark heart and humour in this beautifully illustrated story by former Children’s Laureate Lauren Child. A delightful summer read for the entire family!
Where? – Jordan Collins
Illustrated by Phil Lesnie
‘Where are you from?’ they say.
What they mean is,
‘Why is your skin that colour?’
‘Why does your hair look like that?’
I am from the mountains,
The seas and the sky.
I am from children of millions of years,
A timeline of humanity.
I am from this planet
And all others.
A heartfelt picture book that challenges racism from an exciting new voice that is both a cry of pain and a demonstration of inner strength, which takes us on an intergalactic journey past collapsing stars and glowing nebulae to remind us not of our differences but of our shared humanity.
How Can We Be Kind? – Janet Halfmann
Illustrated by Darla Okada
This special book asks children a simple question: How Can We Be Kind? The answer is: by learning from the animal kingdom ! Animals demonstrate kindness and empathy towards each other, so children can learn how to be welcoming like capybaras, who let other animals sit on top of them while they wallow in mud. Or perhaps they might want to be like dolphins, who guide other species to their destinations. Or maybe they would like to work together like ants and bees, share what they have like bats or stick up for their friends like zebras. This sweet and thoughtful book is both a celebration of the animal world and a manifesto for being kind in everyday life.
The Sea Below my Toes – Charlotte Guillain
Illustrated by Jo Empson
From the Look Closer series, this richly illustrated concertina book takes you on a journey through the deep dark waters, all the way down to the seabed, before floating back up to the surface.
A follow-up to The Street Beneath My Feet, The Skies Above My Eyes and The World Around Me, this visually stunning book ventures to the very bottom of the sea on a journey of discovery.
Through the waves and into the deep, you’ll spot all kinds of weird and wonderful marine creatures, explore the seabed and discover the impact humans have had on the underwater world.
As you dive below the surface, past sea otters playing in fields of giant kelp, you will see sea lions and shoals of mackerel playing in the shallows, before passing orcas hunting in pods in the deeper water.
As well as animals, discover the technology which is used under the sea, from scuba breathing apparatus to oil pipelines and deep sea submarines.
As you reach the very bottom of the sea, the ‘twilight zone’ where very little light can filter through, you will meet the mysterious creatures of the deep such as Lanternfish and the luminous swell shark.
This book is part of the Look Closer series, a set of concertina books which help teach us about the mysteries which can be found in the world around us.
What Do You See When You Look at a Tree? – Emma Carlisle
Willa and Woof 1: Mimi is Missing – Jacqueline Harvey
Adventure, imagination and loads of fun.
From the bestselling author of Alice-Miranda comes this humorous and heartfelt series about eight-year-old Willa and her best four-legged friend, Woof!
Willa’s in trouble. Mimi – the famous racing pigeon owned by Frank, her neighbour and best old-aged friend – is missing. And Willa is pretty sure she’s the one who left the cage door open . . .
She’ll need her most creative ideas (along with the help of Tae, her best same-age friend, and her trusty sidekick Woof, the albino Irish Wolfhound) to track Mimi down before Frank finds out!
Can Willa find Mimi before it’s too late?
Small’s Big Dream – Manjeet Mann
Small lived in a small house.
She had a small room
with a small window
and at night
she slept in a small bed
with a too small blanket.
Despite being small,
Small had BIG dreams.
In Small’s world, everything is small – her shoes, her bed, everything. But her dreams are big. And Small discovers that when you dream big, anything – and everything – can happen.
Small’s Big Dream is the first picture book from Manjeet Mann, with artwork by exciting debut illustrator Amanda Quartey. Manjeet Mann is the author of the Costa Children’s Book Award winning The Crossing and critically acclaimed and Carnegie-shortlisted Run, Rebel.
