Littlest Librarian

It’s not every day that a children’s book brings the mighty, much-missed Leonard Cohen to mind, but that’s what happened when my daughter and I sat down to read Ed Vere’s latest. Not only is its protagonist a poetry-writing lion named Leonard, he just happens to be best friends with a duck called Marianne (as […]

Picture books are strewn with plucky rodents, none more so than The Spectacular City‘s Mouse. Mouse lives with his best friend Bear in the woods, in a little house in the trunk of a tree. From their window, they can see the glimmer of the city lights, and one evening, Mouse can resist their twinkly […]

Earlier this year, children’s telly veteran Michael Whaite diligently pitched up to the Penguin Random House 2018 showcase, where industry insiders were wooed with tea and cocktails (cupcakes, too), and handed tote bags to fill with classics and new publications alike, all stacked enticingly. But first came the presentations, including a quirky, intensely charming monologue […]

Make it Allan Ahlberg’s latest, Baby On Board. The story is enchanting. A baby is taken to the beach with his big sisters, their friends, and a dog or two. They’ve packed rounds of sandwiches and lashings of lemonade, balls and a kite. It’s the kite that causes all the trouble because when its string […]

I’ll admit it, I’m biased. I’ve been gladly roped into plenty of literary festivals over the years but only one has sent me home with a box of fresh-baked brownies: Henley. Another reason to love the festival is its packed children’s programme. I’ve never understood why so many literary festivals overlook junior readers, but Henley […]

You know you’ve been a literary critic for too long when you start a book at the end. And I don’t mean turning directly to the last page to find out what happens, either. No, I’m talking about the acknowledgements. To the well-trained eye, these thank-you lists – sometimes spare, sometimes gushing – position their […]

It seemed a simple enough task. My daughter currently loves pointing out the differences between what’s hers and what’s mama’s*. Between, for instance, her perfectly proportioned babyccino and my gargantuan vat of sugary warm milk (it’s a decaf latte, okay, and if I sound a little defensive that’s because yes, I am too embarrassed to […]

…even if you can recite the book by heart. 1. Judith Kerr’s beloved tiger turns 50 this month. A little cuddly but certainly no pussy cat – you can tell he’d pounce just like that – this slinky beast owes his verisimilitude to the hours that Kerr put in at London zoo. Nowadays, she Googles […]

She’s harried. There may be scant reference to the world of (paid) work in Hughes’ storybook world but make no mistake about it: these mums are jugglers. She’s bedraggled. Tendrils of hair hang limply as she stirs a pot. There’s never time to iron anything. Her bags are always too full. Her houses look like […]

A lion is a lion is a lion, right? Well yes. Unless… In Polly Dunbar’s brilliant new book, a dapper, smooth-talking lion tries to cloak his true nature. Donning a fedora and blazer, and twirling a scarlet umbrella, the lion – or is he? – parlays his way into the home of a little girl […]