It is unusual to come across a picture book that one feels so strongly about that one wants everyone – whatever their age – to read it. There could be no better way of introducing children to what it is like to be a refugee child in Britain than Azzi in Between by Sarah Garland (Frances Lincoln £12.99), one of the most involving stories I have read in a while. Garland treats her subject with unpatronising, well-informed sensitivity. We start in Azzi's whitewashed home in a war-torn country and follow her to a British hostel and a kind yet – at first – alien primary school, and we witness her father's abject despair at not being allowed to work. Azzi finds some beans under sofa cushions, spilt from her father's bag. She plants them and they grow, as does the family's sense of security. It is a story that is itself a spilling of beans – in the very best sense. (All ages)

Another book daring to address a difficult and painful childhood experience is When Dad Was Away by Liz Weir and Karin Littlewood (Frances Lincoln £11.99). This describes a little girl's humiliation after her father is sent to prison. Psychologically, it seems spot-on (the girl has to be reassured that her father's fate is not her fault). The illustrations have an attractive gravity and naturalness, and the prison scenes are impressively clear and sobering. It will be an educative and absorbing read for children lucky enough not to be sharing this experience and indispensable for those who are (providing their fathers – or mothers – are not in for life). (5+)

Pot-san's Tabletop Tales by Satoshi Kitamura (Andersen £10.99) brings lightest of light relief. Pot-san is a little teapot (short and stout). The top of his lid resembles a cherry, his spout a gone-wrong nose. He is in a neurotic state, fussing about a new teacup who is about to arrive. This gives Kitamura glorious occasion to draw a whole crowd of rivalrous cups. It is the first of several forays into teatime frivolity involving flying saucers and trays and the alarming arrival of a tall, alarming personage called Miss Salt. Take it with a pinch of salt – but don't miss it. (3-4)

And if playful flights of fancy are your thing, then Toys in Space by Mini Grey (Jonathan Cape £10.99) is another winner. Grey has the rare ability to be at once crystal clear and offbeat. Her beautifully constructed narrative starts with forlorn, frightened toys left out at night in a summer garden. One of them – the scruffy Wonder Doll – cheers them up with the amazing story of a spaceship which turns out to contain hundreds of lost toys, like prisoners of war. Happily, we are about to oversee their liberation. The story is illustrated with Grey's inimitable bizarre zest and is absorbing, unpredictable and engaging. (4+)

There is not an adult alive who will not sympathise with the sudden "power failure" of the hero in Melric: The Magician Who Lost His Magic by David McKee (Andersen Press £10.99). He goes to his sister, a witch, to try and get his magic back. For all her best efforts, she can't help and the only person who can, "wise Kra", gives him a lecture explaining that he needs to use his magic differently. By helping people too much, he has not helped them at all. This is more than a hint, it is a lesson to be digested by parents who do too much for their children. And it is a wonderfully involving tale for children themselves, who will love the story of Melric, resplendent in his red and gold starry gown but suffering from magician's block. (4+)

What this batch of books teaches is that happiness is often humble and does not need magic to fortify it. Anna Hibiscus' Song by Atinuke, and illustrated by Lauren Tobia (Walker £11.99), is a story of sizzling happiness that starts small and grows irrepressibly. Anna lives in Africa and is so happy she does not know what to do with herself. Her township is beautifully drawn – lush greenery, fruit trees and dust – and her relatives are all ready to share their secrets about what they do when they are happy. Dancing, yam-pounding and hand-holding ensues. But the answer that eventually shows Anna what to do with her happiness is surprising. A book to put – and keep – a smile on your face. (2+)