Picture books this month range from the anarchic to the meditative. Elys Dolan, award-winning author-illustrator of Mr Bunny’s Chocolate Factory, returns with Super Snail (Hodder), the tale of an ordinary slug with extraordinary ambitions. When Kevin dons his shell, he becomes Super Snail – but hampered by his slowness and slime, how can he prove himself to the League of Heroes? Dry asides from Kevin’s owl butler lend additional humour to this superbly silly story.
From Flying Eye, Joe Todd-Stanton’s A Mouse Called Julian offers Brambly Hedge-style charm spiced with a pinch of peril. Julian, a solitary mouse, regrets his aloofness when a fox breaks into his home, determined to eat him – but fox and mouse become unlikely friends. Cross section illustrations of glowing, cosy rooms, slyly funny dialogue and a nuanced happy ending add up to a picture book as warm as a candle-lit burrow.
The Lost Book (Andersen) by Margarita Surnaite is a mysterious, entrancing debut. Henry lives in Rabbit Town, surrounded by bibliophile bunnies – but Henry much prefers real-world adventures, until he finds the lost book of the title. His search for its home takes him through a hedgerow into a flat, muted world, where people are too busy with their devices to notice Henry or the book – except for one little girl, who befriends him. This is another lovely picture book for children who like to immerse themselves in other worlds.
For five-plus, Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet (Hachette) features Zanib Mian’s zany text, enhanced by Nasaya Mafaridik’s comics-style illustrations. Omar’s wild imagination sometimes gets the better of him, especially when he has to move house and school at the same time, and bully Daniel seems determined to annoy him – but Omar has a knack for landing on his feet, even when he and Daniel get lost on a school trip to the Science Museum. This is the first in a series that should appeal to fans of Tom Gates.
Britta Teckentrup’s My Little Book of Big Questions (Prestel) is ideal for children concerned with philosophical conundrums, especially at bedtime. Featuring her characteristic textured, softly coloured images, it poses a series of questions: what will my life be like? Will I be happy? Do animals think? No answers are forthcoming, but the dreamy spaces of the illustrations give the reader permission to wonder.
Mythical beasts get a down-to-earth treatment in The Secret Lives of Unicorns (Flying Eye), by the similarly fictional Dr Temisa Seraphini, illustrated with panache by Sophie Robin. Unicorn evolution, life cycles and habitats are meticulously detailed in a guide that reads more like wildlife non‑fiction than saccharine fairytale.
For readers of eight and up, fantasy and reality intertwine in a gorgeous debut, Bloom (HarperCollins) by Nicola Skinner. Anxious not to worry her mother, Sorrel has always been a good girl – in fact, she has shoeboxes filled with awards for rule-following. When headteacher Mr Grittysnit announces the chance to win a family holiday for the most obedient pupil, Sorrel knows the prize is hers for the taking. But things go horribly awry when she finds an ancient packet of seeds. Flavia Sorrentino’s vine-like illustrations spiralling out from the centre of the book combine to great effect with Skinner’s assured, funny voice in this compelling story of conformity, rebellion.
Padraig Kenny’s magnificent second novel Pog (Chicken House) also combines fantasy and reality, exploring the dark landscape of childhood grief. When David and Penny, who are mourning the loss of their mother, move to a new home, they don’t expect to find a small furry creature living in their attic. Pog is one of the First Folk, a benevolent being sworn to defend the boundary between worlds – but less well-intentioned entities are also on the rise, insisting to David that his loss can be reversed. Poignant, strange, full of folkloric menace and delight, Pog fulfils the promise of Kenny’s extraordinary debut, Tin.
Sharna Jackson’s first novel, High Rise Mystery (Knights Of), is set on a contemporary London estate where would-be detectives Nik and Norva are facing their first murder. Everyone likes Hugo, antiques dealer and art teacher. But after a furious row at a community meeting, his body is discovered in a skip – and all the evidence points to the girls’ father. Jackson’s voice falters occasionally, but is distinct and original, while her deft characterisation and evocation of place make for a funny, engaging modern mystery.
Teenagers roundup
Home Girl
by Alex Wheatle, Atom, £7.99
Naomi is 14 going on 45, with a vocabulary that makes adults flinch. She has been in the care system since tragedy stole her mother and her father stopped coping, shuttled from family to family, postcode to postcode. She doesn’t trust anyone, especially foster parents. What do they want from her in return for their care? But her mates on the secure unit have her best interests at heart – don’t they? Studded with Wheatle’s characteristic invented slang, Naomi’s story is both heartbreaking and hilarious, offering no easy happy endings, but a flickering sense of hope.
The Hand, the Eye and the Heart
by Zoë Marriott, Walker, £7.99
Zhilan was brought up as female, the daughter of a renowned general badly injured in his last battle. When he is called to war again, Zhilan uses magical qi and martial arts training to take his place, posing as his son, Zhi. Being Zhi, rather than Zhilan, soon feels more like reality than a disguise; but Zhi must navigate attraction to a fellow soldier, battlefield brutality, murderous intrigue and the attentions of a powerful general to survive. Inspired by the story of Mulan, Marriott explores ideas of gender and belonging in this fast-paced novel set in a fairytale China.
Rayne and Delilah’s Midnite Matinee
by Jeff Zentner, Andersen, £7.99
Every Friday night, Rayne Ravenscroft and Delilah Darkwood – AKA teen best friends Delia and Josie – present their public-access TV show dedicated to schlocky low-budget horror movies. Delia’s dad, who left years ago and hasn’t been heard from since, loved horror B-movies too, and the hope that he’ll see it keeps her loyal to the show. Now Josie has been offered the chance to pursue a dream career – but that means leaving Delia behind again. Outrageously funny, with whip-smart, surreal dialogue, this tender portrait of friendship under the strain of inevitable change is an absolute must-read.
