Enjoy a coruscating cornucopia of laughter, learning and questions, take a fascinating journey through fifty years of epic role-play game Dungeons & Dragons, prepare to be whisked away to a murderous birthday party, and discover some of our best-loved flowers, trees, animals and birds in an autumn selection of new children’s books.
Age 8 plus:
University of Cambridge: There’s No Such Thing as a Silly Question: 213 Weird Questions, Expertly Answered!
Mike Rampton and Guilherme Karsten
Open the pages of this coruscating cornucopia of laughter and learning, and discover the answers to some of your silliest but serious questions! In an inspired partnership between publisher Nosy Crow and the University of Cambridge, the book boffins have created a brilliantly simple question-and-answer format and transformed it into something special through the perfect pairing of author Mike Rampton’s witty writing style and Guilherme Karsten’s endearing and entertaining colour illustrations.
Fact-checked by world-leading experts from across Cambridge University, the book is not just funny but factually accurate and up-to-date, and covers a range of subjects from science, technology, engineering and mathematics to evolution, zoology and social history.
Did you know that there is no set number of bones in the human body, or that most babies are born with around 300 bones but, by the time they’ve grown up, they usually have between 206 and 213. And have you ever wondered whether dinosaurs sneezed, if spiders ever get caught in their own webs, why there are so many types of dog, what fire is made of, what eyebrows are for, how astronauts go to the toilet, who invented chocolate, what’s the largest number in the world, and how penguins tell each other apart?
The answers, and lots of other fascinating facts, are all in this dazzling book which expertly provides answers to 213 of the most unusual, interesting and, yes, silly questions you never thought to ask about the world… which means there’s one for at least every bone in your body!
From the wild to the wacky and the downright weird, this wonderful gift book is a magical mix of imagination, entertainment and information, and guaranteed to inspire curious youngsters to ask their own questions… however silly they might seem!
(Nosy Crow, hardback, £18.99)
Age 9 plus:
Dungeons & Dragons Museum
Hasbro International Inc.
Welcome all adventurers! Take a seat and prepare to enjoy a fun and fascinating journey through fifty years of Dungeons & Dragons, the epic fantasy role-playing game that became a success right across the world.
Unsurprisingly, D&D is often referred to as the single most influential game of all time and now you can step inside the pages of this new addition to the brilliant Welcome to the Museum series and discover a specially curated collection of rarely seen artwork showcasing the key moments in the game’s long history.
During its fifty years of existence, Dungeons & Dragons has impacted everything from the wider gaming industry and its most prevalent streamers to popular TV series like Stranger Things. Illustrated throughout with amazing images, this exciting museum tour captures each stage of the game’s evolution, from its inception in 1974 to the critically acclaimed 2023 movie Honour Among Thieves and the release of Baldur’s Gate III in the same year. Discover how D&D grew out of the wargaming scene in the 1970s and continued to innovate and reincarnate to ensure it remained the definitive tabletop game whilst simultaneously branching out into all other forms of media, from cartoons to books.
Readers will love learning about D&D’s evolution over multiple editions and discovering how the game cast a spell over an ever-expanding fan base. Packed with fantastic colour illustrations and intriguing facts, this beautiful gift book is a must-have for gaming fans of every age.
(Studio Press, hardback, £25)
Age 12 plus:
The World Between the Rain
Susan Cahill
Coping with loss and grief is hard enough for adults but for young people, it can too often be a time of confusion, bewildering sadness and anger. It is also a topic hard to handle in children’s novels but Susan Cahill, an author who grew up by the sea in West Cork, Ireland, tackles this emotive topic head on in a deeply moving and haunting fantasy thriller about grief and letting go of the demons inside yourself.
Marina has vanished to a world of gods and demons just when her family need her most. It’s the week before Halloween and Marina is about to turn thirteen. Her father died a year ago while her mother has strangely fallen asleep and no one can wake her. She is sent to live with her mysterious grandmother, Ursula, who tells her that that you can enter a strange world between the ever falling rain in the west of Ireland. And when she falls between the raindrops, Marina enters Ishka, a haunting watery world full of strange creatures, demons and gods. Meanwhile, in our world, a strange sleeping sickness has taken over. Can Marina escape the World Between the Rain and get back to save her family?
With the ethereal illustrations of Holly Ovenden bringing extra pathos and atmosphere to Marina’s magical experiences, Cahill’s unforgettable and heart-rending coming-of-age tale of friendship, survival, courage and a dream-devouring monster unfolds through a miasma of enthralling magic and mystery. Storytelling at its best…
(Everything With Words, paperback, £8.99)
Age 9 plus:
Portal of Chaos: Adventure Gamebooks
Simon Tudhope and Tom Knight
Choices, choices… do you dare to blast off on an epic adventure where your survival depends on the decisions you make?
Author Simon Tudhope grew up with the fantasy gamebooks of the 1980s and his memories of the dark, enthralling gameworlds, and the chance to set off on an adventure not knowing what dangers lie ahead, inspired him to write his own… and the result is this brilliantly illustrated gamebook series where YOU are the hero.
Portal of Chaos is the new classic ‘choose your own story’ book in the series and is packed with exciting challenges and features choices and decision-making which will delight thrill-seeking youngsters who want to put their own skills and imagination into play.
Fabulously illustrated by Tom Knight, these atmospheric and engrossing gamebooks plunge readers into a story with a difference… one where you can learn to master the exciting combat system by rolling a dice and testing your picture puzzle solving skills.
In this new mission, you’re a bounty hunter and NOT a hero because in your line of work, heroes don’t last long. But now you’ve been given a mission you can’t refuse. Make it out alive, and you’ll never need to work again. Fail, and, well… you’ll never need to work again. And so, staring up at the stars from the cockpit of your spaceship, you blast off on an epic adventure where every choice is yours, and your survival depends upon the decisions you make. Who to fight? Who to trust? In a book where nothing is as it seems, you find yourself grappling with forces beyond your darkest dreams. And you realise it’s not just your fate hanging in the balance. No, the universe needs a hero… and like it or not, that hero is you!
Full of puzzles to solve and choices to make, each one leading to different adventures and endings, Portal of Chaos brings together a thrilling story full of emotion and humour, richly detailed illustrations, ingenious picture puzzles, and a fascinating dice-based combat system with a QR code to an online dice-roller.
A full-on adventure full of chases, challenges and choices that is guaranteed to keep youngsters – and particularly reluctant readers – gripped from beginning to end!
(Usborne Publishing, paperback, £7.99)
Age 9 plus:
Murder! By Narwhal!
Alex T. Smith
First off, here’s a clue to the brilliance of a funny and fantastic new murder mystery series… it’s written and illustrated by none other than the ingenious Alex T. Smith, internationally bestselling creator of Claude and Mr Penguin.
Murder! By Narwhal! is the first adventure of Smith’s cosy new Grimacres Whodunnit crime series and marks his impressive arrival into the popular middle-grade market. Brimming with his trademark bold and richly detailed illustrations, this playful, tongue-in-cheek crime caper is guaranteed to steal the hearts of readers young and old.
So get ready to be whisked away to the country estate of tyrannical family patriarch Sir Ignatious Gristle who is murdered on his 90th birthday… and every one of his gathered family members is a suspect. Trapped by a snowstorm with no way to contact the police, it’s up to his mettlesome eleven-year-old granddaughter, the Honourable Edna Gristle, and her trusted tortoise, Charles Darwin, to determine whodunnit! Can Edna and Charles Darwin discover who killed her horrible grandfather before the killer strikes again?
Smith gives youngsters a verbal and visual treat with a fast-paced plot, packed full of weird suspects, head-scratching clues and page-turning twists, and starring the quirkiest cast of characters this side of grisly Grimacres… and all brought to glorious life by his extraordinary illustrations. Murderously exhilarating!
(Hodder Children’s Books, paperback, £8.99)
Age 8 plus:
Feather, Flower, Forest, Fur: Celebrating The Nature That Surrounds Us
Sarah Walden, Caroline Rowlands, Kelsey Collins, Claire LeFevre, Mary Atwood and Claudine Rose
Take an unforgettable journey through nature with this sumptuous gift book which features over 120 pages of stunning illustrations and fascinating facts about some of the best-loved flowers, trees, animals and birds of the northern hemisphere. Wander through verdant forests of trees, spot popular feathered friends as they flit from bush to bush, delight in the springtime blossoms of hedgerows and meadows, and catch a glimpse of our favourite native wildlife. Written by Sarah Walden and Caroline Rowlands, and lavishly illustrated by Kelsey Collins, Claire LeFevre, Mary Atwood and Claudine Rose, Feather, Flower, Forest, Fur is part spotter’s guide, part folklore, part recipe book and part literary reference. All the family will enjoy poring over each beautifully created entry – including 23 stunning animals, 51 fabulous birds, 75 fascinating plants and 44 majestic trees – whilst learning about and celebrating the power of nature. The perfect armchair exploration of our wild and wonderful world!
(Noodle Juice, hardback, £18.99)
Age 6 plus:
Ballet Besties: Indu’s Time to Shine
Yasmine Naghdi, Chitra Soundar and Paula Franco
Put on your dancing shoes and pirouette your way into the Shimmer & Shine dance studio where the ballet besties are ready to put on a show! Indu’s Time to Shine is the second book of a heartwarming and inclusive series from Yasmine Naghdi, a Principal with the Royal Ballet, storyteller and author Chitra Soundar, and Argentinian illustrator Paula Franco. Brimming with rich and authentic detail about the world of ballet, and brought to vibrant life by Franco’s enchanting artwork, this is a super series that puts young ballet fans in a spin.
Indu loves learning ballet at Shimmer & Shine, her local community dance school. Unlike her friends, she doesn’t want to be a principal dancer when she grows up and she’s a bit scared of being on stage. But it’s still one of her favourite hobbies… until Miss Diamond announces that this term they will be putting on a performance of Cinderella! Suddenly everyone is talking about what lead role they want and how fun it will be to dance for an audience, leaving Indu feeling nervous and left out. What role will she audition for? Will her friends understand her worries and will she ever be able to conquer her stage fright?
By featuring characters of all ages, genders, ethnicities and body size, the exuberant Ballet Besties adventures break down the traditional idea of what a ballet dancer looks like and bring the joy of classical ballet to young readers. Dancing delights for everyone!
(Piccadilly Press, paperback, £7.99)
Age 5 plus:
The Woodland Explorers Club: Shyla’s Wood Wide Web
Ewa Jozefkowicz and Gillian Flint
As the nation’s woodlands prepare for the changes wrought by the autumn and winter seasons, discover the wonders of nature in the new adventure of an exciting forest school series from Waterstones Prize shortlisted author Ewa Jozefkowicz. Brimming with friendship, adventure and learning through nature, these inspirational stories – with Gillian Flint’s fun illustrations on every page – feature the Woodland Explorers who solve mysteries and protect the animals of Willow Wish Woods. At Forest School, the Woodland Explorers – Benji, Shyla, Ajay, Trix, Fujiko and Eric – are learning about fungi and how it connects trees underground in a huge network known as the Wood Wide Web. When Shyla is given her grandmother’s binoculars for her birthday, she discovers mushrooms growing in a circle, called a pixie ring. Suddenly her eyes are opened to a whole new world… and Willow Wish Woods’ magical woodland creatures show Shyla how to spread the word about protecting the forest. With magic, mystery, forest school fun, a whole natural world to explore, and the added bonus of outdoor activities to try out, youngsters will be pulling on their wellies and heading for the great outdoors!
(Zephyr, paperback, £7.99)
Age 5 plus:
Message in the Mooncake
Sapphire Chow and Xiaojie Liu
A popular folktale dating back 800 years to China’s Yuan Dynasty is brought to vivid life in an exciting and colourful picture book retelling by the late Sapphire Chow who grew up in Southeast Asia but emigrated to Canada where she embarked on her author journey. Starring a young girl who plays a part in resisting the Mongolian occupation, Message in the Mooncake is brought to life by the atmospheric artwork of Xiaojie Liu, an award-winning illustrator based in New York.
Su-Ling and her family live in a small village where the Mongols have invaded and made life very difficult for them. But the villagers are clever and, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, a plan to revolt against the Mongols begins to form with a message tucked into the festival mooncakes… ‘On the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, on the day of the full moon, commence attack at midnight.’ The guards will be suspicious of adults so Su-Ling is their only chance. She will have to use her wit and courage to deliver the message inside the mooncakes to her uncle and grandmother… without getting caught by the Mongol guards.
Chow’s inspirational story of bravery in adversity is filled with a lyrical beauty and youngsters will be fascinated to learn more about mooncakes, the history of the Mongol invasion, and the original ancient legend in notes at the end of the book. Picture book magic!
(Barefoot Books, paperback, £7.99)
Age 4 plus:
Body Detective! Decode Your Sensory Signals
Janet Krauthamer and Christiane Engel
Understanding your feelings isn’t easy when you’re a very young child so empower your youngsters with this beautiful, large-format board book which playfully and accessibly explores the human body’s signals. Written by occupational therapist Janet Krauthamer and colourfully illustrated by Christiane Engel, Body Detective! uses revealing pull-tabs, clear explanations, lift-the-flaps and mindful activities to help children to identify and name what they’re feeling. The body and brain send signals back and forth all day and night, and decoding your sensory signals – or interoception – lies at the heart of this interactive book. So be a body detective and learn – through playful riddles and questions – that you’re hungry when your tummy makes funny noises, thirsty when your mouth and throat feel dry and sticky and cold when goosebumps appear on your skin. Pull the tabs and lift the flaps to reveal answers to the playful riddles and find out more information about interoception and feelings at the end of the book. The perfect way to make learning fun!
(Barefoot Books, board book, £10.99)
Age 3 plus:
All Aboard the Bedtime Bus
Karl Newson and Tim Budgen
Engine on, lights aglow, PJs ready… away we go! Little ones will be fully on board with this gorgeous bedtime picture book that is guaranteed to transport sleepy heads all the way to dreamland. Cleverly created by multi-award-winning children’s book author Karl Newson and freelance illustrator Tim Budgen, All Aboard the Bedtime Bus features an infectious song that mirrors each step in a typical bedtime routine and is ideal for helping tired parents deal with bedtime battles. Roll up, roll up and join the bus driver and all his sleepy passengers as they go on a magical bus journey to bedtime. Travel from stop to stop, brushing your teeth at Snoozyville, reading bedtime stories at Sleepy Town and, finally, snoring along at Slumber Land. It’s a winning combination just perfect for getting your little ones ready for bed, and helping to gently soothe them into the land of nod. Next stop… bedtime!
(Little Tiger Press, paperback, £7.99)
Age 3 plus:
Don’t Eat Granny
Gillian McClure
‘Red Hoodie is going to visit Granny in her bag. Red Hoodie has a cake, cookies and candy.’ Punctuation can be confusing for younger children learning grammar… putting your full stops and commas in the wrong place can completely change the meaning of a sentence. So put fun into learning how to use punctuation marks with a delightful picture book from Gillian McClure, an author and illustrator with a Primary Teaching Diploma whose career has spanned four decades.
Don’t Eat Granny – a clever and comical twist on the traditional story of Little Red Riding Hood – stars the far more cool and contemporary Red Hoodie who is trying to write a story about herself, her granny and a wolf, but some of her punctuation is wrong and consequently her sentences take on a different meaning. Oh dear, her story is getting out of control and it hasn’t ended happily for granny! Who will help her? Four little punctuation characters arrive on the page but soon they are caught up in the action, too!
Packed full of punctuation jokes, wordplay and McClure’s entertaining artwork, this is the perfect book for mischievous youngsters who are learning the first four punctuation marks.
(Plaister Press, paperback, £7.99)
Moon Mouse
Corrinne Averiss and Lorna Hill
Enjoy a beautiful tale of tears, laughter and an unexpected friendship with a heartfelt and imaginative picture book from Corrinne Averiss, the multi-award-winning author of My Pet Star, and prize-winning illustrator Lorna Hill. Moon Mouse lives far out in space with only his garden and his ideas for company. Mouse loves his moon home but sometimes, when he spies a birthday party on Earth through his telescope, he finds himself wishing he could join in with the fun. Then one day, a birthday balloon floats away from a birthday boy and up, up, up… all the way to Moon Mouse’s garden! Will Mouse find the courage to leave the comfort and security of his home to discover what it means to make a friend? Hill’s exquisitely emotive and stylish artwork blends sublimely with Averiss’s magical, rhyming adventure as young readers are transported on an epic journey to the moon and back, and discover the joys of friendship, kindness and bravery along the way.
(Orchard Books, paperback, £7.99)
Age 2 plus:
Our World: Philippines
Zewlan Moor and Happy Garaje
Little ones are transported to faraway countries in two new bright and colourful board books in Barefoot Books’ educational Our World series for very young readers. In Our World: Philippines, youngsters are greeted with the words Magandang umaga! Come along for a day in the Philippines… ride the unicorn jeepney, stop by the sari sari, and cool off with sweet halo halo. Filipino author Zewlan Moor and illustrator team Happy Garaje draw on their own lived experiences to create this beautiful, playful story which includes educational endnotes about life in the Philippines. And in Our World: Pakistan, written by Rumaisa Bilal and illustrated by Nez Riaz, the greeting is Subah bakhair! Come along for a day in Pakistan. Choose a salwar kameez, ride the driverless train, and taste sweet and sour falsa. These delightful books offer real insights into the culture of a country and resonate with children all over the world. Bold artwork, a vibrant text and relatable topics make them appealing to the youngest readers as well as introducing basic vocabulary and pronunciation guides.
(Barefoot Books, board books, £7.99 each)
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