Perfect Picture Books – Autumn 2024

Click on the covers to find out more or purchase on-line from Bookshop.org:

The Carousel Horse by Tony Mitton & Penny Neville-Lee (Bloomsbury)

The Carousel Horse is an absolutely stunning story about following your dreams and finding out where you belong. Glittering carousels have such a magical appeal. There’s always that ‘what if’… What if the horses come to life? What if we can ride away across the sky?

In this beautiful book, the horse spends its days being ridden by excited children while dreaming of flying to the moon. When a sparkling princess comes along, she makes his wish come true. Perfect for bedtime, The Carousel Horse encourages children to let go of fear and take flight.

Oak: The Littlest Leaf Girl by Lucy Fleming (Walker)

Join the adorable little Oak in the middle of the woods with her soft wings and branchlet bunches in her hair. She brings joy and fun to everything she does. A chill in the air brings a change to the seasons but Oak doesn’t want to leave her home in the Oak tree. She does all she can to stay on her branch as autumn and then winter surrounds her. Finally, she feels ready to let go and join her family on the forest floor.

Oak: The Littlest Leaf Girl is a unique and incredibly charming look at the changing seasons. Beautiful details of autumn come through in the gorgeous illustrations.

Doctor Fairytale by Catherine Jacobs & Hoang Giang (Walker)

Doctor Fairytale has the most unusual patients: dragons with sore throats, wolves with bumps on their heads and princesses who have eaten poison apples! She spends her days zipping from place to place solving the problems these characters get themselves into.

This is a wonderful story for exploring another side to these traditional tales. It would sit alongside a Key Stage 1 fairytale unit perfectly, prompting so much discussion and imagination. Which other characters might get hurt? How could Doctor Fairytale help them? This is a book sure to be read again and again!

Drawn Onward by Daniel Nayeri & Matt Rockerfeller (Harper 360 UK)

Drawn Onward is a fascinating and totally engaging book exploring word building and world building in such a unique way. A young boy braves the dark forest in search of his mother. Alone in the shadows, he faces incredible grief that threatens to overpower him. It’s only when back at home in the arms of those who love him and understand his loss that he feels comfort and hope. He comes to realise that she will always be with him.

Told as a pallindrome – a story that can be read beginning to end or end to beginning with exactly the same words – it encourages readers to think deeply about word choice and the meaning of phrases. This would be a wonderful model for challenging children to write their own powerful pallindrome stories.

That Day by Pierre-Emmanuel Lyet (Pushkin Children’s)

That Day is a beautiful, honest portrayal of a child’s perspective when his grandmother passes away. He sees the reaction of the adults in his life and the sadness of the day. Instead of getting lost in the shadows, he finds peace in so many lovely memories.

Brightly-coloured illustrations sweep across the pages drawing the reader into the small boy’s precious thoughts. All the tiny details he remembers combine into a picture of a very special relationship that will stay with him forever.

That Day would be a powerful book to explore after a bereavement or to develop empathy with a group of children.

Not Now Goldilocks by Holly Ryan & Navya Raju (Buster Books)

Not Now Goldilocks is overflowing with imagination. She loves dressing up and being creative. The trouble is, everyone else is too busy to play. She ends up having lots of fun on her own, learning to play independently. She’s reassured to discover that when she really needs them, her friends and family are there to help and join in the fun.

This appealing book would be a great addition to any traditional tales collection.

The Midnight Mitzvah by Ruth Horowitz & Jenny Meilihove (Barefoot Books)

The Midnight Mitzvah is a charming retelling of a 2000-year-old story from Jewish tradition. A mitzvah is a commandment from God – in this case, Hanina Chipmunk wants to do a good deed by helping a hungry friend. The challenge is that she wants to do it without making her friend feel embarassed. Instead of making a show of her good deed, she does it under the cover of darkness which takes bravery, wisdom and kindness.

Information at the back of the book explains where the story came from and what it means to do a good deed for someone in the Judaism. The Midnight Mitzvah would make a lovely class read focusing on helping others in EYFS or KS1 and an excellent addition to a cross-curricular book collection for Religious Studies.

Message in the Mooncake by Sapphire Chow & Xiaojie Liu (Barefoot Books)

Message in the Mooncake is an engaging retelling of a Chinese folktale. Set 800 years ago in the Yuan Dynasty, it shares the adventures of a young girl who stands up to Mongolian invaders in her small village. By delivering a secret message in a box of mooncakes, Su-Ling shows resistance against oppression, courage and care for her community. Throughout the her tense journey, Su-Ling channels her inner tiger. Brave, quick-thinking and stealthy, she is able to do more than she ever imagined.

This thought-provoking book will encourage readers to step out of their comfort zone and take chances when it comes to doing the right thing.

Be Normal! by Ged Adamson (Nosy Crow)

Be Normal! is a quirky story about accepting friends for who they are rather than what we expect them to be. Theo really wants a dog and has so many expectations about all the things he’ll be able to do with his pup. But when Geoff arrives, Theo soon discovers he isn’t like other dogs. At first it all seems strange and Theo wishes Geoff would be more normal but, in the end, he realises Geoff is funny, kind and just the right dog for him.

Be Normal! will be a fun class read aloud prompting all sorts of discussion about our pets, their quirks and what we enjoy doing with them. Will anyone have a dog as unusual as Geoff?

Books by Kate Heap:

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