CHILDREN’S
BOOKS
0 TO 5-YEAR-OLDS
Three Little Monkeys
at Christmas
by Quentin Blake, illustrated
by Emma Chichester Clark
HarperCollins £12.99
Blake gave the texts of his
Three Little Monkeys books,
set in Paris, to his friend
Chichester Clark to illustrate,
and she has made another
decorative feast. The
mischievous monkeys cause
chaos when left alone, but
end up catching a thief.
Little Bear by Richard Jones
Simon & Schuster £12.99
A gentle picture book about
a child who finds a tiny polar
bear in the garden and sails a
boat to the Arctic to reunite it
with its family as the soft and
lovely bear grows ever bigger.
Full of delight and warmth
and tenderness, it has airy
pictures with delicate colours.
Little Santa by Jon Agee
Scallywag Press £12.99Agee’s picture books are
always witty and clever, and
his images create involving
scenes. This one explains how
young Santa first came across
reindeer and elves, acquired
a sleigh and stayed behind
when the rest of the Claus
family moved to Florida.The Wall by Jessie James
and Catalina Echeverri
New Frontier £11.99Tom, who wants to see a real
jaguar, is told that “the
world is not safe”. TV and
newspapers make people fear
monsters, so they build a wall.
But when he goes beyond
and finds a garden and a girl,
the wall comes down, and
“people from different lands”
enrich each other. With
amiable, busy pictures, this
encourages open-heartedness
and a sense of adventure.6 TO 8-YEAR-OLDS
How Winston Came Home
for Christmas by Alex T Smith
Macmillan £14.99This spectacular volume, with
exquisite illustrations, works
like an advent calendar, with
a chapter and activity for
every day. It tells the story
of Winston the mouse, who
journeys to the North Pole to
reunite with loved ones.Air Miles by Bill Salaman and
John Burningham, illustrated
by Helen Oxenbury
Cape £12.99Before his death in 2019
Burningham started Air Miles,
a farewell to his Jack Russell,
Miles, who died months
before. Now beautifully
completed, this poignant
tribute to dog and owner
shows Miles flying a plane
on his last journey.Clarice Bean Think Like an Elf
by Lauren Child
HarperCollins £14.99Child’s much-loved Clarice
Bean hopes for a festive
season full of people, presents
and Christmas spirit. What
she seems to be getting is
misdirected parcels and
family squabbles. This is a
comical story full of kindness
and spot-on observations.Einstein the Penguin
by Iona Rangeley, illustrated
by David Tazzyman
HarperCollins £12.99An outstanding debut, this is
the tale of Einstein, a penguin
cared for, like Paddington, by a
kind London family. Nine-year-
old aspiring detective Imogen
and her six-year-old brother,
Arthur, feed him herrings
with marmalade and help him
to find what he is looking for.Once Upon a Tune Stories
from the Orchestra
by James Mayhew
Otter-Barry £16.99A rich, sumptously illustrated
introduction to fairytales and
classical music, with retellings
of the tales behind six
celebrated pieces, from
Scheherazade to William Tell.9 TO 11-YEAR-OLDS
A Girl Called Joy by Jenny
Valentine, illus Claire Lefevre
Simon & Schuster £6.99This unmissable book, the
first in a new series, is written
with zing. Ten-year-old Joy’s
life has been a great
globetrotting adventure. When
her family return to Britain to
look after her grandfather and
share his small house, Joy and
her easily bored teenage sister
go to school for the first time.Noah’s Gold
by Frank Cottrell-Boyce,
illustrated by Steven Lenton
Macmillan £12.99A kinder Lord of the Flies in
which sat-nav misdirectsa primary school trip to an
island off the coast of Ireland,
the teacher disappears and
Noah seems to have broken
the internet. Instead of going
feral, the pupils learn to
co-operate, discover the
outdoors and find treasure.
Funny and unexpected.Locked Out Lily by Nick Lake,
illustrated by Emily Gravett
Simon & Schuster £12.99This is an emotionally daring
story. Lily feels broken by
treatments for her chronic
illness and dreads herPeace, guaranteed...
Fill your kids’ minds — and stockings — and let their imaginations take flight with
these stories for all ages chosen by our children’s book expert, Nicolette Jones
BOOKS OF THE YEAR
Sticky
McStickstick
by Michael
Rosen, illus
Tony Ross
Walker £12.99,
age 3+This picture book is a kind of
miracle. It exists because
Michael Rosen survived six
weeks in a Covid coma and it
makes light of having had to
learn to walk again. Born out
of a joke name for his stickthat made physios laugh,
it follows the stages of
rehabilitation and has
a happy ending of family
reunions. Tony Ross
approximates Rosen’s face
and makes silly things
happen in the pictures. It
will move adults and make
children giggle. Broadened
out with a coda about
who looks after any of us
whenever we’re ill, it turns
trauma into hilarity and
gratitude for the NHS.OUR BOOK OF THE YEAR
Festive Three Little Monkeys at
Christmas. Right: How Winston
Came Home for Christmas© EMMA CHICHESTER CLARK 202136 28 November 2021