old + new
5 recommended books that have been around for a bit
in a library we have to get rid of books all the time, for lots of different reasons - too old, outdated language, facts that are no longer facts (love the solar system books i found the other day that had a handwritten note at the front that said “CAUTION: Pluto is NO LONGER a planet”), books that are damaged, etc. etc.
this is a tough job! the books go to charities, shops, other places, and also to be recycled. when i’m weeding books i try to stop every so often and do a quick reassess. & i like to think abt what makes a book suitable or unsuitable for a library (particularly a school library), what makes something seem dated, is this subject area underrepresented? what’s “on trend” is a big part of it, as illustration styles go in and out of fashion. but also the design of a book - font choice, arrangement of the cover, what kinds of colours are used and so on.
it’s also really important to make sure that kids are seeing a range of illustration styles, writing styles, formats, design choices and so on - so they can figure out what they like and what they don’t like, sure, but also so they have a base from which to work from when encountering books (& other cultural stuff). and if a library is stocked only with what’s been released in the last 2 years, kids are seeing a really limited range of stuff!
so anyway here are some books that caught my eye.
mockingbird - allan ahlberg + paul howard
i’m on a bit of an ahlberg kick at the moment. this is a simple, winning reworking of the nursery song - hush little baby, don’t say a word etc. the text is large and spread out well, with some great use of page turns, but what really makes it are the illustrations from paul howard - beautifully expressive, full of energy (great page where the family chases a dog around a park!), and also showing a wonderful all hands on deck kind of attitude towards family life. the whole bunch are trying to win over this baby and get them to have a good birthday, and it’s just so charming! PLUS it’s set.. uhh in edwardian england i guess? and i think it’s such a choice to do this, even in 1998. i’d love to see more incidental historical settings for picture books - imagine something published now but set in the 80s, the 60s? just adds a whole other dimension to the book, gives you so much to talk about with kids! i pulled it off the library shelves because our copy was battered and broken, and it’s out of print, so unfortunately we won’t be getting another! find it online, secondhand. good for nursery, reception, year 1+
mister monday - garth nix
garth nix! what a writer!! he’s best known for sabriel and the others in the old kingdom series, but i really like this one too. they used to have naff early 2000s covers, but the above is a reissue from early 2020s and it really gives the book a new lease of life. i reordered the whole set for the library and am hoping to get it into the hands of some smart, weird, fantasy loving kids. the story itself is kind of wild, eccentric and meanders all over the place. there’s arthurian elements, christian symbolism, all kinds of stuff going on. good for year 5, year 6!
star wars: complete vehicles: incredible cross-sections - pablo hidalgo et al
i normally shy away from recommending film/tv tie ins BUT i’m making exception for this because i love star wars, i’m excited for the mandalorian and grogu film and *genuine emotion coming up* the opportunities for shared experience, bonding, story-telling that have just been gifted to me and my son through star wars deserves a shout out! it’s a big beast with mixed messages and it often serves to SELL STUFF but also me and my son have a blast lightsaber fighting in the garden in the late afternoons. DK have been publishing star wars books for ages, and the visual dictionary ones are so good. but this one - the artistry that goes into creating the vehicle cross-sections is incredible. lots to love if you’re into spaceships, cool pictures, cutaways. this is a rerelease of a book that’s been around for a while. we have the old version! good for year 4+
princess minna - kirsty applebaum + sahar haghgoo
i got rid of a load of rainbow magic daisy meadows books last week - they remain crazy popular but they’re also very battered, and are absolutely churned out (there are hundreds in the series). so i needed to replace them with something - there are a few good options around at the moment, and the princess minna series is one of them - cute, brightly coloured pictures, and the books have good production. this will appeal to the same kids who love the rainbow magic books! good for year 1, year 2 +.
the bear - raymond briggs
i have such an attachment to briggs - my dad introduced me to his work as a child/teenager thru father christmas, when the wind blows, fungus, & gentleman jim. the bear was one i didn’t read until a couple of years ago - the edition i have is small, but there are other larger editions that i imagine would be even more powerful. briggs’ work has such.. synergy - the words, illustrations, themes, pages turns - everything is working so well together in a work like the snowman, and that’s true with the bear too. this is both a comic and a picture book, rewards repeated readings, and the bear itself has such presence on the page - constantly filling pages, bursting out of panels and so on. a beautiful look at adult/child relationships, friendships, imagination. briggs’ style maybe doesn’t jump out at people in 2026, it doesn’t have as much cover appeal as books being published right now and it doesn’t gave the name recognition of the snowman, but it’s a winner!! get this book!!
that’s HIGH FIVE! BOOKS for this week. if you buy any of these books pls hit up a local independent bookshop OR via the bookshop.org links in the newsletter - i get a tiny amount of referral money if you do.
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