Welcome to our Children's Librarian Picks, where our passionate children's librarians handpick the most delightful, heartwarming, and engaging books for young readers. Happy reading, little bookworms!
Children's Picture Books
Line & Scribble by Debora Vogrig
Line goes straight on her way, while Scribble wanders and zigzags, but they are still best friends, and can work together with their individual perspectives to make art.
Sheldon’s New Shell by Lily Murray
Sheldon the hermit crab needs a new home, so it's time for him to scour the beach and look for the perfect shell. However, the only thing he can find is rubbish! There are plastic bottles and tin cans littered everywhere. It's a good job he has his fellow beach-side animal friends to help, as well as one little girl who is determined to clean up his environment for good. Plastic bottles and other rubbish are huge threats to marine life. Sheldon's New Shell is published in partnership with the successful environmental charity, Surfers Against Sewage, which is dedicated to the protection of our oceans.
Out of a Jar by Deborah Marcero
Llewellyn does not like to feel afraid or sad, angry, lonely, or embarrassed. And so he comes up with a brilliant plan: he tucks each of his feelings into jars and hides them away where they won't bother him anymore. But when he gets in trouble in class, Llewellyn finds he needs to put away excitement too. And when joy is quickly followed by disappointment, he decides to get rid of joy as well. After a while, Llewellyn walks around not feeling much of anything at all. And what happens when his emotions refuse to be bottled up any longer?
Children's Young Fiction
The Science of Baking by Andrea Beaty
How does a cake bake? What's the difference between baking soda and baking powder? And why is it so important to measure the different ingredients in a recipe?
Narwhalicorn and Jelly by Ben Clanton
Narwhal is a happy-go-lucky narwhal. Jelly is a no-nonsense jellyfish. The two might not have a lot in common, but they do love waffles, parties and adventures. Join Narwhal and Jelly as they discover the whole wide ocean together in the hilarious seventh book of this blockbuster graphic novel series! The perfect first book for young 5 year-old, 6 year-old, 7 year old and 8 year-old readers looking for funny, high interest books that are an accessible read, where they'll discover the joys of friendship, working together and the power of imagination. Featuring three short stories and a super fun ocean fact page - and joke page too!
Children's Fiction
Being visually impaired, Eric loves his quiet life living on a remote beach on the east coast of New Zealand. But his life is about to change in unexpected ways and a chance encounter means this summer will be like no other.
Children's Non Fiction
An inviting feast of festivals, from well-known celebrations, such as Christmas, Hannukah, Eid and Diwali, to more surprising events such as the Woolly Worm Caterpillar Race and the Hungry Ghosts' Feast. Young children can dip in at any page and feel all the fun of the celebration, while learning about different cultures and traditions.
The Big Book of Belonging by Yuval Zommer
The Big Book of Belonging is a timely celebration of all the ways that humans are connected to life on planet Earth. With children at the heart of every beautifully illustrated spread, this book draws parallels between the way humans, plants, and animals live and behave. We all breathe the same air and take warmth from the same sun, we grow, we adapt to the seasons, and we live together in family groups. Readers will be fascinated to learn that instead of using words to communicate, fava beans send chemical messages through their roots, Caribbean reef squid send warnings of danger and even declarations of love by changing color, and that adorable big-eyed primates called tarsiers make calls to one another over the noise of the rainforest that are too high-pitched for predators to hear. By putting children at the heart of the book's concept, author Yuval Zommer unites readers of the Big Book series from all corners of the world under one banner--of belonging to planet Earth. The book's gentle message of caring for nature will inspire readers of all ages and encourage a new generation of environmentalists to flourish.
Young Adult Fiction
The White Fox by Jackie Morris
The day the fox came things began to change for Sol. Lost, alone and far away from home, Sol feels a deep connection with the little Arctic fox he discovers down at the Seattle docks - he too feels lost in the big city. Dad is always busy working and Sol misses the grandparents they have left behind. So Sol decides to take the little fox back home, reuniting his own family in the process.
Young Adult Graphic Novels
Shakespeare's Hamlet : A Graphic Novel
Classics in Graphics: Hamlet has been adapted by expert authors, Steve Skidmore and Steve Barlow, and brought to life through the visual talents of illustrators Alessandro Valdrighi and Edu Rubio. The tragic mayhem swirls on the page - as Hamlet's life crumbles around him. Inclusion is at the heart of this series, flinging wide the doors of literature for everyone to enter and understand. Including dyslexia-friendly design on every page, and encouraging readers to see themselves in iconic roles - casting spells, falling in love and winning duels. Each graphic novel includes pitch-perfect illustrations for presenting the tragic, the romantic, the comedic, the magical, as well as: - snappy simplified text presenting Shakespeare's themes clearly - introductory materials to help set the scene and context of each well-known story - heaps of extra material at the back to keep the learning and fun going, including an exploration of themes in the play, the language, Shakespeare's inspirations, the publication and performance of the play in history, a time line of Shakespeare's life and works, and much more!