Sponsored by Starscape.
Inspired by the New York Times and USA Today bestselling novel A Dog’s Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron, now a major motion picture! Even though Bella has to hide often and learn boring games like No Barks and Go Home, she loves her boy Lucas. But when she’s picked up by Animal Control, Lucas has to send her to a foster home far away. Bella waits for Lucas, but he never comes. Finally Bella realizes what she must do—she will Go Home to Lucas—and even four hundred miles of dangerous Colorado wilderness won’t get in her way.
Hello readers!
It’s blazing sunshine here today and as I’m too British to deal with any weather other than grey skies and a gently persistent rain, I’ve had to hide inside. Whilst I come to terms with the concept of “heat”, I’m going to share with you this week’s lovely new releases in the world of children’s books. Enjoy!
The Ship We Built by Lexie Bean
Rowan has too many secrets for a diary to hold. He knows who he is and what he likes, but it’s not safe for others to know. And while one parent ignores him, the other hurts him in ways that he’s not ready to talk about.
But there’s one way for Rowan to share his secrets; he ties letters to balloons and releases them, in the hope that they’ll find somebody who understands. And when he befriends a classmate who knows what it’s like to be lonely and scared, he realises that the support he’s looking for might be closer than he thought.
Touching on some big, complex and challenging issues – and doing so with a lot of care and sensitivity – this is an eloquent slice of magic by a remarkable author. (And that cover is beautiful!).
Captain America My Mighty Marvel First Book
This is a fun board book that celebrates the iconic Steve Rogers. The art is similarly iconic, featuring the work of Jack “King” Kirby, and provides a lovely retro introduction to Cap. It’s perfect for sharing with your tiny comics fans, and there’s also a Spiderman book in the same series.
Dewdrop by Katie O’Neill
The pond is preparing for its yearly sports fair and Dewdrop the axolotl is ready to share his skills. But his friends are putting a lot of pressure on themselves to be the best – and it’s down to Dewdrop to remind them that they’re great just as they are.
This had me at adorable axolotl. It had me again with O’Neill’s glorious artwork. And it had me again again (that’s not even English but forgive me!) with its gentle lessons about conservation and kindness. It’s just so lovely.
When The Storm Comes by Linda Ashman, illustrated by Taeeun Yoo
Storms aren’t fun. We have to bring in our outside toys and stay inside, watching the clouds roll in and the skies turn dark. But bad weather passes and the sun comes back out again.
Teaching us to look for those sunny skies, this is a charming exploration of those ‘bad weather’ days. There’s also a nice emphasis on the strength of being a community and looking out for neighbors – a charming piece of work.
Good Little Wolf by Nadia Shireen
This week’s backlist bump is a great thing. Rolf is a good little wolf who enjoys baking cakes and being kind to his friends. But wolves aren’t like that – they’re meant to be big and bad! Can a good little wolf be a real wolf?
Featuring a brilliant ending, wry and lovely artwork, this is a very fabulous picture book and well worth picking up for your tiny wolves.
I’ll be back next week with more new books! Between then and now, you can stay in touch with me via social media (I am very present for discussions about Pippi Longstocking), on my website, or over on the biweekly literary fiction podcast Novel Gazing.
Happy reading!
Louise.