The books your kids will love this winter: GRANDAD’S WORLD by Michael Foreman, FINN’S
GRANDAD’S WORLD by Michael Foreman (Scholastic £12.99, 32pp)
Foreman’s characteristic soft watercolours are the perfect medium for this uplifting celebration of nature across the generations.
Jack spends his summer holidays with his grandad in the countryside where they camp overnight in the woods, spotting badgers, owls, bats and hedgehogs.
In the stream they see otters and kingfishers until, one night, a fly-tipper dumps rubbish and the whole village comes together to clear it away.
Grandad makes Jack a nesting box so that when he returns to the city he has a bit of the countryside on his balcony. Beautifully illustrated, this warm celebration of the love between them and of wildlife is deeply touching. Age 4+
FINN’S EPIC FAILS by Phil Earle Illustrated by Al Murphy (S&S £7.99, 272pp)
Earle’s ability to tap into children’s emotions across a wide age range has won him many awards. This first in a new series featuring ‘hopeless’ Finn Hope will make fans giggle.
Finn’s bullying older brother, Jonah, is the school golden boy: athletic, good-looking, confident. But whatever Finn attempts, he fails, from losing his trunks during the swimming lesson to being photographed dressed as a unicorn – which went viral.
So when Trouble, a stray dog, moves in, Finn seizes his chance of revenge on Jonah before realising that sometimes power lies in less rather than more. With cartoon illustrations, this funny, clever story champions the underdog. 9+
TREE THING by Piers Torday Illustrated by Matthew Taylor Wilson (Quercus £14.99, 192pp)
With stunning black-and-white illustrations, this powerful fable about nature, destruction and regeneration swirls with menace and mystery – and has an unexpected twist.
Marlo lives in a valley where nothing grows any more, until his squirrel brings him an emerald acorn which grows into a Tree Thing that brings fertility and hope.
But who is the shadowy Rider who brings the axe of destruction wherever he finds life? Can Marlo protect Tree Thing from the threat? After a cataclysmic event, Marlo finally understands the ancient cycle of rebirth and embraces his new role.
Tapping into folklore and oral traditions, this is magical. 9+