Subtitled Poet of Joy and Love , this is a lovely picture book that traces the life of Rumi, the celebrated 13th century poet and scholar. The art is bright and colourful and reminiscent of Persian miniature paintings. The author/illustrator is an award-winning artist from Iran.
Ages 3-6
Read expert recommendations
This charming picture book is a joyful celebration of a child’s imagination. A lively crowd of animals gets into a train carriage where they invite our protagonist to play games and eat sweets. Glued to a screen, his father isn’t paying any attention and misses all the fun. Fortunately, when they get to their destination the tiger runs off with the phone, so father and son are fully able to enjoy their day at the seaside together. A lovely story to read aloud, and an excellent starting point to discuss the importance of time away from screens.
Ages 3-6
Read expert recommendations
Toby, the new dog in the neighbourhood, is finding it difficult to make friends. Other dogs are leaving each other urine-scented messages, but Toby's message is misunderstood after being partly washed away by the rain. This picture book is a fun starting point for a conversation about the danger of rumour and miscommunication, while the illustrations brim with joyful dog-chaos.
Ages 3-6
Read expert recommendations
This is a humorous collaboration between bestselling fantasy author Brandon Sanderson and graphic novel author and illustrator Kazu Kibuishi. The total disconnect between text and illustration gives kids a great perspective on using your imagination and the different ways of telling a story. Together, the deliberately dry text and the lively Hayao Miyazaki-inspired illustrations are a lot of fun.
Ages 4-8
Read expert recommendations
Kelly J Baptist, Jenin Mohammed (illustrator)
A lovely picture book with upbeat rhyming text, filled with family bonding time and love of music. Whilst the main vibe is lively fun, this book is also perfect as a bedtime story.
Ages 3-6
Read expert recommendations
This is a lovely introduction to the concept of measuring, by an award-winning illustrator. It is also a celebration of the amazing human body. There is lots for kids to enjoy in this bright and lively picture book that is all about them.
Ages 3-6
Read expert recommendations
Miss Leoparda drives a bus (when she isn’t sleeping). All the seats are taken, until one day when they see something amazing: a little black car speeding into the distance. Soon, the community of the bus is gone as all the passengers opt for individual car travel. Traffic jams ensue. This picture book is full of personality, combining deadpan humour with expressive acrylic and crayon illustrations.
Ages 3-6
Read expert recommendations
Joy Cowley, Hilary Jean Tapper (illustrator)
A simple and evocative picture book with rhyming text about a day of holiday by the sea, by an award-winning New Zealand author and illustrator team. Perfect as a bedtime story.
Ages 2-5
Read expert recommendations
Mikołaj Pa, Gosia Herba (illustrator), translated by Scotia Gilroy
In this whimsical picture book readers get a tour through the house at number 5 Bubblegum Street. We meet the residents and encounter some unexpected things including a recipe and a dance routine. The lively and colourful illustrations contain plenty of detail to look at and talk about. A delightful treat by an author-illustrator team from Wroclaw, Poland.
Ages 4-7
Read expert recommendations
This is a fun picture book that builds nicely. Children will recognise themselves in the child in the story who is ready to read on the sofa. With clear lines and colours, the illustrations add expression and humour to the chaos that ensues when the animal friends come to join.
Ages 2-5
Read expert recommendations
The artwork in this picture book is amazing. Anya lives in a fragile paper village threatened by unseasonal winds. Determined to understand the cause of the strange weather, she builds a bridge to the sturdier cardboard village on the neighbouring mountain. To illustrate this delicate world, the artist has used pencil and watercolour on paper and cardboard, cut and arranged into scenes. The visual detail and depth will appeal to readers of any age, whilst the story provides an excellent springboard for explaining to children about climate change.
Ages 4-7
Read expert recommendations
This is the sequel to the award-winning Mouse’s Wood Best Books for Kids 2022 list. This picture book also has quite a Wind in the Willows
Ages 3-6
Read expert recommendations
Uschi Müller, Brittany Lane (illustrator)
Salvatore lives with his family and their goats at the foot of Mount Etna. Today it is his first time to herd the goats on the mountain slopes by himself. “Don’t let those goats boss you around”, says his father as Salvatore sets off. But the goats refuse to stay on the mountain, and soon Salvatore realises why. The volcanic eruption and Salvatore’s relationship with his family’s herding dog and goats are an appealing picture book combination. The story is based on real-life studies of changes in animal behaviour hours before volcanic activity, and other disaster forecasting by animals.
Ages 3-6
Read expert recommendations
Peggy Thomas, Cookie Moon (illustrator)
This is a very attractive fold-out book about different types of forests and the animals that live in them, appealing to kids across quite a wide age range. Young kids can relate to the concept of forest families in which big and small trees play different roles. Older kids can engage with all the information in the extensive pull-out that features nine different forests around the world — from mountainous forest in Uganda to frozen spruce in Finland — introducing them to an intriguing variety of forest ecosystems.
Ages 2-6
Read expert recommendations
The kingdom of fungi is just as important as flora and fauna but much less known, so this introduction for children to mushrooms is very welcome. It contains two stories in parallel. On the one hand it’s a scientific picture book teaching us about the importance of mushrooms in ecosystems. On the other, there are lessons we can learn from mushrooms, such as taking care of our neighbourhood and of ourselves, coping with challenges and staying connected. The eye-catching illustrations in vibrant colour are by an award-winning artist.
Ages 4-8
Read expert recommendations
Maggie O'Farrell, Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini (illustrator)
This is the story of two sisters, Min and Bea. Bea is very tidy, and a bit of a worrier. Min is wilder, and very chatty. That is, until one day when – in the middle of a sentence – she suddenly can’t speak. The sisters set out to discover what has happened to Min’s voice, and Min comes to realise that she has to make her peace with her stammer. A beautiful book based on the multi-award-winning author’s own experience of living with a stammer.
Ages 5-8
Read expert recommendations
Kate DiCamillo, Carmen Mok (illustrator)
This is a simple chapter book for early readers by a Newbery medal-winning author, richly illustrated by an award-winning artist. Orris is a rat who, despite the risk of being eaten, decides to rescue the young owl Timble from a trap. Themes of friendship and storytelling.
Ages 5-8
Read expert recommendations
Five Books aims to keep its book recommendations and interviews up to date. If you are the interviewee and would like to update your choice of books (or even just what you say about them) please email us at [email protected]
Five Books interviews are expensive to produce. If you've enjoyed this interview, please support us by donating a small amount .
