0-4 years
the katinka tail by judith kerr
(harpercollins)
You are reading: Best baby books 2017
From the beloved creator of mog and the tiger who came to tea, this feline adventure, featuring the snow-white katinka and her unusual tail, will captivate young children with its gentle, gold-speckled domesticity.
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choose a pine tree by patricia toht
illustrated by jarvis (walker)
Anticipation builds throughout this ritual and rhyming tale of how to choose and decorate a tree. Everyone in the blocky and soft-gloss images is beaming, from people to pets to chubby Santa ornaments; by the end of the book, the readers will be too.
mopoke by philip bunting
(scholastic)
In a series of splendid visual/verbal gags, a mopoke (or southern owl) is denied the peace it craves, until, refusing to be a snowpoke, slowpoke, or glowpoke any longer, it takes flight, never mind. leave nothing.
the twelve days of christmas
illustrated by anna wright (faber)
splendidly gilded, darkly leafy, and quietly humorous, this richly textured version of a beloved Christmas carol features leaping frog lords and woodpecker drums, as well as partridges, pears, and singing birds in ink, watercolor, and collage.
5 to 8 years old
a christmas wish by katherine rundell
illustrated by emily sutton (bloomsbury)
coast shortlistee rundell’s first foray into younger fiction is a witty tale of a lonely boy, four mischievous tree ornaments, and a wish for an unlikely star, perfectly complemented by sutton’s intricate and delightful illustrations .
fairy tales by hilary mckay
illustrated by sarah gibb (macmillan)
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Using riveting framed narratives, deft twists, and thought-provoking details, McKay brings classic tales to life, including The Twelve Dancing Princesses and Rumpelstiltskin, in this sumptuous collection, enriched with Gibb’s haunting black-and-white line drawings.
pirates magnified by david long
illustrated by harry bloom (with wide eyes)
An absorbing nonfiction twist on the seek-and-find trend, this treasure chest of pirate lives, skills, ships, and loot features a 3x magnifying glass (cleverly incorporated into the cover), a rogues gallery, and a glossary of pirate slang. hoist the mizzen!
a is for art by paul thurlby
(hoder)
Amidst a plethora of art-focused children’s non-fiction, Thurlby’s Alphabetical Guide, an introduction to the National Gallery and many artists, techniques and movements, stands out for its demystifying enthusiasm, bold and playful design and inspiring sense of possibility. .
The Orchestra of History: The Nutcracker by Jessica Courtney-Tickle
(frances lincoln)
Beautifully designed and vividly illustrated, this delightful musical book contextualizes excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s ballet music within a sweet narrative of the story.
8 to 12 years old
the world of moominvalley by philip ardagh
illustrated by tove jansson (macmillan)
bound in baby blue and gold, with a foreword by frank cottrell-boyce and glorious illustrations by tove jansson, ardagh’s thoughtful, witty and carefully selected guide to the moomins, their friends, their philosophies and their habitats, as well as the life of its mysterious creator – offers hours of navigation to fans young and old.
illegal by eoin colfer and andrew donkin
illustrated by giovanni rigano (hodder)
Twelve-year-old Ebo’s journey from his village in North Africa, following in the footsteps of his siblings, leads him to a dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean in this striking graphic novel. full of contrasts: cold sea and scorching desert, small kindnesses and casual cruelty, hope and sorrow, it tells the stories behind the headline’s blunt statistics.
harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban by jk rowling
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illustrated by jim kay (bloomsbury)
Harry’s third Hogwarts adventure is reinvigorated by Jim Kay’s superb pictorial imagery. From the twilight grandeur of the towering Knight Bus to the dappled, cuddly feathers of the Hippogriff, her work invests Rowling’s world with another layer of magic.
the island at the end of everything by kiran milwood hargrave
(chicken coop)
amihan has lived all his life on the island of culion, where many people have leprosy, including ami’s mother. it is a place of joy, however, until harsh authority descends, tearing families apart and uprooting children. Shortlisted for the Costa Award, Milwood Hargrave’s second novel is original, moving and saturated with a sense of wilderness.
over 12 years old
the book of dust vol 1: la belle sauvage by philip pullman
(fickle David)
Pullman’s long-awaited return to the world of his dark materials is, at times, dark indeed. As Malcolm Polstead, the 11-year-old son of a homeowner, and Alice Parslow, a 15-year-old dishwasher, ferry baby Lyra Belacqua down a flooded river in Malcolm’s canoe, the threats in their wake are fierce and terrifying (and Alice’s language, in particular, not parliamentary). the reader immersed in it, whatever his age, gives him the enjoyment of watching a master storyteller at work.
things a bright girl can do by sally nicholls
(anderson)
Nicholls’s compelling narrative follows Evelyn, groomed for marriage above the studio; May, the freethinking daughter of a Quaker; and nell, the tough and capable pillar of her poor family. They will all fight for the right to vote, but as the specter of war draws ever closer, what will they sacrifice and what will be taken from them? an unforgettable historical novel.
the hate you give by angie thomas
(walker)
A standout debut, this American novel is the Black Lives Matter-inspired story of Starr Carter, whose friend Khalil is shot dead by a police officer as she watches, and whose divided life is rocked by the consequences. full of evocative details and wry humor, with a charismatic narrator, it reads like a canonical text.
satellite of nick lake
(hoder)
Leo was born in space and lived his entire life on the Luna 2 space station with his fellow space children Libra and Orion. now, at 15, he is about to go to earth for the first time, but there is more waiting for him than his grandfather’s ranch and the experiences he has promised himself. Told in Leo’s abbreviated allusive diction, this is extraordinary science fiction, as diverse and human as the best of Iain M Banks.
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