WIN our February Book of the Month and more!

It's that time again when you, yes YOU, can be in with a chance to win our Picture Book Party Book of the Month, and our special themed prize! Scroll down for more... 

Presenting, The Case of the Missing Cake by Eoin McLaughlin, illustrated by Marc Boutavant:

Bear has lost his chocolate cake! But it's not just any old chocolate cake. It's the completely delicious, tongue-jinglingly, chocolaty cake, and it's mysteriously missing... 

Bear must now work through an entire alphabet of potential suspects, but could the truth of the case of the missing cake have been right at the beginning all along?

With bright, joyful illustrations, and an alphabetical, educational twist, this is the perfect picture book to delight and learn from. 

WIN a copy of this fantastically fun new picture book as well as a toy baking set, just by entering below. It couldn't be simpler! 

Are you under 13? If so please do NOT provide your details. Please ask your parent or guardian to enter using their email address.

By entering this competition you confirm that you accept our terms and conditions of entry.

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February's top picks of the month!

Fret not, February is full of fantastic new picture books to read! Here are some of our top picks...

Money-Go-Round by Roger McGough

Mr Toad has a shiny gold coin. He gives it to Miss Mole to pay for a room in her hotel. Now Miss Mole can pay Sam Stoat for painting the hotel, and Sam Stoat can pay back Mr Badger ... until the coin might just end up back where it started! From renowned poet Roger McGough and Kate Greenaway Medal winner Mini Grey, this is an inspired and witty tale featuring beloved characters from The Wind in the Willows.

Not an Alphabet Book: The Case of the Missing Cake by Eoin McLaughlin

As Bear travels from A to Z, visiting all sorts of characters, objects and extraordinary places along the way, can YOU help him search for the culprit? But, wait! Are those crumbs on Bear’s page? And are those Bear-shaped pawprints next to the empty cake stand? It seems our narrator might not be as reliable as we first thought...

King Mouse by Cary Fagan 

A mouse comes upon a tiny crown in the grass. The mouse puts the crown on his head, and when a bear walks by and asks if he's king, the mouse responds "Yes." The tiny monarch settles into his new role very comfortably ... until, that is, a snake comes upon a crown and claims she is queen. The mouse is not amused! Especially when, one by one, the other animals find crowns and claim they are kings, too. But when the bear can't find a crown, King Mouse make a most surprising decision...

Dandelion's Dream by Yoko Tanaka

In a meadow filled with dandelion buds just about to flower, one dandelion blooms into a real lion. Roots and leaves unfurl into four tiny paws and a long tail with a fluffy yellow tuft. What a great, wide world there is to explore when you have paws instead of roots! There are fast trains to ride, regal ships to sail, and cities with lights as bright as Dandelion’s field in full bloom. But will a real lion ever be content to go back to being a rooted dandelion?

Flat Cat by Hiawyn Oram

Sophie absolutely adores Jimi and smothers him with treats. She thinks he has everything a cat could possibly desire. And Jimi does ... but he doesn’t ... because secretly Jimi longs to explore the bright and bustling world outside. So when Sophie rushes out one day forgetting her keys, there’s only one thing for it: Jimi slips on his coat and skedaddles out of there, too! Where will he go and who will he meet on those wild and exciting streets? And what on earth will Sophie say?

Be sure to pick up our top picks at your nearest bookshop! 

Love From Alfie McPoonst, The Best Dog Ever

Trying to explain the passing of a beloved pet to a child never gets easier, but Dawn Mcniff's poignant picture book, beautifully illustrated by Patricia Metola, provides comfort and relief. Be sure to have a box of tissues by your side! 

When Alfie the dog dies, he sends his owner Izzy letters in the post from his new address: The Nicest Cloud, Dog Heaven, The Sky. He wants her to know that he misses her – so much! – but his new home in heaven is BRILLIANT. There are postmen to chase, angels to tickle his tummy, and he never even has to take a bath! Can his letters comfort Izzy, who is is feeling lost without him?

Sensitively balancing humour and raw emotional truth, this is a beautifully observed tale sure to reassure children experiencing loss and grief for the very first time.  

Love From Alfie McPoonst, The Best Dog Ever available where all good books are sold! 

WIN a 2020 Walker Books Calendar!

***THIS COMPETITION HAS CLOSED NOW***

Still searching for the perfect 2020 calendar for your desk at home or at work? Or maybe you like to keep a calendar by your bedside table but are struggling to find the right fit? Your search ends today! Here at Walker we do our very best to create the perfect calendar every year, and this year one of our beautiful calendars could be yours...

Featuring images from some of our stunning picture book releases in the coming year, our 2020 calendar is light and pretty and sure to brighten up any space! 

The calendar begins with a well-loved classic as we celebrate 25 years of Guess How Much I Love You.

Have a look below to see what other picture books are featured in this year's calendar...

Books featured: 

- Guess How Much I Love You: 25th Anniversary Edition by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram

- The Case of the Missing Cake by Eoin McLaughlin and Marc Boutavant 

- Bunnies on the Bus by Philip Ardagh and Ben Mantle 

- Follow Me, Flo! by Jarvis 

- How to be Cooler than Cool by Sean Taylor and Jean Jullien

- Catch That Chicken! by Atinuke and Angela Brooksbank 

- Karate Kids by Holly Sterling

- Ride the Wind by Nicola Davies and Salvatore Rubbino 

- Honey for You, Honey for Me by Michael Rosen and Chris Riddell 

- Gustavo, the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago

- The Nightingale by Tanya Landman and Laura Carlin 

- Santa Post by Emma Yarlett 

- Let's Play Monsters! by Lucy Cousins 

***THIS COMPETITION HAS CLOSED NOW***

WIN our January book of the month and more!

*THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED*

We're starting off 2020 at Picture Book Party with a competition for our lovely readers! Our January book of the month is Yasmeen Ismail's laugh-out-loud Would You Like a Banana?

Gorilla is hungry but there is absolutely no way he’s going to eat a banana. Not even a teeny taste. Not with some bread or standing on his head. Even if you eat one too, which is something you might do.

This brilliant and hilarious picture book from award-winning illustrator Yasmeen Ismail will have everyone laughing at this all-too familiar family situation!

 Click on the link below for a couple of fun activity sheets! 

Would You Like a Banana 

Top new picture books from Walker Books this January!

New year, new month, new great picture books!

Love From Alfie McPoonst, The Best Dog Ever by Dawn McNiff 

When Alfie the dog dies, he sends his owner Izzy letters in the post from his new address: The Nicest Cloud, Dog Heaven, The Sky. He wants her to know that he misses her – so much! – but his new home in heaven is BRILLIANT. There are postmen to chase, angels to tickle his tummy, and he never even has to take a bath! Can his letters comfort Izzy, who is feeling lost without him?

Some Dinosaurs are Small by Charlotte Voake 

Some dinosaurs are small, and some dinosaurs are BIG. Some dinosaurs have tiny teeth for munching leaves, and some dinosaurs have POINTY teeth for munching … OTHER dinosaurs! UH-OH. Some dinosaurs need to RUN! Children will want to cry out, “He’s behind you!” in this bright, bold and thrilling picture book from one of the most acclaimed contemporary children’s book-makers, Charlotte Voake.

Would You Like a Banana? By Yasmeen Ismail 

Gorilla is hungry but there is absolutely no way he’s going to eat a banana. Not even a teeny taste. Not with some bread or standing on his head. Even if you eat one too, which is something you might do. This brilliant and hilarious picture book from award-winning illustrator Yasmeen Ismail will have everyone laughing at this all-too familiar family situation!

Animals with Tiny Cat by Viviane Schwarz 

Tiny Cat is playing dress-up! She rolls up in a rug to become a snake – hiss! And with booties on her paws, she’s a horse – neigh! In fact, with oodles of imagination, Tiny Cat can be any animal she wants to be! But does Tiny Cat have what it takes to be a fearless lion? Find out in this inventive picture book with an abundance of visual humour! 

Bear Moves by Ben Bailey Smith 

With funny wordplay and bold imagery, actor Ben Bailey Smith and artist Sav Akyuz have created a Bear to remember. If there's one thing Bear knows, it's how to move. And when the music starts up, Bear just can't help grooving to the beat – spinning round, belly dancing and even doing the foxtrot. This infectiously rhythmic and hilariously funny sequel to I Am Bear will keep readers in stitches from start to finish.

Available to buy at all good bookshops!

Behind the scenes of Pick a Pine Tree!

Read on for a glimpse into the makings of Patricia Toht's festive picture book! 

What gave you the inspiration behind Pick a Pine Tree?

Our family has a fairly large collection of Christmas books that we pull out to read each holiday season. But I discovered that not one focused on decorating a tree. I love that tradition and mined my many fond memories of trimming trees. I had already started a poem about carving pumpkins, too, so Pick a Pine Tree and Pick a Pumpkin developed simultaneously.

What is your writing process for your picture books?

I tend to carry around ideas in my head for a while before I begin to write. It’s a bit like filling a cup with water, drip by drip, until it finally spills over. I’m a poet at heart, so most ideas pour out as poetry. I have wonderful poet friends who help me polish my rhyme and rhythm. My editor, Tanya, is wonderful, too – she’s especially good at catching uniquely American phrases that creep into my writing.

What is your favourite spread from the book?

Oh, that’s such a hard choice! I adore Jarvis’ illustrations. I think the spread of the decorated Christmas tree is brilliant. The decision to turn the book sideways to show a huge, decorated tree was a clever one. And now the gift edition has a tree that pops out! So special.

Do you ever go and pick your own pine tree?

Every year! My husband and I used to take our four children to a tree farm to cut down a tree. That is, until the year it was sleeting, and the kids were complaining, and my husband was on the muddy ground, trying to saw the trunk. Everyone was mad and cold and wet. After that, we decided that perhaps going to a tree lot would be just fine…

What is your favourite part about Christmas?

Biscuits and ornaments! I have a big stash of Christmas recipes that I make each year. My friends love it – because they get the surplus supply! As for ornaments, our children receive new ones each year, usually related to something special that happened that year. We tag them with their names, so that, when they move out, those ornaments will be the first trimmings for their own trees.

How do you decorate your own Christmas tree? 

Lights first, then my husband’s collection of animated ornaments. He has about twenty of them. When they’re plugged in, little motors whir and they move about or light up or play songs. I tuck in a few ornaments from my childhood. The kids then add theirs – including one weapon-toting snowman my youngest son made from toilet paper tubes and cotton balls. Each year, the older kids threaten to set it afire, but it always makes it to the tree in one piece, thank heaven! The final touch is a long, long paper chain made from links that children have added at book signings for Pick a Pine Tree – I’m not sure of the exact length, but it stretches from the front door of our home to the back door!