Commemorating World Refugee Day with The Day War Came

On the 18^th of June we commemorated Refugee Week with a special event for The Day War Came at The Book Club. We had author Nicola Davies and illustrator Rebecca Cobb on a panel with 100 chair illustrations up for grabs including pieces from Shirley Hughes, Shaun Tan and Nick Sharratt. Tickets were £20 with everyone receiving a randomly allocated chair illustration – all money from tickets has been donated to Help Refugees. 

A powerful and necessary picture book, The Day War Came shows the journey of a child forced to become a refugee when war destroys everything she has ever known. 

Imagine if, on an ordinary day, war came. Imagine it turned your town to rubble. Imagine going on a long and difficult journey – all alone. Imagine finding no welcome at the end of it. Then imagine a child who gives you something small but very, very precious... When the government refused to allow 3000 child refugees to enter this country in 2016, Nicola Davies was so angry she wrote a poem. It started a campaign for which artists contributed drawings of chairs, symbolising a seat in a classroom, education, kindness, the hope of a future. The poem has become this book, movingly illustrated by Rebecca Cobb, which should prove a powerful aid for explaining the ongoing refugee crisis to younger readers. 

50p from every paperback copy sold goes to the charity Help Refugees – find out more about their wonderful work at their website, helprefugees.org.

You can pick up a copy of The Day War Came at your local bookshop and you can find The Day War Came teacher's notes here.

Top new picture books from Walker Books this June!

Alphonse There's Mud on the Ceiling

by Daisy Hirst

The third title featuring loveable monster sister and brother Natalie and Alphonse!

Natalie and Alphonse mostly like living in a flat on the seventh floor. But will this adorably rambunctious pair ever manage to create a magical, wild camping experience in their little apartment? From the award-winning Daisy Hirst comes a story sure to inspire families to explore the great outdoors, before finding the perfect balance again back home.

I Do Not Like Books Anymore

by Daisy Hirst

"A delightfully original work, worth every penny" The Independent 

Natalie is learning to read. “Now I can read all the stories in the world,” she says. “And you can read them to me!” adds little brother Alphonse. But when Natalie tries to read all by herself for the first time, the letters look like squiggles, and she isn’t so sure any more… Daisy Hirst celebrates the joy of sharing stories, and perfectly evokes those feelings of frustration and pride that come with learning something new.

How to Be on the Moon

by Viviane Schwarz

“This book is gold, put it on your bookshelf where it can be easily found and treasure it!” Chris Riddell, Children's Laureate

In the sequel to the bestselling How to Find Gold, best friends Anna and Crocodile are going on another intrepid adventure – this time, to the moon! But soaring into the space is no simple task. To start with, it’s very far away. Then there’s the not-so-simple matter of building a rocket. And there are the sandwiches to make for the journey. But when Anna and Crocodile set their sights on something, nothing can stand in their way... Bursting with sharp, funny dialogue and illuminated by Viviane’s out-of-this-world illustrations, this is a story that celebrates irrepressible curiosity and the magic of imaginative play.

Sea Glass Summer

by Michelle Houts, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline

Explore the magic of one of the seaside’s greatest wonders and the bonds that link us through time.

One summer, Thomas visits his grandmother at her seaside cottage. She gives him a magnifying glass that once belonged to his grandfather, and with it Thomas explores the beach. When his grandmother shows him a piece of sea glass, Thomas is transfixed. That night he dreams of an old shipyard and the breaking of a bottle. Could the very piece of sea glass on his nightstand have come from that bottle? For the rest of the summer, he searches for more sea glass and hopes to have dreams that will reveal more of the sea’s secrets... A stunning ode to stories and the seaside, this picture book invites readers to imagine the ocean of possibility that lives in every small or forgotten treasure. 

Tooth Fairy in Training

by Michelle Robinson, illustrated by Briony May Smith

Think that being a tooth fairy is all about sparkly fairy dust, shiny coins and collecting teeny-tiny teeth from cute, sleeping children? Well, think again.

Tate’s big sister May is taking her out on her very first tooth-collecting mission, and it’s going to be a little … well, dangerous. It will involve trekking through the deep, dark jungle, plunging into the murky ocean, and facing the ice of the Arctic. Because it’s not just sweet, slumbering little children that lose their pearly whites, oh no... All kinds of toothy predators lose their gnashers, too! 

You can WIN a copy of Tooth Fairy in Training here and also download our free activity sheets here.  

Pick up copies of all these books at your local bookshop!

WIN our June Picture Book of the Month - Tooth Fairy in Training

Think that being a tooth fairy is all about sparkly fairy dust, shiny coins and collecting teeny-tiny teeth from cute, sleeping children? Well, think again.

Tate’s big sister May is taking her out on her very first tooth-collecting mission, and it’s going to be a little … well, dangerous. It will involve trekking through the deep, dark jungle, plunging into the murky ocean, and facing the ice of the Arctic. Because it’s not just sweet, slumbering little children that lose their pearly whites, oh no... All kinds of toothy predators lose their gnashers, too! Can Tate collect missing teeth from crocs, sharks and anacondas ... and all without waking up a single creature? A fast-paced, funny and action-packed adventure story, which introduces two tough brave new fairies (and many a ferocious animal!) to the picture book world.

We are delighted to welcome author Michelle Robinson to Picture Book Party to tell us about Tooth Fairy in Training

The Tooth Fairy is extremely busy.

I know this for a fact. In our house she is expected to visit nightly, tooth or no.
It’s been this way since a tiny door appeared in my daughter’s room two years ago. I have absolutely no idea how it got there*.
Did you know fairies install their doors with sticky tack? Easier than cement, I suppose. I only wish they’d consider what it does to the paintwork every time they move house.

This particular fairy ups sticks on a whim. Perhaps some skirting boards have better views than others? Maybe there the dells are more dingly behind certain walls?



I wouldn’t know. We’ve never seen what’s behind the little door. But we do enjoy the interesting offerings the fairy leaves in front of it.

Coins would be too easy (albeit hard on the fairy’s wallet). Our fairy delivers tiny handwritten letters.

At first it was very charming — a neighbourly note letting us know she’d moved in. But my daughter started writing back.

Every night.

For two years.

Naturally, she expects a prompt reply — a miniature one in an exquisite, curlicued hand.


A simple, ‘Wish you were here!’ is not enough. She also wants answers to her many, many questions.

‘Who are your friends?’

‘What’s your middle name?’

‘Do you go to school?’

‘Who collects YOUR teeth?’

‘Can you do a wheelie on your bike?’

and,

‘Why haven’t you replied to my last sixteen letters?’

The fairy tries her best. She feels terrible when she doesn’t manage to write. (Busy day? Netflix? Glass of wine bigger than her teeny, tiny self?)

How do I know she feels terrible? Because on these occasions she goes above and beyond to make up for her shortcomings.

The lengths that fairy goes to to make amends. Chocolates! Sparkly gems! Tiny greetings cards in their own dinky envelopes! I imagine she’s particularly proud of the ant-sized origami she once left. It must have taken her ages. She even left out a tiny hand-embroidered stocking for Santa at Christmas.

How does she do it? Magic.

Fairy magic is amazing. It usually goes on out of sight — but in ‘Tooth Fairy in Training’, Briony-May Smith has shone a light on it.

And what light! From the dappled shade of the fairies’ woodland home to the milky moonlight pouring through the window of Melissa, doll-collecting fairy-kisser, every page shines. The iridescent front cover actually shimmers.

Briony and the team at Walker have done the most beautiful job. Reading ‘Tooth Fairy in Training’ is just like opening that tiny door and peering into the tooth fairy’s world. I’m very, very grateful to Briony and to everyone who’s had a hand in bringing my story to life.

Of course I dedicated the book to my daughter. She’s very grateful, too. I only hope our resident fairy — and tooth fairies everywhere — know how much their hard work is appreciated.

*I’ve since changed my eBay password. Blasted fairies!

You can download a set of Tooth Fairy in Training activity sheets here! Plus we have a competition to WIN a copy of Tooth Fairy in Training plus a Crocodile Dentist Game!  

To enter this competition just enter your name and email address below.

Sorry, this competition has now closed.

WIN our May Picture Book of the Month - Hummingbird

A Nature Storybook about hummingbirds, beautifully told and illustrated.

"Jane Ray turns everything she touches to gold." Daily Telegraph

From Nicola Davies, one of the UK’s finest non-fiction writers, and from Jane Ray, one of the UK’s finest illustrators, comes an exquisite Nature Storybook about … hummingbirds! A hummingbird is smaller than your thumb and weighs less than a 20 pence piece – however you measure it, it’s tiny. But every spring, hummingbirds that have spent the winter in Mexico fly north to make the most of the warmer weather. They nest as far north as Canada and Alaska; a 2,000 mile trip! This is the story of one spring migration: of a tiny bird, its amazing journey and the people it meets along the way.

We have FIVE copies of Hummingbird with limited edition prints to give away!

To enter this competition just enter your name and email address below.

Competition closes midday on Wednesday 5th June 2019.   

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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Handa's Surprise 25th Anniversary

In pantomime spirit, children will long to tell Handa what's happening right behind her in this beautiful 25th anniversary edition of a modern classic.

“So luscious it seems almost edible” Observer 

A 25th anniversary edition of a modern classic, this is the story of Handa who decides to take seven pieces of delicious fruit to her friend, Akeyo, who lives in the neighbouring village. But as Handa wonders, I wonder what fruit Akeyo will like best?, a series of sneaky animals steal something from Handa's basket, which she's carrying on her head... When Handa reaches Akeyo, will she have anything left to offer her friend? Brimming with mouth-watering fruit and wild animals, this richly-illustrated story is for the youngest of readers. Named one of the best culturally diverse picture books in the UK, this is a beautiful edition to share and treasure with a foreword and gorgeous gold foil on the cover and spine.

We're delighted to welcome Eileen Browne to the Picture Book Party blog to talk about Handa's Surprise

It's funny how an idea for a picture-book story can take you to new places. The idea for Handa's Surprise was that if someone carried something on top of their head, they wouldn't be able to see what was happening above them... but the reader of the story could.

We rarely carry things on our heads in the UK, so this story had to be set somewhere else. Once I'd decided that a girl would carry fruit to her friend and tall animals would reach down to take it, the story 'travelled' to Africa where the tallest animal in the world - a giraffe - lived. I had to find a country in Africa where giraffes and people might live in the same area. Kenya seemed possible and two wonderful Kenyan women from London's Kenya Tourist Office assured me it could be set in rural SW Kenya. They told me about tribes, hairstyles, clothes and names and so the first "Handa" story began.

Handa's Hen followed and 25 years after Handa's Surprise. A third story, Handa's Noisy Night is to be published this September!

Eileen Browne is a bestselling author and illustrator, well known for her picture book classic, Handa’s Surprise, and its sequel, Handa’s Hen, both of which have been adapted into national puppet theatre productions and which have, together, sold over one million copies in more than twenty countries worldwide. In 2014, Handa’s Surprise was named one of the "50 best culturally diverse children’s books" of all time, in a list compiled by a distinguished independent panel of children’s book experts.

Top new picture books from Walker Books this April!

We have a brilliant selcetion of picture books out this month, from grass eating donkeys to a tribute to an iconic artist, check out the selection below!

The Pawed Piper 
by Michelle Robinson, illustrated by Chinlun Lee

The leading lady of this tale longs for a pet cat to cuddle and call her own – a furry fluffball, just like the one in her book. So, after studying her grandma’s cat, Hector, she lays a trail with all the things that she knows cats love – balls of wool, saucers of milk, cardboard boxes and catnip aplenty. And then she waits for a cat to come… The legend of The Pied Piper gets an adorably feline twist in this new story from Michelle Robinson and illustrator Chinlun Lee. 

Little Green Donkey 

by Anuska Allepuz 

Little Donkey LOVES eating grass – it’s just so sweet, and crunchy, and juicy! His pillow is even made from grass so that he can roll over in the morning and eat his own bed. “Why don’t you try some other food?” suggests his desperate mum, putting on a juggling display of colourful fruit as a way to entice her little one to eat something new. But Little Donkey sees no need. Until, that is, he catches a glimpse of his reflection…

B is for Baby 

by Antinuke, illustrated by Angela Brooksbank

Baby’s brother is getting ready to take a basket of bananas all the way to Baba’s bungalow in the next village. He will have to go along the bumpy road, past the baobab trees, birds and butterflies, and all the way over the bridge. What he doesn’t realize is that his cute, very curious baby sister is secretly coming along for the amazing bicycle ride, too! From the creators of Baby Goes to Market comes a beautiful, bright first book of words, perfect for pre-schoolers learning their ABC! Children will love sounding out the words in this playful, adventurous and vibrantly-illustrated story set in West Africa.

That Fruit is Mine 

by Anuska Allepuz

One day, deep in the jungle, five elephants discover a new tree – a tall tree – and, atop that tree, the most mouth-wateringly delicious fruit any of them had ever seen. “MINE!” each elephant cries. “Mine, mine, mine, mine, MINE!” But who will get there first? And will the elephants spot the five tiny mice, planning and plotting, slowly approaching that tip-top branch? With fresh vision, hilarious characterization and beautifully textured art, Anuska Allepuz tells a tale of teamwork and sharing; a comedy and fable with a contemporary edge.

Little Frida 

by Anthony Browne  

The artwork of Frida Kahlo inspires former Children's Laureate and twice winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal Anthony Browne in this beautiful and surreal picture book. Stunning illustrations tell the story of a lonely young girl who discovers the power of the imagination to set you free. A tribute to an iconic artist exploring themes of belonging, creativity and hope, this is an exquisite and touching picture book. Little Frida is our Picture Book of the Month and you can win a copy plus a limited edition print here: http://www.picturebookparty.co.uk/2019/04/win-our-april-picture-book-of-month.html

Pick up copies of all these books at your local bookshop!

WIN our April Picture Book of the Month - Little Frida by Anthony Browne

One great artist inspires another, as former Children's Laureate and twice winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal Anthony Browne creates a beautiful story about Frida Kahlo.

Little Frida is a beautiful and surreal picture book. Stunning illustrations tell the story of a lonely young girl who discovers the power of the imagination to set you free. A tribute to an iconic artist exploring themes of belonging, creativity and hope, this is an exquisite and touching picture book.

We have FIVE copies of Little Frida with limited edition prints to give away!

To enter this competition just enter your name and email address below.

Competition closes midday on Thursday 2nd May 2019.   

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.

Anthony Browne is one of the most celebrated author–illustrators working today. Children’s Laureate from 2009 to 2011 and winner of multiple awards – including the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal and the much-coveted Hans Christian Andersen Award – Anthony is renowned for his unique style. His work is loved and admired all around the world.