Picture Books 2021
Meet the Oceans
Caryl Hart, Bethan Woollvin
SPLOOOOSH! We're off on an exciting underwater adventure in our submarine to meet the oceans and seas of our blue planet.
Join in with the rhymes and get ready to spot all the smiley-faced, friendly oceans, from the Atlantic and deep Pacific to the sparkling Mediterranean.
A Way with Wild Things Larissa Theule, Sara Palacios Meet Poppy-if you can spot her among the wildflowers! Poppy loves nature, and can be found carrying on conversations with ladybugs or singing with cicadas, but good luck spotting her indoors and around people! She's a master of camouflage, always finding a way to blend into her surroundings. Some might call her a wallflower. At a party, Poppy stays out of sight. But when a very special bug lands on the cake, Poppy can't resist popping out to see it. Soon, the rest of the guests notice the beautiful dragonfly, and Poppy, too. Maybe she's not a wallflower after all, but a wildflower.
One Day on Our Blue Planet… In the Outback Ella Bailey If you love cute baby animals, come spend the day in the Australian outback with this adorable and bouncy kangaroo joey! From Ella Bailey's acclaimed series of beautiful and educational picture books comes another tale of how one young animal friend spends his day. He's only a little kangaroo, but that doesn't stop him being curious and learning all about life in his corner of our big blue planet.
Mrs Bibi's Elephant Reza Dalvand A heart-warming story with a message as big as an elephant, this fanciful tale of friendship between an eccentric lady and her beloved pet is as poignant as it is beautiful. When Mrs Bibi is told her pet elephant has to go, she reluctantly packs her bags and heads off somewhere where they can live together in happiness. But what they both leave behind is far bigger than the other people in the town could have ever imagined.
The Extraordinary Gardener Sam Boughton Joe is a boy just like any other, but Joe loves to imagine. Joe lives in a pretty ordinary tower block, in a rather ordinary city. His world is rather grey. However, he spends his time imagining a wonderful world filled with exotic plants and unusual animals. One day Joe decides to plant a seed on his balcony, he waits and waits but nothing happens! Joe gives up and goes back to his daily life, but one day when he least expects it he spots that the seed has turned into the most beautiful tree. Joe begins caring for the tree and growing lots of other plants on his balcony and soon everyone in the neighbourhood is getting involved.
The Weed Quentin Blake The Meadowsweet family suddenly and expectedly find themselves at the bottom of a giant crack in the earth. With the help of their pet bird, Octavia and a magical seed, the family go on a journey to the surface.
King of the Swamp Catherine Emmett, Ben Mantle McDarkly lives quietly all on his own, growing orchids in his dank swamp, until one day his peace is disturbed by an arrogant king who wants to turn the swamp into a roller-skate park. McDarkly has ten days to prove that the swamp isn't damp and dark, but an enchanted world. Can he do it, or will he risk losing his home forever?
Mammoth Anna Kemp, Adam Beer Big beast. Big city. BIG TROUBLE. When an Ice Age mammoth finds himself in a modern day city, he's not at all sure what to make of this huge, gleaming forest. Strange birds in the sky, strange beetles on the ground and strange, shouty cavemen. Is he the only mammoth in the WORLD?
Nature Trail Benjamin Zephaniah, Nila Aye At the bottom of my garden, there’s a hedgehog and a frog, And a lot of creepy-crawlies living underneath a log... All around us, from parks to gardens and flowerpots to pavements, there’s a world of wonder just waiting to be discovered. Why not look a little closer and see what you find? This joyful celebration of nature reminds us all to take a closer look at the world around us, and enjoy the wonder of nature wherever we find it. Packed with animals and minibeasts galore, this imaginative rhyming text is perfect for reading aloud.
The Whale Who Wanted More Rachel Bright, Jim Field Under glittering waves of a vast ocean blue, a beautiful world is hidden from view. And there, in the cool and the quiet of the deep, a great, gentle giant was stirring from sleep... Humphrey the whale is on a quest: to find the one perfect object that will make him feel complete. He roams far and wide, gathering endless undersea treasure as he goes. Yet, no matter how many goodies he accumulates, Humphrey still doesn’t feel content. Could it be friendship, not possessions, that will really make Humphrey’s heart sing?
Lola the Plant Hunter Sharon Rentta ANIMAL EXPLORERS is a brand-new picture book series that will inspire all budding explorers to follow their dreams. Lola the polar bear has a passion for plants, but there aren't many flowers in the Arctic. There's only one thing for it: she'll have to trek to the Amazon jungle!
Stella and the Seagull Georgina Stevens, Izzy Burton When Stella's little seagull friend gets poorly from the plastic stuck in its tummy, Stella wants to do anything she can to try and help. From beach clean ups to banning plastic straws, her ideas spread around the community and make a huge impact. Thanks to Stella, the little seagull and all its animal friends can live in a better environment.
Winnie and Wilbur: The Bug Safari Valerie Thomas, Korky Paul Winnie and Wilbur are fascinated by the creepy-crawlies in the garden and decide it could be fun to shrink right down to their size. But when you're knee-high to a caterpillar, there can be some very hairy moments. And when a humongous wand is too big to handle, will things ever get back to normal?
The Pirate Mums Jodie Lancet-Grant, Lydia Corry Billy has two pirates for mums. He wishes his family could be more like everyone else's. Until a swashbuckling adventure changes everything!
Omar, The Bees And Me Helen Mortimer, Katie Cottle When Omar brings in some honey cake that reminds him of his beekeeping grandpa, it gives his teacher an idea to make the town more bee friendly with bee corridors.Omar and Maisie discover a shared family passion as their friendship blossoms alongside the flowers
Swim, Shark, Swim! Dom Conlon, Anastasia Izlesou Swim around the world with Shark as he explores ocean forests and coastal reefs, meeting Hammerheads and Great Whites, stingrays and dolphins in a search for the place he calls home.
Fletcher and the Caterpillar Julia Rawlinson, Tiphanie Beeke Fletcher finds a caterpillar under a juicy green leaf. With the help of his friends, he introduces it to lots of games. But all it wants to do is munch. When Caterpillar stops munching, Fletcher is worried...but as spring turns into summer, something magical is about to happen!
National Trust: Look What I Found in the Woods Moira Butterfield, Jesus Verona Follow me. I know the way. We’re walking through the woods today. Look what I found! A curly stick to wave like a magic wand. Set off on an outdoor adventure to find natural treasure, from prickly pine cones to swirly snail’s shells, then learn more about the found object with irresistibly illustrated and informative nature notes.
Pedro the Puerto Rican Parrot Beverly Jatwani, Sunita Chawdhary Together we can change the world! In the first book in the series, it is love that can change the world. Dominic takes Pedro the parrot under his wing, nursing him back to health, before releasing him back into the wild.
Into the Wild Robert Vescio, Mel Armstrong Roman is a lone wanderer and the wild is his to explore. Yet despite his amazing adventures and fascinating discoveries, Roman is still searching for something. Is being alone really the only choice for a wanderer?
Too Much Stuff Emily Gravett Meg and Ash are a pair of magpies who are building a nest for their perfect eggs. Although they begin their nest construction using the usual mud, sticks and grass, Meg and Ash are soon convinced that their nest doesn’t have enough stuff and begin to collect more things to add to an ever-growing pile. From cuckoo clocks to mops and socks, a pram and even a car – their need for stuff seems endless. Until – crash! – the inevitable happens.
Barney Goose: A Wild Atlantic Way Adventure Carol Ann Treacy Tom the lighthouse keeper finds an egg washed up on the beach in West Cork. When it hatches, young Barney Goose lives happily with Tom, until he feels a need to fly! What will Barney find as as he travels the Wild Atlantic Way from West Cork all the way to Donegal? And why does he feel a need to fly there?
One Springy Day Nick Butterworth Percy the park keeper and his animal friends are playing hide-and-seek in the park. The fox has found a great hiding place in Percy’s workshop but when he falls into a pot of Very Strong Glue, he soon finds himself springing into an embarrassingly sticky situation! Is there anything his friends can do to help?
Setsuko and the Song of the Sea Fiona Barker, Howard Gray Setsuko loves the sea. She swims its shallows. She dives its depths. But she worries that her friends have chosen to abandon her way of life. Then she meets a whale who also fears he is the last of his kind.
