Illustration by Ethan Rilly

After last week's ReadItTorial went down like a lead balloon I figured it'd probably be a good idea to step into slightly lighter-hearted territory this week.

Let's talk about emotions?

No wait, don't run, we are your friends! We'd specifically like to talk about how it is that a grown man of half a century - and his daughter - can be reduced to hot messes, blubbing, sobbing and snot-covered cry-messes purely because of the words and illustrations in a children's picture book.

We'd recently read "If all the world were..." by Joseph Coelho and Allison Colpoys, and it's one of those books that makes you feel like that scene in Toy Story 2 where Jessie is plaintively singing about being dumped by the side of the road by her owner, unloved and unwanted. Or that scene at the end of Toy Story 3 that gets me EVERY SINGLE TIME where Andy is pulling his toys out for Molly and they play with them together one last time.

Oh god, even though I know what's coming it just destroys me every time.

So it was with "If all the world were" and so it has been with several other books that usually have one thing in common. They deal with a subject that you don't really expect to see much of in children's books.

Death, grief, loss, grieving, missing people you know you're never going to see again but reminding you (in that lovely way that children's books always do) that they're always with you because they exist in your memory.

Death is a tough subject to get right, to give it enough weight and importance in a story but not to scare the living bejesus out of kids. Just to stimulate enough of a thought-provoking inner dialogue that will remind them just how amazing their elders are, and not to take them for granted.

Well, that's the intention anyway - quite often it just means we sit there in a puddle of tears wondering what we can do to cheer ourselves up (the answer: reach for a book that's a complete giggle-fest from cover to cover instead). It is weird though, I think both of us actually enjoy the fact that books can affect us in that way.

Both my wife and I have entirely different triggers for what sets us off, as does C. My wife can sit there sobbing her heart out over grown up books (quite a few times I've been happily in the land of nod, only to be woken up by her crying her eyes out over some novel she's downloaded onto her kindle). Our daughter has picked up subtle nuances of what triggers her to turn into a sobbing mess from both of us - basically anything involving animals will completely destroy her, though she has a slightly greater tolerance for the death of human characters in stories. I noticed she also has a lot of her mum's toughness (some might say "hard heartedness") in that neither of them just cry on a whim over something they're not so invested in - whereas I am so much more of a big softy that quite often it'll take just one single subtle thing to push me right over the edge.

I guess the modern world favours folk who can handle their emotions more robustly, but I also think that humans are designed to be emotional creatures with great empathy for others so there's a lot to be said for bringing up your girls or boys to understand that it's OK to be emotional about stuff. It's natural, not something you need to stick a cork in.

The craft of writing something that can so keenly tap into someone's emotional states like that - well, potentially millions of different people who (if you're lucky) might encounter your stories and books. It's a fantastic writing challenge that I'd recommend to anyone who thinks they have an idea for a story bubbling under the surface. It is as tough as nails and it's on my bucket list of 'things I want to write' along with a book that makes someone cackle uncontrollably with laughter, or a book that means so much to someone that they can't possibly imagine life without it.

Writing something to tug at the heart strings is so much tougher than any other type of writing because you've first got to get the reader's investment in your characters to a point where they'll still be invested in them even when you snatch them cruelly away.

Hats off to the many, many children's authors who have achieved this throughout our blogging adventures.

Fancy a cry-fest? Here's a selection of the best tear-jerkers from our reviews:

Baby Bird by Andrew Gibbs and Zosienka (Frances Lincoln Children's Books)

ReadItDaddy's Second Book of the Week - Week Ending 29th July 2016 - "Fox and Goldfish" by Nils Pieters (Book Island)  (Oh god, this one....ARGHHH!!!!)

Book of the Week - Rabbityness by Jo Empson (Child's Play International Ltd)

Le Visite De Petite Mort by Kitty Crowther (Lutin Poche)

Goodbye Mog

Booky Advent Calendar Day 17 - 17th December 2013: "Winter's Tales" by Metaphrog (Metaphrog Publishing)

World on a String by Larry Phifer and Danny Popovici (Storytime Works / IBPA)

ReaditDaddy's Book of the Week - Sparkle's Song by Samantha Hale and Maria Ruiz Johnson (Maverick Books)

ReadItDaddy's First Book of the Week - 5th March 2015 - "Missing Jack" by Rebecca Elliott (Lion Hudson Publishing)

We're always huge fans of books that introduce kids to art and artists, particularly stuff they may not have seen before...

There's always room in our book collection for a brilliantly presented Natural History book, and this certainly fits the bill perfectly...

Here's a rather interesting book about bears, and boys who - at first - don't like bears...

Is there anything quite as satisfying as sloshing about in puddles? Preferably muddy puddles? This little pug doesn't think so...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if characters in a children's book broke the 4th wall?

In a year of celebrating inspirational women we've seen some truly stunning books highlighting the achievements of several notable figures from history...

Combine two of the finest talents in children's books and great things are bound to happen...just ask George!

Welcome, welcome to our summery sunshine-packed chapter book roundup for May. We're hoping to tempt you with a glorious selection of lovely books, so you can sneak out, find a shady tree and get some quiet time to get some reading done.

Let's kick off with a superbly touching middle grade tale of an ordinary girl trying to cope with extraordinary circumstances.

In "What Lexie Did" by Emma Shevah, Lexie lives in London with her colourful Greek-Cypriot family - and she's devoted to her fragile cousin of the same age, Eleni, who has a heart condition.

But after the death of their grandmother, Lexie tells a terrible, instinctive, jealous lie about an heirloom necklace, a lie that splits the family apart.

It's up to her to bring the family back together ... but after such a lie, can she find a way to tell the truth?

A strong moral message, with tons of heart-melting moments underlining the importance of family and honesty, "What Lexie Did" by Emma Sheva is out now, published by Chicken House. 


Next up is "Walls" by Emma Fischel. Time to meet an unforgettable hero with a fresh and unique voice.

Meet Ned Harrison Arkle-Smith - he's grumpy, bossy, and exasperating, but you can't help liking him (We all know people like that, don't we?)

Ned seems to have made a rather astonishing discovery. He's just discovered he can walk through walls.

Ned's world is collapsing. His parents have split up, his best friend is behaving strangely, he has an awful new neighbour, and Snapper is making his life a misery. In fact NOBODY is behaving the way Ned wants.

And then there's the wall. Right down the middle of Ivy Lodge and cutting up Ned's life. A big brick reminder of all that's going wrong in his life.

Until, that is, the night when Ned takes a chance and uses his new skill for the first time. But will it be the last?

The sort of book that has you constantly thinking "What if I could do that?" Brilliant stuff. "Walls" by Emma Fischel is out on the 1st June 2018, published by OUP / Oxford Children's Books. 


Geeks will inherit the earth, certainly if our next book is anything to go by.

Geek Tragedy" by Tom McLaughlin, one of C's favourite authors in middle grade stuff, is an absolutely belting start to a new series from this hugely talented chap.

Visit Happyville High - the perfect school, or so it seems.
Maurice - a streetwise tomcat - leads a band of educated ratty friends (and a stupid kid) on a nice little earner.
For the first time in Dennis's life Beanotown has become boring.
“My name is Megan Fawcett and this is the story of how I set up the best football team in the world.
Felix is in trouble at school again. He's so full of energy he skips every second step when he takes the stairs, taps door handles twice and positions objects in pairs. Odd behaviour? Or does Felix have a secret that few would understand...

It's a sheer delight to see the winsome witch and her long-suffering moggy sidekick back for a three-in-one book full of sand, sea and summer fun.

Kids are always drawn to stories that appeal to their natural subversive natures, and our Chapter Book of the Week beautifully taps right into that, big time...!

Our first Picture Book of the Week is such a stunningly executed idea, perfect for kids who still have a little bit of anxiety about going to bed in the dark...

Where are all the books by the fellah on the right?

Diversity in children's books - we hear that phrase being thrown around a lot lately don't we (and it's about bloomin' time too) but what of social diversity?

As a long-standing member of 'the group the guy on the right belongs to' in the header pic (yes, working class, folks!) I've tried to cover the 'class' issue on the blog many times, with varying degrees of success. Recently the debate has flared up again on Twitter with many folk echoing something we've been banging on about for years.

The truth is, and there's really no getting away from it, Children's Publishing really does 'belong' to the fellah in the dreadful tweed suit above rather than our mac-wearing flat-capped friend.

Though the above sketch first aired in the 1960s, and though we did think that things were getting better when we initially made a fuss about this a year ago, there's still a lot of work to be done in ensuring that working class authors and artists can become part of a hugely successful creative industry and get an equal chance as Mr Bowler Hat and Mr Trilby above.

We also need to keep ensuring that kids from working class backgrounds continue to see themselves in children's books, see their parents too - and see situations and surroundings that more accurately reflect their day-to-day lives.

An article recently published in the Guardian lays things out with some pretty horrific stats, with less than 10% of published authors hailing from 'working class' backgrounds, 41% from professional middle-class backgrounds.

The key concern is that the industry wants to be seen to be making huge strides in increasing diversity in children's publishing, but seemingly wants to brush this particular issue under the carpet. There are times when, as an observer from outside the industry looking in, that you'd firmly believe the industry likes things this way and doesn't really want to do anything to accelerate change.

It undoubtedly is an industry that is incredibly tough on working authors who put in 37 hours a week doing their 'day job' while chipping away at their own manuscripts in their spare time, often lacking the resources or backing of an industry that seems to be fuelled by something akin to the 'old boy network' in politics.

It really is about who you know and who you network with, not necessarily about what you know, nor your ability to spin a fantastic story or two.

There's another wrinkle to the whole 'class war in publishing' issue as well.

There are so many agencies and organisations, mentoring programmes and professional services that exist to try and give would-be authors a leg up in the industry - and often again the subscription fees or charges from these organisations are far beyond the means of folk who are already struggling to make ends meet in light of the ridiculous levels of poverty we're experiencing at the moment.

So immediately they are also cut off from the opportunities offered through those channels, left with little choice but to try and crack the industry by 'cold-calling' agents or (hah) trying their luck through the meagre open submissions offerings from publishers. Even recent startup publishers that claim to be reinventing the industry and making huge strides in diversification don't seem to be doing anything that comes even close to tackling this thorny issue.

There are two views here then. There's a view that the current state of affairs is fine, and that the successful children's publishing industry can roll on as it has been for decades.

So what if you're poor and can't afford to join a creative industry?

Tough luck, work harder, work your way out of poverty and debt and THEN you can join the club and serve up those comfortable slices of middle-class middle-grade nonsense that kids just love to read.

(What a horrible thought).

There is, of course, the alternative view that increasingly a lot of normal everyday kids no longer find they're represented enough in children's books - a lack of representation that has nothing to do with colour, creed, sexual orientation or religious belief - and at the core of this is a huge lack working class folk telling stories that draw from their own experiences, rather than a mere secondhand (and often over-idyllic) view of what living hand to mouth is actually like.

It basically boils down to a huge chunk of society being considered too poor to join the industry, regardless of how creative they are, how original their stories are, and how relevant they would be to other readers and their intended audience not being worth marketing to because they don't buy enough books.

Sure enough, hugely successful writers who realistically could quit tomorrow and never have to work another day in their lives often write comfortable (and quite often sickeningly twee) books about poverty, hardship and people that, socially, they're extremely far removed from which for some may feel like it's just adding insult to injury.

When I was growing up in the 1970s, it felt far more common to see working class writers naturally writing working class stories (quite often dystopian fantasy novels that imagined a future where the class divide was even more pronounced than it is now).

Take John Christopher's landmark novel "The Guardians" (a novel that I continue to be completely amazed hasn't been snapped up for a better movie / TV treatment).

There's no better description of an imagined future society where class divisions are so clearly described and what happens if you try to 'hop the fence' (literally, in the case of Rob Randall, the novel's main protagonist).

The novel is chilling for many reasons (not least of all the way that Christopher almost prophetically  describes what happened to libraries in his imagined future society where those crammed into sprawling cities, and the landed gentry in the shires are continually at odds while dark forces on both sides are actively engaged in secretive plans to maintain the status quo).

Samuel Youd (Christopher's real name) grew up in modest surroundings and only managed to become a professional writer thanks to a scholarship. His keen observational eye for describing various levels of society so chillingly and accurately could only have come from the experience of growing up in pre-WWII Lancashire and experiencing those hardships himself, tempered with later success in life when his writing career took off.

It sometimes feels like you just don't see writing like that, or writers who have come up through any kind of a system that makes sense. In some ways it's almost completely random happenstance that'll see you getting any kind of a publishing deal regardless of class but certainly if you are financially comfortably well off, you will stand a far better chance than anyone working a 37 hour (or longer) week and earning just enough to scrape by on.

Even if you do crack the industry, you'll never be in it for financial reward( sorry folks, you have as much chance of selling the sort of numbers that'll set you up for life financially as you'd have of winning the lottery).

Again in an industry that sees massive growth in sales year on year in the children's publishing sector, right across all genres and formats, you'd expect some of that good fortune to leak its way down to the creative folk driving that industry wouldn't you? But that's a debate for another day.

So what would change things for the better at the grass roots of actually getting (or should that be 'allowing') more socially diverse talent into the industry, perhaps giving the whole thing a much needed shot in the arm when it comes to originality and energy?

What could possibly be an effective enough change in the industry that would ensure that those without the financial means to set themselves up in a professional writing career were perhaps given their chance to do so?

Do publishers, agents and mentorship organisations need to do more for lower income folk? Do they need to better publicise any programmes that can offer support (financially or otherwise)?

Absolutely they do

...and though I do sometimes maintain a belief /  fear that the industry is secretly rather happy with things as they are, there are people out there who would dearly like to see change and I'm most definitely one of them.

I'm quite sure if you scratch the surface on Twitter (and follow Lorraine (@authorontheedge) Gregory's excellent debate on this issue that's currently bubbling along nicely) you might meet others who feel the same way too, regardless of class.

Now..about that 'fair pay' debate...


Footnote and useful links:

The Writers and Artists Yearbook and sites like https://www.writersandartists.co.uk can be an invaluable resource for low income authors and artists who are outside the industry looking in, and want just SOME IDEA of how to get started. Have a look, there's some great stuff on there about low income support, competition links etc. (thanks to Jodie Hodges - a literary agent - for the heads up on that one).

Chris Naylor helpfully provided a link to the Writers and Artists Yearbook, and said that it did actually help him get an agent and get published. If you've got £18 to spare, it might be worth a try: bloomsbury.com/uk/special-int…


A great thread from Nikesh Shulka with some useful Twitter contacts and resources to help authors get a leg up: twitter.com/nikeshshukla/s…

Some useful links from Lou Treleaven on publishers / agents who allow open submissions:  loutreleaven.com/2010/07/21/chi…

Sarah MacIntyre (who is like a one-woman superhero force for good in the industry) has a great FAQ page full of useful tips on getting started in Children's Publishing: http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/faqs/

Great stuff from @bearsGetCrafty with a link to the SCWBI pages that have tons of great info: wordsandpics.org

And from Emma Perry and a few others, a link to the SCWBI facebook page for those of you who use Facebook. Free to join and often has a LOT of useful links and info from other members: https://www.facebook.com/groups/122794234418913/

What an amazing thing the brain is. We still don't fully understand the intricacies of how it works, but it truly is what makes us who we are...

We love space, and we really love stargazing, whether it's through our telescope or with the naked eye...

Fancy yourself as a master builder? Interested in STEAM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths?) LOVE Lego? Then step right this way...

The World Cup hype machine is in full swing, and as a nation of footie fans gear themselves up for the most incredible tournament on earth, the publishing world is gearing up too...

"Mood" books are very much a thing at the moment, as children are increasingly aware of (and often concerned about) emotional states from a very early age...

I was intrigued to see how this one would be received by C, who really doesn't like the idea of selfies at all...

Once again, ace wordsmith, pop fellah and dad Tom Fletcher has teamed up with WH Smith for another bumper selection of superb middle grade book recommendations, including some of our faves of the last few months.

Here's a sneaky look at the ten titles - which you can order from the WH Smith book club site separately or as a delicious bumper book bundle that will keep someone like C busy for...ooh a good couple of weeks at least.


Blog favourites such as "Dave Pigeon" by Swapna Haddow and Sheena Dempsey make the list, as well as the utterly brilliant "The Nothing to See Here Hotel" from Steven Butler and Steven Lenton - a former Chapter Book of the Week on ReadItDaddy no less!

Tom's got some competition!

There's also "Iguana Boy Saves the World with a Triple Cheese Pizza" by James Bishop and Rikin Parekh (yep, another Chapter Book of the Week winner - that there Mr Fletcher obviously has VERY good taste indeed!) and "Zach King: My Magical Life" by none other than Zach King himself.

We'll be delving into the rest of the books and catching up with reviews of the titles we haven't seen before. In the meantime pop along to the WH Smith Book Tom Fletcher Book Club site for more info.

https://www.whsmith.co.uk/dept/tom-fletcher-book-club

Nothing to do with cartoon dogs, this one - but how would you feel if you found yourself suddenly downgraded in the intergalactic importance stakes...?

We do love superb quality non-fiction titles, and we're pleased to see an accompaniment to Wide Eyed's fabulous "Creaturepedia"...

Oooh now this is definitely something fresh, exciting and original. A book about evolution for tinies? Picture Book of the Week fare for sure...!

Our first Picture Book of the Week perfectly addresses something that we scarcely see dealt with so well in children's books...

We've got three tempting treats for tiny tiddlers on the blog today, courtesy of Phaidon who kindly sent three awesome little books to us for review.

The first is "Rhyme Flies" by Antonia Pesenti, a fun book that allows little ones to play around with language and come up with some cracking rhymes all of their own.

This deceptively simple idea for a book offers up one surprising rhyme per spread revealed behind a dramatic gatefold flap.  When Circle rolls into one of Triangle's points and pops, chaos momentarily ensues until Octagon's "Stop!" brings everyone to their senses. 

All colours and shapes, all sizes and guises!

From sailboats to ferry boats, tankers to clippers, young readers will learn to identify and define a range of floating craft. 

This is something really special, a children's picture book about the toughest challenges faced by folk aiming to settle the land along the Oregon Trail...

A colourful new Cbeebies show and now a fantastic range of books for teeny tinies, let's meet the Olobobs!

I think finally (hooray! Thank goodness!) there's been a distinct slowdown in the number of pirate books winging their way to us...

As someone who has moved house more times than I'd care to remember, I really appreciated the sentiment in "Where's Home Daddy Bear" by Nicola O'Byrne.

On face value, we initially thought this was going to be another one of those terribly saccharine-sweet books that conveys a message we've heard a zillion times before.

But of course, as a dad-and-daughter reviewing duo we couldn't resist the lure of this being a tale that would speak to us. And it did, in rather unexpected ways.

"Where's Home Daddy Bear?" focuses on little Evie, a bear who is about to move house for the first time. Daddy Bear packs up the truck with all their belongings, and they bid a fond farewell to their old house.

Thus begins a road trip where all Evie's feelings of uncertainty, a tiny fear of the unknown but the reassurances from Dad all fuse together as they begin their epic journey to the new home.

Evie has a million and one questions, and Daddy Bear patiently answers them all. Nicola's observation here is absolutely perfect (though of course she's drawing from experience, having moved around to different countries a lot herself - something I can definitely identify with).

Moving is hugely stressful for adults, but it's also the same for kids who may have to cope with new surroundings, a new school, making new friends - but above all it's the feeling of being uprooted from all you know as familiar that Nicola perfectly captures here.

Like most Dads, Daddy Bear is absolutely hopeless at reading maps and navigation!

The illustrations are warm, almost melancholy but with huge appeal for younger readers (in fact, as we said at the top of the review, they have a style that immediately put us off a bit as we tend to shy away from the cuddlesome cutesy stuff - but don't be fooled, they work perfectly once you get into the story itself and marvel at all the glorious little perfect details Nicola works into the story).

Happiness is curling up to sleep on a big fat daddy tummy, even if you're worried about moving house

As the story draws to a close it saves one last 'wham' for you. I won't spoil it but pay close attention at the end of the book - and be prepared for questions!!!

Utterly delightful stuff.

C's best bit: That last melancholy reveal, opening up a whole story prompt all of its own.

Daddy's favourite bit: Definitely ranks right up there with the best dad and daughter books, so how could we resist its charms. Don't be fooled by the cute art and cover, there's far more to it than that.

"Where's Home Daddy Bear?" by Nicola O'Byrne is out now, published by Walker Books (kindly supplied for review).