There are so many artists and authors we always keep a very sharp eye on at all times when it comes to upcoming new releases...

It's cold, wet and rainy but look forward to the sunnier weather with two bright and dazzling new titles releasing as paperbacks this winter.

First out of the gate is a reprint of Sharon King-Chai's gorgeously colourful "Lucy Ladybird", published by Templar Publishing. 

Lucy is a carefree and happy little insect, but when she loses her spots, it's time for an epic quest through the seasons meeting lots of friendly folk on her travels who all contribute colourful spots of their own for Lucy's collection.

She does look different to other ladybirds, but different is cool - and soon all the other ladybirds want their own fantastic colourful spots too!

A lovely little read, absolutely perfect for younger children and packed with amazing colour and design.

"Lucy Ladybird" is re-released now, with this latest edition published on 12th January by Templar (and kindly sent for review). 

You can find our original review here. 

There's also a timely reprinting of an amazing and dazzling book, this time it's "Lionheart" by Richard Collingridge, published by David Fickling Books...

The story starts with a little boy named Richard who is playing in his room, cuddling his favourite cuddly Lion toy. But something is there and Richard is scared, so he runs ...through streets, fields, forests, over hills and into a magical jungle.

Is there really anything there? And is he brave enough to face his fears? Can be become a true Lionheart?

Find out in this exciting and uplifting adventure that will make you want to ROAR out loud along with the story.

This one was a well deserved "Book of the Week" back in 2016 and it's now released in paperback with an utterly fantastic new cover.

One for animal fans, "Lionheart" by Richard Collingridge is out in paperback on 2nd February 2017, published by David Fickling Books (and kindly sent for review).

You can find our original review here. 

For Booky Advent Calendar Day 20 we're revisiting a book that we've included in our Christmas round-up every year since it was published...

This week's First Book of the Week is something we've been waiting for since we were utterly entranced by "When It Snows" - Richard Collingridge's second children's picture book is the magical "Lionheart"...

Some books sum up the magic of christmas purely by one glance of their covers. From the moment you open that cover you're whisked on a magical and atmospheric journey that just draws you in, and doesn't let you go until the journey is complete (assuming, of course, that you don't do what we do and just flick straight back to the first page and start all over again!)

Richard Collingridge's fabulous "When It Snows" originally came out in 2012 and it's been a regular in our Christmas Booky Advent Calendar ever since. The story of a young boy making his way through a snow-bound landscape, the story's lyrical lilt and utterly fabulous illustrations take you through each stage of the boy's journey as he makes his way past frozen snow-bound vehicles, to a dark and magical place in the forest where fairies dwell and perhaps there'll even be a glimpse of Santa himself!

We often talk about books being 'cuddle-up classics' - books that seem purely designed to be enjoyed while cuddling up with your loved ones. In the spirit of such brilliant classics as "The Polar Express" and "The Night Before Christmas" we would place "When it Snows" and hope that one day you'll discover it too and make it a part of your christmas traditions!

Charlotte's best bit: The boy's polar bear ride and first meeting with the awesome fairy folk

Daddy's Favourite bit: The story flows perfectly, the images practically leap off the page to envelop you, it's a book that we have enjoyed again and again and really hope you'll seek out too!

(Kindly sent to us for review by David Fickling Books)

Last Christmas, we thrilled to the delights and charms of this utterly wonderful book. This year we're happy to see it popping up in paperback form all over our favourite bookshops, with its lovely new cover.

Telling the tale of a young boy who marches across the snowiest of snowy landscapes, through the Land of the Snowmen, past frozen vehicles, to a secret place that only The Snow Queen knows, it reminds us of fabulous christmassy books like "The Polar Express".

Richard Collingridge has established himself as a major talent in children's picture books and a fantastic cover illustrator. This will undoubtedly be read again and again over the festive season, and its celebratory message of the wonder of being lost in a good book is good for any time of year!

Charlotte's best bit: Riding atop a polar bear across the snowy landscape

Daddy's Favourite bit: Seeing all the ice-bound frozen vehicles as the boy gambols past ready for adventures in the snow.

(Originally sent to us for review by David Fickling Books)

The Last Minute by Eleanor Updale (Cover by Richard Collingridge)

In an accident, survivors always describe the moments up to the event itself as happening almost in slow motion. As if time somehow grinds to a halt around a cataclysmic event. In Eleanor Updale's latest novel "The Last Minute", time stretches out across 60 chapters like the threads of a complex tapestry. As voyeurs to the events preceding a huge tragedy in a small town, we are painfully and torturously placed in the lead car of a roller coaster ride that slams straight into a brick wall, full stop.

Books are often described as building tension towards a climax, page turners keeping readers on the edge of their seats. In "The Last Minute" we, as readers, follow each thread disjointedly with no choice but to hang on as Updale's almost documentarian storytelling hints at the impact to come.

It's a tough read for a lot of reasons. At times, it's overwhelming trying to pick up the threads you're most interested in (and everyone will have a particular 'favourite' character or plotline they identify with - from an unfortunate man heading for a job interview, victim to several "Mr Bean" style accidents along the way to a toddler staring through the window of a coffee shop, fascinated by a digger working on the road).

As the novel reaches the peak at which we feel like we should hold our breath, we already know that tragedy is close at hand so the book feels like it finishes on a low. This is not a novel to cheer yourself up with, this is a novel that radically demonstrates the sheer amount of contributing factors towards a tragedy, and how the fallout from it affects the people involved.

There's a great web resource to visit for more information on the book's fictional report into the tragedy itself

www.eleanorupdale.com/minute

I'd advise you to read the book first though. It's a really fast-paced novel that is virtually impossible to put down once you start to flick through. I did feel that the actual chain of events at the end of that fateful minute felt like they were skipped over, compared to the build up, but it's intense and interesting to read how the report tries to piece together the exact circumstances of the tragedy afterwards. Fascinating, chilling, gripping.

It's another week where so many books could easily have slid into our "Book of the Week" slot that we  feel honoured to (unofficially) be involved in children's picture books at such an amazing time. Both Charlotte and I talked about the many books we've read this week, and two books stood out. We both love them but I nominated "When it Snows" by Richard Collingridge.

You've probably already seen me talking about this on Twitter, you've probably even checked out the absolutely amazing trailer (which surely deserves turning into a fully-fledged christmas animated short film), and by now you should definitely know who Richard Collingridge is because you're going to hear an awful lot about him in the future.

A young boy and his teddy friend look on as the world grinds to a halt under a thick layer of ice and snow. Trains halt, cars are frozen to the spot but the boy soon discovers there are so many other fantastic ways to get around.

With teddy in tow, the young boy escapes into the snowy landscape to discover the wonders and delights of this time of year. Snowball fights, gigantic snowmen, santa and his elves and the wondrous orangey skies that signify fresh snow will soon be on the way.

Every page spread is filled to the brim with amazing detail, virtually leaping off the page into your lap. I'm loathe to compare it to anything else because it's so fresh and unique, but if you like the works of Raymond Briggs and Chris Van Allsburg and can imagine what they'd look like if they met the works of Shaun Tan head on, this is the sort of atmospheric and absolutely amazing artwork you can expect from "When it Snows"

It's not just all about the art though, the story is magical, spurring a child's imagination in the most wondrous ways. Some of you may know the ending to this book already but the message is clear and it's a love letter to the very thing that drives us to write this blog week in week out.

The only criticism I'd have about this book, and it's a tiny one, is the title which seems destined to lose itself in a blizzard of other very similarly named snowy books. So this is why I will probably keep talking about 'When it Snows' long after Christmas has come and gone, and the last sneaky mince pie has been scoffed along with the last of the mulled wine. If you're looking for a christmassy snowy book that goes further than just introducing you to a host of cute creatures gambolling in the snow, this is the very best place to start. I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you don't want to take our word for it though, just watch this stunning trailer below:



Charlotte's best bit: The wonderful scene of elven faces staring up at the little boy as his snowy journey continues.

Daddy's favourite bit: The incredible snowman scene and the gigantic lighthouse-like snowman. Also the utterly gorgeous use of light and dark, and a fairly reduced palette make the artwork truly atmospheric and remarkable.

(Kindly sent to us for review by David Fickling Books)