#Early Chapter Book Review: The Secret Pine Marten by Holly Webb, illustrated by David Dean

Cover art by David Dean, published by Little Tiger Press, 3 September 2026, ISBN: 978-1788958042

Holly Webb’s animal stories are an absolute essential for primary school library and classroom collections for children who have become independent readers and need a choice of enjoyable books, with gentle storytelling, relatable characters and engaging animal content. They are generally about 150 pages in length, with short chapters and the text broken up with black and white illustrations (by David Dean) which makes them achievable to read independently, thus helping children aged 6/7 and above to build confidence with their reading.

The Secret Pine Marten is very enjoyable and provides some interesting facts about a British mammal which I expect many young readers will not be familiar with. The story is set in a Devon village where Nancy, her parents, aunt and uncle and new baby cousin have hired a cottage in which to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. The cottage backs onto some woodland, and after hearing tales of pixies during the car journey, Nancy is keen to explore, in the hope that magical creatures might possibly exist. As she sits quietly below an old tree, she does spot a curious little face with pointed ears, unlike anything she has ever seen before, and later, a conversation with the neighbour from the adjoining cottage informs her that she has seen a pine marten. Nancy is enamoured of this mischievous-looking animal and spends as much time as possible in the wintery woods, where she starts to become aware of the presence of a girl who looks similar in age to herself but seems to be dressed in old-fashioned clothing and speaks like someone from a historical story. The time-slip element of the story shows Nancy (and the reader) the different attitudes to wildlife that existed in Victorian England, and brings a layer of excitement and jeopardy to the story as Nancy and Anne try to outwit Anne’s game-keeper father.

I really enjoyed The Secret Pine Marten, and think that young readers will be fascinated by Kit the pine marten and the themes of folklore, nature and rewilding. Holly Webb writes with great care for her young readership. providing a story with interesting content, lovely descriptions of the natural environment and strong characters. The Secret Pine Marten is a super book to put into the hands of young readers who like either animal stories or historical fiction.

Disclaimer: I am grateful to publicist Finn at Little Tiger Press for sending me a copy of The Secret Pine Marten. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.

#PictureBook Review: How to Survive on a Desert Island by Lorenzo Coltellacci and Alice Ourghanlian

Cover art by Alice Ourghanlian, published by Post Wave Publishing, 20 August 2026,
ISBN: 978-1836272038

Each time I receive a package from Post Wave Publishing my heart leaps because I know that I will always find an extraordinary book inside the envelope. I love that they acquire the best picture books published by international authors and translate them for an English-speaking audience, thereby bringing stories which are visually and culturally interesting. This wonderful story, How to Survive on a Desert Island, is written by Italian comic book and graphic novel author Lorenzo Coltellacci and illustrated by French artist and author Alice Ourghanlian.

It is a visually stunningly story in which the artwork does most of the storytelling, accompanied by minimal text to move the story forward. It is so imaginative, with a simple concept which is strikingly presented in a beautiful, hardback 32 page picture book. I really enjoyed the fact that the glorious endpapers contribute to the narrative, depicting the power of the bedtime story. After asking the reader if they have ever wondered if they would survive on a desert island, the story goes on to show that all you need is actually one book! It is not clear whether the two characters are a mother and toddler or two sisters, but the story shows them meeting all the challenges of life on a desert island with their red book taking on the duties of a tent, an exercise weight, a hang-glider, a meal, a hat, a raft and local wildlife. It even provides reading material for those moments when relaxation is needed! The pictures offer so many lovely details to explore with a young child, providing opportunity for conversation and vocabulary building; this is a book which would be enjoyed multiple times. I adored the double page spread of a very European-looking fishing village, with beautifully coloured wooden houses and people going about their daily activities. I also loved a very enticing picture of some fully-loaded home bookshelves!

I would highly recommend How to Survive on a Desert Island to anyone who wants to share an imaginative book with a child aged 2-5 years-of-age. I am certain it would be a very popular addition to home, nursery/pre-school and primary school book collections.

Disclaimer: I am very grateful to Post Wave Publishing for sending me a copy of How to Survive on a Desert Island. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.

#GraphicNovel Review: The Gumdrops Main Character Energy written and illustrated by Elissa Elwick

Cover art by Elissa Elwick, published by Little Tiger Press, 3 September 2026,
ISBN: 978-1788957915

The Gumdrops Main Character Energy is a super-appealing graphic novel for children aged 5-8 years-of-age, set in an imaginary land populated by cute characters, and is designed to fuel young imaginations. For a start, the cover has massive shelf-appeal with its sparkly text and highlights, and bright, shiny surface; I cannot believe that it will sit on library shelves or displays for long before being picked up by eager little hands. Then, just inside, you find a colourfully illustrated map of Yummy Gummy Land where the Gumdrops live.

The four Gumdrops: Hope, Bubbles, Sparky and Rainbow welcome the reader (who they have decided to name Baked Potato) into their magical land, and throughout the story they, and the narrator break the 4th wall and talk directly to the reader. This direct address works very well, especially as the characters are encouraging children to use their own imaginations to help Bowie, a young Bat Bear, to re-write his story. The magical journey into a book encourages youngsters to think about characters, setting and plot in the context of a colourfully entertaining story. The interactivity also takes the form of waving different items as magic wands, blowing the smoke away from a page, navigating a maze, shouting, and even having a go at following step-by-step instructions to draw one of the characters.

In my opinion, The Gumdrops Main Character Energy will be a wonderful addition to graphic novel collections in primary school libraries, classrooms and in homes. Elissa Elwick’s artistic skills brilliantly portray her ideas and will engage children in Key Stage 1 and lower Key Stage 2, prompting them to let their imaginations run wild with creativity. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to expand their graphic novel, reading for pleasure collections.

Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of The Gumdrops Main Character Energy by Little Tiger Press. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.

#MG Fiction Review: Jekyll vs Hyde The Potion of Doom by Jack Meggitt-Phillips, illustrated by Holly Swain

Cover art by Holly Swain, published by Farshore, 24 September 2026, ISBN: 978-0008776947

Jekyll vs Hyde The Potion of Doom is a very funny story based on the classic novel and intended for a middle grade readership. Author, Jack Meggitt-Phillips, has a talent for creating characters who behave appallingly but who draw you into their world, and Henrik Jekyll is a character that I am sure will appeal to primary school children. He is the extremely entitled and spoiled son of parents whose personalities are so completely opposite to each other that they separated shortly after he was born. However, they continue to share the same house, adore their only son, and compete to be his favourite parent, hence his selfish, stubborn and demanding actions.

The family’s unharmonious existence is interrupted by the arrival of a young girl, dressed in an oversized suit, announcing herself to be Gabby Utterson, representing her dad as the family’s new lawyer. She is bearing the last will and testament of Dr Jekyll, which identifies Henrik as the sole heir to his fortune and the family mansion Jekyll Manor in the town of Gothville. Despite the derelict nature of the house, the sad appearance of Gothville and the threats issued by local resident and agitator, Lady Deadlock, Henrik is determined to move into the new home, especially when he learns of the rumoured Hyde potion. He cannot rest until he discovers the whereabouts of Dr Jekyll’s hidden laboratory and the recipe for the magical potion which promises to turn him into the best possible version of himself. While he schemes and plots to wield ultimate power, Henrik can’t help himself from going along with some of Gabby’s more altruistic plans to improve the local environment, and even at his darkest moments, he can’t stop thinking about her. Will he ever give in to his better feelings and find friendship, or will his alter-ego Eddie Hyde cause chaos and destruction to all that might be dear to him? I am certain that many readers aged 9 years and above will enjoy finding the answers in this book which combines humour with a gothic sensibility.

My advance proof copy on which this review is based had spaces marked out throughout the book for illustrations, and judging by the front and back cover art, and Holly Swain’s picture books that I have had the pleasure of reading, I am sure that the artwork will complement the story perfectly. I would highly recommend that school librarians and primary school teachers add Jekyll vs Hyde The Potion of Doom to their reading for pleasure collections, I am sure that it will be a popular choice all year round, and particularly as we approach Halloween and the spooky book displays are organised.

Disclaimer: I am grateful to publicist Chris at Farshore Books for sending me an advance proof copy of this book ahead of publication on 24 September 2026. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.

#Picture Book Review: Sarah’s Heavy Heart by Peter Carnavas

Cover art by Peter Carnavas, published in the Uk by New Frontier Publishing, 2020, ISBN: 978-1912858460

Sarah’s Heavy Heart is an absolutely beautiful, emotionally literate picture book by award-winning Australian author/illustrator Peter Carnavas. His story contains the absolute minimum of text, mostly just 3-6 words per page, but the gorgeous artwork does all the heavy lifting of the storytelling as Sarah carries her heavy heart with her, on the bus, at school and in the playground. We see with absolute clarity the impact that having a heavy heart has on all the normal activities of daily living. Then one day Sarah meets a boy with a heart so light that he can barely keep his feet on the ground. They find a way to hitch their hearts together to make both of their lives easier to navigate in this heart-warming story about friendship.

This is a wonderful story to share with young children to help them understand feelings. I think it would be equally effective in home, nursery, school and healthcare settings. The artwork is a thing of beauty in itself and I think that children (and their adults) will enjoy gazing at the pages and discussing the little details as much as they will enjoy sharing the story. I will be passing this book on to a children’s therapy team in my workplace, who I am sure will be able to make very good use of it.

Disclaimer: I was originally provided with this copy of Sarah’s Heavy Heart by New Frontier Publishing. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.

#Picture Book Review: Detective LB and Hopper The Case of the Missing Chocolate Frogs by Janey Gaston, illustrated by Anil Tortop

Cover art by Anil Tortop, published by Little Steps Publishing, 2020,
ISBN: 978-1912678198

Detective LB and Hopper: The Case of the Missing Chocolate Frogs is an excellent introduction to the detective fiction genre for young children. The two main characters, LB a ladybird and Hopper an extremely excitable rabbit, run the BunnyBugs Detective Agency and are delighted to take on a new client in the form of a business-cat named Poppy who owns the PoppyCat Candy Company. Poppy has a mystery for the detectives to solve – who is stealing the chocolate frogs intended for delivery to Poppy’s Grandma Rose?

When LB and Hopper go to the candy store to investigate, there are clues to the identity of the chocolate frog-napper in both the text and the pictures, which give children with whom this book is shared a wonderful opportunity to try to crack the case alongside the detectives. The illustrations by Anil Tortop are vibrant with colour and full of the sleuthing energy of the characters, especially when Hopper dresses as his comic book hero Renegade Roo to go detecting in the small hours of the morning. There is more text than is usual in a picture book, which certainly points to this book being one for an adult to read to a young child, although emerging readers aged 6+ would probably enjoy reading it independently as an alternative to a traditional early chapter book. As someone who has always enjoyed detective stories, I think that this is a fun way of introducing them to children of 4/5 years of age.

Disclaimer: I was originally provided with a copy of Detective LB and Hopper: The Case of the Missing Chocolate Frogs by publisher New Frontier Publishing. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.

#Picture Book Review: Blue Whale Blues by Peter Carnavas

Cover art by Peter Carnavas, published by New Frontier Publishing UK, 2020,
ISBN: 978-1912858385

Blue Whale Blues is a gorgeous picture book with the sort of absurd storyline that appeals to a young child’s sense of humour. It is written and illustrated by Peter Carnavas, who is widely known and an award-winning writer in his native Australia.

In this story, the illustrations, which have an interesting collage effect, do much of the storytelling alongside the relatively sparse text. Blue Whale is feeling pretty glum because he does not know how to make his bike move, or how to wear his cycle helmet, or how to dry his wet bike. Each time he faces a problem, Whale sings his Blue Whale Blues refrain, which I am sure that young children will want to join in with once they have heard the story a few times. (There is a QR code on the back of the book taking you to an audio version of the book in which you can hear the author singing the Blue Whale Blues). Fortunately for Blue Whale, his optimistic friend Penguin is always on hand to try to find a solution to every problem, even though they are both rather confused about the difference between an abandoned shopping trolley and a bike! When they eventually realise their mistakes there is much hilarity on the ocean floor!

This is a delightful book for adults and children to share, with wonderful artwork to enjoy, lots of talking points and repeating text which children can enjoy singing along with. I would highly recommend Blue Whale Blues for nursery, pre-school, early years and home use.

Disclaimer: I was originally provided with this copy of Blue Whale Blues by New Frontier Publishing. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.

#Picture Book Review: How to be a Bug Warrior by The Parent-Child Dino Research Team, illustrated by Loyal Kids

Cover image © Loyal Kids, published by Little Steps Publishing, 2020, ISBN: 978-1912678259

How to be a Bug Warrior was published in 2020, in response to the initial wave of COVID-19 infections, but contains preventative health messages for an early childhood audience which are valid at any time to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. The collective group of authors are apparently experts on early childhood psychology and early childhood education

The story of young Danny Dino catching ‘flu after another dinosaur sneezes on him at the park and the explanations given by Dr Pterosaur about how viruses are transmitted, are presented in simple language, which is easy to understand at any age. The bold illustrations take on a great deal of the work in delivering essential information about what viruses are, how they cause illness and how they are spread. There is a very clear 7-step handwashing diagram across a double-page spread, which is so useful at home and in pre-school, early years and school settings to help prevent the spread of both viral and bacterial infections. There is also good advice about wearing a mask if feeling unwell, and covering your nose with a tissue or sneezing into your elbow – all very practical as school’s begin the new autumn term and the cold and ‘flu season begins, and COVID variants remain present. At the end of the book there is a short quiz, followed by six key messages for preventing the spread of infections.

From the perspective of a health librarian, I think that How to be a Bug Warrior is an excellent example of good health literacy information aimed at a pre-primary and primary school audience. I would recommend it to school librarians, parents/caregivers and health professionals working with children.

Disclaimer: I was originally provided with a copy of How to be a Bug Warrior by publisher Little Steps Publishing. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.

#Picture Book Review: Friends Don’t Like Roaring by Antje Taylor, illustrated by Matt Howorth

Cover art by Matt Howorth, published by Little Steps Publishing, 1 October 2019, ISBN: 9781912678099

Friends Don’t Like Roaring is a wonderful example of a picture book which can be enjoyed by any child, aged 3-6, but is also a gentle educational resource about regulating behaviour.

The simple text by Antje Taylor presents the story of Lap, a young dinosaur, who desperately wants to make friends with the other little dinosaurs in the park, but cannot understand why they keep running away from him. When mummy dinosaur notices his sadness and asks him to explain the situation to her, she kindly explains to Lap that roaring at others is not the best way to make friends. Her advice to ‘use your words’ soon brings positive results for little Lap in this charming story about communication. The text is brought to life through the bold, bright illustration of Matt Howorth. The cartoon-like style of his artwork, with big expressive eyes and faces, make the message of the story very accessible for young children.

I think this is a book which would work very well shared between adults and pre-school or early years children in either a home, library, school or even healthcare setting. I think it is a very clever idea to use dinosaurs, which are so appealing to very many young children, to deliver an important message about regulating over-excited behaviour and using calm words.

This book has been sitting on my bookshelves in my health and wellbeing collection for a couple of years and I’m reviewing it now prior to passing it on to a children’s therapy team in the healthcare setting where I work.

#YA AudioBook Review: Cut Him Out In Little Stars by Lucy Strange

Screenshot from Borrowbox app, audiobook published by Bolinda Audio, 12 August 2026, ISBN: 978-1038058393

Cut Him Out In Little Stars is a desperately romantic, coming of age story combined with murder mystery, set against the background of the early years of World War II. I absolutely adored the audio version, read by the author Lucy Strange, which I was lucky enough to borrow from my local public library through the Borrowbox app.

The story is narrated in the first person voice of eighteen-year-old Juliet and the prologue begins “I have been waiting to fall in love for some time…” This being 1940, and the object of love being a handsome, young RAF pilot, tragedy strikes quickly, leaving Juliet bereft. Unable to cope with his daughter’s misery, her widowed father takes Juliet to stay with her twenty-year-old sister Frances at Samphire House, the coastal cottage on Fairlight Bay, which the sisters have inherited from their mother. Juliet loses herself in novels and romantic poetry, and her reflections on her heartbreak are deliciously melodramatic and clearly influenced by her literary intake. The early part of the book gave me major I Capture the Castle vibes, which I consider to be high praise.

The sisters have had a slightly distant relationship during the two years that Frances has been living at Samphire House to pursue her career as a landscape artist, and they initially seem to circle each other’s inner lives with an unsisterly degree of formality. However, as Juliet begins to get acquainted with Alex, another young painter that her sister is very friendly with, she realises the nature of their relationship, and once Frances is able to be open about her sexuality, the sisters are able to restore their strong bond. All three girls become allies in trying to solve the mystery of how another young woman from the village met her death on the shoreline, and who is behind the black market operation in which the dead girl’s brother is clearly an active participant.

There is so much going on in this novel, and all the plot lines are woven together with extraordinary panache. With an airforce base on the edge of the village, the fear of death is ever-present, and Juliet’s flashbacks to her mother’s drowning and her subsequent fear of the sea, add to the heightened state of alert throughout the narrative. A developing romance with another young airman, family secrets, the need to assist the local lifeboat crew and a malevolent presence in the village all provide the threads that Juliet recounts in dramatic fashion. I found this a hugely enjoyable audiobook and I am sure that the intended audience aged 13+ will find it an absolute pleasure to either read or listen to. I would definitely recommend that secondary school and sixth form librarians add Cut Him Out in Little Stars to their fiction collections.