Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books - Festive Book Gifts 2019

Hayao Miyazaki - My Neighbor Totoro: The Novel - Published by Viz Media (Fantastic short novel based on the classic Film)

The beloved animation classic by legendary Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki, My Neighbor Totoro is now retold in novel form. This prestige, hardcover edition features original illustrations by Miyazaki himself, accompanying a story written by veteran children's book author Tsugiko Kubo. Sure to delight both existing fans and new readers! Eleven-year-old Satsuki and her sassy little sister Mei have moved to the country to be closer to their ailing mother. While their father is working, the girls explore their sprawling old house and the forest and fields that surround it. Soon, Satsuki and Mei discover Totoro, a magical forest spirit who takes them on fantastic adventures through the trees and the clouds--and teaches them a lesson about trusting one another.

Quentin Blake & Emma Chichester Clark’s - Three Little Monkeys Ride Again- HarperCollins Children's Books (3 Oct. 2019) - Hardback - Age: 3-5 

A remarkable collaboration – that brings together giants of the picture book world – to create a funny, anarchic and utterly delightful picture book. A classic of the future.

Beep! Beep! The three little monkeys are back in an irresistible new story!

Hilda Snibbs is taking her three mischievous monkeys to visit her mother in the country. But what is supposed to be a calm and peaceful holiday is soon filled with chaos and hilarious havoc!

Quentin Blake’s delightfully funny story is brought to life by Emma Chichester Clark’s beautiful mixed-media illustration in this landmark follow up to Three Little Monkeys.

Rob Biddulph - Odd Dog Out - Published by HarperCollins (3 Dec. 2019) - Hardback  - Age: 4-8

A heartwarming and poignant story from award-winning creator Rob Biddulph about the power of embracing your true colors. Perfect for fans of Peter Brown's Tiger Goes Wild.

It's a dog's life in the big, busy city, but there's one lonely pup who doesn't quite fit in. She behaves differently from the rest, sports rainbow in a sea of gray, and marches to the beat of her own drum. 

She's one Odd Dog.

Join Odd Dog as she journeys to the other side of the world to find her place in it, only for her to discover that maybe she's meant to be right where she started.

And check out Rob Biddulph's other books for children, including: 

Blown Away

The Grizzly Bear Who Lost His GRRRRR!

Various - The Phoenix Colossal Comics Collection, Volume Three 

David Fickling Books;(25 Dec. 2019) - Paperback - Age: 8-12 

A stunning full-color bind-up of content from the amazing Phoenixcomic. From humor to adventure to nonfiction to puzzles to the just plain awesome, this bind-up is a smorgasbord for everyone.

Behold! The third epic compendium in The Phoenix Colossal Comics Collection is here!

Race across the country with the fastest girl in the land; follow the misadventures of a beefy barbarian chef; embark on a crazy odyssey through ancient Greece, alongside its hopeless hero. 

From humor, to adventure, to non-fiction, to puzzles, to the just plain awesome, this bind-up is a smorgasbord for everyone.

Jon Klassen's Hat Box - Candlewick Press (3 Oct. 2019) - Age: 3-7

Multiple award-winning and bestselling author Jon Klassen's acclaimed and bestselling hat trilogy is now available for the first time as a hardback boxed set.
The bear's hat is gone, and he wants it back. A fish has stolen a hat; will he get away with it? Two turtles have found one hat, but the hat looks good on both of them... Jon Klassen's deliciously deadpan hat tales continue to surprise and delight readers of all ages, and they are all now available in one beautiful boxed set along with an exclusive frameable print. Included are:

I Want My Hat Back
This Is Not My Hat
We Found a Hat

New Children's & Young Adult Book Picks March 2019 - Post One - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

David Almond (Author), Dave McKean (Illustrator) - Joe Quinn's Poltergeist - Published by Walker Books (7 Mar. 2019) - ISBN-13: 978-1406363197 - Hardback 

A dark, powerful and moving short story from the internationally acclaimed author of Skellig.

Joe Quinn tells everyone about the poltergeist in his house, but no one believes him. No one that is, except for Davey. He’s felt the inexplicable presence in the rooms, he’s seen random objects fly through the air. And there’s something else … a memory of his beloved sister, and a feeling deep down that somehow it might be possible for ghosts to exist.

 Steven Butler (Author), Steven Lenton (Illustrator) - Sea-ing is Believing! (Nothing to see Here Hotel) - Published by  Simon & Schuster Children's UK (21 Mar. 2019) - ISBN-13: 978-1471178733 - Paperback 

Welcome to The Nothing to See Here Hotel! A hotel for magical creatures run by Frankie Banister and his parents.
Frankie Banister and his family are preparing to celebrate Grandad Abraham’s 175th birthday – an occasion that’s going to be even more HONKHUMPTIOUS now that Abe’s ghost has showed up!
 
When the unexpected spook reveals a secret UNDERWATER wing of the hotel that’s been hidden away for years, the Banister’s decide there’s only one thing for it … a whopping welcome home bash in the spectacular BRINY BALLROOM.
 
But memories aren’t the only things waiting at the bottom of the ocean. Secrets and sea monsters are lurking in the shadows, and is everything as it seems with Grandad Abraham’s ghost? Or is there something fishy going on?

 Paul Stewart (Author), Chris Riddell (Author) - The Edge Chronicles 13: The Descenders: Third Book of Cade - Published by Doubleday Children's (7 Mar. 2019) - Hardback

Cade Quarter has spent the last few years of his life running from an enemy he’s never even met – the ruthless and power-hungry High Professor of Flight, Quove Lentis. But Quove’s deadly agenda has finally caught up with Cade, and now he must leave his home and flee once more, this time to the legendary floating city of New Sanctaphrax. But even reuniting with his uncle, Nate Quarter, isn’t the end of Cade’s troubles – and now, more than ever, he must find the courage to defy his enemies, unite his friends, and unlock the secrets of descending. 

The Descenders is the third and final book in the Cade trilogy - the fifth and final saga in Stewart and Riddell’s internationally bestselling series, The Edge Chronicles, which has featured on the Times and New York Times bestseller lists and sold more than 3 million copies. 2018 marks twenty years of the series, now complete with thirteen titles across five separate but interlinking sagas.

Fleur Hitchcock - The Boy Who Flew - Published by Nosy Crow Ltd (7 Mar. 2019) - ISBN-13: 978-1788004381 - Paperback - See Book Review Here

Athan Wilde dreams of flight. When his friend, Mr Chen, is murdered, Athan must rescue the flying machine they were building together and stop it falling into the wrong hands. But keeping the machine safe puts his family in terrible danger. What will Athan choose – flight or family?

From the acclaimed author of Murder In Midwinter, Fleur Hitchcock’s The Boy Who Flew is a thrilling, murderous tale set among the steep rooftops and slippery characters of Athan’s intricately imagined world. Perfect for fans of Philip Pullman, Peter Bunzl and Philip Reeve.

Here’s an exclusive early look inside the book: https://issuu.com/nosycrow/docs/repro_theboywhoflew_prelims_hi-res

Press Release: Beanstalk Reveals Top 40 Children's Books for Struggling and Reluctant Readers

40 children’s books have been selected for new starter packs which will benefit children supported by Beanstalk reading helpers in primary schools across England.

Beanstalk – a literacy charity which recruits, trains and places volunteers in primary schools across England to provide one-to-one support to children who have fallen behind with reading – has revealed 40 children’s books that will be used by the charity’s volunteers to kick-start reading engagement for the children they support.

Beanstalk’s ‘Top 40’ has been handpicked by children’s literacy experts including Beanstalk staff, trained reading helpers and literacy consultant Marilyn Brocklehurst – founder of The Norfolk Children’s Book Centre. The selection process involved careful consideration of the types of books Beanstalk-supported children would find fun and motivational. The books will be provided to Beanstalk schools as part of a starter pack resource which will be used by the charity’s trained volunteers placed in that setting.

Beanstalk has been working in schools for over 40 years supporting thousands of children each year across the country who have fallen behind with reading.  By bringing together the expertise of its long-standing reading helpers and highly respected literacy experts, Beanstalk has developed a resource which will ensure its network of reading helpers are well equipped from the outset to help more children than ever before.  

Ginny Lunn, Chief Executive Officer of Beanstalk, said:  

“As part of Beanstalk’s vision to help more children become confident and able readers we need to ensure that our volunteers have immediate access to age-appropriate and expertly chosen books as well as ongoing training and support to use those resources with children in the best possible ways. Up to now we have been so fortunate to have fantastic supplies of book boxes for volunteers to use, however, the introduction of Beanstalk’s starter packs will ensure that new volunteers are well equipped and have some brilliant resources to work on engaging the children from the very beginning – while they are still getting to know them. We also hope that by revealing Beanstalk’s ‘Top 40 ‘, it might help anyone looking for inspiration for a child they know - from parents to grandparents, reading helpers to teaching staff. And of course we will continue to develop and adapt this resource as the needs of our reading helpers and children changes, as well as encouraging volunteers to work with a variety of reading materials, as we always have done, including exploring local libraries and the school’s own library if they have one.”

Marilyn Brocklehurst, founder of the Norfolk Children’s Book Centre, said:

“We were very happy to work closely with Beanstalk to choose books for their starter packs and were so pleased with the final selection as they are all brilliant for children reading at all levels. They are great fun and a lot of the books are very original! We chose a mix of some classic books, such as Dear Zoo and more contemporary books, like Oi Frog! We, at the Norfolk Children’s Book Centre, are very happy to work with Beanstalk, the support that the children receive from Beanstalk reading helpers is exceptional.”

Beanstalk’s ‘Top 40’ has been organised into four age-appropriate sets of 10 books aimed at Lower Key Stage 1 (ages 5-6), Upper KS1 (ages 6-7) LKS1 (ages 7-8/9) and UKS2 (ages 9-11). All new schools that sign up with Beanstalk receive one starter pack of the 40 books. All volunteers that go through Beanstalk’s selection and training process from now on will have access to a full starter pack of 40 books when they begin in a school.

Thanks to the support of Marilyn Brocklehurst the relevant starter packs required by Beanstalk partner schools will be selected, boxed and distributed by the Norfolk Children’s Book Centre ready for newly-trained volunteers to use once they begin their one-to-one sessions with the children.  

What the authors say…

Michael Rosen, author of The Laugh Out Loud Joke Book, said: “I can remember with great fondness the way my brother and I used to read out jokes to each other. It's a great way of enjoying what books can offer us. With this in mind I put together a joke book and I'm delighted that Beanstalk have put it in their starter pack. Enjoy!”

Philip Ardagh, author of Norman the Norman from Normandy, said: "Tom Morgan-Jones and I are DELIGHTED that Norman the Norman from Normandy has found his way into the Beanstalk starter packs, aren't we Tom? Tom's nodding as he's busily drawing Norman riding Truffle, the not-so-wild boar. Why are we so pleased. "Because Beanstalk is the best!" I was going to say that, Tom... *Mutters* Anyway, it's a fantastic scheme and we're all-three pleased to be a part of it. All four, if you count Truffle."

Pippa Goodhart, author of You Choose, said: “Of all the more than a hundred books I've written, You Choose is the one that I most often seen in crumpled, torn and drawn-on condition.  That is wonderful because it reflects a book being used and used and used to bits by children! I was a child who loved listening to stories and playing stories, but I found reading very hard, and 'reading books' scary.  In You Choose, the text is incidental to the main task of 'reading' the pictures, and so the pressure of a chunk of text that has to be read is removed.  As they make their choices through the book, children become co-creators with the author and illustrator, rather than passive recipients of an already formed story.  What they take from the book really is 'theirs', and that makes it both fun and empowering.  My hope is that this is a book which helps less sure children make friends with books.”

Nick Sharratt, Illustrator for You Choose, Wriggle and Roar, Mixed Up Fairy Tales, The Big Book of Magical Mix Ups said: “As a huge admirer of Beanstalk and the vital work they do in primary schools, I'm truly delighted that not one but four of the books I've illustrated have been selected for inclusion for their starter packs, geared to help set children on the path to confident reading.”

Julia Donaldson, author of Wriggle and Roar!, said: "I have great admiration for the work that Beanstalk do and I am delighted that they have selected Wriggle and Roar for this brilliant new initiative"

Kes Gray, author of Oi Frog!, said: “Oi Beanstalk! Thank you so much for including Oi Frog in your reading scheme! I’ll trust you to get your seating arrangements right.”

Andy Stanton, author of You’re a Bad Man, Mr. Gum! Said: “I've been told many times that 'Mr Gum' has helped to get young readers started and it never fails to give me goosebumps - what a privilege it is to write for children. My stories might be silly, but I take writing and reading very seriously and am absolutely delighted to be included in Beanstalk's starter pack.”

Axel Scheffler author of Flip Flap Jungle, said: “It’s an honour and pleasure for me to know that Flip Flap Jungle will be introduced to so many children through Beanstalk’s great work in encouraging literacy and the joy of reading.”

Nosy Crow Books said: “We very much admire and value the work that Beanstalk does, so we are delighted that Nosy Crow books have been chosen for inclusion in their starter packs.”

To view Beanstalk’s ‘Top 40’ books visit the reading resources area of the website: https://www.beanstalkcharity.org.uk/beanstalk-top-40  

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Favourite Children's Picture Books - Jan/Feb 2018

Jonny Duddle - The Pirates of Scurvy Sands - Published by Templar Publishing (8 Feb. 2018) - ISBN-13: 978-1783704088

 

This summer, Matilda is going on holiday with her friends, the Jolley-Rogers. Their destination is the island of Scurvy Sands - a favourite holiday destination for pirates. 

When Matilda arrives, the swashbuckling residents are not too impressed with her. She has clean teeth, tidy clothes and doesn't smell like she's been at sea for six months without washing - she's definitely no pirate. But when Matilda discovers the secret of the legendary treasure of Scurvy Sands, the pirates decide that maybe some lubbers aren't so bad.

A scurvy sequel to the bestselling The Pirates Next Door.

Jonny Lambert -  Look Out, It’s a Dragon! - Published by Little Tiger Press (8 Feb. 2018) - ISBN-13: 978-1848698215

 

Saffi isn’t like other dragons. She doesn’t enjoy crushing castles and capturing princesses. But when she finds the perfect new home, how can she persuade her new neighbours that she is a helpful sort of dragon?

Written and illustrated by the award-winning Jonny Lambert (Little Why, The Only Lonely Panda and Tiger Tiger), this is a humorous and heart-warming tale about bravery, overcoming prejudices and finding new friends.

Helena Covell - Jumble Wood - Published by Flying Eye Books (1 Feb. 2018) - ISBN-13: 978-1911171362

Far, far away there was a wood. A jumble of twists and turns, ups and downs, and unknowns. The little creatures that lived there each had a thing that made them happy... all of them except Pod, who just can't seem to find hers. Exasperated and sad, Pod sets off to discover where her 'happiness' might be hiding, only to find it in the friends she meets along the way.

Julian Gough & Jim Field - Attack of the Snack: Book 3 (Rabbit and Bear) - Hodder Children's Books (11 Jan. 2018) - ISBN-13: 978-1444938173

Gorgeously illustrated and with a classic feel, this is a brilliantly funny story of a rabbit and a bear who discover that things are always better when they're shared with a friend. Ideal for readers moving on from picture books. 

'A perfect animal double-act.' (The Times, Book of the Week)

SPLASH! A Mysterious Thing lands in Rabbit and Bear's peaceful summer lake. 

Is it exciting, or terrifying? Is it a tiny fluffy owl, or a huge hungry monster? And has Rabbit finally met a creature with worse habits than himself? 

Rabbit's SURE he can solve this mystery. But when he accidentally turns the Best Day Ever into the Worst Day Ever, he needs Bear's help ... 

From novelist and playwright Julian Gough, and the winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, Jim Field, this is a tale of friendship, acceptance, and what you can do with blueberry poo.

'Rabbit's Bad Habits is a breath of fresh air in children's fiction, a laugh-out-loud story of rabbit and wolf and bear, of avalanches and snowmen. The sort of story that makes you want to send your children to bed early, so you can read it to them.' Neil Gaiman

Sam Hay & Sarah Massini - Star in the Jar - Published by Egmont (11 Jan. 2018) - ISBN-13: 978-1405284301

An enchanting bedtime story for toddlers, perfect for fans of Oliver Jeffers' How To Catch a Star.

Up high, in the dark, dark sky . . . a message: LOST, ONE SMALL STAR. 

When a little boy stumbles across a special star, he puts it in a jar and takes it on adventures. Together with his big sister, he takes his special treasure with him everywhere – to the cinema, to the swimming pool and even to the toilet! 

But the poor star is sad and misses its home . . .

Can the little boy and his big sister find a way to send the star safely back?

Sarah Massini's artwork glows with warmth and humour and perfectly captures the friendship between the two siblings in this warm-hearted bedtime book.

Told from the perspective of the big sister, this is the perfect picture book for siblings to share and read together. The short text and warm tone is ideal for toddlers aged 2 years and up. 

David Fickling & Richard Collingridge - Tiny Little Rocket - Published by David Fickling Books (1 Feb. 2018) - ISBN-13: 978-1910200902

There's a tiny little rocket that will take you to the stars.
It only flies there once a year but zips you out past Mars.
Its fins are solid silver with a door made out of gold.
There's a cozy pilot seat inside for a person young or old.
Climb aboard for a bedtime picture book sure to appeal to every kid's sense of wonder. Young readers will love stepping into the cockpit of a wonderful rocket ship that takes them zipping through the planets, stars, and space, all the way back home to Earth and their cozy beds!

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Top Five Children's Picture Books 2017

A book makes a fantastic gift, but the gift of a picture book is particularly special. It is an opportunity to share a great story and wonderful illustrations together. Never before have we been in an age of such wonderful choice. Today we have some of the most amazing picture books on sale. Recently, we have spent some wonderful hours in bookshops selecting picture books for Christmas presents. Here are some of our top choices, but we would be delighted to consider your favourites and add these to our list.

Mac Barnett (Author) Jon Klassen (Illustrator) - The Wolf, the Duck and the Mouse - Walker Books (12 Oct. 2017) Hardcover – 12 Oct 2017 - ISBN-13: 978-1406377798

Early one morning a mouse met a wolf and was quickly gobbled up... When a woeful mouse is swallowed up by a wolf, he quickly learns he is not alone: a duck has already set up digs and, boy, has that duck got it figured out! Turns out it's pretty nice inside the belly of the beast - there's delicious food, elegant table settings and, best of all, dancing. And there's something more: no more fear of being eaten by a wolf! Life's not so bad, considering the alternatives. That is, until a hunter shows up... With a nod to traditional fables and a wink to the reader, the award-winning Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen of Sam and Dave Dig a Hole, Extra Yarn and Triangle offer a tale of cooperation and creative cuisine that is sure to go down easy.

Benji Davies - The Grotlyn - HarperCollins Children's Books (7 Sept. 2017) Hardcover - ISBN-13: 978-0008212759

A stunningly illustrated picture book full of mystery and suspense, from the bestselling author of THE STORM WHALE and GRANDAD’S ISLAND.

“I know when the Grotlyn’s been
Slipping through your house unseen…”

What is the mysterious Grotlyn? What sort of creature could it be, scuttling across the town, frightening everyone in its path? And why has it stolen PC Vickers’ knickers?!

A beautifully illustrated rhyming tale about things that go bump in the night for ages four and up, from picture book superstar, Benji Davies, winner of Oscar’s First Book Prize 2014 and Sainsbury’s Children’s Book of the Year 2015. Perfect for fans of Oliver Jeffers and Jon Klassen.

Tom Percival - Perfectly Norman - Bloomsbury Children's Books (10 Aug. 2017) Paperback - ISBN-13: 978-1408880975

Norman had always been perfectly normal. That was until the day he grew a pair of wings!

Norman is very surprised to have wings suddenly - and he has the most fun ever trying them out high in the sky. But then he has to go in for dinner. What will his parents think? What will everyone else think? Norman feels the safest plan is to cover his wings with a big coat. 

But hiding the thing that makes you different proves tricky and upsetting. Can Norman ever truly be himself?

Rebecca Green - How To Make Friends With A Ghost - Tundra (7 Sept. 2017)  Hardcover  - ISBN-13: 978-1101919019

What do you do when you meet a ghost? One: Provide the ghost with some of its favorite snacks, like mud tarts and earwax truffles. Two: Tell your ghost bedtime stories (ghosts love to be read to). Three: Make sure no one mistakes your ghost for whipped cream or a marshmallow when you aren't looking! If you follow these few simple steps and the rest of the essential tips in How to Make Friends with a Ghost, you'll see how a ghost friend will lovingly grow up and grow old with you.Website:http://myblankpaper.com

David Litchfield - Grandad's Secret Giant - Frances Lincoln Children's Books (6 April 2017) - Hardcover - ISBN-13: 978-1847808479

'Funny, touching and visually stunning, this really is a book to treasure.' Daily Mail A GIANT story of belonging and friendship from David Litchfield, author of the Waterstones Illustrated Book Prize 2016 winner The Bear and the Piano. "He has hands the size of tables," Grandad said, "legs as long as drainpipes and feet as big as rowing boats. Do you know who I mean?" "Yes," sighed Billy. "The Secret Giant. But he's not real!" Billy doesn't believe his Grandad when he tells him there's a giant living in his town, doing good deeds for everyone. He knows that a giant is too big to keep himself hidden. And why would he WANT to keep himself a secret? But as time goes on, Billy learns that some secrets are too BIG to stay secret for long...      

This delightful heartfelt story of belonging and friendship teaches the importance of tolerance and acceptance to young children. Website: http://www.davidlitchfieldillustration.com

Press Release: CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Shortlists Books 2016

In a shortlist of novels thick with secrets and lies, Patrick Ness vies to be the first ever author to win the Carnegie Medal three times. Ness’s The Rest of Us Just Live Here follows the lives and loves of a group of teenagers and faces tough competition from Frances Hardinge’s Costa Book of the Year winnerThe Lie Tree, in which a young Victorian girl uses lies to find the truth behind her father’s murder, and Robin Talley’s debut, Lies We Tell Ourselves, which sees two teen girls fall in love across the race divide in 1950s America. Joining them on the shortlist are Nick Lake’s There Will Be Lies in which a teenage girl is forced to re-evaluate her identity, Jenny Valentine’s Fire Colour One which explores questions of authenticity and honesty, and Kate Saunders’s Five Children on the Western Front which looks at the reality of conflict and the impact of the First World War on a single family. Marcus Sedgwick’s The Ghosts of Heaven, four interlinking stories on the search for the true meaning of life, and Sarah Crossan’s One, a tale of conjoined twins which explores notions of individuality, complete the Carnegie shortlist for 2016.

The CILIP Carnegie Medal 2016 shortlist in full (alphabetically by author surname):

• One by Sarah Crossan (Bloomsbury)
• The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge (Macmillan)
• There Will Be Lies by Nick Lake (Bloomsbury)
• The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness (Walker Books)
• Five Children on the Western Front by Kate Saunders (Faber)
• The Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Sedgwick (Indigo)
• Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley (MiraInk)
• Fire Colour One by Jenny Valentine (HarperCollins)

At the heart of the Kate Greenaway Medal shortlist, awarded for outstanding illustration in a book for children, is a three-way face-off between former Children’s Laureate Anthony Browne, current Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell and Helen Oxenbury, all with two Medals already to their names. Oxenbury first won in 1969, nearly half a century ago, while Browne first won in 1983. Riddell, a relative newcomer, first won in 2001. Traditional picture book stories for younger readers make up the majority of the Kate Greenaway shortlist, following 2015’s more sombre list. 

Browne employs a wide range of colours and styles in Willy’s Stories, to celebrate the worlds within a library, while Oxenbury’s distinctive style is at the fore in Captain Jack and the Pirates, merging soft blacks and whites with muted colours. Riddell uses a limited but highly evocative palette of black, white and gold in The Sleeper and the Spindle and Sydney Smith’s visual storytelling in Footpath Flowers uses selective colour against stark black and white. Ross Collins’s There’s a Bear on My Chair uses size, scale and words to create humour and contrast whilst Jackie Morris’s Something About A Bearbrings the lives of the world’s bears to life with a true painterly quality, and in Once Upon an Alphabet, Oliver Jeffers creates a distinctive visual style with bright colours and strong lines bringing each letter’s tale to life. Finally, previous Kate Greenaway Medal winner Jon Klassen uses earthy colours and increasingly dark shades in Sam & Dave Dig a Hole.

The CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2016 shortlist in full (alphabetically by illustrator surname):

• Willy’s Stories illustrated and written by Anthony Browne (Walker Books)
• There’s a Bear on My Chair illustrated and written by Ross Collins (Nosy Crow)
• Once Upon an Alphabet illustrated and written by Oliver Jeffers (HarperCollins)
• Sam & Dave Dig a Hole illustrated by Jon Klassen, written by Mac Barnett (Walker Books)
• Something About a Bear illustrated and written by Jackie Morris (Frances Lincoln)
• Captain Jack and the Pirates illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, written by Peter Bently (Puffin)
• The Sleeper and the Spindle illustrated by Chris Riddell, written by Neil Gaiman (Bloomsbury)
• Footpath Flowers illustrated by Sydney Smith, written by JonArno Lawson (Walker Books)

Sioned Jacques, Chair of the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals judging panel for 2016, said: “These exceptionally strong shortlists reflect the huge range of writing and illustrating talent in children’s publishing at the moment. The lists are a true celebration of the longevity of these wonderful talents, with Helen Oxenbury and Anthony Browne showing that they are still delivering incredible work decades after first winning a Medal. Questions of secrecy, lies, who we really are and how we identify ourselves are all explored in different, surprising and innovative ways. Our shortlisted writers and illustrators don’t shy away from difficult or big ideas but skilfully introduce them to young readers in ways that are gripping, moving, entertaining but always, without exception, page-turning.”

Dawn Finch, President of CILIP, said: “We are without doubt in a golden age of children’s books. From stories set in Victorian times and World War One to a modern day library, from fantasy worlds to the future, these shortlists showcase the enormous talent and unlimited imagination currently to be found in children’s storytelling. There are characters to fall in love and go on adventures with and journeys and discoveries to be made. Each and every one of the books on the shortlists could be a worthy winner and all of them are truly deserving of a global audience.”

The CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals are the oldest children’s book awards in the UK, with the first winners announced in 1936 and 1956 respectively. The titles on the shortlists are contenders for the highest accolades in children’s literature, with previous winners including legendary talents Arthur Ransome, C.S Lewis and Mary Norton for the Carnegie Medal and illustrators Quentin Blake, Shirley Hughes and Raymond Briggs for the Kate Greenaway Medal.

The winners for both the CILIP Carnegie Medal and the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal will be announced on Monday 20th June at a lunchtime ceremony at the British Library. The winners will each receive £500 worth of books to donate to their local library and a specially commissioned golden medal. Since 2000, the winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal has been awarded the £5,000 Colin Mears Award cash prize and, from 2016, the Carnegie Medal winner will also be awarded an equal amount of prize money from the same fund. At the ceremony in June, one title from each shortlist will also be named the recipient of the Amnesty CILIP Honour, a brand new commendation for a book that most distinctively illuminates, upholds or celebrates freedoms. The two titles receiving the commendation will be able to carry an Amnesty CILIP Honour logo.