No sooner were the words “school closure” uttered than the children’s publishing world rallied. Who would have predicted that when a pandemic hit some heroes would take the form of children’s authors on livestreams? Draw-alongs from the likes of Mo Willems or Rob Biddulph (whose wildly popular twice weekly #DrawWithRob sessions have landed him a new activity book deal), and readings from makeshift studios by major authors including Julia Donaldson, Oliver Jeffers and Benji Davies (frequently upstaged by his pre-schooler, Esther), have quickly become timetable essentials, soothing and fun (and cherished by parents trying to work).
Arguably the most vital contribution so far has come from The Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler with his free digital information title, Coronavirus: A Book for Children. Essentially a calming, explanatory pamphlet about the virus and the impact it’s having, it features Scheffler’s familiar, saucer-eyed characters (mostly humans but there is a Gruffalo to be spotted) and is aimed at primary school-age kids. Written by staff members Elizabeth Jenner, Kate Wilson and Nia Roberts at Scheffler’s publisher, Nosy Crow, with expert input from Professor Graham Medley of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, two headteachers and a child psychologist, by late April it had been translated into 46 languages and downloaded more than a million times.
Planned long before coronavirus struck, but with a title and content that couldn’t be more perfectly timed to cheer us all up, I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast (Flying Eye) is a compendium of plants so full of dazzling, delicious pictures that it’s like opening up a world-class garden in your hands. Written by the former head of education at Chelsea Physic Garden, Michael Holland, with illustrations by Philip Giordano, each spread looks at a different aspect of plant life including pollination and photosynthesis (hence the book’s title). Scattered throughout (like little seeds to cultivate young minds) are activities to do including leaf printing and making a shoebox plant maze. Many books have celebrated plants, but this one feels special, particularly at a time when gardening sales have gone through the roof.
Speaking of shopping, at the start of the lockdown there was a reported surge in children’s book purchases, with The Big Book of Silly Jokes for Kids apparently topping one retailer’s list. Happily, there are also plenty of new releases that will appeal to those seeking laughter. Tiny Ant (Simon and Schuster) pairs Claire Freedman, author of the bestselling Aliens Love Underpants series, with illustrator Claire Powell for a vibrant tale about a jungle talent contest featuring a nervous elephant, a skunk and an acrobatic lion. It’s reminiscent of Garth Jennings’s hit animation Sing but with the added message that big isn’t always best. Powell’s pictures are a delight, especially an extreme close-up of the showstopping ant in his red spotty bow tie singing his heart out, and the detailed drawings of his home complete with a half conker bath and art deco mirror.
Delphine Perret’s A Bear Named Bjorn (translated by Antony Shugaar, Gecko) is award-winning in Perret’s native France and comprises six short stories about the antics of Bjorn and his forest friends. There’s a flick of Moomins style to the simple but striking black line drawings, and echoes of Winnie-the-Pooh in the characters’ droll reflections, but Perret has a fresh and funny voice all of her own. In one episode, the friends, inspired by Bjorn’s much-loved pastime of pawing through clothes catalogues, decide to dress up as humans and throw a party. “At seven o’clock sharp everyone turns up in disguise with something to share: hazelnuts / a tart with blueberries / fleas.” The sight of Bjorn and co in heart-print Bermuda shorts and baseball caps, arms in the air, scoffing pizza like they just don’t care, should lighten the mood as surely as any lockdown disco on Zoom.
• To order I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast or A Bear Named Bjorn for a special price click on the titles or go to guardianbookshop.com. Free UK p&p over £15
