Just-picture books don’t need 1,000 words to be worthwhile
Imogen Russell Williams: Stories told with images alone are particularly compelling for pre-literate children, and fire their imaginations for the lettered tales ahead
Jennifer Niven’s top 10 teen books to save your life
Jennifer Niven wrote All the Bright Places knowing that at one time or another every teenager needs to know that it gets better, help is out there, high school isn’t forever, and life is long and vast and full of joy. So here are her top 10 lovely, tough, honest, and ultimately life-affirming YA books
Baddies in books: Dolores Umbridge, the trilling torturer
Keren Levy: The only person apart from Voldemort to permanently scar Harry Potter, she is the kitsch face of sadism who, once encountered, can never be forgotten
Tim Bowler: it’s fun. It’s joyous. It’s life affirming. Reading is great!
Group members Millennium RIOT Readers interview the Carnegie-winning author of over 20 books about winning awards, writer’s block, studying Swedish and his latest book, Night Runner
Why the Moomins are fiction’s perfect family
Tove Jansson’s Finnish troll creations have beguiling adventures with a host of strange characters. But, at heart, their strength comes from being a loving family, writes Stuart Kelly
The problem with Professor Branestawm
Norman Hunter’s Professor Branestawm has been on and of our bookshelves and the BBC since 1933. Why do we keep coming back to him?
Top 10 fictional feasts in children’s books
From Harry Potter’s first meal at Hogwarts to the picnics of the Famous Five, Christopher William Hill slavers over fictional food in literature
Meet the children’s books site members: 8-12 years, G-L
This site belongs to kids who love reading. Find out more about the people who contribute to it here
Teens prefer the printed page to ebooks
You’d think teenagers would shun traditional print books for e-readers. But the latest survey says that’s not true…
How I made: Raymond Briggs on Father Christmas
‘I saw parallels between Father Christmas’s job and my father’s – he was a milkman. On Christmas morning I’d get up very early to help him’
What are the best children’s books of 2014?
The Guardian children’s books team and site members young and old(er) share their favourite books from the past year – is your top read up there?
What are the best children’s books on the nativity?
From Nicholas Allan’s Jesus’ Christmas Party to Jan Pienkowski’s The First Christmas, the Book Doctor seeks out the books which most beautifully tell the Christmas story
The best teenage fiction this Christmas
Sally Gardner steps back in time, a shaman braves the snow and E Lockhart champions girl power, writes Geraldine Brennan
The best children’s poetry books this Christmas
The best festive collections, chosen by Kate Kellaway
Cressida Cowell launches Christmas reading challenge for young readers
Newsflash: The Christmas Mini-Challenge, a festive version of the massively popular Summer Reading Challenge, is back for a second year! Find out how to join in here