Children’s and teens roundup – the best new chapter books
Michael Rosen returns with an adventurous French hound, while BBC sport presenter Damian Johnson offers inspiring football stories. Plus, a lion comes to tea and stays
Jan Needle obituary
Prolific author and screenwriter committed to exploring social justice in work such as Wild Wood and A Game of Soldiers
Children’s and teens’ roundup – the best new picture books and novels
A celebration of family; a guide to animal languages; Stonehenge spells; classroom crises; and dreams of becoming an alchemist
The Guardian view on the legacy of Judith Kerr: a cat, a rabbit and a tiger that romp on
Editorial: A hundred years after her birth, the power and charm of the author’s memoirs and picture books continue to win over new generations of children – and adults
Picture books for children – reviews
Benji Davies returns with more coastal charms, lonely animals find acceptance – plus Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s tale about a toddler
Hard stares, tea with the Queen and so many marmalade sandwiches – 65 years of Paddington Bear
Inspired by a lone teddy in a shop, Michael Bond’s courteous and clumsy hero from Peru has struck a chord with every generation. What is the secret to his enduring popularity?
‘If we don’t teach kids about consent, the internet will’: Natasha Devon on the importance of sex education
The mental health campaigner’s new book tackles sex and relationships through the eyes of a 16-year-old. In the face of a backlash against inclusive sex ed in schools she explains why we have to keep the conversation open
‘Libraries are the heart of community’: children’s laureate Joseph Coelho on inspiring the next generation of writers
Since his first anthology in 2014, Coelho has become a prolific author for children and YA readers – and it all started, he says, in a vital community space
‘A secret no one talked about’: Michael Morpurgo on discovering his real father – and hating Spielberg’s War Horse
As he turns 80, the prolific children’s author takes us on a tour of his Devon village, to talk about family bombshells, the burning of Joan of Arc – and finally getting a film adaptation he likes
Children’s and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels
A joyful picture-book account of family life; a magical fantasy series begins; an addictive epistolary friendship; fast-paced feminist YA; and more
‘A true original’: Katherine Rundell on the genius of Diana Wynne Jones
Long before Harry Potter went to Hogwarts, Diana Wynne Jones wrote about a school for witches. Fifty years after the author of Howl’s Moving Castle published her first novel for children, Rundell celebrates the writer who inspired her own fantasy debut
Charity launches award and database to encourage diversity in children’s books
Inclusive Books for Children survey found that two thirds of ethnic minority parents struggle to find representative books to read their children
Looking round a school library, I saw something I can’t get out of my mind
I was shocked to find a book for children whose parents are in prison. But I’m glad someone had the compassion to write it
‘The most fun!’ Paul Simon unveils collaboration with The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse illustrator
Charlie Mackesy created his new drawings while listening to Simon’s music, the pair explain at the exhibition launch, with Simon outlining how the Covid-19 pandemic helped his creativity
More than half of UK children do not read in their spare time, survey reveals
National Literacy Trust says families and schools need resources to help disadvantaged children develop vital literacy skills