Here We Are by Oliver Jeffers review – a heartfelt hug of a story

Jeffers’s first nonfiction book is a witty, tender introduction to the world for his newborn son

Move over, Hermione Granger – now girls have real-life heroines to read about

Children are revelling in books that showcase female role models from Virginia Woolf to Venus Williams, says the freelance writer Lauren Chassebi

The story that helps children speak out about abuse

Book and animation aim to help children identify the difference between good and troublesome secrets

Philip Pullman: ‘My daemon is a raven, a bird that steals things’

Philip Pullman, whose His Dark Materials trilogy is celebrated the world over, has finally produced a new instalment in Lyra’s story. As La Belle Sauvage hits the shops, he answers questions from famous fans and Observer readers

Illegal by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin review – moving story of a child migrant

The team behind the graphic novel versions of Colfer’s Artemis Fowl series change direction with this very real and affecting tale

We’re dealing with monsters: why adults need kids’ books more than ever

In a turbulent world, it’s helpful to have places like Alice’s Wonderland where the grown-up world is refracted, not reflected

Writing women into The Wind in the Willows revitalises the canon

Making imaginative room for another sex in this much-loved classic opened up its world to me

Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai review – an enchantingly light touch

The human rights campaigner strikes just the right balance in her first picture book, which relates the story of her childhood with a magical optimism

Tim Minchin: ‘The world feels a bit post-jokes’

The comedian-composer on his children’s book, Australia’s same-sex marriage vote and why he’s glad to be leaving Hollywood

Badger or Bulbasaur – have children lost touch with nature?

Studies show that children are better at identifying Pokémon characters than real animals and plants. Robert Macfarlane on his quest to reconnect young readers with the natural world

Dogging and side-boobs – are children’s books really bulging with filth?

The authors of Biff, Chip and Kipper are accused of slipping something rude in. Pugwash and Pooh have withstood similar blows. Let’s get to the bottom of this, writes Observer columnist Stephanie Merritt

OUP responds to Biff, Chip and Kipper book ‘cottaging’ controversy

Publisher says its books ‘are created with utmost thought and consideration’, after Twitter user highlights apparently dubious scene

The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell review – a fantasia of ancient Britain

A spellbinding excursion into a land of mysterious forests, magic, warriors and witches by the author of How to Train Your Dragon

A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge review – darkly splendid mystery

The 2015 Costa prize winner is back with a worthy follow-up to The Lie Tree, set just before the English civil war

The Hobbit at 80: much more than a childish prequel to The Lord of the Rings

It was deemed ‘juvenile trash’ when first published and, yes, the dwarves’ songs do irritate some – but ideas laid down in JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit shape fantasy to this day