What’s happening in children’s books in 2016? A literary calendar

Want to know when your favourite author has a new book published? When the awards are being dished out? What film adaptations are up-coming or get the low-down on festivals near you? Then check out our literary calendar for 2016

Russian censors target children’s books that break the mould

Publishing a children’s book in Russia is not a straightforward matter, as Anna Starobinets found when her detective stories set among woodland animals were deemed to be far too beastly for children

Orphans, foundlings and fostering in literature: a child’s view of belonging

Some of the most loved figures in popular culture are abandoned children or children without parents. This month, a new exhibition, Drawing on Childhood, opens at the Foundling Museum in London

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke – review

Faolan: ‘it is all encompassing, fascinating and – strangely – very believable’

Picture books grow up for an older audience

Illustrated books for an audience beyond the youngest readers are a welcome growth area in publishing, renewing the worth of paper books

David Walliams: the boy in the dress who became a national treasure

From Little Britain to acclaimed children’s author, Walliams’s popularity crosses generations. Now he stars in an adaptation of his latest book, Billionaire Boy

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans – bright mischief, quiet melancholy

The small, brave heroine of these sweet tales is full of infectious fun, but adult readers can sense the sadness behind the fun, writes Aida Edemariam

Top 10 parallel worlds in fiction

When you open the pages of a book you step into a parallel universe. From Narnia to Coraline, Christopher Edge picks his favourite stories that step through the looking glass

Ignorance and Want: why Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is as relevant today as ever

Forget Tiny Tim Cratchit - there are two other child characters in Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol that, for author Chris Priestley, are far more powerful: Ignorance and Want. Here’s why

The best feasts quotes in literature

From Keats to Harry Potter to Christina Rossetti to Wind in the Willows, we have mouthwatering quotes from the greatest literary feasts to whet your appetite for Christmas indulgences

Patrick Ness: ‘You’re 10, a refugee in a foreign country. What the hell do you do?’

The award-winning young adult novelist on how he helped to raise $1m for the Syrian refugee crisis with one tweet

Very rare Hans Christian Andersen illustration sold at auction

Watercolour by Danish illustrator Kay Nielsen sells for £32,000

The best stocking filler books for children this Christmas

If you are looking for a book that might keep younger children entertained in the early hours of Christmas morning then the Book Doctor has some fun ideas

The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde – fairytales for all ages

Kicking off a season of blogs about the books we most want to press on others, this is a book that will dazzle children and intrigue adults, writes Claire Armitstead

How To Fight A Dragons Fury by Cressida Cowell – review

Elie8899: ‘This book is awesome; a truly fitting finale for such an amazing series’