Shirley Hughes: I hope books survive, they are wonderful pieces of technology

Shirley Hughes, winner of the inaugural Book Trust lifetime achievement award, answers our questions about Dogger, Alfie and how come she waited until she was over 80 years old to write her first novel. We also got to meet the real Dogger

Roald Dahl’s The Twits: How do you make a book that smells?

A special edition of Roald Dahl’s The Twits is coming out which has a cover that you can customise with revolting scratch ‘n’ sniff stickers! How do they make it smell so icky? Find out here… Plus, win one of five copies we’re giving away!

Karlson on the Roof by Astrid Lindgren – review

Henry IX: ‘I’d give this book 9 out of 10 because it was so good’

Carnegie and Kate Greenaway medals: Tanya Landman and William Grill win UK’s oldest children’s book awards

Tanya Landman’s historical novel Buffalo Soldier and William Grill’s illustrated non-fiction book Shackleton’s Journey scoop fiction and illustration prizes

My inspiration: Martin Brown on political cartoonists

The Horrible Histories illustrator Martin Brown didn’t get there from children’s book illustrations, he came from cartoons – and maybe that’s why the Horrible Histories turned out the way they did!

Julia Donaldson: why hearing children should find out about signing

The author of The Gruffalo is a passionate advocate for inclusion in children’s books. Here’s how she wrote What the Jackdaw Saw with the help of deaf teenagers

Teen opinion: I want to read about deaf children in books

Site member Kayleigh, who also happens to be profoundly deaf, on why it meant to much to help Julia Donaldson write What the Jackdaw Saw

Cerrie Burnell: every child deserves to have their life represented in books

CBeebies presenter and author Cerrie Burnell failed in her search for disabled characters in books to identify with when she was growing up – and that’s why her own children’s books embrace diversity in all its glory

What are the best children’s books on the second world war?

To mark the 70th anniversary of VE Day, children’s authors including Shirley Hughes, Michael Morpurgo, SF Said, Piers Torday and Katherine Rundell, together with children’s books site members, share their favourite books set in or about the second world war

Which children’s books sum up the decade they were published?

Brandon Robshaw (AKA the dad in Back in Time for Dinner) picks out the children’s books from the 1950s to the 2000s that seem to sum up each decade

Why is children’s poetry so invisible?

Chrissie Gittins says it’s time to get confident about children’s poetry, children love it – so publishers, bookshops and libraries should stop hiding it and start celebrating

Sample delights from the CLPE poetry award 2015 shortlist

Looking for great children’s poetry? Check out the brilliant collections that have been shortlisted for this year’s Centre for Literacy in Primary Education prize and sample some of the poems – plus find out how to get involved in the poetry award shadowing scheme

Cece Bell: I wanted to show what it felt like to be the only deaf kid at my school

An interview with the author of a remarkable, Newbery honour-winning, graphic novel El Deafo, based on Cece Bell’s own childhood growing up with hearing problems. The Whiteheath Book Ninjas got to find out why she wrote it

Unfolding drama: how Julia Donaldson’s Paper Dolls took flight

The much-loved picture book about loss, memory and motherhood has become a play at the Little Angel theatre. Its author, the puppet-maker Lyndie Wright, and the director, Peter Glanville, discuss a story that’s a family affair for all involved

The Paper Dolls review – Julia Donaldson adaptation is a puppet-powered weepie

This show has fun with the bestselling author’s 2012 picture book while honouring its sensitivity and emotional force