Children’s illustrators’ doodles: watch them in action!

Want to experience the magic of illustration in motion? Then watch these six-second videos of top children’s illustrators drawing. From Axel Scheffler to Debi Gliori, watch the finest British illustrators doodling beautifully for us

John Dougherty’s top 10 fictional badgers

Badgers in stories are usually wise and kindly animals – which may have little to do with real life but does anybody really care? Here John Dougherty picks the best badgers in children’s books

Why poetry belongs to us all

On Poetry Day, Sarah Crossan argues that poetry is everywhere. And it is ours. So sing and share your songs and don’t be afraid to snatch poetry back into your life and use it!

The best pirate themed books

Avast, me beauties, as the Book Doctor whistles to her parrot and rounds up the most brilliant books to fire up a wannabe pirate’s imagination

Books for a cake lover

The Book Doctor sniffs out cake and food-themed children’s books for a boy who is motivated by delicious things to eat

Boxtrolls author Alan Snow interview: seeing the world of the boxtrolls made solid by other artists is more than odd

Get to know the author of Here Be Monsters, the book that inspired the film The Boxtrolls, as Alan Snow takes our quickfire interview

The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren – review

Prince Caspian: 'The children have lots of fun exploring, having adventures and making dens'

What are the best books to help my son make friends?

The Book Doctor recommends a dose of Michael Morpurgo, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Jacqueline Wilson to help a boy who is struggling with his relationships with other kids and is never chosen to be a 'best friend'

Angelina Ballerina – the Mousical review: brings the house down

Will the tiny rodent ballerinas create a winning routine in time for TV spectacular, Dancing With Mice? Only if they cast aside ego and work together, writes Andrew Pulver

A round up of the Guardian children’s books site’s first world war week

One hundred years after the start of the first world war, we celebrate the incredible books for children and teenagers that help us understand what happened and why the impact is still being felt today

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling – review

TMandy: 'At Hogwarts Harry realises he's special and his adventures begin'