John Hegley’s top 10 children’s poetry books
Featuring Carol Ann Duffy, Michael Rosen, Grace Nichols and many more, John Hegley's list of the best children's poetry books is a litany of laughs. Can poetry really help you catch an elephant?!
National Poetry Day – quiz
We're celebrating all things poetic today so we've set you some positively potty poetry questions - do you know the first lines of some classic children's poems?
Warrior Cats: Fire and Ice by Erin Hunter – review
YOLO: 'This book was fabulous!!! I loved it. I would recommend it to people who love adventure and animals!'
The Lost Gods by Francesca Simon – review
Cleopatra:'The second part of Francesca Simon's stories about Norse Gods is funnier than the first'
Can books help a small child to understand what is real?
There are plenty of walking, talking toys in children's books - but a good storyteller can breathe life into a blue kangaroo or a box of crayons without pretending they are living beings
Buddy and Holly’s Story by Sarah Hawkins – review
Felix28: 'I would recommend this book to animal lovers'
Stella’s Story by Sarah Hawkins – review
Felix28: 'What I enjoyed about the book was when we found out that Stella broke her leg too!'
Oliver and the Seawigs by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre – review
SuperBen:'It's a great book because it's action-packed and it has just about the right amount of detail'
Where I Write: Jane Ray
The author and illustrator of The Emperor's Nightingale and Other Feathery Tales reveals her answer to the hustle and bustle of London: a shed at the bottom of the garden...
The World’s Biggest Bogey by Steve Hartley – review
Aisha's Craft Hands 'This book is great to get children to read more, because not only is it a book, it is an entertainer!'
Reader reviews roundup
The reader reviews roundup is out of control! Poetry, a lonely kitten, controversial YA fiction and parents trying to be 'cool' all jostle for space this week!
Dixie O’Day in the Fast Lane by Shirley Hughes and Clara Vulliamy
Prince Caspian: 'It's quite a funny book and is easy to read, with lots of really good pictures in red, white and black on every page'.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry – quiz
Insanely popular, with over a million copies sold every year, The Little Prince is a classic children's story telling the adventures of the boy who fell to earth. On the book's 70th anniversary, and with a new film by Universal pictures recently announced, we thought it was high time we tested your knowledge. Will your score make you look like a prince or a pauper?
Neil Gaiman, Judith Kerr, Steve Cole: a day at Edinburgh
From Neil Gaiman and Judith Kerr's advice to young writers to Steve Cole's secret chat show host ambitions, Guardian children's site member Patrick got top authors at this year's Edinburgh international book festival to spill the beans. Read his report here