Picture books for children – reviews
A dazzling plant compendium, Axel Scheffler’s crucial guide to coronavirus and a bear in Bermuda shorts lift the spirits in lockdown
Annalena McAfee: ‘I enjoyed writing this really rather unpleasant character’
A controlling female artist is at the heart of the author’s new novel. She talks about cruel egos in the art world and the logistics of writing alongside her husband, Ian McEwan
How I managed to raise a little bookworm in the age of smartphones and tablets
Most children now prefer screens to books but it is possible to nurture a passion for print
Quentin Blake: ‘Spend time with children? Good God, no’
The writer and illustrator talks about bringing some of the most cherished children’s characters to life, his work with Roald Dahl and Michael Rosen – and the tiny weed that inspired his latest book
Picture books for children – reviews
Flora and fauna loom large as authors incorporate issues around the climate crisis
Me … review – Emma Dodd’s plucky penguin waddles into the big world
A chick finds its feet in this gentle puppet adaptation of the popular book, aimed at children aged two to five
‘He’s the Roger Moore of tigers!’ – how The Tiger Who Came to Tea came to TV
The children’s classic has been turned into a flagship Christmas animation for Channel 4. Our writer takes his two-year-old behind the scenes at the studio seeking to capture its furry magic
Me, Mum and Dogger: the return of a children’s classic
At 92, Shirley Hughes has written a Christmas sequel to her enduring tale of a lost toy. Her son, who is the real Dogger’s owner, tells all…
Giraffes Can’t Dance review – swing of the jungle
An adaptation of Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees’s bestseller loses some of the grace of the picturebook despite a moonlit acrobatic ending
The Tailor of Gloucester review – tabby triumphs in custom-made show
Brightly designed, this jaunty version of Beatrix Potter’s seasonal tale boasts a scene-stealing Simpkin the cat
Oi Frog and Friends! review – a wild time for fans of rhyme
Jumpy new student Frog overcomes his starting-school nerves in this exuberant musical adaptation of Kes Gray and Jim Field’s picture books
The Tiger Who Came to Tea review – a charming, faithful adaptation
Snowman and Snowdog producers Lupus Films have made Christmas treat from Judith Kerr’s children’s classic
David Cardwell obituary
Other lives: Leader in brand licensing in the UK, whose work built on the childhood memories of generations
A children’s book about food banks is a grim sign of our failure as a society
Britain’s first picture book about families going hungry is an urgent reminder of the issues at the heart of this election, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty
Hey Grandude! by Paul McCartney and Kathryn Durst review – no magical mystery tour
An old rocker takes his bored grandkids for a ride in the former Beatle’s safe second children’s book