\u00a0At this time of year there are a few ‘looking forward to’ book lists doing the rounds. But here are some very exciting picture book-shaped offerings that caught my eye!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n JANUARY<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n 1. THE REALLY BEAUTIFUL THING (Frances Tosdevin, Ali Pye)<\/span><\/u><\/p>\n Squirrel is prepared to sell everything he has for The Really Beautiful Thing, but at what cost? A cautionary tale with a heartwarming ending about the force of greed and the power of friendship and family. The perfect story to share with little ones about consumerism, greed and obsession, that teaches us we can’t always have everything we want . . . and that our loved ones will always be there to help us when we lose our way.<\/span><\/p>\n Squirrel doesn\u2019t know what The Really Beautiful Thing is, or even what it does, but it\u2019s AMAZING, and he wants it\u2026even if it costs him EVERYTHING.<\/span><\/p>\n 2. THE GREAT UNICORN RESCUE: A magical adventure about facing your fears (Diane Ewen)<\/u><\/span><\/p>\n The Great Unicorn Rescue is an enchanting, unicorn-filled tale about friendship and fighting your fears, from the award-winning, bestselling Diane Ewen.<\/span><\/p>\n Louella lives on the edge of a forest. But this isn’t just any forest \u2013 this forest has unicorns in it! Louella’s unicorn is called Norrie, and they love collecting shells together from the stream and spending all day together. Norrie\u2019s special power is being able to cast a bright beam of light \u2013 so although Louella\u2019s biggest fear is the dark, she never has to worry with Norrie around!<\/span><\/p>\n Until, one day, when Louella\u2019s school has a class trip into the forest and Norrie doesn\u2019t appear. Where could Norrie have got to? Can Louella overcome her biggest fear to help her friend out?<\/span><\/p>\n An enchanting story about friendship and how facing your fear with friends might just make that fear disappear altogether!<\/span><\/p>\n The authorial debut from Diane Ewen, illustrator of Coming to England and winner of the Jericho Prize and the Queen\u2019s Knickers award.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n FEBRUARY<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n 3. THE FULL STOP THAT GOT AWAY (Laura Baker, Nathan Reed)\u00a0<\/span><\/u><\/p>\n Frank is a full stop who LOVES making up stories. But sometimes the stories won\u2019t stop, even when Frank says, \u201cThe End.\u201d And when a dragon takes over, Frank has had enough\u2026 But without a full stop, how will the story ever finish?<\/span><\/p>\n A hilariously non-stop story about learning to let your imagination flow, and the perfect first introduction to punctuation.<\/span><\/p>\n 4. OH NO, FLO! (Catherine Cawthorne, Mike Byrne)<\/span><\/u><\/p>\n Farmer loves looking after her animals. Farmer does all the jobs that need to be done. And she does them just right. But most of all, Farmer LOVES her trusty sheepdog, Flo. So when Farmer gets sick, Flo leaps in to SAVE THE DAY! The only question is, what does Farmer actually DO all day? With the help of her farmyard friends, Flo sets to work: brushing the carrots, collecting the geese, sowing the sheep. . . HOLD ON! OH NO – Flo is in a muddle!<\/span><\/p>\n Will Flo be able to get all the jobs done in time? Or will this farmyard fiasco go from bad to worse?<\/span><\/p>\n This laugh-out-loud animal adventure will have all readers shouting ‘OH NO, FLO!’ as Flo’s antics unfold, making it the perfect book for storytime. Ideal for fans of Duck in the Truck, You Can’t Take an Elephant on the Bus and Poo in the Zoo.<\/span><\/p>\n 5. DO NOT EAT THE EGG (Fiona Barker, Si\u00e2n Roberts)\u00a0<\/span><\/u><\/p>\n The perfect picture-book treat for every small child (and adult) who has tried to resist temptation… and failed!<\/span><\/p>\n When Small Rabbit discovers a gorgeously wrapped chocolate egg in the cupboard he can’t WAIT to eat it. But the label says Do NOT eat the egg! Can Small Rabbit do the right thing… or will it turn into a gloriously gooey chocolate disaster?<\/span><\/p>\n Chocolatey perfection for fans of Chris Haughton and Jon Klassen<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 6. THE SPACE BETWEEN (Clare Helen Welsh, Fiona Lumbers)<\/span><\/u><\/p>\n Granny has a secret: big changes aren’t so scary when we take comfort in the time it takes to embrace them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When her granddaughter is missing her old home, Granny teaches her a secret. The flower buds aren\u2019t quite open, but they will be soon: they\u2019re in the space between, and that time is a gift to treasure. Just like the flowers will soon bloom, in time she will feel at home. But Granny\u2019s in the space between too… and she might need a little help to come out on the other side.<\/span><\/p>\n MARCH<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n 7. HENRY THE ARTISTIC DOG (Justin Worsley)<\/span><\/u><\/p>\n Henry doesn’t think anyone appreciates his unusual art, but one night everything changes…<\/span><\/p>\n Henry is an artist, a master sculptor and . . . a dog. Unfortunately, his self-made pieces, in all their sculptural forms, are often tossed in the bin without even being noticed! But Henry never gives up on his art until, one day, an unexpected somebody finally falls in love with his work and at last Henry has his moment to shine.<\/span><\/p>\n 8. I\u2019M GONNA EAT A MONSTER! (Kael Tudor, Scott Wilson)<\/span><\/u><\/p>\n Join Little Rabbit and Grey Wolf on their quest to EAT a monster in this hilarious new picture book story.<\/span><\/p>\n One morning, deep in the forest, Grey Wolf spots a delicious-looking rabbit and thinks to himself: Time for breakfast! But Little Rabbit isn’t scared. In fact, she has plans of her own \u2013 plans to find and EAT a monster.Which is ridiculous, of course, because monsters AREN’T REAL.<\/span><\/p>\n Or are they?<\/span><\/p>\n Written by picture-book rising star Kael Tudor and brought to life by debut illustrator Scott Wilson, this read-aloud adventure is full of clever humour and LOTS of unexpected twists and turns.<\/span><\/p>\n 9. THE FLOWER THIEF (A Squirrel & Bird Book) (Alice Hemming, Nicola Slater)<\/span><\/u><\/p>\n Perfect for fans of Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms, the spring-themed companion to the New York Times bestseller The Leaf Thief!<\/span><\/p>\n “Hello brand new day.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Hello sunshine!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Hello lovely leaves.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Nice to see you back.”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Spring is here and today a flower has sprung to life. But when Squirrel becomes too protective of it, Bird shows Squirrel the right way to let flowers blossom and grow.<\/span><\/p>\n 10. BADGER BOOKS (Paddy Donnelly)<\/span><\/u><\/p>\n From the world of Fox & Son Tailers\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n \u2018Badger Books\u2019 is a bookshop, run by a badger. On its shelves, you can find books about every animal. From bears to elephants, tigers to dinosaurs and pandas to narwhals. But there\u2019s one book they don\u2019t have \u2026 and it\u2019s one that Rory the Fox really, really wants.<\/span><\/p>\n 11. BY THE BEAVER POOL (Catherine Ward, Phoebe Roze)<\/span><\/u><\/p>\n Each day, as the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, I unpacked more of my favourite things.<\/span><\/p>\n Each evening, as the sky grew sleepy, we went to watch the beavers. The dam grew and grew\u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Beck learns to love living at Grandma\u2019s farm with the help of a pair of beavers that have moved to the stream nearby.<\/span><\/p>\n As Beck settles in at Grandma\u2019s farm in Scotland, they watch the beavers busily gathering sticks to build a dam, which creates a pool and wetland habitat where lots of other wildlife can live too. As the seasons pass, Beck and the beavers find happiness in their new homes. By the Beaver Pool is a gentle tale of rewilding, connecting with nature and feeling at home, which cleverly weaves in facts about these incredible creatures.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A moving story of new beginnings that will also teach children about the brilliance of beavers.<\/span><\/p>\n APRIL<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n 12. BASIL DREAMS BIG ( Lu Fraser, Sarah Warburton)<\/span><\/u><\/p>\n An adorable story about self-belief from the creators of Mavis the Bravest and One Camel Called Doug.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHow do I steer? And how do I stop?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n What if I lose all my UPNESS and \u2026 drop?!\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Basil the bat doesn\u2019t believe he can fly. No matter how hard he tries, he just can\u2019t do it. But when a thundering storm threatens the safety of his beloved friend, Moth, will Basil find his wings and believe in the bat he CAN be?<\/span><\/p>\n 13. THESE ARE MY ROCKS: A Story About Collecting (Bethan Woollvin)<\/span><\/u><\/p>\n Join the narrator, as they proudly introduce the reader to their prized collection, featuring BIG things to small things \u2026 and spiky things to wobbly things!<\/span><\/p>\n Each page is bursting with humour \u2013 and they are interactive too \u2013 with children encouraged to interact with the book, with invitations to point, make noises, clap their hands and think about what they could collect..<\/span><\/p>\n Interactive books engage young children and capture their natural curiosity and These Are My Rocks encourages the development of important early-learning skills such as listening, choosing, matching, counting and moving by playing on the theme of interaction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These Are My Rocks is stylish, humorous, inclusive and utterly engaging \u2013 and a celebration of children’s love of collecting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 14. HOW NOT TO SHARE A PIZZA (Tracy Curran, Lauren Beard)<\/span><\/u><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgpgp_PCyzmUE5BTeJmp4M-NAuKh5wYboFzlDO81cgn8g0Z_l8q8CkufSofmCm-tv3dhnGiiB8TuRkyhq8dvoCIckndCP4NcKGLTw0TahwsVpJH_FHr8dJ7E8Qs9uch73oYhVZzHUdIgBMthM7oHNj_XvrJIbpdwQvux5brdI8U6RHOuqlGTao5iin80iTY\/s1500\/beautiful%20thing.jpg\")
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