October is a momentous month for us, because we are officially opening our new dedicated children’s and YA shop! Luckily there are oodles of wonderful new releases to fill the shelves, including stories of hat-coveting turtles, zombie kittens and magical battles in Victorian London.

(You can find this month’s YA news and books recommendations here.)

You are warmly invited to the opening weekend of our dedicated children’s and YA shop. Come down to Readings Kids this Saturday 8 October for prizes and giveways, and to get your books signed by some of our favourite authors and illustrators – including Bob Graham, Sally Rippin and more. We’ll also be hosting a special Teddy Bear’s story time with our favourite Walker bear at 12.30pm; BYO teddy bear.

Find more information, including the full list of authors and illustrators, and the scheduled times they will be visiting, here.

A highlight of the new Kids shop is a mural painted by talented artist Marc Martin. A photo of the mural-in-progress is pictured here, and we promise the final result is as absolutely gorgeous. You can see it in person this Saturday.

Martin is the creator of some wonderful picture books including A River, Max, and his brand-new offering, the jet-setting, fact-filled Lots.

We recently chatted to Martin about the story behind the mural, and you can read our interview with him here.

NEW PICTURE BOOKS

We’re spoilt for choice this month with picture books. Here are three of the biggest new releases to look out for.

Bob Graham is a perpetual favourite with Readings staff, and his new book, Home in the Rain, continues his focus on the small and significant details of ordinary family life. Children’s and YA specialist Kathy Kozlowski says: ‘One of the many reasons I love Bob Graham’s books is that, for all their simplicity, his observations of the natural world and family life are always profound and loving, and children, ‘reading’ the pictures, see the wonder of their ordinary lives illuminated for them.’ In particular, this is a great story for families expecting a new arrival. For ages 3+.

Read Kathy’s full review of the book here.

A new Jon Klassen is always cause for celebration, doubly so when it’s a Hat book. First there was I Want My Hat Back, then there was This Is Not My Hat, and now the trilogy is complete (or is it?). Children’s and YA specialist Dani Solomon promises We Found A Hat is ‘as hilarious and naughty’ as the first two. Two turtle friends find a snappy ten-gallon hat that looks great on both of them, so they decide it’s only fair that neither will get it; Klassen’s trademark visual comedy comes to the fore to show us that one of the turtles is somewhat more shifty and covetous than the other. For ages 4+.

Read Dani’s full review of the book here.

Award-winning Australian author-illustrator combo Danny Parker and Freya Blackwood (the team behind Perfect) have collaborated once again. Molly and Mae is a lovely story about a long train trip that results in a tiff between friends. Artist Blackwood has a wonderful knack for body language, and all the familiar curious, absorbed, dancing, poking, slouchy and fanciful movements of children. For ages 3+.

Read our review of the book here.

Other picture book recommendations for October include:

• The Sound of Silence is a visual exploration of the Japanese concept of ‘Ma’ (the silence between sounds) on the streets of Tokyo. For ages 4+.
  
  
• Marc Martin’s Lots is packed full of quirky observations and facts about different places around the world. For ages 4+.
  
  
• If there’s a David Walliams fan in your vicinity then they should check out his new picture book with Tony Ross, There’s a Snake in my School! – a potentially more terrifying notion here in Australia, I think, than in Britain. For ages 3+.
  
  
• Oi, Dog!, the sequel to the popular Oi, Frog!, features absurd, rhyming animal fun. For ages 3+.
  
  
• The world’s greediest (and most lovable) pug is back. Aaron Blabey’s Pig the Elf is a hilarious and adorable Christmas themed story. For ages 3+.
  
  
• Stephanie Blake’s stories about Simon, a small, irreverent rabbit, are nose-snortingly-laugh-out-loud with bold, colourful illustrations. Her new one is called Super Rabbit. For ages 3+.

NEW JUNIOR & MIDDLE FICTION

Here are four of our best picks this month for young readers aged 6-12.

The Bad Guys (Mr Wolf, Mr Piranha, Mr Snake and Mr Shark) continue their attempt at doing good deeds in The Bad Guys Episode 4: Apocalypse Meow. Quite frankly, I’m worried for the Guys this time given that the Zombie Kitten Invasion is coming. Eep! For ages 6-9.

Find the whole series here.

Acclaimed actor Richard Roxburgh has created a madcap mystery for kids in Artie and the Grime Wave. Artie and his best friend Bumshoe stumble across a den of iniquity in their town and are soon caught up in fighting some serious baddies in the middle of a thieving spree. St Kilda children’s book buyer Kim Gruschow says that the ‘lively illustrations and plenty of dark and extremely gross humour will certainly make this a very good choice for readers who have been loving David Walliams’ books’. For ages 8-12.

Read Kim’s full review of the book here.

Children’s and YA specialist Athina Clarke was mightily impressed by Karen Foxlee’s A Most Magical Girl. She described it as: ‘an imaginative and beguiling tale set in Victorian London, where the city’s ageing witches and wizards struggle against a malevolent villain in a quintessential battle of good and evil.’ If you haven’t read it already. Foxlee’s first book for young readers, Ophelia and the Marvellous Boy, was shortlisted for last year’s Readings Children’s Book Prize, and is worth checking out. For ages 9+.

Read Athina’s full review of the book here.

If you’re child is horse-mad then they’ll be delighted with The Secret Horses of Briar Hill. Emmeline, hospitalised with tuberculosis during WWII, is drawn into an urgent quest to save the winged horses that only she can see. Our Readings Kids book buyer Angela Crocombe predicts The Secret Horses of Briar Hill is set to become a contemporary classic: ‘This captivating novel is perfect for readers of wartime stories such as The War that Saved My Life and anyone who enjoys wonderful, imaginative storytelling.’ For ages 10+.

Read Angelas’s full review of the book here.

NEW NON-FICTION FOR KIDS

We have two favourite non-fiction reads for kids this month.

More than ever we’re aware of how important bees are to humans and budding entomologists will love the amazing, encyclopaedic The Book of Bees, in which fact mingles perfectly with spectacular illustrations of bee life. Follow the history of bees, from the dinosaur age to modern perilous times. For ages 7+.

Kaz Cooke’s Girl Stuff: Your Full-on Guide to the Teen Years has been an invaluable resource for parents and teenage girls for years. Now, parents and tweens will be thrilled to learn that Cooke has written a guide for younger girls: Girl Stuff 8-12 tackles some of the concerns of girls aged 8-12 years old, like body changes, phones and being online, confidence and dealing with friends and bullies. For ages 8-12.

CLASSIC OF THE MONTH

Our Classic of the Month is Judith Kerr’s When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, which is now available in a beautiful 90th anniversary hardcover edition with its original cover.

Readings Kids book buyer Angela Crocombe revisited this childhood favourite and found it to be a still-timely story about ‘the challenges of assimilation into different cultures, different languages and the difficulties of finding new friends’.

Suitable to read with kids aged 7+. Also suitable for independently reading by kids aged 10+.

KIDS LIT NEWS

Congratulations to the winners of the Environment Award for Children’s Literature 2016. These awards are organised by the Wilderness Society and encourage kids to take an interest in nature and feel a sense of responsibility for natural places and wildlife. Young environmentalists will enjoy Picture Fiction joint winners Seagull by Danny Parker and Once I Heard a Little Wombat by Renee Treml.

The right book in a time of loss and bereavement can make a huge difference to children and families. Digital marketing manager Lian Hingee has some recommendations for picture books that explore themes of grief and loss. Reading these books with your children can gently open discussion around these topics, as well as be applied to a wide variety of situations.

For something completely different, digital content coordinator Bronte Coates shared some of our best picks for awesomely gross and rude books that kids will love. As she writes, 'Books can be many things – educational, entertaining, comforting – and sometimes they’re also an outlet for behaviour that wouldn’t be funny in real life but is very, very funny to imagine doing. And when you’re a small person living in a world that’s run by big people, there is something immensely satisfying about seeing other people break the rules of good etiquette.’

KID-FRIENDLY EVENTS IN OCTOBER

• 5pm on Thursday 13 October at Readings Kids: Kaz Cooke will talk to Alan Brough about her fun, friendly and informative guide for tweens, Girl Stuff 8-12. Find more details here.
  
  
• 11am on Saturday 15 October at Readings Kids: Lance Balchin, the creator of the stunning book Mechanica, will teach young artists (ages 8+) how to create their own steampunk-inspired illustrations. Find more details here.
  
  
• 11am on Saturday 15 October at Readings Doncaster: Justine Clarke will be signing copies of her new picture book, The Gobbledygook and the Scribbledynoodle. Find more details here.
  
  
• 4.30pm on Thursday 20 October at Readings Doncaster: Richard Roxburgh will be signing copies of his new kids’ book, Artie and the Grime Wave. Find more details here.
  
  
• 6.30pm on Thursday 20 October at Readings Hawthorn: Roxburgh will also chat about writing and illustrating the book with our Events Manager Chris Gordon later that evening. Find more details here.
  
  
• 4pm on Friday 28 October at Readings Kids: Author and illustrator Gus Gordon will be signing copies of his new picture book, Somewhere Else. Find more details here.
  
  
• 10.30am on Saturday 29 October at Readings St Kilda: St Kilda staff are hosting a special spooky story time in anticipation of Halloween. Find more details here.
  
  
• 4.30pm on Monday 31 October at Readings Kids: James Lee, the author of the spine-tingling Ghostworks series, will be dropping by Readings Kids on Halloween. For ages 6-12. Find more details here.

Leanne Hall