Six gorgeous new picture books

Sometimes a wave of fantastic picture books will arrive, reminding me how good they can be. Not only for kids, picture books can be objects of art, deeply philosophical, poetic in their use of language, or just downright silly and joyous.

Here are six picture books that have made me smile this month.


Puddle Hunters by Kirsty Murray & Karen Blair

Puddle Hunters follows siblings Ruby and Banjo on a very simple quest – the perfect puddle to splosh about in. They check the garden, street and park, before finally finding the right puddles on the river flats. Expressed in language that is refined and pleasurably expressive, Puddle Hunters effortlessly conjures childhood delights and misadventure. The dialogue between Ruby and Banjo underscores their age difference, and with words like ‘tingle’, ‘froth’, ‘guck’ and ‘splosh’, this would be a wonderful read-aloud. Blair’s soft watercolour illustrations bring the family’s splashy fun to life.

For ages 1 and up.


The Lost Dad’s Home by Eric Veille & Pauline Martin

Did you know that at least 20 to 30 dads wander into the Lost Dad’s Home each day? When a boy loses his dad, he visits the Home and sees all the type of dads available (drawn in bold, Gorey-esque style): hip dads playing ping pong, crying dads, dads dating back to Neanderthal days, dads in tights, dads in natty suits, dads in bonnets… But none of these dads are the right dad. There is a surreal and happy ending to this quirky tale that will please adults as much as kids with its sideways humour.

For ages 3 and up.


A Day at the Show by Gwyn Perkins

Grandad and Iggy take Doreen the hen to the Show, because they (OK, Grandad) think that Doreen is a ring-in to receive first prize. Here, the three of them partake of rides, feed baby animals, watch the woodchopping, and spectate at the competition arena, but when it’s time for the chicken judging, Doreen doesn’t quite perform to standard. Perkins uses minimal text smattered with silly Grandad jokes, letting the gentle conversation breathe alongside his excellent pen and ink line drawings of pigs, cows, carousels and woolly sheep. A Day at the Show ends on a sweet note with Grandad reiterating how perfect he thinks Doreen is – regardless of what the judges think.

For ages 2 and up.

(I also recommend you seek out A Walk in the Bush which features Grandad and Iggy’s first outing together.)


Puffin the Architect by Kimberly Andrews

Puffin is a prolific architect who designs custom-made structures for all the animals. She designs a bakery burrow for a platypus, a fishing boat for the otter, a study for a detective basset hound, a tool-shed trailer for a pig and many more amazing builds. Each double-page spread is a vibrant cross-section, showing all the features specially designed for the animal’s job and interests, and highlighting notable items such as collapsible stools, a bookshelf concealing a secret tunnel, pulleys, brackets and skylights. In the end, Puffin’s most difficult clients prove to be her own children, whose plans for a seaside cottage are very specific. Details-oriented, visually-inclined and highly imaginative children will LOVE this unique book, and might be inspired to design their own dream home.

For ages 4 and up.


How Did I Get Here? by Philip Bunting

An illustrated history of the universe and the evolution of man and all life on earth has never been so much fun! Mopoke creator Philip Bunting takes the reader on an irreverent (but scientifically accurate) journey through nothingness, the Big Bang, particle physics, planets, geological ages and the slow evolution of life in this bright and bold picture book with a decent amount of text. Speech bubbles are used to great comic effect – ‘Nothing to see here’ says the first land-dwelling amphibian – and there is a rare full explanation of human evolution for this age group. How Did I Get Here? ends with ruminations on the uniqueness of the reader and the possibilities of one tiny thing being different in the development of mankind.

For ages 4 and up.


Great Dog by Davide Cali & Migeul Tango

A young child travels down a hallway of family portraits with their canine father, hearing the stories of each illustrious relative. There’s Uncle Angus of the excellent nose, who helped police catch thieves, brave fire brigade dog Aunt Doris, and even Aunt Yuki, a teeny-tiny circus performer. On each spread a page folds out to reveal an extended picture of the dog in marvellous action. When the child asks what they might be when they grow up, the father reiterates that they will be a GREAT DOG. The ending provides a lovely twist where it turns out that the father has few preconceptions about the child’s future identity.

For ages 3 and up.

(If you love dogs or cats in picture books you could also look at our collection of cats and dogs in picture books.)


Leanne Hall is a children’s and YA specialist at Readings Kids. She also writes books for children and young adults.

Cover image for The Lost Dads Home

The Lost Dads Home

Eric Veille

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