Children's books - New Statesman

Britain’s beloved childhood books are realms of conflict and pain as much as nostalgia and delight.

By Frank Cottrell-Boyce

Also this week: My part in the great IT outage, and trying to impress Keir Starmer.

By Frank Cottrell-Boyce

Find dreams of better worlds in new books for young readers.

By Amanda Craig

Find cinematic joy and heroes seeking comradeship in new books for young readers.

By Amanda Craig

There’s fantasy, folklore and friendship in the best new books for young readers.

By Amanda Craig

Children are ravenously hungry for ideas. We writers have a duty to provide them.

By Katherine Rundell

Lazy prose, stale humour, zero imagination: his bestselling children’s books belong to the Boaty McBoatface school of fiction.

By Tom Gatti

Essential holiday reading, from vivid picture books to gripping wartime adventures.

By Amanda Craig

The author of The Gruffalo on Schubert, her love of botany, and the importance of never being caught short.

By New Statesman

Find animal magic and globe-trotting thrills in new books for young readers.

By Amanda Craig

Jon Klassen’s picture book about a bear, a rabbit and a hat contains moments of profound revelation.

By Luke Turner

Kids are expected to shrug off a daily barrage of sexual and violent imagery – but are seen as too…

By Charlotte Stroud

From magical picture books to thrilling young adult novels, courage and joy are in abundance.

By Amanda Craig

Magic and nature help children confront their fears in the best new books for young readers.

By Amanda Craig

From The Jungle Book to Z for Zachariah, New Statesman writers remember the children's books that shaped us

By New Statesman