Paul Staunton

How do you explain a challenging concept like evolution to young children? That is the aim of this inventive and engaging book.

Yet another great book from Wide Eyed Editions, Spot the Mistake: Journeys of Discovery is a big, bright and welcome twist on the usual historical books. Ten famous explorations are detailed in the book, including Christopher Columbus’s journey to the New World, Marco Polo’s expedition to the East, and Armstrong and Aldrin’s trip to the moon.

How do you feel, on a scale of one to ten? This is one of the endless questions that Tamar is asked when she is admitted to Lime Grove, a psychiatric hospital for teenagers. There are other questions about self-harm and suicide, but there is one question that Tamar isn’t able to answer: What happened to her friend Iris?

Leonor has been chosen as one of twelve young astronauts to take part in the Genesis programme. There are six girls and six boys, in two separate bays of a single spaceship, journeying on a one-way trip to Mars. They are also contenders in a televised space speed-dating show, which aims to create the first human colony on the red planet. The astronauts have six minutes each week to find their perfect partner for a lifetime together on Mars. But what seems to be a dream could easily turn into a nightmare.

Probably better known for his books for adults, Dave Eggers’ new book for children is an answer to the book’s title. Taking what can be a difficult concept for children to understand, Eggers uses verse and simple ideas to help children understand what it means to be a citizen. More importantly, it gives examples of how children can be good citizens. It even shows how a bear can be one too. With so much upheaval in the world, the book is a welcome reminder of the importance of taking care of others, accepting other people’s differences, and taking action to make positive change happen.

Yet another beautiful book from Wide Eyed Editions, The Curiositree: Human World uses detailed information charts to present the wonders of human history. Readers will become explorers as they browse through the book, learning why and how humans have become the most successful species on the planet. There is so much packed in between the covers that children could spend hours finding out about the history of humanity. Coloured arrows, on each page, point to other related charts, and when children follow them, they will see how interconnected our history is.

Dogs in Space introduces children to the amazing story of Belka and Strelka, the world-famous Soviet space dogs. Belka and Strelka were strays living on the streets, before they were rescued and taken to Moscow’s Space Centre. Because of their clever, calm, brave and obedient behaviour, they were selected to be canine cosmonauts. After intensive doggy training, they were launched in a rocket and became the first ever living creatures to successfully orbit the Earth.

I am so Clever is the third book in a series by Mario Ramos, in which the bigheaded big bad wolf attempts to prove that he is better than everyone else. Although in previous stories he failed to show that he was the strongest or most handsome in the enchanted forest, he returns once again with a plan to outwit Little Red Riding Hood and prove that he is the cleverest.

Amazing Transport is a big book of incredible history and fantastic facts about the different kinds of vehicles that have been invented to help people move. From more common vehicles like cars, trains and aeroplanes to less common ones like balloons, tanks and submarines, the book explores the different journeys each vehicle went through to get to their current incarnations.

James Campbell has visited hundreds of schools, telling children stories and encouraging them to write their own, as well as performing stand-up comedy for kids. So it feels very appropriate that he has written a book exploring the funny life of teachers. He also examines other aspects of school life, including getting to school, school subjects and things they don’t teach you in school.