Victoire Lemaire

In this collection of stories, author Vivian French retells seven classic ballet stories: from the renowned Nutcracker and Swan Lake to perhaps lesser-known Coppélia, each retelling weaves an immersive tale from the many re-interpretations each ballet has known, while also trying to remain as close as possible to their originals. The ballets are all also accompanied by introductory pages explaining their origins and featuring anecdotes about the composers, choreographers or dancers who made them famous.

It’s show and tell at school, and every student is excited to introduce their friends to their favourite object from home. Well, everyone except Sonny, who isn’t really sure he has anything that interesting to bring to class. It is only in the horse-drawn wagon with his uncle Jim, on the way to the horse fair, that Sonny realizes the wealth of traditions in his community: from ancestral tin-smithing knowledge passed down through generations, to the beautiful stories shared around the fire camp while looking at the intricate patterns of constellations.

Hazel has been raised in San Francisco, Marlene, in the English countryside and Lilya spent her childhood in a small town in Russia. Separated by thousands of kilometers, those three young women have a passion in common: planes, and the sense of freedom that flying allows. Not easy if you were born at a time when the sky was reserved to male pilots and explorers! But none of the female protagonists in this empowering and informative work of creative non-fiction give up on their dreams.

At the occasion of the centenary of women’s vote in the United Kingdom, David Robert’s prose and illustrations come together beautifully in a tribute to the women and men who participated in the struggle. Starting in 1832 with the first Great People’s Reform Act, Suffragette records chronologically the important events leading up to Universal Suffrage.

Louise O’Neill’s reimagining of the Little Mermaid goes past the fairytale filter most of us have inherited from the 1990s cartoon and restores the original grit (and sometimes downright sinister touch) of Andersen’s original tale.

On a sunny Tuesday in October, a brother and a sister receive a mysterious letter by their great-aunt Martha: an invitation to visit her. However, upon arriving at the house, Martha is not there. Instead, the children are led by the housekeeper in a treasure hunt that takes them throughout the house.

Ever since her father left for the war, Rosalie is on a mission. Sitting at the back of a classroom of older boys she has been exceptionally allowed in, the five-year-old is focusing on the blackboard, trying to teach herself how to read. Letters are the only tie she has left to her father, and when those suddenly stop arriving, Captain Rosalie, is even more set on her goal.

Ever since she was born, Imelda has clung unto her favourite toy: Bunny Wunny. But the love she gives her “precious toy” is a tough one and for better or for worse – mostly worse in this case ­– the poor stuffed rabbit follows wherever she goes. Until one day, Bunny Wunny has had enough and decides to hide and run away from the spoiled little girl that is his owner. When Imelda decides to replace Bunny Wunny by a real rabbit, things take a bigger-than-life and unexpected turn. This rabbit ain’t scared of no little girl and is about to teach Imelda a lesson!

What happens when monkey twins meet? What about this couple of birds? And that pair of whales? Well, that’s for the reader to decide! Part storytelling, part activity book, Dhawni Shah and Bhaddu Hamir’s TWINS gives free rein to its readers’ imagination and provides a beautiful and smart template for their stories to take shape. TWINS takes a deceptively easy concept and puts uninhibited creativity at its center, making of the reader a central part of the narrative. As parents are reminded in the preface ‘there is no right or wrong way to use this book.’

Moving is a big change enough, so when the child at the center of this story is told that, on top of it all, he cannot bring his ‘mate, bestie and right-hand man’ tractor along to his new city house, it’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back: you would have to be crazy to not realize how useful, fun and really town-friendly a tractor can be!