Feelings and emotions

The second collaboration between writer Julian Sedgwick and manga artist Chie Kutsuwada will grow on you. The deeper you wade into this collection of tales of kami gods and yokai spirits, the more attached you will grow to its characters, its décors, its language.

This book is a lovely, funny and (at times) heartbreaking story. It tells the story of Lola and Evie, from Lola’s perspective. The two girls are commencing secondary school and have been best friends forever. They have grown up together, going to the same primary school and living very close to each other. With great anticipation, the two girls start in the new school and to Lola’s horror, they are not in the same class and, to make it even worse, Evie makes a new friend called Cleo.

Erika McGann and Gerry Daly bring us back to Skellig Michael with this addition to the adventures of Puffling, as she comes across a smaller puffling, all by himself and afraid of the dark. Of course Puffling wants to help, and together they go on an adventure across the island, meeting many of the inhabitants. On each occasion they share the reasons they aren’t scared of the dark, but none of this convinces the little puffling, who repeats his fear that ‘it’s too dark in the dark’.

Stephanie Taylor’s multi-layered and thought provoking text teamed with Jade Orlando’s beautifully detailed illustrations make this picture book a treat for the senses. The title, 'I’m Going to Be a Princess', tricks the reader into thinking this is going to be yet another one dimensional girly girl story. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead, a clear feminist voice is interwoven with detailed illustrations to send a strong message about self-belief.

Meet Gigantic: the smallest whale in the big blue sea. He gets teased by his brother for not living up to his name, but Gigantic doesn’t let it get him down. Instead, he gets busy having fun and making friends with some unlikely, and altogether tinier, creatures.

Hope is trying to find her place in the world since her mum died. It’s not easy, she misses her so much, especially because her dad has started dating someone else already and her older sisters only need each other. Taking on a worthy cause might help her to find a sense of purpose, but why will no one take her passion to avert climate change seriously?

In the seventh instalment of the Lulu series, we meet Lulu’s Nana-Bibi, who arrives for a visit. We see the preparation for, as well as the visit itself – Lulu gives up her bed for her Nana-Bibi and instead gets to sleep on a blow-up mattress in a snug spot in the living room!

Timid Mary-Kate Martin is off with her renowned archaeologist mother to a quaint English village to investigate some strange bones found in an old well. This was not her idea. But in sparkly red shoes and carrying her strawberry-scented notebook and collection of lucky things, she hopes she is ready …