the bench children's book review

From the Publisher

Product description

From the back cover, about the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Puffin; 1st edition (8 Jun. 2021)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 40 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0241542219
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0241542217
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 3 - 6 years, from customers
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 24 x 1 x 31.4 cm
• 411 in Exploring the United States for Children
• 562 in Fiction About Values & Virtues for Children
• 1,115 in Stories in Verse for Children (Books)

About the authors

Meghan the duchess of sussex.

Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex is a mother, wife, feminist and activist. Through the nonprofit work of the Archewell Foundation, she and her husband are committed to activating compassion in communities across the world. She currently resides in her home state of California with her family, two dogs, and a growing flock of rescue chickens.

Christian Robinson

Christian Robinson is a 2016 Caldecott Honoree and also received a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor for his art in Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña (Putnam, 2015); de la Peña himself took home the 2016 Newbery Medal, awarded by the Association for Library Service to Children for the "most distinguished book for children."

Leo: A Ghost Story, illustrated by Robinson and written by Mac Barnett (Chronicle, 2015), was named a 2015 New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year. His Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker, written by Patricia Hruby Powell (Chronicle, 2014) received numerous awards and accolades including a Sibert Informational Book Award Honor and a Coretta Scott King Award Illustration Honor from the American Library Association; a Boston Globe-Horn Book Nonfiction Honor; a Parents Choice Gold Medal for Poetry 2014; and a place on the Wall Street Journal's 10 Best Children's Books of the Year List. Robinson, based in San Francisco, is also an animator and has worked with The Sesame Street Workshop and Pixar Animation Studios.

Customer reviews

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• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 80% 5% 4% 3% 8% 8%

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Customers say

Customers find the illustrations beautiful and calming. They also appreciate the writing quality as lovely and heartwarming. Readers say the plot is truly heartwarmING and encourages fathers to be visible and emotionally available to their sons. They appreciate the simplicity, shortness, and sweetness of the book. Customers describe the book as brilliant for kids and perfect for any father with an open heart. They love the inclusiveness and diversity of the characters. Customers find it uplifting and bring tears to their eyes.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the illustrations in the book beautiful, warm, and welcoming. They also say the poetry and simplicity of the message make it deeper and more sincere. Readers also say it's a beautiful, relaxing book for both adults and children.

"...I loved the Poetry and simplicity of the message which made it deeper and more sincere...." Read more

"...It is a very calming book to share together . I adore the 'Easter egg' drawing on the last page - welcome to the world, little Lili...." Read more

"...They are beautiful , there's so much representation and diversity of characters it warms your insides making you feel proud...." Read more

"...And learning also for english as it is very kindly written ...." Read more

Customers find the writing quality of the book lovely, A+, and talented. They also say it's a keepsake for future generations and an investment.

"...I was impressed at the size of the book and the quality of the production . I hope Meghan does another book for mother's day with Lili...." Read more

"...I would 1000% recommend a hard copy of this book. The quality is A+, a keepsake for future generation, even an investment, surely this will become a..." Read more

" Absolutely loved the book . I read it to my grandchildren and the enjoyed it and liked the pictures...." Read more

"LOVED IT. A book for anyone . Can be read to children or by children of reading age but can equally be enjoyed by all ages...." Read more

Customers find the plot heartwarming, beautiful, and sentimental. They also say the book is sure to encourage and strengthen family bonds. Readers also describe the book as a delightful children's story book written by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex.

"...the Poetry and simplicity of the message which made it deeper and more sincere ...." Read more

"...The words are so sweet and easy to read, perfect Bedtime story for your little one...." Read more

"...Its a wonderful tribute to relationships between a father and son. I also appreciate the diversity, as representation matters...." Read more

" Beautiful story , beautifully written. My son and his dad’s favourite. Duchess Meghan is such good writer . The illustrations are amazing." Read more

Customers like the conversation starter. They say the illustrations capture the essence of the book, and they enjoy the message. They also say the animation is good, engaging, and catchy. Readers also say it has a calming effect and enhances the words written. They mention the book is purposeful, well thought out, and enchanting.

"...The illustrations deliver a calming effect and enhance the words written and vice versa. Bought for myself and grandchildren. A true keepsake...." Read more

"The Bench has such a good message and i will still buy more as and when i have money to send it out to my country where most of the children have..." Read more

"...The animation is very good, and engaging , which encouraged the young ones to ask questions about the different types of benches,..." Read more

"...The book provides positive representation , with expressiveness attributed to ethnicities that are so often unrepresented and/or rarely given credit..." Read more

Customers find the book simple yet comprehensive, with no fuss. They also say the pictures are simple for children, making it great for pre-school age. Customers also mention that the book is not too long and can be read quickly.

"...I enjoyed reading this book which in it’s simplistic yet comprehensive delivery of the relationship between fathers and their sons says so much in..." Read more

"...It is simple , easy rhyme which younger children love and beautiful all inclusive pictures - it has meaning for adults yet I feel will appeal to..." Read more

"...It's beautifully simplistic which makes it so endearing and heartwarming. The illustration is stunning and works amazingly with the simple poems." Read more

"...nieces and nephews have found the story confusing and the words don't make sense . But this little boy loves it for its beautiful illustrations." Read more

Customers find the book brilliant for kids and a deeper joy for adults. They also say it's perfect for fathers to read to their kids, right for today's families, and fun to read. Readers also mention that the book helps connect with the child and is well written depiction of fatherly love.

"...My husband found it helped connect with the child and even made them both laugh and cry together as they chatted about feelings; difficult for some..." Read more

"... Really fun for him , and for us all. And learning also for english as it is very kindly written...." Read more

"...The illustrations are vivid and appeal to kids ...." Read more

"A very lovely and inspiring book for kids and adult . I like the diversity it represents and the loving relationship between father and son...." Read more

Customers appreciate the book's character diversity. They mention that there are different families of different colors, backgrounds, and situations. They also appreciate the different benches on the inside cover.

"...I liked the inclusiveness of all families represented in the pictures. I was impressed at the size of the book and the quality of the production...." Read more

"...The inside cover has lots of different benches , and my boys enjoyed spotting them as they occurred throughout the book...." Read more

"...And learning also for english as it is very kindly written. Very diverse book , from eyeglasses, animals, color of skin, colors of trees, toys in..." Read more

"...I also appreciate the diversity , as representation matters. It will be a great gift for father's day...." Read more

Customers find the tone of the book tender, emotional, and uplifting. They also say the last page made them cry from joy.

"...The illustrations are simple but give you a nice feel good feeling ...." Read more

"...colour painting is warm and welcoming, I read it slowly and found it uplifting , it reminded of my loving parents, that feeling you have when you..." Read more

"...illustrations - children will love as much as parents ... brought tears to my eyes . A new standard baby gift for me...." Read more

"...brought life to the book, his use of water colour is fresh and soft on the eye . A truly accomplished artist." Read more

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The Duchess of Sussex is releasing her first children's book, The Bench

Meghan's debut will explore the special bond between father and son, as seen through a mother's eyes, and was inspired by Prince Harry and Archie.

Meghan Markle has written her debut children's book to be published next month, it has just been revealed.

The Duchess of Sussex's new book is called The Bench , with a release explaining that it will explore the special bond between father and son, as seen through a mother's eyes.

Meghan's book was inspired by her own husband and son, Prince Harry and young Archie Harrison, who turns two on 6 May.

The release reads: "The Duchess of Sussex’s debut touchingly captures the evolving and expanding relationship between fathers and sons and reminds us of the many ways that love can take shape and be expressed in a modern family."

Meghan's book is illustrated by Caldecott-winning and bestselling artist Christian Robinson, and will be published by Puffin, an imprint of Penguin Random House Children’s UK, here in the UK. Meghan will also be narrating the audiobook edition of her book.

Describing the book, the release says: "Evoking a deep sense of warmth, connection, and compassion, The Bench gives readers a window into shared and enduring moments between a diverse group of fathers and sons — moments of peace and reflection, trust and belief, discovery and learning, and lasting comfort."

The illustrations by Christian Robinson are in watercolour, and aim to "bring joy and softness to the pages, reflecting the beauty of a father’s love through a mother’s eyes", it continues.

Speaking about her debut in the release, Meghan says: " The Bench started as a poem I wrote for my husband on Father’s Day, the month after Archie was born.

"That poem became this story. Christian layered in beautiful and ethereal watercolour illustrations that capture the warmth, joy, and comfort of the relationship between fathers and sons from all walks of life; this representation was particularly important to me, and Christian and I worked closely to depict this special bond through an inclusive lens. My hope is that The Bench resonates with every family, no matter the makeup, as much as it does with mine.”

The publisher has already given a sneak peek at both the book cover and two interior spreads, one of which sweetly depicts a red-headed father in military uniform with his young son, perhaps inspired by Prince Harry's own career in the armed forces. How lovely!

The Bench will be released on 8 June, and we reckon it would make the perfect present for dads ahead of Father's Day!

Congratulations to Meghan on this exciting new project!

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Meghan Markle Wrote a Children’s Book—Here’s Everything We Know About The Bench

Come June 8, you may see a familiar name at your local bookstore: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

Today, she announced the release of her new children’s book, The Bench . Published by Random House and illustrated by Caldecott-winning artist Christian Robinson, The Bench tells the story of the bonds between fathers and sons, as described by their mothers.

The concept came to the duchess on Father’s Day of 2018—Harry’s first as a dad, and an emotional milestone for any young family. Meghan decided to put her feelings from that day down on paper. “ The Bench started as a poem I wrote for my husband on Father’s Day, the month after Archie was born,” the Duchess of Sussex says. “That poem became this story.” 

It was important for Meghan and Robinson that The Bench feature families from all walks of life. Illustrations shared from the book, for example, show a young boy overjoyed by the return of his military father. In another, a Black child naps peacefully on his father’s chest, clutching a stuffed giraffe. “This representation was particularly important to me, and Christian and I worked closely to depict this special bond through an inclusive lens,” the duchess says.

That perspective is inevitably important to the many, many multicultural households across America. The children’s book industry has a noted lack of diversity: According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Cooperative Children’s Book Center, only 30% of titles in 2020 featured racially diverse characters. “My hope is that The Bench resonates with every family, no matter the makeup, as much as it does with mine,” Meghan says.

It’s just the latest project for the duchess, who, since stepping down from the royal family in early 2020, has undertaken several creative projects. She and Harry inked high-profile deals with both Netflix and Spotify. Then in November, she wrote an op-ed for The New York Times about suffering a miscarriage, and the subsequent grief that followed.

Meghan and Prince Harry are expecting a second child, a daughter, this summer.

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The Bench Hardcover – June 8 2021

Purchase options and add-ons.

• Print length 40 pages
• Language English
• Grade level Preschool - 2
• Dimensions 23.9 x 0.91 x 31.27 cm
• Publisher Tundra Books
• Publication date June 8 2021
• ISBN-10 0735272166
• ISBN-13 978-0735272163
• See all details

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Product description

About the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tundra Books (June 8 2021)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 40 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0735272166
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0735272163
• Item weight ‏ : ‎ 471 g
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 23.9 x 0.91 x 31.27 cm
• #347 in Multicultural Stories for Children
• #2,060 in Children's Books on Emotions & Feelings
• #5,961 in Children's Books on Family Life

About the authors

Christian robinson.

Christian Robinson is a 2016 Caldecott Honoree and also received a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor for his art in Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña (Putnam, 2015); de la Peña himself took home the 2016 Newbery Medal, awarded by the Association for Library Service to Children for the "most distinguished book for children."

Leo: A Ghost Story, illustrated by Robinson and written by Mac Barnett (Chronicle, 2015), was named a 2015 New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year. His Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker, written by Patricia Hruby Powell (Chronicle, 2014) received numerous awards and accolades including a Sibert Informational Book Award Honor and a Coretta Scott King Award Illustration Honor from the American Library Association; a Boston Globe-Horn Book Nonfiction Honor; a Parents Choice Gold Medal for Poetry 2014; and a place on the Wall Street Journal's 10 Best Children's Books of the Year List. Robinson, based in San Francisco, is also an animator and has worked with The Sesame Street Workshop and Pixar Animation Studios.

Meghan The Duchess of Sussex

Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex is a mother, wife, feminist and activist. Through the nonprofit work of the Archewell Foundation, she and her husband are committed to activating compassion in communities across the world. She currently resides in her home state of California with her family, two dogs, and a growing flock of rescue chickens.

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Picture This

'the dictionary story' is a kids' book that defies definition.

Samantha Balaban

Have you ever read a children's book where the main character is… the book?

Dictionary has noticed that even though her pages contain all the words that exist, she doesn’t really tell a story like all the other books on the shelf do. So one day, Dictionary decides to change that and bring her contents — guts? pages? definitions? — to life.

A hungry alligator bursts out of the pages ready for a snack — and finds a donut several pages later. But Donut doesn’t particularly want to be eaten, so he rolls off further into the alphabet. Alligator gives chase and the story soon goes off the rails — they crash into Queen who slips on Soap. And that’s all before Tornado shows up! Definitions go flying, no one is in the right place. Can Dictionary put herself back together again?

"It's a book about chaos. Chaos and order. Fine line," says Oliver Jeffers who — along with Sam Winston — wrote and illustrated The Dictionary Story. The two previously worked together on 2016’s A Child of Books (where the main character is a child, not a book). They’ve been working on The Dictionary Story pretty much ever since.

"But not working on it full time, seven years total" clarifies Oliver Jeffers. “Maybe if you were to add it all up, I don't know. I don't even want to think about that.”

(Sam Winston likes to joke that they knocked this one out in a week but he’s very much kidding — this book took work ).

For example, how do you make a book into a character that the children and adults reading the book can have a relationship with? "It was a real challenge because we had to literally make a book," explains Sam Winston. Luckily, his partner Haein Song is a bookbinder . "We had her literally make us two physical copies, which we then photographed and drew on and aged and then distressed in different ways." While the prop dictionary starts out all nice and new, by the end of the book she’s looking very beat up. "But it’s told a pretty wild story," says Winston.

Haein Song also sent Jeffers the paper that she used to bind the dummy book. "She sent enough of that to me that I was able to do the paintings on the same paper. So it looked seamless," Jeffers explains. Then he scanned the sheets of paper with his illustrations on them. The end result is a combination of photography, painting, ink handwriting, and typography, for the dictionary definitions.

Author Interviews

In this 'alphabet,' 'o' is for helpful owl and 'c' is for escapist cup.

"It looks like a real dictionary," says Jeffers. "But if you pay close attention, you'll see that all of the definitions have been rewritten." Like:

zero /ˈzɪərəʊ/ Zero is a word that means nothing . Nothing is a word that means nothing . Even though zero is a different word for nothing , both mean nothing . This definition has just told you nothing .

miracle /ˈ mɪr.ə.kl / Something that is amazing or magical for which there seems to be no scientific or common-sense explanation. Often associated with finding a parking space or getting homework done.

The definitions are not not true, but they are a little sideways.

The Dictionary Story Copyright © 2024 by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston hide caption

As the characters in the book — like puddle /ˈpʌd.əl/ A small pool of water. Puddles are often made by rain and they love to look up at the sky — come to life (and, in Puddle’s case, make friends with Ghost), they disrupt the text on the page. Puddle, who Cloud made by crying, soaks through the definition for "power." Alligator makes a hole in the "a"s as he escapes from inside the book. When Queen slips on Soap, some of the "s" words go tumbling off the page entirely. Letters end up out of order, or jumbled up in a pile. Definitions are in the wrong column. Sentences go all wonky.

"The idea behind the book is that you’ve got this very rigid structure," Sam Winston says, of a typical dictionary. "So where some of the humor and the playfulness and the fun comes from is that this is a book doing something it shouldn’t do." Essentially, coming alive.

And to circle back to why it took Winston and Jeffers so many years to make this book: there’s not much software designed to do this in the way they needed it to be done. "Imagine a column of type in a newspaper accidentally becoming a waterfall of type," says Winston. "Everything gets knocked off its grid and its axis and out that waterfall emerges, say, a crocodile."

From 'F-Bomb' To 'Photobomb,' How The Dictionary Keeps Up With English

You'll probably never see that in a newspaper — or a normal, boring dictionary — because that is not what publishing software typically does. "We have all of these typographic structures that are not meant to be bent and then to bend them is like cutting out thousands of single letters and then sticking them back on the page," Winston says.

There was a lot of back and forth to get to the finished product — a lot of half completing drawings and half writing definitions, and then a lot of destroying an illustration and or a definition and sending it back again.

"It's a dance," says Sam Winston. "But you know, we like it. There's a lot of trust in the room, so we have fun."

And, by the way, the story itself is fun. While a lot of thought and work and planning went into making it, at its heart The Dictionary Story is just a good old fashioned chase story with a lot of chaos and a heartwarming ending (can Dictionary put herself back together? Maybe with a little help from some friends!)

"I think what you're looking at when you see these books are two individuals who have a deep respect for storytelling and the physical objects of books. Having fun together and playing well together and sharing that with the world," agrees Oliver Jeffers. "It's a pure joy."

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A book of how, a magical sea odyssey and money matters by various authors – children’s book reviews -

Age 5 plus:

First Big Book of How

Sally Symes and Kate Slater

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How do polar bears keep warm, how do keys open locks, and how do spacesuits work? Curious children present adults with the most surprising (and often testing!) questions about the workings of the world so here’s the ultimate book of answers for kids who need to know HOW!

The magnificent First Big Book of How – written by Sally Symes and illustrated by Kate Slater – comes from What on Earth Publishing, a lively children’s publisher which specialises in trustworthy and inspiring non-fiction using warmth, humour, fun, surprise and diverse perspectives to engage and satisfy children’s natural curiosity.

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And this intriguing, stunningly illustrated and fact-filled book answers over 150 compelling questions on everything from space, Earth, machines and vehicles to buildings, animals, technology and the human body in clear, fun and accessible ways.

Discover how scientists see into space, how jellyfish sting, how black holes form, how we know what the dinosaurs looked like, how chameleons change colour, how insects walk on walls, how bones grow, how keys open locks, how tadpoles turn into frogs, how magnets stick to metal and how pianos make a musical sound.

There are answers for inquisitive children on every page, and every page features a lavish blend of specially commissioned illustrations, detailed diagrams showing just how things work, and full colour photography. Each chapter also has two illustrated ‘Search and Find’ spreads in which young readers spot and count the illustrations amid the photography.

By encouraging children to question how things are happening in the world around us, First Big Book of How supports curriculum topics and nurtures curious minds, and is the ultimate gift for children who need to know everything – right now!

(What on Earth Books, hardback, £20)

Age 12 plus:

The Seamaiden’s Odyssey

Berlie Doherty and Tamsin Roswell

Dive into this magical, mysterious tale and you won’t want to come up for air until the last page has turned!

The Seamaiden’s Odyssey is a stunning new fable from twice Carnegie Medal-winning author Berlie Doherty... a truly fantastical tale that draws on the folklore of ocean and landscape to create a magical coming-of-age novella for the modern era.

Brought to glorious life by artist, historian and broadcaster Tamsin Rosewell, whose powerful ink and silhouette illustrations brighten the tale with a vibrant but classical language of visual storytelling, this delightful book is a celebration of self-discovery and sisterhood.

When a strange and beautiful sea creature is brought into the marine sanctuary where Sasha works, the sea-girl is kept as an exhibit and for scientific research. But Sasha wants to know more about her... are there more of her kind, what sort of community does she come from, and does she have a family? There is a story to be told... in exchange for a promise. It is a story of cruelty and grief, of love and longing and pride... the story of Merryn who makes a traumatic journey from sea to land, and from defiance to finding her true self and the power of sisterhood.

Using both her imagination and writing skills, Doherty weaves the traditional into recognisable modern themes while Rosewell draws on the long heritage of silhouette and paper-cut work for her inspiration and adds it to her well-known boldness with colour and structure. A magical and unforgettable sea odyssey framed in a pictorial symphony of blue, gold and green...

(UCLan Publishing, hardback, £14.99)

Age 9 plus:

Rob Harrell

It’s going to be an epic day at school for Andrew Yaeger, not least because there’s the school photo to get through. And as it turns out, it’s going to be one of those days when life turns up the heat to boiling point!

Rob Harrell, the acclaimed author of Wink, knows a thing or two about anxiety and OCD, having experienced them both in his own childhood, and this poignant, funny and authentic story is written with all the warmth, insight and accessibility that we have come to expect from him.

So meet Andrew who is just trying to get through school photo day with one aim... a photo of him which his mum will like. But today of all days, the world seems out to get him. There's a bully to contend with, the science experiment goes wrong, he receives scary news about his grandmother, and then there’s the worry about someone else’s juice snot (don’t ask!). Andrew’s problem is that he struggles with anxiety, and the little kernel of worry in his stomach is getting hotter and hotter. Can he make it through the day without popping?

Harrell, a syndicated cartoonist, delivers a truly heartfelt and laugh-out-loud-funny story about letting go of control and accepting help, interspersed with his amazing spot art and comic panels which depict the difficult feelings of anxiety and OCD, as well as some real and helpful tips for coping.

(Piccadilly Press, paperback, £7.99)

The Ultimate Guide to Money

Emmanuel Asuquo and Selom Sunu

Wouldn’t it be cool if you could turn your pocket money into pots of money! Well here’s your chance... expert financial adviser and media personality Emmanuel Asuquo has produced a fun, interactive guide to money management and entrepreneurship which aims to help kids embrace their inner entrepreneur, make the world a better place... and make some extra cash. Did you know you could turn £1 into £1,000,000 and that there’s more than one way to do it? Stocks, shares, taxes, saving, investing, these things all sound confusing (and maybe even a little boring), but understanding more about money can help you to fulfil your financial dreams. That £1 is your chance to grow the money and make yourself a millionaire. Along the way, you will meet people who all have different approaches to money... you’ll meet risk-takers, money-savers, people who are nifty with numbers and business pros. Some of the advice will be good, and some not so good. The Ultimate Guide to Money – illustrated by Selom Sunu – will help you cut through the noise, give you the tools to make decisions that are right for you... and could even make you a millionaire!

(Puffin, paperback, £10.99)

Age 7 plus:

Life in the Wild: Observing the Mysterious Lives of 10 Real Animals

Lizzie Daly and Chiara Fedele

Despite the wizardry of modern technology, there is still a lot we don’t know about what animals get up to in the wild. But sometimes – just sometimes – we get small glimpses into what their lives are really like.

So if you want to discover some of those fascinating secrets, join filmmaker, conservationist and biologist Lizzie Daly whose curiosity for the natural world has led her to conduct research and make wildlife films all over the world.

In ten real stories, Life in the Wild explores the natural world through the eyes of a scientist and follows in the footprints of polar bears, wolves and jaguars, and crosses the oceans with whales, sharks, and seabirds.

In the pages of this stunning book – lavishly illustrated in full colour by Chiara Fedele – readers track the unique and hidden escapades of the animal kingdom and discover what the ten jaw-dropping animal journeys teach us about our world, and the ways in which it is changing.

Meet the longest travelled Great White Shark, the oldest living wild bird, and a puma turned long distance swimmer... these eye-opening tales of migration, mystery, and unique behaviours teach children new and exciting information about animal activity and ecology, and give us access to some of the most inhospitable corners of our planet.

(DK Children, hardback, £14.99)

The Land of Lost Things

Andy Griffiths and Bill Hope

The sky is definitely the limit in this funny, fabulous and action-packed new illustrated adventure series which puts YOU firmly at the centre of the story!

The Land of Lost Things is the first fantastic book in an Adventures Unlimited series from Andy Griffiths, the Australian author behind the multi-million bestselling Treehouse series, and illustrator Bill Hope who lives in the Blue Mountains just outside Sydney.

Hey, you... yes, YOU! Remember when we went to the Land of Lost Things to look for my lost lucky rabbit’s foot and then we got lost too? That was one of our most exciting, surprising and knuckle-headed adventures ever. What? You don’t remember? Well, have I got a story for you! It all started like this...

Griffiths knows how to turn up the fun factor in this hilarious escapade full of madcap characters and crazy antics, all brought to life by Hope’s gallery of comical illustrations. And one thing’s for sure... young readers will be itching to join in all the fun and excitement as they journey through Adventures Unlimited and arrive in The Land of Lost Things. But be warned... they might never want to be found!

(Macmillan Children’s Books, hardback, £12.99)

There is a Season

Murphy’s Sketches

Preston writer and artist Kerri Cunningham – better known as Instagram personality Murphy’s Sketches with almost half a million followers – celebrates the joys of nature and the seasons in her beautiful children’s poetry collection There is a Season.

The mother-of-three, who studied Fine Art at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), lives with her husband and family in a small village near the city and this illustrated anthology – full of colourful sketches, delightful poems and the wonders of the great outdoors – is perfectly pitched for younger readers.

Guiding youngsters through each season of the year, the collection travels from April showers in spring to the frosty mornings of winter, and everything we all love in between. Celebrating all that nature has to show us, and the little things that we can enjoy together, the poems encourage children to get outside and look for and talk about signs of spring, summer, autumn and winter.

Cunningham loves to spend time outdoors with her family, and this first anthology for children is the perfect invitation to dive into crunchy autumn leaves or wander through a summer meadow... and get lost in the cosy and colourful illustrations that sit alongside each poem.

Poetry in motion!

(UCLan Publishing, hardback, £9.99)

Ivy Newt and the Vampixies

Derek Keilty and Madga Brol

Enter the magical world of Miracula... and discover a truly bewitching adventure! Master storyteller Derek Keilty from Belfast weaves his world-building wonders in the fourth all-action adventure of his enchanting Ivy Newt chapter book series which stars an unstoppable and lovable young witch, and her shape-shifting familiar, a skinny grey wolf called Tom. Highly illustrated throughout by Polish-born Madga Brol, this exciting and entertaining adventure series is perfect for sharing or as a first reading book. Ivy Newt’s parents are the King and Queen of the Sand Witches and in this new adventure, Ivy and Tom embark on a hunt for spell ingredients with Griselda, the Sand Witch, and together they journey to a faraway island volcano. There, they stumble on a sinister plot by the evil Vampixies to suck all the magic out of Miracula forever! Can Ivy and her friends save not only Miracula, but the existence of magic itself? Get ready for lots of laughs, pages of fast-paced action, a cast of superbly imagined characters, and themes of justice, helping each other, standing up to bullies, dispute management and saying sorry. Add on the extra zing and zest of Brol’s comical illustrations to enhance those addictive vibes of wizardry, peril and fun, and you have the perfect book to launch youngsters into a lifetime of reading enjoyment.

(Scallywag Press, paperback, £7.99)

Dr Roopa’s Body Books: The Super Skeleton

Dr Roopa Farooki and Viola Wang

What do humans have in common with fish, snakes and birds? The answer is a skeleton... and skeletons are brilliant in so many different ways! Roopa Farooki, an award-winning doctor and author, returns with her exciting and informative debut picture book series which explores the different parts of the body and how to look after them. And this fascinating book takes a close-up look at the collection of bones which gives our body its shape. Discover what bones are made of, all the different jobs they do, what happens when one of your bones breaks, and how children can keep their bones strong and healthy as they grow. Written in an accessible and lively text for younger readers, Dr Farooki explores the different bones in the body, explaining the different kinds of joints with her trademark enthusiasm and warm sense of humour. She also shares age appropriate, no-nonsense tips on wellbeing such as diet, vitamins and exercise to help build strong bones. Colourfully and imaginatively illustrated by award-winning artist Viola Wang, this series is the ideal introduction to anatomy for use at home and in nurseries and schools.

(Walker Books, hardback, £12.99)

Age 3 plus:

The Tantrum

Louie Stowell and Isobel Lundie

Fall Preview

22 Nonfiction Books to Read This Fall

Essays by Ta-Nehisi Coates; memoirs by Alexei Navalny, Ina Garten and Cher; and dispatches from the mind of a Nobel laureate are among this season’s most anticipated offerings.

Credit... The New York Times

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• Share full article

By Shreya Chattopadhyay and Miguel Salazar

• Sept. 2, 2024

As vacations wrap up and classes resume, trade in those sandy beach reads for more ambitious fare this fall. If you’re desperate for a break from politics — it is an election year, after all — look for dispatches from the mind of Orhan Pamuk, the latest humanistic work from Yuval Noah Harari and tell-alls by Connie Chung, Alex Van Halen and Lisa Marie Presley. If you’d rather lean into the political season, you might pick up biographies of John Lewis and Mitch McConnell or memoirs by Ketanji Brown Jackson, Alexei Navalny and Angela Merkel. Ta-Nehisi Coates returns with an essay collection on collective mythmaking, and an alarming account by Porter Fox warns of coming superstorms. Find these and others among our most anticipated nonfiction books of the fall.

See our fiction and poetry picks .

Lovely One , by Ketanji Brown Jackson

Jackson made history in 2022, when she became the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. Her memoir, named for the English translation of her name , traces not only her personal history but also that of her family, who endured generations of oppression in the segregated South.

Random House, Sept. 3

Category Five , by Porter Fox

A travel writer whose previous books explored shrinking snowpacks and the United States-Canada border , Fox is also a seasoned sailor. So it makes sense that his new book, which investigates why storms worldwide are becoming increasingly extreme, starts at sea. “A deep ocean storm does not pass overhead,” he writes. “It absorbs everything beneath it: islands, coastlines, boats, the sea itself.”

Little, Brown, Sept. 3

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The Bench Kindle Edition

• Print length 40 pages
• Language English
• Grade level Preschool - 2
• Publisher Random House Books for Young Readers
• Publication date June 8, 2021
• Page Flip Not Enabled
• Word Wise Not Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Not Enabled
• Sticky notes Not Enabled
• ISBN-13 978-0593434512
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About the author, product details.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0921VQV51
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House Books for Young Readers (June 8, 2021)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 8, 2021
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 12879 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 40 pages
• #707 in Children's Multicultural Stories
• #1,687 in Children's Books on Emotions & Feelings (Kindle Store)
• #4,475 in Children's Family Life Books (Kindle Store)

About the authors

Christian robinson.

Christian Robinson is a 2016 Caldecott Honoree and also received a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor for his art in Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña (Putnam, 2015); de la Peña himself took home the 2016 Newbery Medal, awarded by the Association for Library Service to Children for the "most distinguished book for children."

Leo: A Ghost Story, illustrated by Robinson and written by Mac Barnett (Chronicle, 2015), was named a 2015 New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year. His Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker, written by Patricia Hruby Powell (Chronicle, 2014) received numerous awards and accolades including a Sibert Informational Book Award Honor and a Coretta Scott King Award Illustration Honor from the American Library Association; a Boston Globe-Horn Book Nonfiction Honor; a Parents Choice Gold Medal for Poetry 2014; and a place on the Wall Street Journal's 10 Best Children's Books of the Year List. Robinson, based in San Francisco, is also an animator and has worked with The Sesame Street Workshop and Pixar Animation Studios.

Meghan The Duchess of Sussex

Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex is a mother, wife, feminist and activist. Through the nonprofit work of the Archewell Foundation, she and her husband are committed to activating compassion in communities across the world. She currently resides in her home state of California with her family, two dogs, and a growing flock of rescue chickens.

Customer reviews

• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 86% 6% 3% 2% 3% 86%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 86% 6% 3% 2% 3% 6%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 86% 6% 3% 2% 3% 3%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 86% 6% 3% 2% 3% 2%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 86% 6% 3% 2% 3% 3%

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers find the book a great read for children, with heartfelt poetry and nice, diverse illustrations. They also say the depictions of fathers and sons warm the heart. Customers also say it's a nice Father's Day gift or for a soon-to-be dad. They love the diversity and inclusiveness of the characters. Customers describe the writing style as beautifully written, simple, and easy for kids to comprehend. They appreciate the stunning water color illustrations.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the poem heartfelt, beautiful, and intimate. They also appreciate the simple illustrations and timeless atmosphere. Readers also mention the book has a great message and celebrates father and son.

"...So important. Great message .Love this book! 5 STARS." Read more

"...A quietly profound poem of the love between a father and his son through the lens of a loving mother’s eyes brought to life by the magnificent..." Read more

"...If you are looking for something simple, sweet, and sentimental that you'll enjoy and look back at fondly in the years to come, it's definitely..." Read more

"... This book touched me , and I'm glad I purchased it...." Read more

Customers find the writing style cute, beautiful, and easy to read. They also say the book is instructive and digestible for young readers.

"...So, again, the book is instructive in that it's digestible for young readers and small children...." Read more

"...If you are looking for something simple , sweet, and sentimental that you'll enjoy and look back at fondly in the years to come, it's definitely..." Read more

" Beautifully written ." Read more

"...It was just a poem but not a story for children. Meghan is smart and a good writer . It is the publisher's fault...." Read more

Customers find the book a great read for children. They also say it's age-appropriate and easy for kids to relate to the thoughts and feelings of the characters. Customers also mention that the book is beautiful and emotional, and that it makes them ask lots of questions.

"...This is an enjoyable book for parents to read to their children. The illustrations by Christian Robinson are some of the best features of the book!..." Read more

"...Reading this with a parent, it's easy for kids to relate to the thoughts and feelings of a parent, just how much their children mean to them...." Read more

"Beautiful, emotional book, suitable both for kids ..." Read more

Customers find the book's character diversity to be well done, intersectional, and appropriate for everyone. They also describe the book as ethereal, well thought out, and sweet.

"...’s book”, it is a conversational love language that introduces concepts such as inclusiveness , equity, and diversity...." Read more

"...If you are looking for something simple, sweet , and sentimental that you'll enjoy and look back at fondly in the years to come, it's definitely..." Read more

"...It was beautifully illustrated, and I liked the inclusiveness of the book , looking at fathers and sons from different cultures, different..." Read more

"...This is actually very special and kind. Youre not supposed to cut up someone's poetry...." Read more

Customers find the book a nice Father's day gift or for a soon-to-be dad. They also say it's an inspiring and heartwarming gift for both new and experienced fathers to read to.

"...Love the content. A great Valentine Gift to a mother or father to read to their children." Read more

"...Wish this book was around when my son was young. Its an ideal gift for Fathers day . I hope the Duchess does one dedicated to moms and daughters." Read more

"...It makes an excellent gift item and will always be relevant across all generations, classes and color...." Read more

"...It’s beautiful book & a great gift for Father’s Day" Read more

Customers find the illustrations in the book nice and diverse. They also say the watercolor art is a perfect fit and easy on the eyes.

"...The book itself is fairly large and you can see the illustrations easily , something little kids will love...." Read more

"...Shame on you people for slandering her. Its totally fitting for children ...." Read more

"...beautiful illustrations, it is large and solid and it has so many small hidden drawings ...." Read more

"...The excellent illustrations reflect a wonderful diversity ...." Read more

Customers appreciate the diversity of the fathers and sons in the illustrations. They also appreciate the different ethnicities and various types of benches. Readers also like that the illustrations are amazing with inclusive characters all families can relate to. They mention that the Duchess of Sussex is a perfect role model for their little girl.

"...I also LOVE the inclusion of different dads from different walks of life and the like...." Read more

"...Colorful and beautifully painted, Christian Robinson captured the diversity of families perfectly in this sweet book and I loved how each scenario..." Read more

"...I also liked that the father-figure is created as universal ...." Read more

"...I love that it’s about father’s bonding & it’s I love the diversity of the fathers & sons in the illustrations...." Read more

Customers find the depictions of fathers and sons in the book calming and comforting. They also say the book is beautiful and sweet.

"...Meghan did a beautiful job, its well written, warm and full of love. U can sense her love for her two best guys through every written words...." Read more

"I loved the book, The Bench, by the Duchess of Sussex for its soothing , calming and encouraging words for both dads and sons from a mother’s eye...." Read more

"...The book jacket is warm & lovely, but don’t forget to peel the jacket back & look at the hard cover. You will be delighted." Read more

"Great gift in time for Fathers Day. So tender, loving and warm ...." Read more

Reviews with images

Very Sweet ... Speaks volumes that Meghan did this

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WEATHER ALERT

A flash flood warning in effect for Medina County

What are your kids reading state lawmakers want to know, texas schools face scrutiny over explicit library books.

Patty Santos , Reporter

Alex Gamez , Photojournalist

SAN ANTONIO – Texas lawmakers in 2023 passed HB 900 the READER Act , which restricts explicit and adult related education resources in public school libraries. The law requires books vendors to rate materials.

School districts are required to recall books that are deemed explicit. Some districts are doing better than others in their transparency with the books.

A group of parents have been showing up to school board meetings to ask districts to have more oversight. Some of them showed up at the North East ISD board meeting in the spring.

NEISD Director of Library Services Terri Sanchez said the library has a process in which it works with vendors to provide professional reviews for books. But with thousands of books already on the shelves, some books that may have been OK in the past might still be on the shelves.

“A little bit of material that maybe we might have been more cautious about. But then, because of the literary value of the book, overall books stayed in the collection. Now, if there’s any material in there that’s explicit, we we have to remove those materials,” Sanchez said.

“I can’t say that we have a perfect system because, you know, we have millions of books in our collection. But we do our absolute best,” she said. “As I’m made aware of books, that are of concern or our librarians are made aware, you know, we, there’s dialog, emails are sent, and we contact each other and make sure that we take a second look at those books.”

Sanchez said books that are out of date, or no longer relevant are routinely “weeded out” as part of a process to keep the shelves fresh.

On the district’s website there’s a link to the Transparency in Libraries tab , where parents can submit complaints about books they have concerns about and see their child’s check-out history. There’s also an “Opt-out” form that parents can fill out to prevent their child from checking out books they deem inappropriate. There’s also a link to see how many books have been challenged since 2007. Only one book was challenged, “Black Boy Joy,” which was removed from elementary schools.

Sanchez said parents with questions are encouraged to reach out to the school’s librarian or her office directly.

Northside ISD officials said they have a process to weed out books, too, but they did not provide a number of how many have been removed. Here’s a statement they sent to KSAT regarding book transparency:

Our Guidelines for Selection, Evaluation, and Reconsideration of Library Materials states, “Operational responsibility for the selection of library materials is assigned to the Director of Library Services and the school librarian on each campus.

Our librarians routinely assess their collection and remove items based on age, usage data, etc. And, occasionally a campus librarian might look at a book in their collection and realize that, despite our best efforts to ensure that we’re ordering age-appropriate materials, it doesn’t align with our selection guidelines. That’s part of our collection development process. These types of collection development decisions are not tracked.

We prefer to take concerns about books through the reconsideration process which includes convening a committee of educators and parents. That process gives our community a voice and ensures that we are following the policies we have in place. In the past two years, we’ve had action taken on 3 titles after parents requested the reconsideration of a library material maintained in a Northside ISD Library. Those three titles are below:

All Boys Aren’t Blue - Johnson, George M. - Remove

The Leak - Petty, Kate Reed - Remove ES, retain MS and HS

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl - Andrews, Jesse - Remove MS, retain HS”

SAISD pointed to its online district website where parents can see the Library Catalog. Officials said the purchasing of books is done by certified librarians with the use of professional reviews.

Due to Rightsizing , SAISD removed more than 111,000 books from 15 schools that were closed. The books that are weeded out from libraries are due to the following reasons.

• Condition - The book may be a newer book but in very poor condition.
• Relevancy - The book is no longer relevant to the reader. This applies to both fiction and non-fiction.
• Redundancy - Due to rightsizing, books may be weeded as there are too many copies of a book.
• Lost - Books may be weeded from the overall collection once they are lost.

SAISD said in a statement, “We have not had any books challenged through a formal process in the past two years. Parents can ask for a reconsideration of a book in the library through both an informal and formal process.”

Copyright 2024 by KSAT - All rights reserved.

About the Authors

Patty santos.

Patty Santos joined the KSAT 12 News team in July 2017. She has a proven track record of reporting on hard-hitting news that affects the community.

Alex Gamez is a photojournalist at KSAT.

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