audiobook: 

The hotly anticipated new book from award-winning writer Matt Goodfellow, author of bestselling The Final Year. Meet Alfie Piper, embarking on a summer he’ll never forget …

Alfie Piper has six weeks of summer – and nothing left to lose.

Since his mum died, Alfie’s world has unravelled. The silence between him and his stepdad roars louder than ever.

So he does the only thing that makes sense: grabs his bike, and rides.

In these long summer days, can Alfie rebuild what was broken?

Compulsively readable and beautifully-written, this is an unforgettable story of love and loss, family and hope. From Matt Goodfellow, winner of the CLiPPA Award – with breathtaking illustrations from Joe Todd-Stanton.

	Newbery Medal Winner

Also available in audiobook: 

# 1 New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor author Renee Watson explores friendship, loss, and life with grief in this poignant novel in verse and vignettes.

Sage’s thirteenth birthday was supposed to be about movies and treats, staying up late with her best friend and watching the sunrise together. Instead, it was the day her best friend died. Without the person she had to hold her secrets and dream with, Sage is lost.

In a counseling group with other girls who have lost someone close to them, she learns that not all losses are the same, and healing isn’t predictable. There is sadness, loneliness, anxiety, guilt, pain, love. And even as Sage grieves, new, good things enter her life-and she just may find a way to know that she can feel it all.

In accessible, engaging verse and prose, this is a story of a girl’s journey to heal, grow, and forgive herself.

To read it is to see how many shades there are in grief, and to know that someone understands.

A picture book edition of the board book about grief, offering adults the opportunity to begin important conversations with young children in an informed, safe, and supported way.

Developed by experts in the fields of early childhood and activism against injustice, this topic-driven picture book offers clear, concrete language and compelling imagery to introduce the concept of grief. This book aims to normalize the topic of death by discussing what it means and how it feels to experience loss. It centers around several questions that arise about grief and honest, simple ways to answer them.

While young children are avid observers and questioners of their world, adults often shut down or postpone conversations on complicated topics because it’s hard to know where to begin. Research shows that talking about tough issues from the age of two not only helps children understand what they see, but also increases self-awareness, self-esteem, and allows them to recognize and confront things that are unfair, like discrimination and prejudice.

These books offer a supportive approach that considers both the child and the adult. Stunning art accompanies the simple and interactive text, and the backmatter offers additional resources and ideas for extending this discussion.

. . .

This was the day the dead returned. There’s a party tonight, but Cala doesn’t want to go. While her family prepares for the celebration, Cala grieves her grandfather and tries to pretend she’s not afraid.

But when she is separated from her family at the cemetery, Cala encounters four mysterious riders who will show her she is actually quite brave after all. Brimming with magic and humor, The Invisible Parade is the first picture-book collaboration between award-winner John Picacio and New York Times bestselling Leigh Bardugo. Set on the night of Día de Muertos, Cala’s story is one of love, loss, and the courage that can be found in unexpected places.

In the frost-covered forest of early spring, fox is on a mission to find food for her three cubs. As they grow, she teaches them how to survive in the wild. Until one day, fox dies.

Her body goes back to earth and grass and air, nourishing the world around her and bringing the forest to life. Death is not just an end, it’s also a beginning. Bringing together an evocative non-fiction narrative with breathtaking illustrations, Fox is a story that tackles the big question “What happens when we die?” and shows children that death is a natural process that leads to new life, and is no less important and awe-inspiring than any other part of our existence.

PRAISE FOR MOTH: AN EVOLUTION STORY

‘A rare pleasure … a true story of adaptation and hope.‘ – Wall Street Journal

‘This is the perfect book for talking to children about death‘ – The Guardian

All alone
He was not so brave…
His heart needed to know
The answer.

In this lyrical, heartfelt story, a young boy who’s lost all hope braves the dark forest to ask, “Mom, were you glad you were Mom?” Gorgeously illustrated, Drawn Onward gently guides readers through the depths of grief and provides comfort and hope to those who seek answers when it feels like all is lost.

PRAISE FOR DRAWN ONWARD:
An Indie Next Pick
A Junior Library Guild Selection
An NPR Best Books of the Year pick
A Kirkus Best Picture Books of 2024

Written in memory of her father, whose favourite bird was the kingfisher, Anna Wilson takes readers on a lyrical journey though a year in the life of a kingfisher family. Stunning illustrations by Sarah Massini bring the riverbank to life in all its glory, while the powerful intergenerational bond between grandparent and grandchild shows that just as spring always follows winter, hope will always return if you know where to look for it. A positive story about life, death, and being a part of the natural world.

But since Ben’s granny passed away, Grandpa Joe has changed. He doesn’t want to go outside or talk or smile. It’s like he’s a completely different person and it feels like time is running out to help him.

If only Ben could find a way to bring the butterflies to his Grandpa. Maybe seeing them again could help bring back his smile …

*Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 8.

Nana speaks of astronomy often, telling fantastical tales from many moons ago, tales her granddaughter wonders at. Tonight, with hot chocolate and constellations for company, they wait. Moonbeams bounce off the crashing waves, and, at last, Nana’s old friend appears in the sky: the Night Whale, swimming among the stars. Nana and the child climb onto the Night Whale’s back, and she whisks them off—over twinkling cities, through the shimmering colors of the northern lights, and back again. But this is only the beginning of the journey for Nana. As she embraces her grandchild, she promises she will always be out there. Even when Nana and the Night Whale soar back toward the ether, leaving the child behind, she can still feel her grandmother’s love and hear the Night Whale whispering, “Anything is possible.” Debut author Bryher Mackenzie and illustrator Gillan Eilidh O’Mara craft a magical voyage through the heavens that reassures young readers that goodbye is not the end.