Picture Book Wish List 2018

Welcome back, this week we have been scouring the internet for the latest picture book releases to share with you and it looks like 2018 is going to be another fantastic year for filling your bookshelves. After very careful consideration, here are the twelve picture books we are most looking forward to reading in 2018...

Good Night Mr Panda - Steve Antony (Hachette) - 11 January 2018

Mr Panda, the champion of toddler manners, is back and this time it's up to him to show the other animals how to do bedtime properly. This sounds like it is going to be a great addition to the series and could be perfect if you are struggling with getting your little ones into a bedtime routine. Mr Panda is much loved in our house already, you can read our previous post about the series here.

Superhero Mum - Timothy Knapman and Joe Berger (Nosy Crow) - 1st February 2018

As fans of Superhero Dad, we are pleased to see that superhero mums are now going to be celebrated too! Here's the blurb:

All mums are brilliant and the mum in this story is no exception. She doesn’t wear a cape or fly to Earth from Outer Space, but she runs for the bus so fast it feels like flying, uses her super strength to carry her daughter’s boots, coat, bag AND scooter, and can make bumps and bruises better with just a kiss. This mum really does have superpowers!

Superhero Dad made our list of Brilliant Books For 2 Year Olds  and we think this could quickly become a favourite too.

Fantastically Great Women Who Made History - Kate Pankhurst (Bloomsbury) - 8th February 2018

Our non-fiction choice, is the follow-up book to Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World, written and illustrated by Leeds based Kate Pankhurst. We enjoyed the first book so much and are incredibly excited to see what the sequel offers. We love Kate's witty and fun illustrations and the clever way she presents so many facts making them appealing to younger readers. You can read our review of Kate's first book here. 

Oi Goat! - Kes Gray and Jim Field (Hodder) - 22 February 2018

Created as one of the special books for World Book Day 2018, Oi Goat! is bound to get us all giggling. For those of you not familiar with Kes Gray and Jim Field's series comprising of Oi Frog! Oi Dog! and Oi Cat! they are some of the funniest, if not THE funniest picture books around so do check them out. To find out more about Oi Frog! check out our round-up of funny books here.

The Itchy-saurus - Rosie Wellesley (Pavilion) - 1st February 2018

As Mum to two little eczema suffers, I was very excited to come across this book. Apparently the Itchy-saurus is a bad tempered dinosaur because of his itchy, scratchy skin and is in need of some lovely soothing cream! I can't wait to be able to share this story with the Mini Reviewers, especially dino fan Theo, to reassure them that they are not alone in their itchiness!

Little Miss Inventor - Roger and Adam Hargreaves (Egmont) - 8 March 2018

The newest Little Miss book sounds like it will be great to inspire little readers to get their thinking caps on this Spring and we love that its release is set to coincide with International Woman's Day and British Science Week. Here's the blurb:

Little Miss Inventor is intelligent, ingenious and inventive. Her brain is full of ideas, which she turns into extraordinary inventions in a shed at the bottom of her garden.But her greatest challenge yet has her stumped: what on earth could she invent for Mr. Rude?

William Bee's Wonderful World of Tractors and Farm Machines - William Bee (Pavilion)  1st March 2018

William Bee is back with his third book in this brilliant series that is perfect for children fascinated by vehicles. This time he's sharing an amazing collection of tractors and farm machines. Mini Reviewer, Theo, is a fan of everything with wheels and loved William Bee's Wonderful World of Trains and Boats and Planes so I think he'll be saving some of his Christmas vouchers for this one!

There's a Dragon in Your Book - Tom Fletcher and Greg Abbott (Puffin) - 18th May 2018

Tom Fletcher and Greg Abbott have created another interactive book that is due to be released in May. We had such fun with There's a Monster in Your Book, which we reviewed for Toppsta last summer and this one is bound to be full of magic and looks even cuter, just look at that little dragon!

Hansel & Gretel - Bethan Woollvin (Two Hoots) - 31st May 2018

It's no secret that Bethan Woollvin's twisted tellings of the traditional tales of Little Red Riding Hood (Little Red) and Rapunzel have been huge hits in this house. Her unique style of illustration, feisty female leads and dark humour combine to create the perfect stories for those of us that are a little fed up with all those wishy-washy princesses. We therefore can't wait to see what her forthcoming book, Hansel & Gretel offers. If you would like to read our previous reviews, click here for Little Red and here for Rapunzel.

Pink Is for Boys - Eda Kaban and Robb Pearlman (Running Press Kids) - 28th June 2018

Thank you to the lovely Kim who blogs at Bookbairn for bringing this book to our attention. It sounds absolutely wonderful and I think fills a bit of a gap in the children's book market. Last year there was a number of fantastic books promoting strong female role models. I thought these books were important not only for girls but also for boys so they could see the achievements of such amazing women and grow up celebrating feminist values. There seems to be a slight shift in focus in Pink is for Boys, as it looks to empower all regardless of gender to express themselves. We would certainly love to see what it offers. 

The Spectacular City - Teresa Heapy and David Litchfield (Red Fox Picture Books) - 6th September

This is the follow-up to The Marvellous Moon Map, which was Mini Reviewer, Theo's favourite book of 2017. You can read why he picked it here. The sequel has a slightly different setting but sounds just as special:

One day, adventurous Mouse determines to set off to the bright lights of the spectacular city, accompanied by his friend Bear. But the city is full of distractions and dangers, and Mouse might need his steadfast friend more than he realises ...

Unfortunately I have been unable to track down a cover image so here's a reminder of what The Marvellous Moon Map looked like!

The Alphabet Book With No Pictures - J.B Novak (Puffin) - 18th September 2018

Described as "an alphabet book like no other" and from the author of the international bestselling book The Book With No Pictures, The Alphabet Book With No Pictures certainly has a lot to live up too! We are hoping that it is as silly and as full of tongue-twisting gobbledegook as the original. If it is, hold onto to your seats, it'll be a read aloud riot! You can find our review of The Book With No Pictures here.

So there you have it folks, our picture book wishlist for 2018.  

Don't forget to join in the Twitter chat tonight using #2018PictureBooks at 8pm hosted by Kim (Bookbairn) for more book-spiration. 

What will you be reading in 2018?

Kate & the Mini Reviewers xx