Our reviewers love illustrated fiction.
Illustrations don't just help younger readers follow a story, they also fuel young imaginations and bring the world of the book to life. Illustrated fiction should be for kids of all ages and there is a fantastic range of books to choose from.
Discover some of our favourites below, from chapter books for emerging readers to moving middle-grade, each one has wonderful illustrations and a great story too.
Princess Minna: The Unicorn Mix-Up
Princess Minna loves to sort out mix-ups and mishaps in the kingdom! In this full-colour, illustrated chapter book, join her on another adventure to tame a unicorn and much more - all in time for tea. Princess Minna lives in Castle Tall-Towers with the King and Queen, Raymond the Wizard and her best dragon friend, Lorenzo. There are often mix-ups and mishaps in the kingdom and Princess Minna loves to sort them out! She can tame unicorns, kiss frogs and fight dragons (apart from Lorenzo) and she is very good at fixing things before it's time for bed. In The Unicorn Mix-Up, Princess Minna is so tired she gets a bit muddled and fights a unicorn, kisses a dragon and tries to tame a frog - which won't do at all! Can she sort it all out and make a new friend along the way? Full of colourful illustrations, these short, funny stories are perfect for readers just moving on from picture books and visual readers.
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The Bear Stylist
A range of simple stories for new readers, with beautiful colour illustrations.
Ludo comes from a long line of famous bear stylists. He loves giving his customers sensible haircuts, whether it's a tidy trim or a perfect perm.
Until Leonardo arrives in town. Soon Ludo's clients are having their feathers flapped and their curls combed by him instead.
But only one bear can be named Bear Stylist Supreme...
A charming celebration of creativity and teamwork.
Indigo Wilde and the Creatures at Jellybean Crescent: Book 1
Enter the colourful world of Indigo Wilde and the magical creatures who live at Jellybean Crescent. When a highly dangerous new arrival goes missing, the race is on to catch it before disaster strikes ... A wonderfully wild new series for readers of 7+ and fans of Pippi Longstocking and Amelia Fang.
'Vibrant and spectacular' The Sunday Times
Discovered in the Unknown Wilderness when she was just a baby, Indigo Wilde was adopted by World-Famous Explorers, Philomena and Bertram, who are always off adventuring.
Home for Indigo and her little brother, Quigley, is 47 Jellybean Crescent, a crazy and colourful house full of magical creatures that her parents have taken in over the years. There's Fishkins, a purrmaid - half-cat, half-fish, and ALWAYS grumpy; Graham, a llama-corn with a particular taste for tinsel; Olli and Umpf - bright pink and blue yetis who can't blend in to the snow, and that's to name just a few of the creatures.
And now Indigo's parents have sent another Monster Mail delivery to Indigo and Quigley. But this time, the box is empty, and the escaped creature is running rampage around the house. The race is on to catch the creature before it's too late ...
First in a new series by Pippa Curnick, this is gorgeously illustrated in full colour throughout.
Gaia: Goddess of Earth
Imagine you made something that was so beautiful and powerful that everyone wanted to take it for themselves. And then you had to watch them destroy it. Would you fight for it? Meet Gaia, the ancient Greek goddess who created the Earth and the universe that stretched beyond it. She raised trees from their roots to the sky, sent waterfalls tumbling over cliffs and created the tides that sloshed on the shore. She gifted her creation to animals and mortals, and watched as they made it their home. But she also created a force she couldn't control: the ambition of gods. Gaia watched as the gods fought brutal wars and manipulated mortals such as Hercules and Achilles, disturbing peace on Earth. Storms raged, fires blazed and people, animals and plants suffered. Gaia begged the gods to look after her creation, but no one listened. But Gaia never gave up fighting for a better world. This is her story. Written and illustrated by two remarkable sisters, Imogen and Isabel Greenberg, this story is an exciting and action-packed adventure, with a poignant environmental message at the heart of it: the pursuit of power damages our natural world, and we all have to work together to protect it.
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Julia and the Shark
A captivating, powerful and luminous story from a bestselling, award-winning author about a mother, a daughter and the great Greenland shark. Wrapped up in mesmerising illustrations and presented as a deluxe hardback, this is a perfect gift for the holiday season, for 9+ fans of Philip Pullman, Sally Gardner and Frances Hardinge.
The shark was beneath my bed, growing large as the room, large as the lighthouse, rising from unfathomable depths until it ripped the whole island from its roots. The bed was a boat, the shark a tide, and it pulled me so far out to sea I was only a speck, a spot, a mote, a dying star in an unending sky...
Julia has followed her mum and dad to live on a remote island for the summer - her dad, for work; her mother, on a determined mission to find the elusive Greenland shark. But when her mother's obsession threatens to submerge them all, Julia finds herself on an adventure with dark depths and a lighthouse full of hope...
A beautiful, lyrical, uplifting story about a mother, a daughter, and love - with timely themes of the importance of science and the environment.
BOOK OF THE MONTH - the long-awaited new novel from bestselling author Phil Earle about the unbreakable bond between a girl and a stray dog.
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FEATURED BOOK FOR TEENS/YA - a laugh-out-loud LGBTQ+ romantic comedy from stellar debut talent, Freja Nicole Woolf. For ages 12+
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