Top picture book picks from the Walker bookshelf

As we venture into the warmer months, we have some new picture books fresh from the Walker bookshelf to share with you.
                                                 

King of the Sky

A breath-taking new picture book by award winning author Nicola Davies, illustrated by Laura Carlin. Starting a new life in a new country, a young boy feels lost and alone – until he meets an old man who keeps racing pigeons. Together they pin their hopes on a race across Europe and the special bird they believe can win it: King of the Sky. Nicola Davies’ beautiful story – an immigrant’s tale with a powerful resonance in our troubled times – is illustrated by an artist who makes the world anew with every picture.                                    

Raymond 

What if dogs could walk and talk and go to work? Well, Raymond the dog has big ambitions beyond his ordinary, canine life in the big city. He wants to take himself for a walk and get his own dinner. And when he’s done all that? Well, he wants a job, just like his owners. But when Raymond begins a high-flying journalism career at Dogue magazine, he soon realizes it’s no walk in the park… With a stylish limited palette and incredible visual humour, children and adults alike will fall in love with Raymond and his laugh-out-loud antics in this absurdly original – yet highly relatable – world.

Lots

There are living things everywhere: the more we look, the more we find. There are creatures on the tops of the tallest jungle trees, at the bottom of the coldest oceans, even under the feathers of birds and in boiling volcanic pools. So how many different kinds are there? One, two, three ... lots! From the award-winning team behind Tiny: The Invisible World of Microbes comes Lots, a beautifully illustrated introduction to the concept of biodiversity for younger readers. With words from Nicola Davies and exquisite artwork by Emily Sutton, this groundbreaking book is certain to enchant and inspire children.

No, Nancy, No!

From Alice Tait, illustrator of the iconic London Range, comes a stylish, action-packed lift-the-flap book – the perfect introduction to the capital city for first-time sightseers! Blending her joyful London scapes with the story of a mischievous little girl, Nancy, and her long-suffering dachshund, Roger, Alice creates a wild and calamitous chase by boat, bus and bike across all of London's most famous and best sights – from Buckingham Palace to the Tower of London… With over fifteen flaps throughout, an incredible pop-up Nelson's column and a fold-out map, young readers will delight in this interactive adventure, and will love joining in with Roger's catchy refrain: “NO, NANCY, NO!”

A Brave Bear

From the author of Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise and the illustrator of Wild, comes a story of a daddy and a baby bear, on a day that's as hot as hot can be. When Dad Bear says, "I think a pair of hot bears is probably the hottest thing in the world," Little Bear suggests that they go all the way to the river to cool down. But what will happen when Little Bear tries to impress his dad by doing a big jump across the rocks? Told from the perspective of Little Bear and capturing his determination to be big and brave just like his dad, the youngest of readers will rejoice in the gorgeous characterization, the warmth of the storytelling and the deliciously detailed artwork of illustration star, Emily Hughes.

You can get your paws on all these books at your local bookshop. Happy reading!