Commemorating World Refugee Day with The Day War Came

On the 18^th of June we commemorated Refugee Week with a special event for The Day War Came at The Book Club. We had author Nicola Davies and illustrator Rebecca Cobb on a panel with 100 chair illustrations up for grabs including pieces from Shirley Hughes, Shaun Tan and Nick Sharratt. Tickets were £20 with everyone receiving a randomly allocated chair illustration – all money from tickets has been donated to Help Refugees. 

A powerful and necessary picture book, The Day War Came shows the journey of a child forced to become a refugee when war destroys everything she has ever known. 

Imagine if, on an ordinary day, war came. Imagine it turned your town to rubble. Imagine going on a long and difficult journey – all alone. Imagine finding no welcome at the end of it. Then imagine a child who gives you something small but very, very precious... When the government refused to allow 3000 child refugees to enter this country in 2016, Nicola Davies was so angry she wrote a poem. It started a campaign for which artists contributed drawings of chairs, symbolising a seat in a classroom, education, kindness, the hope of a future. The poem has become this book, movingly illustrated by Rebecca Cobb, which should prove a powerful aid for explaining the ongoing refugee crisis to younger readers. 

50p from every paperback copy sold goes to the charity Help Refugees – find out more about their wonderful work at their website, helprefugees.org.

You can pick up a copy of The Day War Came at your local bookshop and you can find The Day War Came teacher's notes here.

Top new picture books from Walker Books this June!

Alphonse There's Mud on the Ceiling

by Daisy Hirst

The third title featuring loveable monster sister and brother Natalie and Alphonse!

Natalie and Alphonse mostly like living in a flat on the seventh floor. But will this adorably rambunctious pair ever manage to create a magical, wild camping experience in their little apartment? From the award-winning Daisy Hirst comes a story sure to inspire families to explore the great outdoors, before finding the perfect balance again back home.

I Do Not Like Books Anymore

by Daisy Hirst

"A delightfully original work, worth every penny" The Independent 

Natalie is learning to read. “Now I can read all the stories in the world,” she says. “And you can read them to me!” adds little brother Alphonse. But when Natalie tries to read all by herself for the first time, the letters look like squiggles, and she isn’t so sure any more… Daisy Hirst celebrates the joy of sharing stories, and perfectly evokes those feelings of frustration and pride that come with learning something new.

How to Be on the Moon

by Viviane Schwarz

“This book is gold, put it on your bookshelf where it can be easily found and treasure it!” Chris Riddell, Children's Laureate

In the sequel to the bestselling How to Find Gold, best friends Anna and Crocodile are going on another intrepid adventure – this time, to the moon! But soaring into the space is no simple task. To start with, it’s very far away. Then there’s the not-so-simple matter of building a rocket. And there are the sandwiches to make for the journey. But when Anna and Crocodile set their sights on something, nothing can stand in their way... Bursting with sharp, funny dialogue and illuminated by Viviane’s out-of-this-world illustrations, this is a story that celebrates irrepressible curiosity and the magic of imaginative play.

Sea Glass Summer

by Michelle Houts, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline

Explore the magic of one of the seaside’s greatest wonders and the bonds that link us through time.

One summer, Thomas visits his grandmother at her seaside cottage. She gives him a magnifying glass that once belonged to his grandfather, and with it Thomas explores the beach. When his grandmother shows him a piece of sea glass, Thomas is transfixed. That night he dreams of an old shipyard and the breaking of a bottle. Could the very piece of sea glass on his nightstand have come from that bottle? For the rest of the summer, he searches for more sea glass and hopes to have dreams that will reveal more of the sea’s secrets... A stunning ode to stories and the seaside, this picture book invites readers to imagine the ocean of possibility that lives in every small or forgotten treasure. 

Tooth Fairy in Training

by Michelle Robinson, illustrated by Briony May Smith

Think that being a tooth fairy is all about sparkly fairy dust, shiny coins and collecting teeny-tiny teeth from cute, sleeping children? Well, think again.

Tate’s big sister May is taking her out on her very first tooth-collecting mission, and it’s going to be a little … well, dangerous. It will involve trekking through the deep, dark jungle, plunging into the murky ocean, and facing the ice of the Arctic. Because it’s not just sweet, slumbering little children that lose their pearly whites, oh no... All kinds of toothy predators lose their gnashers, too! 

You can WIN a copy of Tooth Fairy in Training here and also download our free activity sheets here.  

Pick up copies of all these books at your local bookshop!

WIN our June Picture Book of the Month - Tooth Fairy in Training

Think that being a tooth fairy is all about sparkly fairy dust, shiny coins and collecting teeny-tiny teeth from cute, sleeping children? Well, think again.

Tate’s big sister May is taking her out on her very first tooth-collecting mission, and it’s going to be a little … well, dangerous. It will involve trekking through the deep, dark jungle, plunging into the murky ocean, and facing the ice of the Arctic. Because it’s not just sweet, slumbering little children that lose their pearly whites, oh no... All kinds of toothy predators lose their gnashers, too! Can Tate collect missing teeth from crocs, sharks and anacondas ... and all without waking up a single creature? A fast-paced, funny and action-packed adventure story, which introduces two tough brave new fairies (and many a ferocious animal!) to the picture book world.

We are delighted to welcome author Michelle Robinson to Picture Book Party to tell us about Tooth Fairy in Training

The Tooth Fairy is extremely busy.

I know this for a fact. In our house she is expected to visit nightly, tooth or no.
It’s been this way since a tiny door appeared in my daughter’s room two years ago. I have absolutely no idea how it got there*.
Did you know fairies install their doors with sticky tack? Easier than cement, I suppose. I only wish they’d consider what it does to the paintwork every time they move house.

This particular fairy ups sticks on a whim. Perhaps some skirting boards have better views than others? Maybe there the dells are more dingly behind certain walls?



I wouldn’t know. We’ve never seen what’s behind the little door. But we do enjoy the interesting offerings the fairy leaves in front of it.

Coins would be too easy (albeit hard on the fairy’s wallet). Our fairy delivers tiny handwritten letters.

At first it was very charming — a neighbourly note letting us know she’d moved in. But my daughter started writing back.

Every night.

For two years.

Naturally, she expects a prompt reply — a miniature one in an exquisite, curlicued hand.


A simple, ‘Wish you were here!’ is not enough. She also wants answers to her many, many questions.

‘Who are your friends?’

‘What’s your middle name?’

‘Do you go to school?’

‘Who collects YOUR teeth?’

‘Can you do a wheelie on your bike?’

and,

‘Why haven’t you replied to my last sixteen letters?’

The fairy tries her best. She feels terrible when she doesn’t manage to write. (Busy day? Netflix? Glass of wine bigger than her teeny, tiny self?)

How do I know she feels terrible? Because on these occasions she goes above and beyond to make up for her shortcomings.

The lengths that fairy goes to to make amends. Chocolates! Sparkly gems! Tiny greetings cards in their own dinky envelopes! I imagine she’s particularly proud of the ant-sized origami she once left. It must have taken her ages. She even left out a tiny hand-embroidered stocking for Santa at Christmas.

How does she do it? Magic.

Fairy magic is amazing. It usually goes on out of sight — but in ‘Tooth Fairy in Training’, Briony-May Smith has shone a light on it.

And what light! From the dappled shade of the fairies’ woodland home to the milky moonlight pouring through the window of Melissa, doll-collecting fairy-kisser, every page shines. The iridescent front cover actually shimmers.

Briony and the team at Walker have done the most beautiful job. Reading ‘Tooth Fairy in Training’ is just like opening that tiny door and peering into the tooth fairy’s world. I’m very, very grateful to Briony and to everyone who’s had a hand in bringing my story to life.

Of course I dedicated the book to my daughter. She’s very grateful, too. I only hope our resident fairy — and tooth fairies everywhere — know how much their hard work is appreciated.

*I’ve since changed my eBay password. Blasted fairies!

You can download a set of Tooth Fairy in Training activity sheets here! Plus we have a competition to WIN a copy of Tooth Fairy in Training plus a Crocodile Dentist Game!  

To enter this competition just enter your name and email address below.

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