We are delighted to see so many of our authors and illustrators in The Bookseller’s September Children’s Previews, below are some of the amazing reviews!

There’s a Ghost in this House by Oliver Jeffers

A captivating new picture book with interactive transparent pages, from world-renowned artist Oliver Jeffers.

Hello, come in.
Maybe you can help me?

A young girl lives in a haunted house, but has never seen a ghost. Are they white with holes for eyes? Are they hard to see? She’d love to know! Step inside and turn the transparent pages to help her on an entertaining ghost hunt, from behind the sofa, right up to the attic. With lots of friendly ghost surprises and incredible mixed media illustrations, this unique and funny book will entertain young readers over and over again!

Dragons Don't Share by Nicola Kinnear

Even dragons can learn how to share in this brilliantly fun picture book!

Ruby the dragon follows all the rules in her Dragon Rule Book: she steals from everyone, and NEVER shares her treasure with ANYONE! The other animals are desperate – until they come up with a clever plan to change the Dragon Rules…

Nicola Kinnear’s warm-hearted, funny picture book is a fabulous, fairytale celebration of the importance of sharing.

Constance in Peril by Ben Manley and Emma Chichester Clark

Constance in Peril is a brilliantly funny story from the creators of the critically acclaimed The Misadventures of Frederick, a Sunday Times Children's Book of the Year. Told with all Ben Manley's characteristic wit and genius for comic timing, with beautiful, atmospheric illustrations by Emma Chichester Clark adding to the fun.

Edward’s favourite toy was a soft, old, cloth doll. Her name was Constance Hardpenny and she had led a tragic life.

Having been rescued from a rubbish bin by a boy called Edward, Constance suffers a series of potentially catastrophic incidents. More suited to elegant tea parties in a bygone age, she nevertheless remains stoic throughout. From being forgotten and left out in the rain or trapped up a tree, even being caught between the jaws of the neighbour's dog, Constance is constantly finding herself in mortal danger. Although she’s luckily rescued each time by the watchful Grace, Edward’s loving older sister, it seems disaster is never far behind.

Is Constance doomed to suffer a life of never-ending peril? Probably.

Monsters: 100 Weird Creatures from Around the World by Sarah Banville and Quinton Winter

The perfect book for adults and children to share, MONSTERS is set to become a bone-chilling classic that will lurk under every bed in 2021!

Ever wondered what terrorised the Scape Ore swamp in 1980s South Carolina? Or who visits the naughty children in Northern Europe to punish them on Christmas Eve? Or how bloated undead feeders got upgraded to a shape-shifting castle-dwelling Count?

From well-known and well-feared monsters like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster, to the lesser-known, but just as weird and wonderful Japanese Sea Serpent and Chinese Hopping Vampires, this terrific book is the must-have guide to monsters from all over the world.

Each monster is brought to life in a bright and bold way by the fantastically stylish illustrator of the bestselling Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different series, Quinton Winter. These illustrations feature alongside the fascinating folklore and history which surrounds the monsters, researched by author and monster enthusiast, Sarah Banville.

Get ready to dive into MONSTERS, but beware of what you might find there ...

Kay's Marvellous Medicine: A Gross and Gruesome History of the Human Body by Adam Kay and Henry Paker

The olden days were pretty fun if you liked wearing chainmail or chopping people's heads off but there was one TINY LITTLE problem back then . . . doctors didn't have the slightest clue about how our bodies worked.

It's time to find out why Ancient Egyptians thought the brain was just a useless load of old stuffing that might as well be chucked in the bin, why teachers forced their pupils to smoke cigarettes, why hairdressers would cut off their customers' legs, and why people used to get paid for farting. (Unfortunately that's no longer a thing - sorry.)

You'll get answers to questions like:
Why did patients gargle with wee?
How did a doctor save people's lives using a washing machine, a can of beans and some old sausages?
What was the great stink? (No, it's not what doctors call your bum.)

If you're sure you're ready, then pop a peg on your nose (there was a lot of stinky pus back then), pull on your wellies (there was a lot of poo there too), wash your hands (because they certainly didn't) and explore this gross and gruesome history of the human body!

Grown: The Black Girls' Guide to Glowing Up by Melissa Cummings-Quarry, Natalie A. Carter and Dorcas Magbadelo

Grown. It's a mood. It's a mindset. It's a mantra. It's a lifestyle. It embodies everything that makes us who we are.

Being a teenager and trying to understand who you are and what you stand for is hard. Period. But if you're a Black girl and don't always see yourself represented in the books you read, the films you watch, the adverts you see or the history you're taught, it can be even tougher. Grown: The Black Girls' Guide to Glowing Up was written with one thing in mind sis. You.

From understanding identity to the politics of hair to maintaining squad goals to dealing with microaggressions to consent to figuring out what career you might want, Grown has got your back. Natalie A. Carter and Melissa Cummings-Quarry share stories - the wins and the Ls - and offer honest, practical advice that will show you how to own your choices. To live your truth without fear. To be grown on your own terms without limits or apologies.

With a foreword from the inimitable Spice Girl Melanie Brown and contributions from inspirational Black women such as Diane Abbott MP, Dorothy Koomson and Candice Carty-Williams and gorgeous illustrations from Dorcas Magbadelo, Grown is a celebration of Black British girlhood that will empower you to live your very best life.