On Thursday 4 March we mark World Book Day 2021, a day where people of all ages appreciate great literature and fun stories. In preparation we have been speaking to local parents and have put together our top five children’s books and our favourite independent bookshops in Norfolk.
The Book With No Pictures by B. J. Novak
This innovative and wildly funny read-aloud will be the Must Have book of the season. You might think a book with no pictures seems boring and serious. Except…here’s how books work. Everything written on the page has to be said by the person reading it aloud. Even if the words say…BLORK. Or BLUURF.
Buy it here: The Book With No Pictures by B. J. Novak | Waterstones
The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr
The classic picture book story of Sophie and her extraordinary teatime guest has been loved by millions of children since it was first published more than fifty years ago. Now an award-winning animation!
Buy it here: The Tiger Who Came to Tea | Jarrold, Norwich
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
Another number one bestselling board book, Dear Zoo is a lift-the-flap story which has been popular with parents and children since it was first released back in 1982.
Buy it here: Dear Zoo – Bookbugs and Dragon Tales
The Ickabog by J.K. Rowling
The Ickabog is coming… A mythical monster, a kingdom in peril, an adventure that will test two children’s bravery to the limit. Discover a brilliantly original fairy tale about the power of hope and friendship to triumph against all odds, from one of the world’s best storytellers.
Buy it here: The Ickabog: A warm and witty fairy-tale adventure to entertain the whole family (bookshop.org)
The Highway Rat by Julia Donaldson (Author) and Axel Scheffler (Illustrator)
‘Give me your buns and your biscuits! Give me your chocolate eclairs! For I am the Rat of the highway, and the Rat Thief never shares!’
Life is not safe for the other animals, as the villainous Highway Rat gallops along the highway, stealing their food. Clover from a rabbit; nuts from a squirrel – he even steals his own horse’s hay. Then he meets his comeuppance, in the form of a cunning duck. A fabulous, rollicking rhyme, in the style of the Alfred Noyes poem, ‘The Highwayman’.
Buy it here: The Highway Rat Early Reader (bookshop.org)
Independent Norfolk bookshops for your literature fix
Whether you’re hunting for a new novel, second-hand paperback or children’s classic, here are some of the best Norfolk bookshops to discover new reads.
The Book Hive, Lo53 London Street, Norwich, NR2 1HL
01603 219268
Jarrold’s, 1-11 London Street, Norwich, NR2 1JF
01603 660661
The Holt Bookshop, 10 Appleyard, Holt, NR25 6AR
01263 715858
Norfolk Children’s Book Centre, Alby
The Norfolk Children’s Book Centre, Church Lane, Alby, NR11 7HB
01263 761402 | 01263 761402
City Bookshop, 10-10A Davey Place, Norwich NR2 1PQ
01603 626113
41-43, Timber Hill, Norwich NR1 3LA
01603 964022 | 07908 462149
