Oliver Jeffers is my new favorite children’s author and I was introduced to his wide range of books in York. He is best known in the states for illustrating The Day the Crayons Quit, but in the UK he is known for his larger collection of thought provoking and fun picture books. One of my favorites is The Incredible Book Eating Boy. Henry is a boy who loves to eat books and the more books he eats, the smarter he gets. He does this until he has eaten so many books that all the knowledge and words that he has consumed gets mixed-up. So he decides to stop eating books, but yet he is still drawn to them. One day he decides to open the book and realizes that he can continue to expand his knowledge through reading. This is a funny story that gets children excited about reading and shows the importance of reading everyday.

No Such Thing as Nessie! is written by Chani McBain and Kirsten Harris-Jones. I purchased this book in Scotland from a local bookshop. It is about the legendary Loch Ness Monster in northern Scotland. Finlay is a young boy who loves dinosaurs and believes that he will see Nessie when he visits his grandmother. He searches the whole time during his visit even though his sister Sarah keeps telling him that there is no such thing as Nessie. Right as he finally agrees with his sister after days of “Nessie hunting,” Nessie jumps out of the water reigniting Finlay’s belief in Nessie. This fun tail introduces children to a famous Scottish legend, while inspiring children to keep their imagination and belief in magic alive.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien can be considered one of the best fantasy adventures of all time. These three novels take us on a journey with Frodo Baggins and the rest of the fellowship as they set out to destroy the ring that can rule them all. Through this epic adventure they run into goblins, orcs, elves, dwarfs, giant spiders, and much more in their realm of Middle Earth. This legendary battle of good versus evil makes for one of the most epic quests that a reader can embark on.

Tolkien first wrote his book, The Hobbit, and it was of great success. Right away he was asked to write a sequel. Over twenty years later, Tolkien released The Lord of the Rings. It has been the inspiration for one of the most successful film series of all time. This series has continued to influence many other fantasy series and is a great next step for children who have finished the Harry Potter series or the Chronicles of Narnia.

Roxie Munro’s The Inside Outside Book of London beautifully illustrates the city of London and it’s famous landmarks. With simple language of showing just the inside and outside of famous buildings and museums, this book provides context for children as they begin to read stories set in London or learning about the city itself. On one page it will show the outside of a famous landmark and the next it will show the inside of that dame landmark. I loved reading this book before the trip, because it gave a general overview of what London will be like and what I expected to see when I visited there. What is fun about this book is that there are others in the series including books set in Paris and London. Children who have never been to these places can experience a bit of the city through these books.

Ottoline and the Yellow Cat is a graphic novel written by Chris Riddell. During our visit to York, I spent time in a store called The Little Apple Bookshop. The store owner told us how every two years a new children’s author is named UK’s Children’s Laureate. This is to recognize children’s author who have shown great achievement in their field. Ottoline is one of his most popular characters and so I bought this book for my future classroom. It is about a little girl whose parents travel all over the world. Her best fiend and caregiver when her parents aren’t around is Mr. Munroe. Together they try to solve the mystery around disappearing dogs in their neighborhood. It is a fun adventure with mystery, intrigue, and friendship. Children will enjoy the rich illustrations and fall in love with these timeless characters!