• Guess Again!

Written by Mac Barnett

Illustrated by Adam Rex

Age Ranger: 4-8

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

We have never laughed as loud and long as we did when reading this book. The rhyme in this book will fool you again and again and I’m sure that you will want to share it with all the people you know.

• Under a Pig Tree

Written by Margie Palatini

Illustrated by Chuck Groenink

Age Ranger: 4-8

Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers

The author and publisher of Under a Pig Tree seem to have had some communication issues. The author wrote a clear history of figs while the publisher is sure that she meant pigs. Things got mixed up somewhere in the publisher’s office when the illustrator drew pigs instead of figs. Needless to say, the author is not happy about this “little mix-up” and scrawls all over the book!

It’s hilarious! And you might learn some facts about pigs – I mean, figs.

• The Gardener

Written by Sarah Stewart

Illustrated by David Small

Age Ranger: 4-8

Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers

You may not think that a historical fiction picture book which was written entirely in letters about the Great Depression would be all that appealing. If that, you’d be wrong.

Sarah Stewart introduces young readers to a determined and engaging heroine. The story is told through the letters written home while the illustrations done by David Small beautifully evoke the Depression-era setting.

• Chicken Cheeks

Written by Michael Ian Black

Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

Age Ranger: 3-8

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Basically, this book is a list of animal butts. The illustrations by Kevin Hawkes show not only one plot, but also an additional subplot. Moreover, there is a duck-billed platypus gluteus maximus.

• Boats for Papa

Written and Illustrated by Jessixa Bagley

Age Ranger: 3-8

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

This book tells the story of Buckley, a little beaver, whose father is no longer around. He keeps making boats to send messages out into the ocean. It is also a book about an amazing mother who is raising an empathetic and amazing child.

 

 

Michael Carrick is a great football player who was the heartbeat of Manchester United. For more than 10 years, he was the player who made them tick. Worshipped by the Old Trafford faithful, lauded by his fellow professionals, loved by his managers, yet regularly misunderstood by the wider public, Michael Carrick was a football player like no other.

Calm, thoughtful, intelligent – the opposite of the archetypal English midfielder – Michael Carrick is typically forthright and has always been his own man. In his book Between the Lines, Carrick not only reveals how it’s really like to win relentlessly under the legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson but also shows us the famous Carrington training ground’s hidden secrets. He pulls no punches, exposing what went wrong under Louis van Gaal and David Moyes, then lifting the lid on the controversial charismatic Jose Mourinho. In addition, he invites us to experience the clashes and camaraderie in the United dressing room and lets us feel the experience of walking out on the Old Trafford pitch with some of the most famous names in the game – from Ronaldo to Rooney, Giggs, Pogba, Zlatan, Scholes, and the rest.

Between the Lines is a deeply personal book, revealing for the first time Carrick’s battles with mental health, the redemption he has found with his team and his family, as well as his struggles with the national side.

Growing up in the north-east, winning the Champions League and 5 Premier League titles with Manchester United, Tottenham, and West Ham, the story of Michael Carrick reveals him to be his own man: thoughtful, fearless, honest, and intelligent.

*All proceeds of Michael Carrick from the sale of his book Between the Lines  will be donated to Michael Carrick Foundation, used to provide financial support to community services which will give the underprivileged children in the North and North East the better opportunities so that they feel valued, safe, and inspired.*