The best new children’s books – reviews roundup

Can a dog save the day? Can a cat teach a bird to fly? Plus a book-munching monster and a race across the hills – new picture books and novels

There’s a books-within-books theme to the picture books this month, kicking off with The Detective Dog (Macmillan) by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie. This is a glorious collaboration by a master of the art and a rising star. Detective Dog Nell has a keen sense of smell and a passion for books picked up from listening to children read in a school one day a week. But when she turns up to find the children distraught because the books are gone, can she save the day and track down the thief? Donaldson sets out the rhyming story with characteristic panache, perfectly complemented by Ogilvie’s bright and busy artwork – the spread celebrating the wonder of the public library (“You can join if you want to – there isn’t a fee / And then you can take lots of books out for free”) is a particular joy.

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