Melanie McDonagh Melanie McDonagh

Children’s books for all ages: the best of 2021

There’s a marked return to early history, with tales of Roman Britain, the Vikings, King Arthur, and the Norman conquest

Beautifully drawn and slightly creepy: an illustration by Chris Riddell from Arthur, The Always King by Kevin Crossley-Holland (Walker Books, £20). 
issue 11 December 2021
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She’s done it again: J.K. Rowling has written a captivating children’s book. The Christmas Pig (Little Brown, £20) is about a toy pig, Dur Pig (DP for short), a boy called Jack and what happens when DP gets chucked out of a car and is replaced with an unwelcome Christmas Pig.

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