The best new kids’ books for grown-ups

20-24 years

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

In her new home, young Coraline opens the door to an alternate reality with much nicer toys. The terror begins when her button-eyed 'parents' here refuse to let her go back.

16-19 years

The Boy In The Dress by David Walliams

In comedian David Walliams’ first children’s novel, a 12-year-old boy who loves football and cross-dressing develops a stylish alter-ego, Denise, with help from his new BFF.

30-35 years

The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-mi Hwang

This translation of the haunting South Korean fable is about a hen on the run from the farmer’s wife who always takes her eggs. She escapes into the wild to raise a young one.

25-29 years

Elephants Never Forget! By Anushka Ravishankar

A stray baby elephant finds home in a family of water buffaloes. One of the country’s well-loved children’s writers delivers big lessons in playful verse.

35-40 years

The Heart And The Bottle by Oliver Jeffers

Death, grief and denial are tackled in this tender story of a little girl who finds her father missing one day. Unable to cope with the loss, she locks her heart in a bottle for good.

Add these to your bookshelf, however old you may be.

All ages

Secret Garden by Johanna Basford

To revisit the joy of defacing books with your art, get Johanna Basford’s grown-up colouring series. Her first Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Colouring Book sold more than a million copies in 2013. Zooey Deschanel is a fan.