It’s all too easy to head straight for the tried-and-trusted classics when picking books for your children to read. But the diverse range of new work in 2022 confirms that looking back doesn’t always best serve children; the excitement of the new is just as important to them.
The books we’re looking forward to reading alongside our children in 2022, then, not only tell us something about the world they are growing up in, but about their hopes and fears, dreams and aspirations, too.
Picture books
There’s much-loved, and then there’s Julia Donaldson, The Gruffalo author whose work is surely in every child’s home. This year, she teams up with The Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler once more for the delightful Mole’s Spectacles and Badger’s Band (February and May, Macmillan), the latest in the multimillion-selling Tales from Acorn Wood lift-the-flap series that made stars of a fox who lost his socks, a tired rabbit wanting a nap and a postman bear.
Donaldson also has a “magical and lyrical” picture book with Helen Oxenbury out in April (Puffin Books). There are no advance images of this yet but Welcome to the World celebrates babies' first experiences. It’s Julia Donaldson – it’ll be great.
Fellow children’s author superstar David Walliams also returns with a second picture book illustrated by Adam Stower. Marmalade (February, HarperCollins Children's Books) follows the delightful adventures of a baby panda with orange fur who meets all sorts of animals on his quest to understand where he belongs in the forest.
Less high-profile but equally deserving of attention is Don’t Ask the Dragon by Lemn Sissay and Greg Stobbs (February, Canongate Books). The first children’s book from British-Ethiopian poet, writer and broadcaster Sissay, it tells the story of a little boy called Alem who’s not sure where to celebrate his birthday. As the title suggests, it might not be wise to consult the hungry dragon. Or is it?
Another lovely journey through the animal kingdom comes from former Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo. A Song of Gladness: A Story of Hope for Us and Our Planet (April, Two Hoots) was inspired by a blackbird the author enjoyed in his own back garden, and the stunning illustrations from Emily Gravett will remind children and adults of the beauty of the natural world and how we can preserve it.
Finally, we’re looking forward to One Camel Called Doug by Lu Fraser and Sarah Warburton (February, Simon & Schuster). A rhyming story with an educational counting element, Doug is all alone until he comes across loads more camels. He loves the company but also likes the peace of some alone time. Don’t we all…
Books for ages 5 to 8
Anyone who has a child aged 5 to 8 will know they devour facts in non-fiction books. And the fascinating, sometimes gory, stories about plant life in David Attenborough’s spectacular new television series The Green Planet – which had its UAE premiere last week – are definitely worth closer exploration in Leisa Stewart-Sharpe’s book of the same name, accompanying the show (out now, Penguin Books).
We spoke to Stewart-Sharpe for her last book, What a Wonderful World, and this is also superb at exploring, celebrating and depicting the wonder of the world.
On a similarly exploratory note, Sam Sedgman’s Epic Adventures (February, MacMillan) is a really neat way to understand the world, its history and peoples via 12 interesting railway journeys. From cherry blossoms and temples seen from Japanese bullet trains to the woolly mammoths buried beside the Trans-Siberian Express, Sam Brewster’s brilliant illustrations perfectly complement Sedgman’s engrossing tales.
But when it comes to traditional storytelling, it doesn’t get much more classic than The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth’s Grahame’s enduring tale of mole, rat, badger and toad. Interestingly, Rashmi Sirdeshpande, one of the chosen authors for World Book Day 2022, has been asked to update and modernise the world of Toad Hall for a new, age 5-plus audience in a fully illustrated version by Jojo Clinch (April, Puffin). Probably about time, too, given how the original doesn’t exactly celebrate equality.
Bringing matters right up to date, we’re really excited by this month’s debut from Lucy Brandt, Leonora Bolt: Secret Inventor (January, Puffin). The titular Leonora is a brilliant creation, a young girl who spends her days fashioning fantastical inventions in her secret island lab, only to find that her uncle has been selling them for profit on the mainland. So begins a fun, mildly perilous and brilliantly madcap adventure taking in a talented otter and singing sea captain.
Lastly, it’s great to see the emergence of some Arabic-language children’s books in English translation. Thunderbird by Sonia Nimr (March, University Of Texas Press) is probably for the upper end of this age bracket, a time-travelling adventure featuring young orphaned Palestinian girl Noor, who must go back in time to find magical bird feathers and save the world. The great champion of Arab literature, M Lynx Qualey, is on translation duties, which is a seal of approval in itself.
Books for ages 9 to 12
Publishing for the 9 to 12 age group can often seem like an obsessive quest for the next Harry Potter. Still, new fantasy series Skandar and the Unicorn Thief (April, Simon & Schuster) comes with huge buzz: author AF Steadman received the world’s largest book advance for a debut children’s writer for her series about unicorns, which, rather than being fluffy and clad in rainbows, are magical, dangerous and bloodthirsty.
Step up young Skandar, but just as his dream of racing one to glory is about to come true, a mysterious figure steals the island’s most powerful unicorn. With magic, battles, races and secrets aplenty, it’s no surprise Skandar and The Unicorn Thief has already been optioned by Sony Pictures.
A girl called Amari will also be battling for children’s affections in April when BB Alston follows up his bestselling, award-winning Amari and the Night Brothers with Amari and the Great Game (HarperCollins). Amari is a refreshingly different hero; Alston couldn’t find any fantasy stories featuring black children when he was growing up, so wrote one himself. After Amari found her brother and saved the supernatural world in book one, she finds the pressure of being the leader of magiciankind too much, but someone more dangerous fills the void. So begins the mysterious Great Game, a competition to decide who will actually determine the future of magic.
Confirmation that everyone can be a hero also comes with Ellie McNicoll’s Like A Charm (February, Knights Of Media). Where McNicoll’s award-winning debut, A Kind of Spark, celebrated an autistic girl who fights against injustice and oppression, here her neurodivergent protagonist has actual magical powers; Ramya is able to see the creatures that populate Edinburgh where others can’t. And as she sets out to discover the truth behind the “Hidden Folk”, she finds out that her powers can change everything.
Finally, England and Manchester United star Marcus Rashford has done so much for children’s reading over the past year that it’s about time he featured in his own novel. The Breakfast Club Adventures (May, Macmillan) pulls together a group of unlikely friends who need to solve the mystery of a missing football. Written with author Alex Falase-Koya and illustrated by Marta Kissi, Rashford says breakfast clubs were “about forming friendships, about togetherness, about escape”.
His book, like so many of 2022’s crop, is all of those things and more.
Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
MATCH INFO
France 3
Umtiti (8'), Griezmann (29' pen), Dembele (63')
Italy 1
Bonucci (36')
Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
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Huroob Ezterari
Director: Ahmed Moussa
Starring: Ahmed El Sakka, Amir Karara, Ghada Adel and Moustafa Mohammed
Three stars
The full list of 2020 Brit Award nominees (winners in bold):
British group
Coldplay
Foals
Bring me the Horizon
D-Block Europe
Bastille
British Female
Mabel
Freya Ridings
FKA Twigs
Charli xcx
Mahalia
British male
Harry Styles
Lewis Capaldi
Dave
Michael Kiwanuka
Stormzy
Best new artist
Aitch
Lewis Capaldi
Dave
Mabel
Sam Fender
Best song
Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber - I Don’t Care
Mabel - Don’t Call Me Up
Calvin Harrison and Rag’n’Bone Man - Giant
Dave - Location
Mark Ronson feat. Miley Cyrus - Nothing Breaks Like A Heart
AJ Tracey - Ladbroke Grove
Lewis Capaldi - Someone you Loved
Tom Walker - Just You and I
Sam Smith and Normani - Dancing with a Stranger
Stormzy - Vossi Bop
International female
Ariana Grande
Billie Eilish
Camila Cabello
Lana Del Rey
Lizzo
International male
Bruce Springsteen
Burna Boy
Tyler, The Creator
Dermot Kennedy
Post Malone
Best album
Stormzy - Heavy is the Head
Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka
Lewis Capaldi - Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent
Dave - Psychodrama
Harry Styles - Fine Line
Rising star
Celeste
Joy Crookes
beabadoobee
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Dunki
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UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – UAE won by 36 runs
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Pakistan Super League
Previous winners
2016 Islamabad United
2017 Peshawar Zalmi
2018 Islamabad United
2019 Quetta Gladiators
Most runs Kamran Akmal – 1,286
Most wickets Wahab Riaz –65
The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
FIGHT CARD
Sara El Bakkali v Anisha Kadka (Lightweight, female)
Mohammed Adil Al Debi v Moaz Abdelgawad (Bantamweight)
Amir Boureslan v Mahmoud Zanouny (Welterweight)
Abrorbek Madaminbekov v Mohammed Al Katheeri (Featherweight)
Ibrahem Bilal v Emad Arafa (Super featherweight)
Ahmed Abdolaziz v Imad Essassi (Middleweight)
Milena Martinou v Ilham Bourakkadi (Bantamweight, female)
Noureddine El Agouti v Mohamed Mardi (Welterweight)
Nabil Ouach v Ymad Atrous (Middleweight)
Nouredin Samir v Zainalabid Dadachev (Lightweight)
Marlon Ribeiro v Mehdi Oubahammou (Welterweight)
Brad Stanton v Mohamed El Boukhari (Super welterweight
The bio
Academics: Phd in strategic management in University of Wales
Number one caps: His best-seller caps are in shades of grey, blue, black and yellow
Reading: Is immersed in books on colours to understand more about the usage of different shades
Sport: Started playing polo two years ago. Helps him relax, plus he enjoys the speed and focus
Cars: Loves exotic cars and currently drives a Bentley Bentayga
Holiday: Favourite travel destinations are London and St Tropez
