To mark ten years since Lantana was founded by Dr Alice Curry in 2014, we are celebrating ten years of books aimed at making sure every child has the opportunity to see themselves reflected in the stories they read. As Spy Readers has had the pleasure of reading every single title produced by this leading children’s publisher, we thought we’d give you a list of five Lantana books that are definitely not to be missed, as well as introducing four new works which they will be releasing shortly.
5 Lantana Books To Not Be Missed
- I Am Brown
- If I Were Prime Minister
- The Queen on Our Corner
- My Must-Have Mum
- Chicken In The Kitchen
4 New Lantana Books
- Freedom Braids
- The Language of Flowers
- The Brighter I Shine
- Step Into My Shoes
5 Lantana Books To Not Be Missed
1. I Am Brown
A truly joyous, life-affirming book that celebrates being brown and encourages children to dream big and not feel limited in what their future might hold. The book has an inclusive message as it references multiple religions and languages in an attempt to help as many young readers as possible see themselves reflected in the words and illustrations.
Book Themes: celebrating yourself, BAME characters, believing in yourself, diversity, being an individual, aspirations (working hard to be able to do a certain job), religion (different religions are mentioned when referring to where people might pray), languages (lots of different languages are referenced), joy
Suggested Age: 4+
What’s it about?: I am brown. I am beautiful. I am perfect. I drew this picture. I ran this race. I won this prize. I wrote this book. I am brown. I am amazing. I am you.
Author: Ashok Banker
Illustrator: Sandhya Prabhat
Publisher: Lantana
2) If I Were Prime Minister
Anyone looking for a fun way to introduce young children to the world of politics and explain to them the role of the prime minister need look no further than this brilliant piece of work by Trygve Skaug. This book strikes the perfect balance between humorous suggestions of what a child might choose to do if they were prime minister and some really thoughtful and touching suggestions focusing on friendship, poverty and the environment. A book that will be enjoyed by both adults and children alike.
Book Themes: prime minister, rules, humour, kindness (wanting to create rules that help other people), environment (brief reference to plastic pollution in the sea and tackling this)
Suggested Age: 4+
What’s it about?: A young boy tells us what he would do if he were prime minister: make adults go to nursery school to remember how to have fun, make sure that everyone who wanted to have a friend could have at least two and let people who work hard have special chocolate breaks!
Author: Trygve Skaug
Illustrator: Ella Okstad
Publisher: Lantana
3. The Queen On Our Corner
This is a great example of what the authors who work with Lantana are fantastic at doing: shining a light on topics and people who are underrepresented in children’s literature. The book tackles the subject of homelessness in a sensitive and child-friendly way and is, as with so many Lantana titles, a great resource to use when broaching a potentially difficult theme. The book helps in showing that homeless people shouldn’t be treated as invisible and disregarded by society, and that instead a community can come together and help someone in need.
Book Themes: homelessness, kindness (not making judgements of those in different circumstances), community (making a home for the homeless lady), working together, diversity, BAME character, fire (a house catches fire but a homeless woman and her dog alert the neighbourhood and disaster is averted), happy ending
Suggested Age: 5+
What’s it about?: A little girl and her mum are the only people who are kind to the homeless woman and her dog living on their street. When a fire breaks out on the street, the homeless woman raises the alarm and after that the community works together to make sure that ‘The Queen On The Corner’ has a real home.
Author: Lucy Christopher
Illustrator: Nia Tudor
Publisher: Lantana
4. My Must-Have Mum
A story which beautifully captures the message of a parent’s unconditional love for their child as the mum reassures her son that he is one thing in her life that definitely doesn’t need changing. Instead she is simply going to love every second of seeing him ‘grow like the trees and blossom like the flowers’. This is a book that certainly has a tender and touching ending and a sweet book to share with a loved one.
Book Themes: acceptance, love (parent’s love is unconditional, bond between mother and son), diversity, BAME character, disability (wheelchair user), upcycling
Suggested Age: 4+
What’s it about?: When Jake’s mum upcycles every last thing in the flat, Jake begins to worry that the only thing left to change is… him!
Author: Maudie Smith
Illustrator: Jen Khatun
Publisher: Lantana
5. Chicken In The Kitchen
Chicken in the Kitchen is an excellent story for introducing children to aspects of West African culture as they see the New Yam Festival through the eyes of a young Nigerian girl. With so many festivals and religions represented in other children’s books, this is a great addition to any school bookshelf. For some children it will be both fun and educational, while for others it showcases a festival they may already be very familiar with through their homelife, and gives them a chance to share it with family and friends in this charming story.
Book Themes: festival (New Yam Festival), nature spirit (Wood Wit), masquerade spirit, bravery (being able to ask the chicken to leave her house), West Africa, friendships, Nigeria (Nigerian girl)
Suggested Age: 5+
What’s it about?: If you saw a huge chicken walking through your house in the middle of the night, what would you do?
Author: Nnedi Okorafor
Illustrator: Mehrdokht Amini
Publisher: Lantana
4 New Lantana Books
1. Freedom Braids
(Release date 3rd October 2024)
A show-stopper of a picture book has been gifted to the world by Monique Duncan and Oboh Moses. The combination of a fantastic storyline, based on historical facts, and wonderful illustrations has created a book that simply has to be read. The story brings to life a harrowing period of history (the transatlantic slave trade), but does so in a way that is accessible for younger children. While the story does briefly touch on people being forced to work the land, the key focus is on the fascinating and largely untold narrative that different hairstyles using braids were employed as a way of secretly passing messages to fellow slaves, hiding seeds for later use once free, and for mapping out routes to freedom. Put simply, this book should be in every school library!
Book Themes: hair (braiding, learning about different styles of braiding and what each style is called and the meaning behind it), women (African), Colombia (slaves escaped into the hills and set up their own communities), liberation, freedom, slaves (slave trade, being made to work the land, escaping into the hills), stories (the braids tell stories and provide maps to freedom), black history
Suggested Age: 5+
What’s it about?: Day after day, Nemy is forced to sow seeds in the sugarcane plantation, until one night, she follows a woman called Big Mother to a hidden shack. There, she finds a group of women braiding each other’s hair. But these are no ordinary braids. Hidden in each elaborate pattern is a secret – a message that signals their intent to flee and a map to guide them in their escape. Will the paths these courageous women weave guide Nemy to a new home where she can be free?
Author: Monique Duncan
Illustrator: Oboh Moses
Publisher: Lantana
2. The Language of Flowers
(Release date 19th September 2024)
The Language of Flowers is a marvellous picture book exploring the themes of bereavement and empathy through a beautifully worded story with vibrant illustrations that bring to life the flowers that are so central to the storyline. Shyala Smith gently introduces the theme of loss in a way that opens the door for discussion without creating an overwhelming feeling of sadness. The story has a gorgeous ending which focuses on remembering the happy times shared with a loved one who has passed, instead of leaving the reader with simply a feeling of loss.
Book Themes: grief (a much loved customer of Juhi’s father dies), bereavement, flowers, kindness (Juhi thinks to make a bouquet from some of Mr Potter’s favourite flowers and gives it as a gift to his widow), love, caring
Suggested Age: 6+
What’s it about?: In Appa’s flower shop, Juhi knows the language of love – lilies for adoration, irises for hugs and kisses. She knows the language of faith – frangipani for full moon days, red hibiscus for the temple. But when Appa tells her that her favourite customer has passed away, she does not know the language of grief. What flowers will Juhi choose to remember a man who was always so full of life?
Author: Shyala Smith
Illustrator: Aaron Asis
Publisher: Lantana
3. The Brighter I Shine
(Release date 17th October 2024)
At the risk of sounding life a broken record, this is yet another brilliant example of Lantana covering themes which you would be hard pressed to find in many other children’s books. Kamee Abrahamian has drawn on her own life experiences to be able to explain to children the importance of remembering those who have come before you and keeping memories alive.
Book Themes: ancestors (explains what an ancestor is), finding yourself, birthday (it’s the girl’s birthday), Beirut (the girl’s great-grandmother lived there for a time), concern (that their stories and language will disappear), Armenia (the girl’s grandmother is from there), stories (keeping memories alive), family, immigration (Armenia to Lebanon to Canda)
Suggested Age: 5+
What’s it about?: For one Armenian child, birthdays are a time for decorating the house with bunches of rose and mint and sumac, for eating beef dumplings with garlic yoghurt, and for baking cakes with family and friends. But birthdays are also a time for telling stories – stories of ancestors and homelands, of births and new beginnings, and of the land their family now calls home. For stories make up who we are, and the more stories that are told, the brighter this little child shines.
Author: Kamee Abrahamian
Illustrator: Lusine Ghukasyan
Publisher: Lantana
4. Step Into My Shoes
(Release date 5th September 2024)
With Step into my Shoes, Alkisti Halikia has come up with a clever and memorable storyline for encouraging children to be empathetic towards others and learn the meaning of the phrase ‘put yourself in my shoes’. Fotini Tikkou’s beautiful illustrations pair perfectly with this thought-provoking story and help bring the characters to life. It is a story to capture the imagination of many children and act as a useful teaching tool for learning to think about situations from other people’s point of view and not just our own.
Book Themes: empathy (thinking about things from someone else’s point of view- the girl thinks about why her mother had needed to break her promise), mosque (the girl tries on shoes of people who are inside the mosque), argument (the girl has an argument with her mother but they are able to resolve it), France (the girl lives just outside Paris), anger (the girl feels frustrated that her mum has broken a promise to take her shopping that day), shoes
Suggested Age: 4+
What’s it about?: Matou passes a mosque on her way home from school and can’t resist trying on some of the shoes she finds outside. Curious about the shoes’ wearers, she begins to imagine the lives they might lead. One day, when her mum has to work late, she feels frustrated and let down. Can stepping into her mum’s shoes help Matou build a bridge of understanding between them?
Author: Alkisti Halikia
Illustrator: Fotini Tikkou
Publisher: Lantana
We would love to be able to feature all of Lantana’s fantastic books here, but do click on the link below to be able to find their other great titles!