With racist incidents up 500% since the country voted to leave the EU we need children’s books that encourage tolerance and open-mindedness more than ever. Julia Eccleshare recommends

To get some understanding of what it was like to be a soldier in the first world war, younger readers need Michael Morpurgo like no other. Here’s why

Julia Eccleshare looks back at the incredible roll-call of past Carnegie medal winners since the children’s book prize began in 1936, and wonders if any have been unjustly forgotten

From Ludwig Bemelmans’s Madeline to Katherine Rundell’s Rooftoppers, children’s literature is full of delicious insights into European cities – great for travellers and political pondering too

How can children learn to be ‘good sports’ about winning and losing at sports day? Books can help deal with the confusing and conflicting messages – and we’ve got ideas on which ones

From polar bears of the frozen north to a Roald Dahl treasure trove, the Book Doctor has beautiful suggestions for non-fiction books with long lasting appeal

The Book Doctor picks out ideal stories that can be read aloud in one sitting – perfect for guests that want to join in on bedtime reading when children don’t want a change of reader in the middle of their regular book!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the last book in the Harry Potter sequence that feels good to read to most younger children, but what to fill the gap with while they wait to be old enough to read the last four books? The Book Doctor has magical ideas from Diana Wynne Jones to Eva Ibbotson

How to introduce the Bard without putting under 11s off for life? The Book Doctor has several cunning plans to keep Shakespeare fresh and thrilling

Unlike his cousins St Patrick and St Andrew, poor old St George is often ignored on his day of days - which happens to be 23 April 2016. A primary school teacher wants to share stories of a brave man defeating a terrible foe with her class – without focussing on the nationalistic connotations

From the Moomins to Doctor Who, the Book Doctor rounds up the cream of a new crop of colouring books for the craze that shows no sign of fading

From Eric Carle’s The Tiny Seed to Lucy Cousins’ Maisy Grows a Garden, the Book Doctor recommends books to inspire younger children to look more closely at the natural world around them

Discover children, dogs and even biscuits doing amazing things on high wires and trapezes in Book Doctor’s pick of the best circus stories

From Little Rabbit Foo Foo to the Velveteen Rabbit to Peter Rabbit himself, the Book Doctor rounds up bunny picture books for Easter and beyond!

The Book Doctor investigates why books starring unsuccesful outsiders are so popular now, and since forever, from Greg Heffley to Tom Gates to Stanley Yelnats – all the way back to The Bible and Arthurian legend

From Ursula K le Guin’s Earthsea sequence to Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom trilogy, the Book Doctor recommends epic fantasy books to tweens and young teens who want something like Game of Thrones but without the sex and violence

Is there anything wrong with an eight year old re-reading the same books over and over again? The book doctor thinks not, but also offers some tempting alternatives

Time travel stories can provide an alternative perspective on contemporary problems - as well as being a lot of fun to read! The Book Doctor suggests some great time slip tales, from classics such as Tom’s Midnight Garden and A Wrinkle in Time to more modern takes on the genre

The Book Doctor sniffs out the best picture books with pancakes in them to read on Pancake Day from Eric Carle’s Pancakes, Pancakes to Jan Fearnley’s Mr Wolf’s Pancakes

From Michael Morpurgo’s Beowulf to discovering the true wonder of Homer, the Book Doctor shares book recommendations and tip tips to bring life and lustre to storytelling week