All ages: Children’s books with dual-heritage characters

Readers will love these tales packed with positive role models, from little ones eagerly awaiting new siblings to older readers enjoying adventures in Cairo and even an eye-opening tale set in 1940s America.

A Welcome Song for Baby by Marsha Diane Arnold, Sophie Allsopp (Illustrator)

Emma is awaiting the arrival of her new baby brother, and as the season's pass, she invents new songs for him from the changing sounds she hears. This beautiful, comforting book celebrates nature and family – and helps any child to prepare for their new sibling.

My Mummy is Magic by Dawn Richard, Jane Massey (Illustrator)

Mummy can make even the most ordinary, everyday situations seem magical! From that early morning snuggle to a bedtime kiss, this clever rhyming picture book follows a mother and baby through their day. With her magic wand at the ready, mummy can make bruises disappear and bath time fun! This heart-warming tale celebrates mums and their everyday magic, just as the bestselling Daddy is My Hero celebrates dads.

Baby Ruby Bawled by Malaika Rose Stanley, Ken Wilson-Max (Illustrator)

Baby Ruby is crying her eyes out – and the whole family will do anything to try and help her stop! A soothing bath with dad, a comforting feed from mum, a drive with Nana and a garden stroll with Grandad… but nothing works and Ruby is still bawling. Finally, her brother Theo makes up a special song for his screaming little sister. After everything, everyone’s exhausted – all except Ruby…

Never Show A T-Rex A Book! by Rashmi Sirdeshpande, Diane Ewen (Illustrator)

What would happen if you showed a T-Rex a book? Well, she wouldn't know what to do with it . . . would she? A madcap, super silly adventure story rooted in the transformative power of books, created by incredible new picture-book duo Rashmi Sirdeshpande and Diane Ewen

The Chocolate Box Girls: Cherry Crush by Cathy Cassidy

Made to feel like an outsider at Clyde Academy, Cherry Costello now faces a different life in Somerset with dad, where her new mum and a bunch of brand-new sisters await. Cherry knows she must make an effort to fit in, but she’s majorly distracted by the gorgeous Shay – who happens to be her stepsister Honey’s boyfriend. Cherry knows her crush could jeopardise everything. But that doesn’t mean she can stop herself…

How High the Moon by Karyn Parsons

Bullied for her light skin tone and missing her absent mother, life isn’t always sunny for 12-year-old Ella, growing up in segregated Alcolu in 1944. So, she’s ecstatic when her mother – pursuing her jazz singer dreams in Boston – invites her for Christmas. But whilst there, Ella discovers the secrets of her mother and the father she never knew – and her most unexpected family history. And upon her return to the South a month later, life changes even more with the news that her classmate has been arrested for the murder of two local white girls. Nothing will ever be the same…

The Red Pyramid: The Graphic Novel (The Kane Chronicles Book 1) by Rick Riordan

Carter and Sadie Kane’s father is a famed Egyptologist; since their mother’s death, Sadie has lived with their grandparents in London whilst Carter’s travelled the world with Dr Kane. The siblings have drifted apart, but one night at the British Museum, they are drawn together by a terrifying chain of events. Now they must embark on a deadly journey across the globe, coming ever closer to their family’s connection to a secret order that’s existed since the time of the Pharaoh’s…

You Must Be Layla by Yassmin Abdel-Magied

Layla believes she was right to stand up for herself against a bully, but it's landed her a suspension - not the way she (or her parents) would have wished to begin her time at her fancy new school! This is just a setback though, and she's determined to prove that she does deserve her scholarship by making new friends and setting her sights on inventing something that could win the big robotics competition. But where to begin? You Must Be Layla introduces Sudanese-born author, broadcaster, social advocate and mechanical engineer Yassmin Abdel-Magied as an exciting new voice in children's writing.

How To Be Extraordinary by Rashmi Sirdeshpande, Annabel Tempest

This picture book is bursting with illustrations and the true life-stories of people from around the world and throughout history, including: Aeham Ahmad, David Attenborough, Mo Farah, Keiko Fukuda, Stephen Hawking, Frida Kahlo, Abdul Kalam, Judith Kerr, Wangari Maathai, Nelson Mandela, David Nott, Michelle Obama, Krystyna Skarbek, Alan Turing, Sau Lan Wu

How to Change the World by Rashmi Sirdeshpande, Annabel Tempest

Could you and your friends change the world? This book will inspire you with 15 true stories of groups of amazing humans who've changed the world. Discover the astonishing things humans can achieve: from the campaign for women's votes, to the efforts to heal the ozone layer. Or travel back to the start of democracy in Ancient Greece, and into space to see the incredible teamwork on the international space station. Above all, uncover just some of the MANY ways we can work together to change our world - all brought to life with astonishing story-telling and illustration.