Adventure Awaits! Our Folio Editor's Top Picks for Children
Sophia Schoepfer - Folio Fiction Editor
Are you ready to embark on a magical adventure with your children? Welcome to our blog, where we have asked our Folio editor, Sophia Shchoepfer to share her top picks for children's books.
Dive into our blog and discover whimsical worlds and epic tales that will ignite a lifelong love for reading.
The Roald Dahl Collection - Roald Dahl
What do you do when your parents don’t see your full potential? When you feel too small to ever make a difference? When the world feels like it is against you at every turn? When there are evil farmers, witches, Twits, spoiled children? You fight back, of course. I defy anyone not to be put under the spell of Roald Dahl and his phizz-whizzing characters. The perfect mixture of naughtiness and nostalgia, he is beloved by children and adults alike. Our three box sets contain all the greats and take me right back to being a curious reader, to seeing a big wild world that existed well beyond my own and to learning that even the smallest of beings can learn how to stand up to others. Quentin Blake’s iconic illustrations are crisp on the page, whilst Dahl biographer Donald Sturrock explains the man behind the wondercrump words in his introductions.
Illustrated by Quentin Blake
The Chrestomanci Series - Diana Wynne Jones
There were wizards in faraway castles long before J.K Rowling came on the scene. Already well-loved by Folio readers, Diana Wynne Jones wry style and clever coziness sits her somewhere between Terry Pratchett and Ursula K. Le Guin and makes her a force to be reckoned with. Discover a world beyond your imagination, where children discover their full potential whilst dealing with magical forces like no other. What is so great about Jones’s writing is that she doesn’t see children as ‘lesser’ readers, rather she treats them as her ultimate critics, teaching them lessons through her words and stories that will stay with them forever. Our first book in the series contains a gorgeous introduction from Katherine Rundell in which she declares her love for the literary legend. Alison Bryant’s vivid illustrations bring the wizarding world to life.
Illustrated by Alison Bryant
The Neverending Story - Michael Ende
When Bastian discovers a mysterious book, he is drawn into an adventure beyond his wildest imagination. Hidden within the pages is a whole new world, one where he is the hero for once. This is the perfect escapist novel for younger and older adults alike, one that teaches the importance of reading and literature for escapism, but also the importance of learning to love all parts of yourself, even in the face of adversity. Marie-Alice Harel has brought Michael Ende’s fantasia to life in our gorgeous edition in honour of Folio’s 75th anniversary.
Illustrated by Marie-Alice Harel
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
If you are looking for worlds to escape to, for one of the best love stories of all time, for polar bears in armour and witches that fly across the Northern Light-lit sky, then this is the book for you. Lyra Belacqua is my ultimate fictional hero, and her Oxford is one I simultaneously want to escape to and help her discover. This is the ultimate fantasy series, and one I find myself constantly returning to whenever I need the ultimate literary escape. Folio’s edition feels beyond special with artist Peter Bailey’s delicate illustrations, along with drawings by Philip Pullman himself. It’s my ultimate Folio talisman and remains the most beloved on my shelf.
Illustrated by Peter Bailey
The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
In a world that feels overwhelming and beyond our control, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince is the perfect antidote. His fable address's themes of loneliness, love, loss and friendship in a way that is both tender and non-judgmental. He gives us the ingredients to live a fulfilled life, one not dictated by money or greed, but filled with gratitude and friendship. Folio’s edition is the ultimate version, a two-volume set that has everything from an introduction by Saint-Exupéry’s biographer to beautifully restored original illustrations. This is one to feed your inner child in the best way possible.
Illustrated by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Best Sellers for Children
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To mark Folio’s 75th anniversary, Michael Ende’s The Neverending Story is published as a magical new edition, beautifully illustrated by award-winning artist Marie-Alice Harel and bursting with exquisite design details.
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The adventures of Pooh, Piglet and friends in an exquisite illustrated edition.
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The first adventure in the Folio Society editions of ‘The Magic Faraway Tree’ series, Enid Blyton’s The Enchanted Wood features Jonathan Burton’s enchanting illustrations and a new introduction by Michael Morpurgo.
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The timeless adventures of Toad, Mole, Ratty and Badger have enchanted children and their parents for more than a century. This is a glorious edition of a children’s classic, with enchanting illustrations by Charles van Sandwyk.
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The Folio Society presents a glorious new edition of Lewis Carroll’s immortal tale, illustrated by acclaimed artist Charles van Sandwyk.
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A lively collection of nursery rhymes, both familiar and little known, collected by Andrew Lang, the acclaimed folklorist and editor of the Rainbow Fairy Books.
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Margery Williams’s affectionate tale of enduring love, The Velveteen Rabbit, has been faithfully reproduced in this beautifully designed new Folio collector’s edition.
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This Folio edition, a facsimile of the British edition of 1909, contains 60 of The Brothers Grimm’s most famous tales, including ‘Snow White’, ‘Hansel and Gretel’ and ‘Red Riding Hood’.
