While spring might be struggling to make its way over to us, we’re getting ready for the new season by reading and dreaming of food on our shelves. Here’s a list of ten books for readers with different tastes; full of bustling markets, baked goods, pasta detectives, food thieves, cooking contests, ice cream cafes, chocolate-obsessed dragons, food from different cultures, and the best fruit in the world (it’s mangoes).

Visit your local library to borrow or request a copy or to check out the rest of our collection.

Early Readers

1. Baby Goes To Market written by Atinuke, illustrated by Angela Brooksbank

Join Baby and his doting mama at a bustling southwest Nigerian marketplace for a bright, bouncy read-aloud offering a gentle introduction to numbers.

When Baby and Mama go to the market, Baby is so adorable that the banana seller gives him six bananas. Baby eats one and puts five in the basket, but Mama doesn’t notice. As Mama and Baby wend their way through the stalls, cheeky Baby collects five oranges, four biscuits, three ears of sweet corn, two pieces of coconut … until Mama notices that her basket is getting very heavy! Poor Baby, she thinks, he must be very hungry by now! Rhythmic language, visual humour, and a bounty of delectable food make this a tale that is sure to whet little appetites for story time.

2. Bun on the Run written by Smriti Halls, illustrated by Chris Jevons

Will Bernard the bun find sweet freedom – or end up in a sticky situation?

On a little white plate in a baker’s shop

sat Bernard the bun – with a cherry on top.

He was squidgy and soft, sugared and spiced,

perfectly round and perfectly iced.

Bernard isn’t like other buns. He’s brave, he’s fierce, he’s going on the run! But life outside the bakery is full of dangers for a yummy treat like him – especially at tea time …

A deliciously hilarious picture book for children who are fans of sticky buns and love to laugh.

3. Chocolate Cake written by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Kevin Waldron

When I was a boy,

I had a favourite treat.

It was when my mum made …

CHOCOLATE CAKE!

Ohhh! I LOVED chocolate cake.

Fantastically funny and full of silly noises, this is Michael Rosen’s love letter to every child’s favourite treat, chocolate cake. Brought to life as a picture book for the first time with brilliant and characterful illustrations by Kevin Waldron.

4. Hotel Flamingo: Fabulous Feast written by Alex Milway

On Animal Boulevard the snow is finally melting after a long, quiet winter and Hotel Flamingo is ready to embrace the new season and new guests. Anna knows she needs to come up with a plan to get the hotel buzzing again! And what does Hotel Flamingo have that no one else has? One of the best chefs in town – Madame Le Pig!

In a stroke of inspiration Anna decides that the hotel will put on a Battle of the Chefs. Madame Le Pig will go head-to-head with prestigious Animal Boulevard chefs Peston Crumbletart and Laurence Toot-Toot in a thrilling live cooking show – and there will be an accompanying feast for all who attend.

But as ever Anna has a lot to contend with – not just grumpy, demanding chefs but a host of new guests with ever-changing needs, from Simon Suckerlot the flamboyant octopus to Alfonso Fastbeak the stunt pigeon. And when taking centre stage proves harder than expected for Madame Le Pig, the whole team must pull together to buoy her up and pull off the most Fabulous Feast that Hotel Flamingo has ever seen.

5. Spaghetti Hunters written and illustrated by Morag Hood

This is a brilliantly funny and wonderfully silly picture book, featuring a duck, a tiny horse and quest for spaghetti, from the award-winning Morag Hood.

Duck has lost his spaghetti, and Tiny Horse has a plan to save the day. But what exactly do you bring to a Spaghetti Hunt? A spade, a fishing rod, a jar of peanut butter, cutlery and some binoculars, obviously.

Searching far and wide, Tiny Horse catches worms, a ball of string, even a snake – but no spaghetti. Disaster! Until Duck consults a recipe book and armed with flour, eggs and a pasta maker, sets about making his own spaghetti.

This infectiously comic story encourages reading and home-cooking, teaching children about where food really comes from.

Confident Readers

6. Ice Cream Boy written by Lindsay Littleson

Twelve-year-old Luca Verani has his future all mapped out: who needs school when he’s going to take over his family’s ice cream cafe? But then his aunt announces she’s selling the struggling business and Luca realises that his nonna’s memory is disappearing. Plus, he’s starting high school and one of his best friends Sitara is being targeted by racist bullies. As Luca’s worries pile up, will his dreams melt away?

Full of authentic dialogue, gentle humour and true-to-life characters, this engaging middle-grade novel explores the thoughts and feelings of children affected by dementia.

7. The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart written by Stephanie Burgis

Aventurine is the fiercest, bravest kind of dragon, and she’s ready to prove it to her family by leaving the safety of their mountain cave and capturing the most dangerous prey of all: a human.

But when the human she captures tricks her into drinking enchanted hot chocolate, she finds herself transformed into a puny human girl with tiny blunt teeth, no fire, and not one single claw. She’s still the fiercest creature in these mountains though – and now she’s found her true passion: chocolate! All she has to do is walk on two feet to the human city, find herself an apprenticeship (whatever that is) in a chocolate house (which sounds delicious), and she’ll be conquering new territory in no time … won’t she?

Wild and reckless young Aventurine will bring havoc to the human city – but what she doesn’t expect is that she’ll find real friendship there too, along with betrayal, deception, scrumptious chocolate and a startling new understanding of what it means to be a human (and a dragon).

8. The Great Food Bank Heist written by Onjali Q. Rauf, illustrated by Elisa Paganelliu

On Thursdays, Nelson, Asha and Mum head out to the bank. But not just any old bank – the food bank. With its shining tins and packets of food stacked from floor to ceiling, Nelson thinks it’s the best kind of bank there is. But there’s a thief in town, and the shelves of the food bank are getting emptier each day, leaving people hungrier than ever. For the sake of his family and everyone else’s, Nelson needs to make them stop. But can he and his friends really be the ones to catch the bank robber?

9. Welcome To Our Table written by Laura Mucha and Ed Smith, illustrated by Harriet Lynas

From pasta to passionfruit, baguettes to biryani, ramen to rambutan, there are so many different dishes and delicacies all around the world. In this fascinating book, young children can learn all about what people in other countries eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as where our food comes from, and the stories, cultures and traditions behind what we eat. A unique, warm-hearted book that will teach children understanding, empathy and respect, and inspire a love of food and flavour.

10. When Life Gives You Mangoes written by Kereen Getten

Nothing much happens in Sycamore, the small village where Clara lives – at least, that’s how it looks. She loves eating ripe mangoes fallen from trees, running outside in the rainy season and escaping to her secret hideout with her best friend Gaynah. There’s only one problem – she can’t remember anything that happened last summer.

When a quirky girl called Rudy arrives from England, everything starts to change. Gaynah stops acting like a best friend, while Rudy and Clara roam across the island and uncover an old family secret. As the summer reaches its peak and the island storms begin, Clara’s memory starts to return and she must finally face the truth of what happened last year.