29th April Jill Paton Walsh (1937)

When I was at school, there didn't seem to be that many books specifically for children, but at High School I read Fireweed and Goldengrove and then had to read more by Jill Paton Walsh. She seem to know exactly what girls my age wanted to read! She is a very versatile British author who writes for adults, teens and very young children and in a variety of genres. I don't have many of her books in my library as it caters for children under eight, but she does do picture books. We have three

• Connie Came to Play illustrated by Stephen Lambert

• When I Was Little Like You illustrated by Stephen Lambert and

• When Grandma Came illustrated by Sophy Williams

Each of these looks at close family connections and reinforces themes pertinent to the very young.