Children's and YA selection autumn 2026

Alongside richly illustrated nonfiction on apples, art and mythical creatures, this autumn's children's and YA selection moves from the quiet resilience of friendship to worlds shaped by boundless imagination. A young mole learns to cope with absence, dragons serve tea and mammoths become pets, a chambermaid investigates an impossible theft, and a teenager searches for a way back from addiction.

From the prehistorical apple through Greek myths and Norse gods via Newton to Snow White: Evelien De Vlieger tells fifteen stories in which the apple is central. The stories alternate with heaps of facts about apples. Where does the apple actually come from? Was Granny Smith really a granny? ‘The Fairest of Them All’ shows that an apple is far more than just the most boring option in the fruit bowl.

‘The World Is Full of Wonders’ is a lively collection of humorous stories about great artists and iconic masterpieces as well as lesser-known names and unexpected events. The lively, colourful illustrations bring artists, artworks and historical events to life, making this book a true cabinet of wonders where looking, reading and discovering go hand in hand. The result is a vibrant tribute to the power of art.

On old maps, where the known world came to an end, the stories began and monsters, mysterious beings and mythical creatures emerged. In this book, Peter Goes takes readers on a journey around the world to discover dragons, spirits, gods, monsters and other wondrous creatures from every continent. The impressive illustrations turn every page into a voyage of discovery.  ‘The Atlas of Fabled Beasts’ is a book that sparks curiosity and invites endless exploration. 

Mole and Maurice are inseparable. Until one day, all of a sudden, Maurice says, ‘Bye, Mole!’ – and disappears without explanation. Mole doesn’t know if his friend is ever going to come back and finds comfort in the things Maurice has left behind. ‘All of a Sudden’ is a warm and affectionate picture book that shows how true friendship endures, even when someone goes away (if only for a while).

'What If?' takes readers into Tom Schamp’s boundless imagination, where dragons serve tea, mammoths become pets and every page sparkles with unexpected discoveries. This richly detailed look-and-find book invites children to dream, invent stories and explore endless possibilities through Schamp’s trademark humour, colour and visual wit. A feast for inquisitive spirits, dreamers, storytellers and anyone else who loves wondering ‘what if?’

The entire court is in an uproar: Princess Aurelia’s gold has disappeared from the Copper Tower. It’s an impossible crime, as the tower is exceptionally well guarded. But as a powerful ruler, the princess naturally has her share of enemies... She commands Brunhilde, a sharp-witted chambermaid, to solve the mystery alongside her famous uncle, Sir Faintheart. If they fail, they will pay with their lives. With buckets of humour and plenty of pace, ‘Sir Faintheart’ is a hilarious whodunnit full of exuberant humour and set in a delightfully grotesque world.

Waking up alive. Knowing what day it is. Having friends. On his first day in the rehab facility that is supposed to help him overcome his addiction, 17-year-old Lee writes down these three advantages of a life without drugs. Through Lee’s eyes, the reader has already witnessed how the boundaries of time blur when he is high, and how he makes sure that he is always high. In the hands of Pepijn Lievens, who draws on his own experience, what could easily have been a sentimental tearjerker becomes a raw and exceptionally convincing portrait of a teenager on the edge of the abyss.