Today it’s my turn to cheerlead for one of the brilliant nominees for the Federation of Children’s Book Groups (FCBG) Children’s Book Award. The finalists were chosen by the children in the book groups and the overall winners are voted for by their readers. As a fan of funny books, I was asked to represent … Continue reading Vote ‘Funny Kid Stand Up,’ by Matt Stanton for the FCBG Children’s Book Awards!
Category: Awards and Special Events
British Science Week – Part 1: Science Fact
I have been carefully collecting a fantastic range of science-based books (non-fiction and fiction) to share with you during British Science Week- a ten day celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths. I’m going to start off with the information books as they are Book Boy’s favourites! ‘Science is Magic’ written by Steve Mould (DK … Continue reading British Science Week – Part 1: Science Fact
Here Come the Girls! (International Women’s Day)
It’s never too early to start teaching young girls (and boys) that they have the power to do whatever they want to. Luckily, girls are no longer consigned to the role of helpless princess in the books available for them to enjoy. I’m going to share with you some of the celebratory and stereotype-busting titles … Continue reading Here Come the Girls! (International Women’s Day)
The Funny Thing about Funny Books
Those of you who follow my blog or engage with me on Twitter will know that I am passionate about children’s books, all children’s books, and the power they have to transform a child’s life. There are few more powerful things parents can do for their children as babies which will significantly increase their vocabulary … Continue reading The Funny Thing about Funny Books
‘Flights Of Fancy – stories, pictures and inspiration from ten Children’s Laureates,’ from Walker Books.
This year marks twenty years of the Waterstones Children’s Laureateship, a collection of inspirational individuals committed to promoting a love of reading, books and illustration. To celebrate, Walker Books have compiled this very special anthology which is sure to be treasured by anyone with a love of children’s books. Readers in the U.K. have benefitted … Continue reading ‘Flights Of Fancy – stories, pictures and inspiration from ten Children’s Laureates,’ from Walker Books.
National Non-Fiction November – the FCBG Blog Tour
Today I’m helping The Federation Of Children’s Book Groups (FCBG) celebrate National Non-Fiction November (#NNFN) with two fantastic titles from Laurence King Publishing. Both very different, but both will help you travel around the globe without leaving your house! ‘Around the World With the Ingreedies: A Taste Adventure’ by Zoë Bather & Joe Sharpe, illustrated … Continue reading National Non-Fiction November – the FCBG Blog Tour
Welcome to the Lollies 2018 – being a judge & introducing the short-list.
I am very honoured to be kicking off the blog tour for the Lollies 2018 - a celebration of some of the funniest children’s reads out there! I have always believed in the power of funny books to help transform children into readers and to address tricky issues in an accessible way. Unfortunately, some people … Continue reading Welcome to the Lollies 2018 – being a judge & introducing the short-list.
The Happy Book Club
Perhaps you’re looking for a gift that’s a little bit different. Perhaps you want to introduce your own child to fantastic new books and activities each month. Or perhaps you love children’s books and want to treat yourself. Whatever the case, you could try a fabulous books subscription from The Happy Book Company who provide … Continue reading The Happy Book Club
Maverick Early Readers
A child’s first experiences of reading can shape their future view of books, so it’s important to ensure they’re exposed to a range of interesting and attractive texts. This is true both at home and at school, where having to plough through a seemingly never-ending series of books about the same characters can really put … Continue reading Maverick Early Readers
Celebrating Empathy Day with ‘Perfectly Norman,’ by Tom Percival.
Empathy Day was founded in 2017 by Empathy Lab who believe in using the power of stories to help us understand each other better and make us more empathetic. This year, Empathy Day 2018 is on 12 June so if you’d like to get involved, download a school pack or the free Read For Empathy Guide Of … Continue reading Celebrating Empathy Day with ‘Perfectly Norman,’ by Tom Percival.
The Laugh Out Loud 2018 Book Awards (Lollies) Short-list!
I was extremely excited to be invited by Scholastic to be on the judging panel for this year’s Lollies. Although the short-list is decided by the judges, the winners are decided purely by readers, librarians and teachers so make sure you visit http://www.scholastic.co.uk/lollies to vote! Michael Rosen, children’s novelist, poet and former Children’s Laureate, today announced … Continue reading The Laugh Out Loud 2018 Book Awards (Lollies) Short-list!
Children’s Book Award nominee – ‘The Explorer,’ by Katherine Rundell, illustrations by Hannah Horn.
I am very excited to have been asked to be an official cheerleader for one of the amazing nominees for 2018’s Children's Book Award. Organised by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups, these are the only awards where the nominees and winners are chosen entirely by children. The nominated book I’ve been asked to celebrate … Continue reading Children’s Book Award nominee – ‘The Explorer,’ by Katherine Rundell, illustrations by Hannah Horn.
‘Make More Noise!’ from Nosy Crow, cover by Steph Baxter.
‘You have to make more noise than anybody else,’ Emmeline Pankhurst, leader of the British suffragette movement. To celebrate the centenary anniversary of the Representation of The People Act 1918, which have the vote to some women for the first time, Nosy Crow commissioned a very special collection of stories from a stellar collection of … Continue reading ‘Make More Noise!’ from Nosy Crow, cover by Steph Baxter.
Lollies 2017 Winner! ‘My Gym Teacher is an Alien Overlord,’ by David Solomons, illustrated by Laura Ellen Anderson, typography by Rob Biddulph
****Breaking News!!!****
Congratulations are due to the excellent David Solomons as ‘My Gym Teacher is an Alien Overlord,’ won the PopJam Readers’ Choice Award at the Lollies 2017 award ceremony tonight! I am absolutely thrilled for everyone involved and can’t wait for another instalment in the future.
I am so excited and honoured to be one of this year’s Lollies champions, I am even more excited that I get to be David Solomons’ champion as I’ve been a huge fan of his hilarious (and award-wining) superhero series since the release of its very first instalment, ‘My Brother is a Superhero.’ I’m also beyond excited that we have a brilliant blog post from David about superheroes and funny books AND an awesome book bundle giveaway!
The Lollies (The Laugh Out Loud 2017 Book Awards) are the brainchild of legend Michael Rosen and super-publisher Scholastic, and were intended both to fill the void…
View original post 969 more words
International Book Giving Day 2018
International World Book Giving Day is now in its sixth year and continues to spread far and wide across the globe, with people in countries such as Nepal, India, Canada, Romania, South Africa, UK, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Fiji, Nigerian, Czech Republic, USA, Cambodia and the Philippines. Phew! It is run entirely by … Continue reading International Book Giving Day 2018
Lollies 2017 Winner! ‘My Gym Teacher is an Alien Overlord,’ by David Solomons, illustrated by Laura Ellen Anderson, typography by Rob Biddulph
****Breaking News!!!**** Congratulations are due to the excellent David Solomons as ‘My Gym Teacher is an Alien Overlord,’ won the PopJam Readers’ Choice Award at the Lollies 2017 award ceremony tonight! I am absolutely thrilled for everyone involved and can’t wait for another instalment in the future. I am so excited and honoured to be … Continue reading Lollies 2017 Winner! ‘My Gym Teacher is an Alien Overlord,’ by David Solomons, illustrated by Laura Ellen Anderson, typography by Rob Biddulph
Awesome Lollies short-list giveaway!
As you may know, voting for this year's Laugh Out Loud 2017 Book Awards is now open. To help you choose your winner, Scholastic have very generously given me a book bundle to give away which contains all the nominees for the 6-8 year old category! These would be the perfect addition to any bookcase … Continue reading Awesome Lollies short-list giveaway!
Introducing the Laugh Out Loud 2017 Book Awards Nominees…
Today's the day! Today, we finally get to find out which books were selected as some of the funniest recent publications by the Lollies judging panel! Despite my best efforts on short-listing day, I was unable to spot which pile of books were the chosen few; there were so many fantastic titles about the offices. … Continue reading Introducing the Laugh Out Loud 2017 Book Awards Nominees…
The Laugh Out Loud 2017 Book Awards Short-listing Day…
At the end of April, great excitement rippled through our school library when we were invited on a top-secret mission to Scholastic HQ to interview the judges after they'd selected the short list for the Laugh Out Loud 2017 Book Awards (aka The Lollies). These awards were established by Michael Rosen to fill the void left by … Continue reading The Laugh Out Loud 2017 Book Awards Short-listing Day…
International Book Giving Day 2017
So what's special about 14th February 2017? That it's St. Valentine's Day? Well yes, but that's not what I want to talk about. It also just so happens to be........ What better way to show your love to someone than by giving them a great book to read?Tomorrow, people all over the world will be … Continue reading International Book Giving Day 2017