Highly-illustrated books for children wanting something wordier than a picture book.
I’d like to introduce you to a brand new series of first chapter books for developing readers. The ‘Rudy’ series has a cast of spooky characters whose adventures will delight young wolf cubs and leave them howling for more! Rudy and the Monster at School ‘There's a new boy in Rudy's school called Frankie, and … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Rudy,’ by Paul Westmoreland, illustrated by George Ermos.
Ever since Tomas and the dragons’ very first outing in 2018, I have been recommending this series to Year 2 teachers across the land. Imagine my delight in learning that there was finally going to be a ‘non-fiction’ guide to accompany it! ‘Tomas, the boy who grew dragons, is officially the Grand High Dragon Master. … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Ultimate Guide to Growing Dragons,’ by Andy Shepherd, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie.
Let me start by saying that children are NEVER too old for picture books. EVER. There, I’ve said it. But there will probably come a time when they’d like something a little wordier to tuck into. Luckily, there is now a huge range of highly-illustrated first chapter books designed especially for this market. All the … Continue reading Fantastical First Chapter Books
Woo hoo! I absolutely love ANYTHING Elys Dolan writes so I was pleased to seen a brand new highly-illustrated chapter book drop through my letter box… Rex is king of the dinosaurs: carnivores want to be him and herbivores want to be eaten by him... That is, until a pesky Ice Age comes along and … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Rex: Dinosaur in Disguise,’ by Elys Dolan.
Monster Max is back in another community-minded adventure. If you missed the first instalment in this chucklesome series, you can take a look here. Make sure you read Robin’s thoughts on why ‘funny’ is so important. Max is an ordinary boy, except that he can turn into a monster when he burps... Max and Peregrine … Continue reading ‘Monster Max and the Marmalade Ghost,’ by Robin Bennett, illustrated by Tom Tinn-Disbury.
Today I’m sharing the first title in a magical new series for readers aged 6 and up, and it just so happens to feature a rather mischievous baby dragon and their seven-year-old owner, Luma. Be sure to read author Leah Mohammed’s piece about the special bond between children and their pets. ‘When Luma Dewan wakes … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Luma and the Pet Dragon,’ by Leah Mohammed, illustrated by Loretta Schauer.
Introducing a brand new series of highly-engaging first chapter books featuring our new favourite hero: Marv (and his robot sidekick, Pixel.) Marv and the Mega Robot Marvin is an ordinary boy who loves spending time with Grandpa, reading comics, and making science experiments with his best friend Joe. But everything changes when he discovers a … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Marv,’ by Alex Falase-Koya illustrated by Paula Bowles.
Introducing a super-funny blast around the galaxy featuring some very empathetic aliens! Make sure you read author, James Bishop’s piece on how he set about creating and unusually empathetic alien race. Meet Mylan - an ordinary blue alien. He's travelling the universe, looking for someone having a bad day, to help them. Meet Chloe. She's just … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Worst Day Ever,’ by James Bishop, illustrated by Fay Austin.
Author, artist, and game designer Joshua Davidson first devised the Night Zookeeper website when he was studying for an MA in digital arts. It was a space where children could design their own animals and write stories about them. Since then, the site has been nominated for several awards and is used by schools across … Continue reading The ‘Night Zookeeper’ series by Joshua Davidson, illustrated by Buzz Burman.
There’s a brand new look and a brand new title for Tom Percival’s Dream Defender series. Erika and the Anger Mare was originally released as Dream Team: Attack of the Heebie Jeebies , whilst Chandra and the Devious Doubt was previously released as Dream Team: A Case of the Jitters. Presumably these changes were made … Continue reading The ‘Dream Defenders’ series by Tom Percival.
The very first Thimble Monkey adventure: ‘Thimble Monkey Superstar,’ was shortlisted for the Laugh Out Loud Book awards. The series now has a fourth LOL-worthy instalment in the form of ‘Thimble and the Girl From Mars.’ Make sure you read author, Jon Blake’s piece featuring eight (possibly) interesting facts about the creation of this story. … Continue reading ‘Thimble and the Girl From Mars,’ by Jon Blake, illustrated by Martin Chatterton.
‘Reflecting Realities’ is the name of a powerful piece of research conducted by the CLPE (Centre for Literacy in Primary Education) which focussed on extent and quality of ethnic representation and diversity within children’s literature. Their third report (published in November 2020) found that only 7% of children’s literature published over the past three years … Continue reading Reflecting Realities – Part 1 (diverse ethnicities)
It’s that time of year when some of our thoughts may turn to the spooky or the magical. This blog features some of the latest titles I’ve been sent which reflect these themes. Take a look but don’t get scared…! Board Books ‘Five Spooky Friends,’ by Danielle McLean, illustrated by Rosalind Maroney (Little Tiger Press) … Continue reading Happy Halloween
Emma Chichester Clark is probably best known for her beautiful picture books, but she has also just had a chapter book published for readers aged 6+. ‘Polly Pecorino’ is full of the gorgeous illustrations you would expect, bringing to life Chichester Clark’s tale of human stupidity and greed. ‘Are you brave enough to enter the … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Polly Pecorino- The Girl Who Rescues Animals,’ by Emma Chichester Clark.
A new collaboration between author-illustrator duo Haddow and Dempsey is always going to be a cause for celebration (have you read the Dave Pigeon series?) but especially when it’s the first title in a new series of brilliantly bad early chapter books. And by that, I mean ‘bad’ as in ‘good!’ “Are you sick of … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Bad Panda,’ by Swapna Haddow and Sheena Dempsey.
Today I’m hosting part 1 of a fascinating Q&A with author-illustrator Paul Morton. It’s absolutely packed with tips for any budding author/ illustrators! For parts 2 and 3, you’ll need to visit the other stops on the blog tour too. Bug Belly is back! After the first instalment in this highly-illustrated first chapter book series … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Bug Belly Froggy Rescue,’ by Paul Morton.
You may have already spotted Dom’s original story: ‘Meet Matilda Rocket Builder,’ but today I have an exclusive short story to share with you all….. ‘Going to the Moon is SO last century, so how difficult can it be―even for a ten-year-old―to follow in the footsteps of Neil Armstrong and the Apollo astronauts? Meet Matilda, … Continue reading Exclusive! ‘Meet Matilda Rocket Builder: The Early Years Planets and Stars,’ – an original short story by Dom Conlon, illustrated by Heidi Cannon.
Today I’m sharing the first in an eye-popping new series of magical early chapter books packed full of curious creatures and whirlwind adventures! Introducing the wonderful world of Indigo Wilde..... ‘Indigo Wilde and her little brother, Quigley, live at 47 Jellybean Crescent, a crazy and colourful house full of magical Creatures that her parents, World-Famous … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Indigo Wilde and the Creatures of Jellybean Crescent,’ by Pippa Curnick.
Introducing the second book in the Johnny Ball series - a super-funny series for football mad readers. ‘From the author of Ultimate Football Heroes comes the second book in the Johnny Ball series, funny reading for football-mad kids. Johnny Ball's got a super exciting new job: assistant manager for the Tissbury Tigers! But there's a … Continue reading ‘Johnny Ball Undercover Football Genius,’ by Matt Oldfield, illustrated by Tim Wesson.
Today I’m very pleased to be able to introduce you to Uncle Pete: explorer and extraordinary adventure-haver. And he’s just about embark on a new mission... ‘Uncle Pete and the Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep tells the story of Harry, a young boy who has never slept his entire life, no matter how hard his parents … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Uncle Pete and the Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep,’ by David C Flanagan, illustrated by Will Hughes.
Library Girl and Book Boy 