Today I am sharing a wild, enchanting adventure steeped in the ancient magic of nature, written by award-winning novelist Melissa Harrison. Her books have the common purpose of trying to connect readers with the natural world and this is her children’s novel debut for readers aged 9+ ‘Three tiny, ancient beings - Moss, Burnet and … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘By Ash, Oak and Thorn,’ by Melissa Harrison, illustrated by Lauren O’Hara.
Today I’m sharing a new instalment in the Tindims series by Costa and Carnegie-winning author, Sally Gardner. It’s worth. I thing that this whole series is printed in a special dyslexia-friendly font, making it particularly accessible. ‘The tiny Tindims are like the Borrowers-on-Sea, who turn our everyday rubbish into treasure. Mother-and-daughter duo, prizewinning Sally Gardner … Continue reading Blog Tour: ‘The Tindims and the Ten Green Bottles,’ by Sally Gardner, illustrated by Lydia Corry.
Today is officially Earth Day 2021 so it only seems fitting that I share with you ‘Coyote’s Soundbite - A Poem For Our Planet’ - a very clever and funny call to action... ‘Excitement spreads like wildfire through the jungle. Earth-goddesses are planning a conference! From Australia to Antarctica, the Amazon to Africa, goddesses will … Continue reading Earth Day 2021 Spotlight: ‘Coyote’s Soundbite – A Poem for Our Planet,’ by John Agard, illustrated by Piet Grobler.
This time I have an early chapter book for you. Packed with engaging comic-book style illustrations and plenty of laughs, this would be perfect for anyone aged 7+. ‘This fun, anarchic series revolves around a boy called Max and his mission to make the world a better place. In each book in the series Max … Continue reading Earth Day 2021 Spotlight: ‘Max Takes A Stand,’ by Tim Allman, illustrated by Nick Shepherd.
This week, I’m going to be shining the spotlight on titles with environmental themes. Today’s the turn of ‘Green Nation Revolution.’ ‘Take your place in the Green Nation, a nation without geographical borders that unites the youth of today in their fight for the planet. Following on from the success of We Are All Greta, … Continue reading Earth Day 2021 Spotlight: ‘Green Nation Revolution – Use Your Future to Change the World,’ by Valentina Giannella & Lucia Esther Maruzzelli, illustrated by Manuela Marazzi.
Today I’m sharing a very timely picture book about a special journey through the oceans on the back of a whale which makes clear the devastating impact of plastic pollution on the seas and the creatures who live in them. ‘Where land becomes sky and the sky becomes sea, I first saw the whale, and … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Tale of the Whale,’ by Karen Swann, illustrated by Padmacandra.
Today we’re diving down into the watery depths of the world’s oceans and seas in Caryl Hart’s newest picture book. ‘SPLOOOOSH! We're off on an exciting underwater adventure in our submarine to meet the oceans and seas of our blue planet. Join in with the rhymes and get ready to spot all the smiley-faced, friendly … Continue reading Blog Tour: ‘Meet the Oceans,’ by Caryl Hart, illustrated by Bethan Woollvin.
As all children look set to returning to school over the coming days, I know that emotional wellbeing will be a key concern for many. With lots of pupils having felt very isolated over the past few months, anxiety about returning to school or even being in large groups of people may be looming large. … Continue reading ‘Swan Song,’ by Gill Lewis.
Today’s my stop on the ‘Beauty and the Bin’ blog tour. It’s a new middle grade title about reducing food waste, friendship and being true to yourself. Make sure you scroll down to read Joanne’s piece about how to be a young eco-warrior. Laurie's home-made beauty recipes are no secret. The secret is that her … Continue reading Blog Tour: ‘Beauty and the Bin,’ by Joanne O’Connell.
We all have a responsibility to look after our surroundings and care for the creatures who also make their homes in them. What I have today are three beautiful books with themes of protecting our environment and looking out for bees and other insects. ‘Omar, the Bees and Me,’ by Helen Mortimer, illustrated by Katie … Continue reading Bee-utiful Books!
National Non-Fiction November is an annual celebration of non-fiction for children and young people organised by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups. Visit their website for more information, ideas and resources http://www.fcbg.org.uk/national-non-fiction-november-2020 For my stop on this epic blog tour, I get to share a brilliant eco-adventure for newly confident readers: ‘Lottie Loves Nature: Frog … Continue reading NNFN Book Review Tour: ‘Lottie Loves Nature: Frog Frenzy,’ by Jane Clarke, illustrated by James Brown.
Today I’m sharing two books with strong environmental themes from the fabulous dyslexia-friendly publisher, Barrington Stoke. ‘The Invasion of Crooked Oak,’ by Dan Smith, illustrated by Chris King. The local community are very unhappy about the fracking site on Carpenter’s Field. The local children used to play there - catching fish and building dens. When … Continue reading Stories with Environmental themes from Barrington Stoke
Children see and hear the words ‘climate change’ everywhere, but do they truly understand what they mean? This brilliant picture book from Neal Layton explains very clearly and simply some of the causes of climate change and the impact that can have on our planet. Have you ever wondered what greenhouse gases are and what … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘A Climate in Chaos,’ by Neal Layton.
Given the high profile of climate change and a rise in climate activism amongst the youth of the world, it’s little surprise that the theme for the 50th Earth Day is climate activism. I am about to share with you all some titles which I hope will inform pupils about some of the global issues … Continue reading Books to Encourage Climate Activism – Earth Day 2020
Climate change is a major issue on the world’s political agenda but it has also become the motivator for a major campaign by young activists across the globe. Inspired by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, there have been waves of pupil strikes to ensure the voice of the younger generation is heard and to try … Continue reading ‘We are all Greta: Be Inspired to Save the World,’ by Valentina Giannella, illustrated by Manuela Marazzi.
Environmental activism is high on the agenda at the moment, with young people in particular campaigning to take care of our planet before it’s too late. There’s a rich seam of books being published at the moment which contain useful tips to help you make a difference and plenty of fiction books around environmental themes … Continue reading Planet in Peril
Today is my stop on the ‘Girl. Boy. Sea’ blog tour. In addition to telling you all about this shipwreck adventure, I also have an exclusive piece from the author himself about the sea-faring adventures that inspired him whilst growing up. This is a story of storm, shipwreck, survival and the formation of an unlikely … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Girl. Boy. Sea.’ by Chris Vick.
Following on from my non-fiction post, Blue Planet 1, which was packed full of some stunning new titles, it’s now the turn of some equally fabulous fiction books. ‘Alba the Hundred Year Old Fish,’ by Lara Hawthorne (Big Picture Press) A highly topical picture book about the damage plastic pollution does to the coral … Continue reading Blue Planet 2 – fabulous fiction
Following the huge success of the BBC’s breathtaking ‘Blue Planet’ series, taking care of our oceans and the creatures who live in them has never been more topical or more important. I’ve received lots of lovely picture books for readers of all ages which would fit beautifully into an underwater theme - some fiction, some … Continue reading Blue Planet 1 (information books)
Library Girl and Book Boy 