With costs of living rising dramatically, more families are struggling to pay their bills and other essentials. Unfortunately, this may result in more families losing their homes and having to live in temporary accommodation or sofa surf. This hidden homelessness is explored in this touching but humorous tale about what happens to a young boy … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Has anyone seen Archie Ebbs??’ by Simon Packham.
If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading any of Tracey Corderoy’s picture books yet, you have a whole treasure trove of fabulous titles ahead of you to try. In this blog post, I’ll be sharing her latest picture book, ‘Impossible.’ Dog has busy life in the city. By day, he washes and returns his … Continue reading ‘Impossible,’ by Tracey Corderoy, illustrated by Tony Neal.
I love Duncan Beedie’s picture books - funny, wise and beautifully illustrated. Today I have one of his new titles to share with you: ‘Oof Makes an Ouch.’ AND a piece from Duncan about where the early idea for this brilliant book came from along with a peek in his sketchbook. Meet Oof and Pib. … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Oof Makes an Ouch!’ by Duncan Beedie.
I have been amazed by the quick response of many authors and publishers to the current covid-19 crisis. I’ve seen some excellent books about the virus and trying to explain why we need to socially-distance from those we love. Yesterday, a new title about the importance of hand-washing arrived through my letterbox. Now that more … Continue reading ‘Now Wash Your Hands!’ by Matt Carr.
It’s here. The final instalment in the brilliant ‘Who Let The Gods Out?’ series by writing wizard and all round fabulous person, Maz Evans. This book dives straight into a monumental battle between good and evil and Elliot is forced to collect the final Chaos Stone from the burning River Phlegethon by crazed Daemon of … Continue reading ‘Against All Gods,’ by Maz Evans, illustrations by Aleksei Bitskoff.
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
Little Mole is covered in labels: tiring, useless, ADD, loud, wriggly. But who is he really? From the second Little Mole wakes up, he storms through the burrow like a whirlwind. Everything’s a distraction. He can’t sit still in class or listen to instructions. No one wants to play with him and Little Mole is … Continue reading ‘Little Mole is a Whirlwind,’ by Anna Llenas.
My next holiday read was actually a re-read ahead of a workshop I’m doing in September about how funny books can be in-roads to discussing more serious issues with children. ‘Who Let The Gods Out’ certainly does just that. Elliot’s life has changed a lot over the past year - following the death of his … Continue reading Holiday Re-Read #5: ‘Who Let The Gods Out,’ by Maz Evans, characters by Aleksei Bitskoff.
One of the things I love most about children’s authors, is the seamless way they blend challenging and sensitive issues with humour to make the subject matter approachable for children. ‘Walls’ fits brilliantly into this category with its main character Ned struggling to come to terms with his parents’ divorce and break-up of peer friendships. … Continue reading ‘Walls,’ by Emma Fischel, cover by Sarah Darby.
It’s encouraging to see a more diverse range of main characters appearing in children’s books at the moment. It’s in this way that we can help develop empathy and understanding of those different to ourselves. That’s why I was very happy to be invited to take part in the blog tour for Double Felix. Felix’s … Continue reading ‘Double Felix,’ by Sally Harris, illustrated by Maria Serrano.
Library Girl and Book Boy 