Books with a football theme are perennially popular - both in school libraries and at home with my own children. I was delighted to see a new series of fictionalised biographies about some of the game’s biggest players. Written by football fanatic, Harry Coninx, this series is infused with hints, tips and his own special … Continue reading ‘Tales From the Pitch,’ by Harry Coninx, cover by Ben Farr.
If you're already on the look out for funny books being released next year, look no further than the laugh-filled 'Chocolate Milk, Ray Spec, and Me' which is due out in January. 10-year-old Freddy Spicer writes letters to his parents - who he believes are working at a Brussels-sprouts farm in Outer Castonga, with no … Continue reading Cover Reveal & Exclusive Extract of: ‘Chocolate Milk, X-Ray Specs and Me,’ by Bethany Walker, illustrated by Jack Noel.
You know the drill when it comes to fairytales - princess gets locked in a tower/ put to sleep/ kidnapped by a witch and is rescued by a handsome prince, right? Wrong! What I have for you today are four fabulous collections of reimagined fairy tales for a more modern era. ‘Fearless Fairy Tales,’ by … Continue reading Fairy Tales Reimagined
There’s something rather magical about cracking open a brand new encyclopedia and immersing yourself in the knowledge within. Although people can now find any answer they want with a click of a button, I think there will always be a place for wonderful books like this - they contain worlds of possibilities and undiscovered wisdom … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Britannica All New Children’s Encyclopedia,’ from Britannica Books, edited by Christopher Lloyd.
The two books featured in this post will take you deep into places you’ve never dared explore before! ‘Gut Garden’ will take you into the wonderful of microbes hidden within your body, whilst ‘Unseen Worlds’ exposes the millions of microscopic creatures hiding in your bed and kitchen cupboards - not for the faint-hearted! ‘Unseen Worlds,’ … Continue reading Journeys into the Unknown
I am so pleased that Michelle Harrison is bringing her special brand of magic to a brand new series of first chapter books for newly confident readers. This first instalment was born out of her love for often unwanted black cats. Make sure you read Michelle’s piece about why black cats are so magical. When … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Midnight Magic,’ by Michelle Harrison, illustrated by Elissa Elwick.
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
With World Mental Health Day (Saturday 10th October) and International Day of the Girl (Sunday 11th October) coming up, today seems like an excellent time to share this fantastic book with you all. Written by a world-leading expert in body image research, it is packed with advice you can trust. This book is full of … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Body Image Book for Girls: Love Yourself and Grow Up Fearless,’ by Dr. Charlotte Markey, cover by Zoe Naylor.
Stories about war are as relevant and important as ever. They allow us to educate readers about conflicts past and present, encouraging them to empathise and reflect. Barrington Stoke have an excellent range of conflict-themed tales written by some of our most talented children’s authors, for readers of all levels of confidence. ‘Daisy and the … Continue reading Conflict-themed Stories from Barrington Stoke
Each of these three wonderful stories are very different but all feature some very special inter-generational relationships. ‘Special Delivery,’ by Jonathan Meres, illustrated by Hannah Coulson. This first story is part of Barrington Stoke’s Little Gems range which are specially produced for readers aged 5+ and feature fun activities in the jacket flaps. Frank REALLY … Continue reading Inter-generational Stories from Barrington Stoke
Full disclosure - I am a HUGE fan of Vashti’s middle grade adventures (the epic ‘Brightstorm’ series and the Blue Peter Award-Winning, ‘Wildspark.’) I am also a massive fan of Barrington Stoke’s highly-accessible, dyslexia-friendly titles. Imagine if you can, my delight at discovering that these two powerhouses of children’s books were joining forces to create … Continue reading ‘The Griffin Gate,’ by Vashti Hardy, illustrated by Natalie Smillie.
The week beginning the 5th October has been designated National Dyslexia Week. This year, the British Dyslexia Association have decided upon the theme #DyslexiaCreates - celebrating the ideas and organisations it can produce, as well as recognising the difficulties. They’ve produced a packs for schools available to download HERE. As a teacher, I worked with … Continue reading #DyslexiaCreates – Awesome Authors!
Did you know that it’s 75 years since the publication of one of Sweden’s most popular literary exports? Originally created for her daughter during the dark times of World War Two, Astrid Lindgren wanted to create a new kind of female character - one who was free-spirited and free-thinking. As thus was born an iconic … Continue reading Pippi Longstocking’s 75th Anniversary
Well the shortlist for this year’s CLiPPA (CLOE Children’s Poetry Award) has been announced and we can all start making some new additions to our poetry diets. As well as sharing that shortlist with you now, I also have a piece from one of the nominees, A.F. Harrold about just how he whittled down the … Continue reading The CLiPPA 2020 – with a special piece from A.F. Harrold
It’s Chriiiisssstmaaass!!!! Well, almost. But it’s definitely time to start buying Christmas books for all your favourite people. So, without further ado, let me introduce you to ‘Billy and the Balloons.’ Billy was out with his dad selling balloons on Christmas Eve and was desperate to hold the bunch, but dad keeps telling him that … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Billy and the Balloons,’ by Elizabeth Dale, illustrated by Patrick Corrigan.
For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Amelia Fang before: she’s the vampire with a pet pumpkin, Squashy and a whole host of monstrous friends. In her newest adventure, we meet her stinky baby brother, Vincent. Amelia is excited about attending her friend Grimaldi’s birthnight celebrations but her mum has followed … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Amelia Fang and the Trouble With Toads,’ by Laura Ellen Anderson.
This is the final instalment in Catherine’s award-winning Clockwork Crow trilogy - I couldn’t wait to find out how Seren and Tomos’s adventure was going to end! When Seren slips down a strange alleyway and purchases a mysterious box at the local fair, little does she suspect that it may hold an important secret. When … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Midnight Swan,’ by Catherine Fisher.
If you’re in the mood for a chucklesome boarding school tale full of ingenious orphans, evil matrons and belligerent goats, then this is the book for you! I had the absolutely pleasure of reading this wickedly funny tale over the Summer and it really tickled my funny bone. The humour was just dark enough for … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Orphans of St. Halibuts,’ by Sophie Wills, illustrated by David Tazzyman.
Today I’m showcasing the new ‘Lottie Loves Nature’ title: ‘Frog Frenzy.’ This is a brilliant series for newly confident readers or anyone who’s nutty about nature! Today, I’ve got a special post from author, Jane Clarke about her lifetime of loving nature and will be championing the title again in November on the Federation of … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Lottie Loves Nature: Frog Frenzy,’ by Jane Clarke, illustrated by James Brown.
There’s so much research which demonstrates how vital reading stories to the very littlest of bookworms is: it builds a bond between adult and child, dramatically increases their vocabulary by the time they turn five and teaches them early literacy skills in preparation for school and a lifelong love of reading. To that end, I … Continue reading Board Book Bonanza!
Library Girl and Book Boy 