I recently reviewed ‘Saving Winslow,’ by Sharon Creech. This heart-warming book is all about Louie. He had been hoping for a puppy to care for but instead his father brought home a sickly newborn donkey from his uncle’s farm. Louie didn’t have a great track record when it came to nurturing small creatures, with worms … Continue reading Designing ‘Saving Winslow,’ by illustrator, Sarah Horne.
If you haven’t read any of Sharon Creech’s stories, ‘Saving Winslow’ is a great place to start, followed up by her verse novel ‘Love that Dog.’ Louie had been hoping for a puppy to care for but instead his father brings home a sickly newborn donkey from his uncle’s farm. Louie doesn’t have a great … Continue reading ‘Saving Winslow,’ by Sharon Creech, illustrated by Sarah Horne.
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
Today is my stop on the blog tour of Donna David’s debut picture book, ‘Oh No, Bobo!’ - a gentle introduction for little readers to the concept of consent. Poor little Bobo can’t sleep; he just needs the perfect pillow and then he’s sure he’ll be able to nod off. So Bobo sets out into … Continue reading Blog Tour: ‘Oh No, Bobo!’ by Donna David, illustrated by Laura Watkins.
You are going to go batty for this glorious book about the often maligned and overlooked mammals which are bats! I have been a huge fan of Charlotte’s work since reading her stunning ‘The Bee Book’ which highlighted the beauty and importance of our buzzy little friends. This absolutely fascinating book is packed with more … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Bat Book,’ by Charlotte Milner.
I love this title, which is the first in a brand new spot and count series. ‘On the Farm’ is a fantastic introduction to life on the farm. It is absolutely packed with excellent farmyard vocabulary such as ‘herding,’ ‘sty,’ and ‘bales.’ It also names lots of animals and plants you might expect to see … Continue reading ‘What Can You See on the Farm?’ By Kate Ware, illustrated by María Perera.
There comes a point on Christmas Day when all the tinsel and fairy lights can be a little much and you just want to snuggle up somewhere warm with a beautiful book. Animals are perennial favourites with readers of all ages so I have a selection sure to delight everyone. ’Goodnight Ocean’ by Carmen Saldaña, … Continue reading Gifts for Animal Lovers
I’ve recently been sent several beautiful new editions of classic children’s stories which I think would make excellent Christmas gifts for established fans or new readers. To stand the rest of time, these classic stories have to have a timeless appeal that will entertain future generations and the titles I’m about to show you will … Continue reading Pick a Classic for Christmas
Recently, we’ve enjoyed a lot of excellent books about human heroes (watch out for a blog post coming soon!), but today the blog is celebrating some rather remarkable creatures who have earned their place in the history books. Let me introduce ‘WildLives’ by Ben Lerwill - Make sure you scroll down to read his exclusive … Continue reading Blog Tour: ‘WildLives: 50 Extraordinary Animals that Made History,’ by Ben Lerwill, illustrated by Sarah Walsh.
In honour of International Dogs Day, here’s a round up of some of the fab books I’ve received featuring some of the most brilliant dogs around! ‘This is a Dog’ by Ross Collins (Nosy Crow) Uh oh! A very loveable but slightly excitable young pup has broken into a First Book of Animals and taken … Continue reading Puppy Love
I’ve a whole new selection of vibrant and enticing board books to share with you all. Get ready for llamacorns, unicorns, flamingos and tigers, counting and colours and fun! I always think the summer holidays are the perfect excuse to indulge in a stack of new books, whether from a bookshop or your local library. … Continue reading Don’t be ‘board’ books!
Anna Fargher’s brilliant middle grade title ‘The Umbrella Mouse’ is currently Waterstones Children’s Book Of The month. It tells a tale based on the true stories of some of the animals caught in the conflict of the Second World War, a tale of courage, friendship and resistance. When the Umbrella shop which is the London … Continue reading The Women Who Helped Make D-Day Possible by author of ‘The Umbrella Mouse,’ Anna Fargher.
I’ve been sent a treasure trove of beautiful board books recently. Some are wonderful new editions of classics and some are brand new. We all know the benefits of starting the bedtime story habit with babies - bonding time, language acquisition, fun! So whether you’re looking for a new bedtime read or buying a gift … Continue reading Don’t be bored, get board (books!)
As the daffodils and crocuses start to bloom, we know that Spring is definitely on its way and it’s time for us to get outdoors and muddy. I’d like to share three picture books to help inspire little ones to get back to nature this Spring. ‘Little Bear’s Spring’ by Elli Woollard & Briony May … Continue reading Let’s Get Outdoors!
I am honoured to be part of the blog tour for ‘Will You Catch Me?’ which has been scheduled to help raise awareness of International Children Of Alcoholics Week (11th-17th February) organised by the NACOA. Inspired by her own childhood experiences of alcohol abuse, Elson penned this title to help highlight the turmoil of those … Continue reading ‘Will You Catch Me?’ by Jane Elson.
I have recently been sent an excellent series of board books from Caterpillar Books which are designed to teach babies and toddlers key vocabulary and concepts in various scientific topics. Children always love to learn a tricky scientific word - they’re never too young to start! Babies can learn about the world’s greatest buildings, learn … Continue reading Baby 101: Welcome, class! from Caterpillar Books
‘Eye Spy’ by Guillaume Duprat (What On Earth Books) This is an absolutely fantastic book which gives its readers an animal-eye view of the world. If you thought that all animals saw the same, you were wrong! Snakes see in infrared, cats are super-sensitive to movement and a chameleon’s eyes allow it to look two … Continue reading Eye-Opening Animal Fact Books
I have received a number of beautiful and informative non-fiction titles about the wonderful animal kingdom in recent weeks. A subject of constant fascination amongst children and adults alike, they’ll be spoilt for choice with this gorgeous selection. ‘Hello World Animals’ by Nicola Edwards, illustrated by L’Atelier Cartographik (360 Degrees) This stunning hardback book with … Continue reading The Animal Kingdom
A year ago, a stunningly beautiful non-fiction book was published which caused a huge sensation in the media and amongst educators, with crowd-funding campaigns being launched to get thousands of copies into schools. ‘The Lost Words’ is a magical tome full of the disappearing language of the wild. This enchanting book aims to revive words … Continue reading ‘The Lost Words,’ by Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris.
I am delighted to have been asked to host a special ‘National Poetry Day’ (on the 4th of October this year) post based on looking at ways of using the amazing variety of poems in this glorious anthology within the classroom. ‘I Am The Seed That Grew The Tree’ is one of Nosy Crow’s most … Continue reading ‘I Am The Seed That Grew The Tree,’ curated by Fiona Waters, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon.
