Today it’s my stop on the blog tour, so I get to share with you a magical new bedtime read: ‘In My Dreams,’ by Stef Gemmill. As a little boy drifts off to sleep, his dreams take him to the furthest reaches of his imagination. Diving to the deepest depths of the ocean, dancing in … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘In My Dreams,’ by Stef Gemmill, illustrated by Tanja Stephani.
‘I am brown. I am amazing. I am you.’ Every child deserves to see their faces beaming back at them from the pages of the books they read. With 33.1% of our school children being BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic), it is vital that school book collections reflect this. Lantana Publishing are certainly flying … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘I Am Brown,’ by Ashok Banker, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat.
The final biography I’ll be sharing this week is ‘We Are Artists’ - an absolute treasure trove of information and stunning artwork reproductions, celebrating 15 women artists from around the globe. It studies their lives, their art and their legacy, and looks at how their unique perspectives gave us a new way of seeing things. … Continue reading ‘We Are Artists,’ by Kari Herbert.
This next collection of biographies features fifty individuals who weren’t afraid to break boundaries, take risks and dream big. This book is beautifully illustrated and features a fantastic mix of people - well-known and not so well-known. It has entries for inventors, scientists, artists, sports people, writers, film makers and actors, amongst others. I was … Continue reading They Did it First: 50 Scientists, Artists and Mathematicians who Changed the World,’ by Julie Leung, illustrated by Caitlin Kuhwald.
I love that the whole premise of this book is to inspire readers to think about how they are extraordinary too. Inside, is a fabulous selection of inspirational figures from around the world - some well-known and some less so. This wonderful book is so packed full of some of the most amazing people, that … Continue reading ‘How to be Extraordinary,’ by Rashmi Sirdeshpande, illustrated by Annabel Tempest.
With time for music and dance being squeezed out of the primary school timetable, it seems important that we use every means necessary to encourage and inspire a love of music and dancing in children. This varied selection of picture is sure to cause music-making and merriment amongst their readers. ‘Jazz Dog’ by Marie Voigt … Continue reading Make a Song and Dance about it – books which celebrate the arts.
It’s never too early to start teaching young girls (and boys) that they have the power to do whatever they want to. Luckily, girls are no longer consigned to the role of helpless princess in the books available for them to enjoy. I’m going to share with you some of the celebratory and stereotype-busting titles … Continue reading Here Come the Girls! (International Women’s Day)
Two girls, a century apart. Together they’ll find freedom. This story is told in two parts, over two different time periods: the present day and 1891. The present day: we meet Semira, an Eritrean refugee who undertook a long a dangerous journey across desert and sea with her mother, accompanied by a man who has … Continue reading ‘The Closest Thing to Flying,’ by Gill Lewis, cover by Paola Escobar.
With the impending American mid-terms looming large on the horizon, it must surly have been serendipity which saw ‘Dear Donald Trump’ pop through my letterbox. Sam is sick of sharing a bedroom with his brother. He plays on his phone all night, keeping Sam awake and he has had enough! After seeing Donald Trump on … Continue reading ‘Dear Donald Trump,’ by Sophie Siers, illustrated by Anne Villeneuve.
What better way to kick off National Non-Fiction November than with this gorgeous little collection of biographies about some of the world’s most famous faces. Frida Kahlo by Isabel Thomas, illustrated by Marianna Madriz. This volume explores why Frida Kahlo is a twentieth century art icon. It looks at how she used her bold painting … Continue reading Little Guides to Great Lives
You all know the story of the race to the North Pole, right? Wrong! I bet you’ve never heard the remarkable tale of Matthew Henson, part of a team of men who reached the North Pole on a dog sled AHEAD of Dr. Cook! This new super-readable title from Barrington Stoke tells the unbelievable bit … Continue reading ‘Race to the Frozen North: The Matthew Henson Story,’ by Catherine Johnson, illustrated by Katie Hickey.
This beautiful collection of illustrated biographies from Lantana Publishing is inspired by Nobel Peace Prize Laureates and endorsed by Amnesty International, and marks Lantana’s first foray into the world of non-fiction. What does peace mean to you? This illustrated collection of biographies focuses on some of the people who have had the most inspirational ideas … Continue reading ‘Peace and Me,’ by Ali Winter & Mickaël El Fathi.
I am delighted to host something a little different on my blog today: a brilliant new poetry anthology celebrating female poets across the ages. This new collection from anthologist Ana Sampson, features 150 stunning poems from fierce and fabulous women worldwide. There is such a wonderfully diverse range of poets featured: suffragettes, aristocrats, school girls. … Continue reading ‘She is Fierce: Brave, Bold and Beautiful Poems by Women,’ by Ana Sampson.
Library Girl and Book Boy 