Today marks the start of children’s mental health week. It’s a sad fact that children’s mental health services are receiving many more referrals than they can process so vulnerable children are having to wait months and even years before they are able to talk to a specialist. It’s for this reason that books like ‘Felix’ … Continue reading ‘Felix After the Rain,’ by Dunja Jogan, translated by Olivia Hellewell.
In my experience, engaging and digestible books about mathematics aren’t far and few between. Enter ‘The Language of the Universe: A Visual Exploration of Mathematics.’ This large-scale hardback tome is packed with information about how maths permeates everything in our universe. From atoms to Fibonacci, planets to cryptology. Maths underpins every one! Organised into four … Continue reading ‘The Language of the Universe,’ by Colin Stuart, illustrated by Ximo Abadía.
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
During my time as a teacher, there have been many occasions where the children I’ve been working have struggled to express how they’re feeling, often resulting in meltdowns or acting out. One of the best ways I found to help in these situations was to encourage the children recognise how different emotions felt and to … Continue reading Books to Foster Emotional Literacy
Protecting our oceans in a hot topic at the moment, with campaigners and some big business working to try to reduce the amount of pollution being dumped into the sea. Plastic in particular is being highlighted as a significant danger and was, interestingly, the most-used word in Radio 2s ‘500 Word’ story-writing competition for children. … Continue reading Sailing the Seven Seas
Today, three stunning non-fiction books grace the pages of my blog, each of them teaching me something new about the amazing world we live in. A Year in the Wild by Helen Ahpornsiri (Big Picture Press) A stunningly beautiful book with artwork crafted from hand-pressed blooms and foliage. These are then carefully cut and arranged … Continue reading The Beauty Of Nature
A beautiful cloth-covered reissue of Shakespeare’s classic tale, originally published in 1945. When the Fairy Queen, Titania, and King of the Fairies, Oberon, argue about who should be responsible for a little changeling boy, Oberon and his servant, Puck, cast a mischievous spell on Titania. This spell causes her to fall madly in love with … Continue reading ‘Titania and Oberon – A Fairy Tale,’ written by Jo Manton, illustrated by Phyllis Bray.
‘Dear Mr Wright, I am writing to you as librarian of Hardacre Manor, Berkshire, about an extraordinary discovery that I have made on the estate....’ Followed the discovery of a collection of antique maps and notes locked away in a secret hidey-hole dating from the 15th century which seem to detail the whereabouts of the … Continue reading ‘The Atlas Of Monsters,’ by Stuart Hill and Sandra Lawrence.
I am thrilled to be part of the blog tour for Dinosaurium - the stunning new title in the Welcome to the Museum series, written by Lily Murray and featuring over 60 full colour spreads by Chris Wormell, each packed with glorious details. I am also more than delighted to be giving away an amazing signed … Continue reading ‘Dinosaurium,’ by Chris Wormell and Lily Murray.
Dinosaurs never go out of fashion so I am delighted to introduce you to the new children's book from best-selling author and artist, Matt Sewell. This absolutely brilliant book features a whole host of fabulous prehistoric creatures from the Ceratosaurus to the Spinosaurus. Sewell's glorious watercolour illustrations draw on the fact that palaeontologists now think … Continue reading ‘Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Creatures,’ by Matt Sewell.
In today's political climate, we are constantly being told how different we all are from each other. That's why I was delighted to be sent this clever book which not only celebrates our differences but also points out how we are all the same. This book was inspired by Matt Lamothe's own experiences as he … Continue reading ‘This Is How We Do It – one day in the lives of seven kids from around the world,’ by Matt Lamothe.
Travel the world from the comfort of your chair with this gloriously illustrated book from Marc Martin. An absolutely delightful guide to the world for young explorers. You'll be taken from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro to the frozen continent of Antarctica via Hong Kong and Ulaanbaatar. The pages are full of fun and … Continue reading ‘Lots,’ by Marc Martin.
I am delighted to find a modern and beautifully illustrated book about ballet. Given the huge numbers of young Prima Ballerinas out there, I'm surprised there haven't been more! In this book, you can explore ten of the world's best-loved ballets (including my personal favourite,'The Nutcracker.'). I have lots of warm Christmas memories of being … Continue reading ‘Where’s the Ballerina?’ By Anna Claybourne and Abigail Goh.
There's been a lot of publicity recently, aimed at encouraging girls to pursue careers involving STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.) This post celebrates all things 'girl power' as I review some of the titles I've been sent which focus on inspirational women and breaking down stereotypes. But don't worry - they're funny, endearing and … Continue reading Girl Power! ft. ‘Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World,’ and ‘Ada Twist, Scientist.’
Are you a literacy lover, a word wizard or an animal admirer? Then I have the picture book for you! Absolutely crammed full with a whole menagerie of collective nouns for some of your favourite animals, 'A Pandemonium of Parrots and other animals' is a visual delight from start to finish. No common herds of … Continue reading ‘A Pandemonium of Parrots and other animals,’ by Hui Skipp.
Most people cannot see ghosts. Can you? Leo has lived by himself in a house on the edge of the city for many years, reading his books and drawing pictures. When a new family move in, they are terrified by Leo's efforts to welcome them to his house. Leo decides to become a roaming ghost … Continue reading ‘Leo – A Ghost Story,’ by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Christian Robinson.
On the first day of the new year, the mailman brings a surprise - a penguin! At first, everyone is quite excited at the prospect of having a pet penguin to look after. But then, the next day, another arrives, and another, and another...until, by the end of the week, they have seven penguins! Day … Continue reading ‘365 Penguins,’ by Jean-Luc Fromental and Joelle Jolivet.
Have you ever wondered just how quickly a tortoise actually goes? Or just how fast you'd need to be to be faster than a speeding bullet? Then this is the book for you! This glorious picture book is crammed full of striking illustrations and fascinating facts to tantalise young minds. My my trusty sidekick dived in headfirst … Continue reading ‘Full Speed Ahead! How Fast Things Go,’ by Cruschiform
A fortnight ago, Book Boy received a phone call saying that he had a won a class trip to the Laugh Out Loud Book Awards 2016 (or 'The Lollies.') Obviously, we were skipping round the library in excitement as it meant we'd get to see lots of authors and illustrators whose books we loved! The … Continue reading The Laugh Out Loud Book Awards 2016!
After falling a little bit in love with the style and message of 'Tough Guys (Have Feelings Too),' I was delighted to be sent Keith Negley's newest book to review by the Guardian Book Club. This book centres around a small boy's suspicions that his dad may, at one time, have actually been quite cool. Evidence is … Continue reading ‘My Dad Used to Be so Cool,’ by Keith Negley
Library Girl and Book Boy 