This week, Book Boy Jr. and I have been travelling around the world with this excellent ‘Big City Atlas.’ Open the books and join Penguin on a tour of 28 captivating cities. Book Boy Jr loved the combination of interestingly illustrated maps of each city, featuring some of the main landmarks, accompanied by fact boxes … Continue reading #TuesdayReviewsDay: ‘Big City Atlas,’ by Maggie Li
Nowadays, women’s football is shown on the television and some of its star players are household names. It seems difficult to believe that in 1921, the Football Association decided to ban women’s football. But who was playing? And why had some women been allowed to play in the first place? ‘Trailblazer’ may just give you … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Trailblazer: Lily Parr the Unstoppable Star of Women’s Football,’ by Elizabeth Dale, illustrated by Carolina Coroa.
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.
Having a positive body image plays a huge role in helping children develop their confidence and self-esteem. It’s fantastic to see a picture book for young children like ‘Everybody has a Body,’ which celebrates bodies of all shapes and sizes. With Jon Burgerman’s exuberant illustrations packed full of colour and humour, and a positive, inclusive … Continue reading #TuesdayReviewsDay ‘Everybody has a Body,’ by Jon Burgerman.
This week is Refugee Week so it seems an alt time to share with you come of the very beautiful books I’ve been sent which look at refugees specifically, but also have themes of kindness and acceptance which might be more appropriate for younger children. I will be adding new titles to this post as … Continue reading Refugee Week 2020 – stories of kindness, accepting others and refugees.
In the approach to Fathers’ Day in the U.K., I like to share titles which celebrate dads in all their glory. I am particularly impressed by the two I’m showcasing today as they have inclusivity and diversity at their cores. ‘That’s my Daddy!’ by Ruth Redford, illustrated by Dan Taylor (Egmont Publishing) Daddies come in … Continue reading Three cheers for the dads!
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.
Today, for your reading pleasure, I have a brilliant twist on the classic cautionary tale ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf.’ Introducing ‘There’s a Lion in the Library!’ Little Lucy Lupin has the most adorable dimples, a little button nose and a very charming scattering of freckles. She looks as though butter wouldn’t melt in her … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘There’s a Lion in the Library!’ by Dave Skinner and Aurélie Guillerey.
Today I’m dusty off my dancing shoes, fluffing up my feather boa and high-kicking off the blog tour for the totally fabulous ‘Llama Glamarama’ blog tour. Best known for his award-winning ‘Noah Can’t Even’ teen series, Simon James Green is making his first glitter-filled foray into the world of picture books. And this fabulous creature … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Llama Glamarama,’ by Simon James Green, illustrated by Garry Parsons.
Receiving a book from Tiny Owl is always such a treat. You know that you’re going to get a beautiful book with an important story tell. ‘Bloom’ definitely falls into this category! You can soon hear me reading it on Tiny Owl’s YouTube channel here. Every morning before school, the little girl and her brother … Continue reading ‘Bloom,’ by Anne Booth, illustrated by Robyn Wilson-Owen.
During lockdown, our houses have become our castles. Places to hunker down, shelter in safety and be with our families. ‘In Every House, on Every Street’ is the perfect picture book to share and explore the the many variations in homes and families. The bouncy rhyming text takes readers on a tour through the rooms … Continue reading #TuesdayReviewsDay ‘In Every House, on Every Street,’ by Jess Hitchman, illustrated by Lili La Baleine.
Children see and hear the words ‘climate change’ everywhere, but do they truly understand what they mean? This brilliant picture book from Neal Layton explains very clearly and simply some of the causes of climate change and the impact that can have on our planet. Have you ever wondered what greenhouse gases are and what … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘A Climate in Chaos,’ by Neal Layton.
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.
I’m always so pleased to be able to share with you a beautiful picture book for the diverse publisher, Tiny Owl. Their books promote diversity not only through their themes and content, but also the wonderful collection of authors and illustrators they work with. I was recently asked to produce a video of myself reading … Continue reading ‘There’s Room for Everyone,’ by Anahita Teymorian.
It seems apt that Book Boy Jr. chose to share this book with me in a time of social distancing when it’s very hard for people to physically be ‘together’ with their family and friends. This beautifully-illustrated story explores some of the other ways people can come together in these strange times. ’We Are Together’ … Continue reading #TuesdayReviewsDay ‘We Are Together,’ by Britta Teckentrup.
This week is World Autism Awareness Week, so is the ideal time to share with you a brilliant new picture book from Scallywag Press. ‘Talking is Not My Thing!’ by Rose Robbins tells her story from the perspective of a non-verbal autistic sister who has found other ways to communicate with her sibling, based on … Continue reading Blog Tour: ‘Talking is Not My Thing!’ by Rose Robbins.
I think that in the current climate of uncertainty, school closures and social lockdown, there must be plenty of children worried about what is going to happen and when they’ll be able to play outside and see their friends again. Books provide such fantastic opportunities for conversations about all sorts of worries, so I’m always … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘My Monster and Me,’ by Nadiya Hussain, illustrated by Ella Bailey.
It would seem that I’m not the only classic turning forty this year. As well as me entering my fortieth year, some beloved children’s books are also entering a new decade. ‘The Paper Bag Princess’ by Robert Munsch, art by Michael Martchenko (Annick Press) It was this special 40th anniversary edition of a classic feminist … Continue reading Happy 40th Birthday!
‘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.
