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Category: Books go Walkabout

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Play hide and seek in the city with a boy, his animal friends and a dinosaur that’s surprisingly hard to spot. The brilliantly interactive follow-up to international bestselling picture book, Have You Seen Elephant?  

Best friends boy, dog and elephant are VERY good at hide-and-seek. There’s a missing dinosaur in the city—who better to spot this elusive giant? They search the skate park, the museum, the subway…

No one in the city can spot the dinosaur, not even this crack hide-and-seek team. But delighted readers will be pointing “There it is!” from the first page.

This absurd, laugh-out-loud picture book for preschoolers is richly illustrated with David Barrow’s trademark beautiful use of light and colour and dramatic cityscapes—a guaranteed hit with dinosaur-loving toddlers. 

David Barrow is a recent graduate of the Cambridge School of Art where he completed a Masters in Children’s Book Illustration and received the top prize, the Sebastian Walker award for most promising children’s illustrator.

Gecko Press  have an amazing portfolio of great books and are worth adding to your list of recommended publishers.  Stories children and parents will want to read hundreds of times, for ages 0 to 12 (sometimes infinity).

Have You Seen Dinosaurs? is a fun book with meaning!! Discover that the city is actually packed with dinosaurs, you just need to know how to see them!

A great book for the summer and a definite favourite to have and to share.

Sue Martin Children's Literacy Specialist

 

 

 


Dolphinbooksellers.co.uk is part of SmithMartin LLP

A retail resource for the best children's books, entry point into our children's and community library procurement and supply service. Offering a miscellany of news and featured authors for all our readers, whatever their age.


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Cub swings angrily from the branch of a tree... until he calms himself down and welcomes his friends on an imaginary journey. In fact he was, ' so full of feelings that he had no space left inside for anything or anyone else.'

However much his friends tried to help Cub was having none of it and he just carried on not wanting to talk with them or share why he was grumpy. But after quite a lot of swinging on a branch things started to get better and his imagination took him and his friends into a stormy sea,  where Cub saved the day!

A beautifully written and illustrated book by Sally Anne Garland, an absolute joy to have nearby to read at times when things don't always work out the way they should.

Lovingly published by Sunbird Books, an imprint of Phoenix International Publications and will be a joy to have at home, at school or nursery. Definitely a book that will be read and shared time and time again.

Sue Martin Children's Literacy Specialist

Part of Books Go Walkabout, Stories across the world.

Dolphinbooksellers.co.uk is part of SmithMartin LLP

A retail resource for the best children's books, entry point into our children's and community library procurement and supply service. Offering a miscellany of news and featured authors for all our readers, whatever their age.


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Discover the inspiring story of Yves Saint Laurent, the ground-breaking designer who changed fashion forever. 

Growing up in the Algerian city of Oran, little Yves loved exploring his mother’s wardrobe and designing dresses for paper dolls. But life outside his family wasn’t always happy - at school, he was teased for having different hobbies and sometimes, he even pretended to be ill to avoid lessons. Still, Yves didn’t let the mean voices hold him back. He continued to carve his creative path and spent hours sewing tiny outfits from scraps of fabric, dreaming of a future in fashion.

At eighteen, his hard work paid off when he was invited to join a top fashion school in Paris, and after even more hard work, Yves was invited to join the famous fashion house Dior, where he became their lead designer! Later, with the support of his lifelong partner Pierre, Yves started his own fashion house. His bold and stylish designs - like tuxedo suits and pea coats - revolutionised women’s clothing and continue to influence fashion today.

Yves’s story shows the power of staying true to your dreams - even when it’s challenging.  Inspiring and beautifully told, Little People, BIG DREAMS: Yves Saint Laurent teaches children about courage, creativity, and self-expression.

From Frances Lincoln's ( imprint of Quarto) bestselling series Little People, BIG DREAMS, this book features quirky illustrations, extra facts, a timeline of Yves’s life with historical photos and a detailed profile of his inspiring journey. It’s the perfect gift for young creatives and fashion-lovers.

An extremely popular series written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and this book illustrated by Klas Fahlen, it provides a fascinating insight into Yves Saint Laurent. 

A great addition to the series and so interesting to read.

Sue Martin Children's Literacy Specialist

Part of Books Go Walkabout, Stories across the world.

 


Dolphinbooksellers.co.uk is part of SmithMartin LLP

A retail resource for the best children's books, entry point into our children's and community library procurement and supply service. Offering a miscellany of news and featured authors for all our readers, whatever their age.


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When little Maya meets a lost baby rhino in the city, it's the start of wonderful happenings.

Little Rhino is lost in the big city – no plants or jungle greenery. Little Maya befriends him, but what can she do to help? She finds a wonderful answer – the city can be transformed into a welcoming green space. which a child and a baby rhino can both call home. An enchanting story of what's possible from an internationally successful author.

Candy Gourlay  has written a huge number of successful books for young and older children and is an internationally acclaimed writer. Originally from the Philippines Candy now lives in London and w rites... ' Wouldn't it be lovely if we could make our world a place a baby rhinoceros could call home?' Check the website www.savetherhino.org

Jamie Bauza  is an illustrator, designer and crafter based in Manila, Philippines and is a graduate of Ateneo de Manila University.  Little Rhino Lost is her first picture book for Otter-Barry Books .

I really enjoyed sharing this book with young children, it engages with them to share in compassion and concern about the rhinos in our world.

Sue Martin Children's Literacy Specialist


Dolphinbooksellers.co.uk is part of SmithMartin LLP

A retail resource for the best children's books, entry point into our children's and community library procurement and supply service. Offering a miscellany of news and featured authors for all our readers, whatever their age.


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A beautiful story of rescue and recovery in the hands of kindness. A sad, exhausted little hen is rescued from the crowded cages of the chicken farm and discovers the joys of freedom.

It's a hard life for the hens forced to lay eggs in crowded cages. But one sad, exhausted little hen is rescued, given a name, and discovers grass, worms, bugs, puddles, friends and freedom in her new home.

Now there's grass and freedom and the little hen is given a name, Gwen!  She is given a rainbow coloured vest to keep her warm whilst her feathers grow back. she is a very happy hen indeed.  And one day she gives everyone a big surprise...

This delightful picture book with captivating illustrations is a perfect gentle introduction to animal rights and well being.

Carol Thompson is the author and illustrator and Carol's work is a belief in the power of picture books and stories to show a child that there is 'someone else like me!'

Otter- Barry Books are a unique independent children's book publisher, really making a difference to children and books around the world

Sue Martin  Children's Literacy Specialist

 


Dolphinbooksellers.co.uk is part of SmithMartin LLP

A retail resource for the best children's books, entry point into our children's and community library procurement and supply service. Offering a miscellany of news and featured authors for all our readers, whatever their age.


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Beautiful book of play rhymes, love the illustrations, perfect for young children to have fund and to learn new words.

Find hamsters, dogs, robins and unicorns, little cars and big diggers – and of course Big Red Dragon, in this brilliant collection of 15 action rhymes for young children and babies.

Rhymes celebrate festivals and special events, such as Easter, Halloween, Diwali, Christmas and Chinese New Year. With clear instructions to parents and carers, there are fun activities and lots of joining in for every rhyme, for babies, toddlers and older children too.

This book is a perfect companion to Jane Newberry’s very popular first collection, Big Green Crocodile, which was shortlisted for the CLiPPA award. At home, playgroup or nursery, the rhymes provide fun while also nurturing children’s responses to language, rhyme and images.

Illustrations by Carolina Rabei bring the poems to life with wonderful colours and characters.

Another excellent book from Otter-Barry Books, beautifully produced and delightful to read.  A book for nurseries, schools and at home too, perfect!

Sue Martin Children's Literacy Specialist

Part of Books Go Walkabout, Stories across the world.

Dolphinbooksellers.co.uk is part of SmithMartin LLP

A retail resource for the best children's books, entry point into our children's and community library procurement and supply service. Offering a miscellany of news and featured authors for all our readers, whatever their age.


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9781776575930fc

Such a beautiful book! The story develops through the illustrations as there are no words, the pictures say it all. It is an intriguing book with a whole range of stories for your imagination on every page.

Time for cake! But the eagle swipes up the blanket and flies away. The animals chase after to find all their stolen picnic things.

Thé Tjong-Khing’s visual storytelling slows us down and invites us to look more closely. Can you remember everything on the blanket? Hat, ball, doll, feather, cake? Who is hiding in the bush? What has the dog seen on the cliff? How will pig get back her sun umbrella? Why is the rabbit crying? And how can there be cake for everyone when the very hungry rat family has eaten it already?

Gecko Press are working with Thé Tjong-Khing. Interesting illustrator...

'Thé Tjong-Khing (born in 1933) is a children’s book illustrator based in the Netherlands. He was born in Indonesia, attended the Seni Rupa Arts Institute in Bandung, and moved to the Netherlands in 1956. As a child he was interested in the "Tarzan" comic strips of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Thé has won the Golden Pencil Award three times (a major Dutch children’s book award), and in 2005 the Woutertje Pieterse Prize for Best Dutch Children’s Book for his book Waar is de taart? (Where is the cake?), a wordless picture book which was also nominated for the German Youth Literature Prize in 2007.'

Collect all the missing objects, find out who they belong to, and come back home for more cake in this cheerful, wordless look-and-find story that culminates in the delightful reward of sharing.

A delight to read and share with young children and their powers of observation are superb.

Sue Martin

Children's Literacy Specialist

Part of Books Go Walkabout, Stories across the world.

Dolphinbooksellers.co.uk is part of SmithMartin LLP

A retail resource for the best children's books, entry point into our children's and community library procurement and supply service. Offering a miscellany of news and featured authors for all our readers, whatever their age.


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There is a cat. A cat that couldn’t be bothered to do anything … anything at all. His friends ask him if he wants to play but he doesn’t feel like it. They invite him on adventures to far-off places, but he would rather stay at home. Until one day, a friend asks how he is doing, and the true reason why he’d rather do nothing is revealed. He is feeling sad.

This is a story about feelings, friendship and the importance of speaking to someone when you don’t feel right. This beautiful socially aware story:
Reassures children and adults too, that feeling sad sometimes is normal

  • Helps them understand others’ behaviour and promotes empathy
  • Encourages them to be more in touch with their feelings
  • Provides a sense of fun while also broaching a tricky topic

Both children and adults will love the quirky and hilarious cat’s refusal to take part in anything and the sweet and important message behind this story.
It’s never been more important to introduce kids to the importance of mental health. This bright children’s book is an easy way to talk about feelings and looking out for others. It provides an excellent jumping-off point for at-home and classroom discussions about emotional well-being and caring for others.

Author and illustrator Jack Kurland is a debut author-illustrator from Leigh-on-Sea in the UK. After graduating from Winchester School of Art in 2013, he spent seven years working as a graphic designer. He paused to go travelling for two years, where he realised he wanted to achieve an ambition he’d always had: to create children’s books.

Publishers are Frances Lincoln Childrens' Books  an imprint of Quarto  and one of my favourite publishers for quality and ideas.
This book spoke to me at a really sad time in my life! I love it when pictures speak louder than words.

Sue Martin Children's Literacy Specialist, BooksGoWalkabout 


Dolphinbooksellers.co.uk is part of SmithMartin LLP

A retail resource for the best children's books, entry point into our children's and community library procurement and supply service. Offering a miscellany of news and featured authors for all our readers, whatever their age.


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Lenny Has Lunch written and illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max, is a wonderfully illustrated picture book for young children. Have fun sharing the book together and the everyday things that make life full of adventure.

Lenny and Daddy prepare a delicious lunch, looked on lovingly by the dog. Lenny uses the large blue spoon to feed himself. The games and songs help them  to work up an appetite and they have some great actions to  “Row Row Row Your Boat”.

Ken Wilson-Max is an award-winning author, illustrator and publisher of children’s books. He lives in London and was born in Zimbabwe. In 2020 his book Astro Girl won the STEAM award for early years picture books and Where’s Lenny was listed in the 50 Best Culturally Diverse Children’s Books by The Guardian. In 2017 he became publisher at Alanna Max which focuses on an inclusive approach.

Ken is a brilliant author,illustrator to have in school. In a session with Reception children in an inner city school in London, we had organised for an author event,he and the whole class painted some great pictures !

Lenny Has Lunch is a perfect book to share with your own children and to have in a nursery or school. And you can also just read and enjoy it yourself at the end of the day, when all is quiet!

Sue Martin  Children's Literacy Specialist

 

 

 


Dolphinbooksellers.co.uk is part of SmithMartin LLP

A retail resource for the best children's books, entry point into our children's and community library procurement and supply service. Offering a miscellany of news and featured authors for all our readers, whatever their age.


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An intriguing look into the past when animals were moved from one country to another as gifts. Explore the world at that time with the history and geography of that time and place.

A moving and beautiful story inspired by a work of art, Albrecht Dürer's celebrated woodcut print of the rhinoceros sent from India to Portugal in 1515.

Princess Beatrix is excited to meet the amazing one-horned creature that has been sent as a gift to her father, the King of Portugal. Could it be a unicorn?

But the new animal is not a unicorn – it’s a rhinoceros called Genda, who has travelled all the way from India, and Beatrix immediately loves him. She becomes Genda’s friend and protector, and is determined to persuade her father the King that this wild creature should be returned to his jungle home.


This poignant story is inspired by the real rhinoceros depicted in 1515 by Albrecht Dürer in his world-famous woodcut, which can still be seen today.

Dianne Hofmeyre is a multi award winning children's author. She now lives in London and originally grew up on the tip of Southern Africa.

Simona Mulazzani is one of Italy's leading children's book illustrators, winner many awards and she lives in Pesaro, Italy.

This is a perfect starting point as an investigation into life in the 16th Century. It also is a wonderfully illustrated and contextually fitting book for reading, sharing and discussions.

Sue Martin   - Children's Literacy Specialist


Dolphinbooksellers.co.uk is part of SmithMartin LLP

A retail resource for the best children's books, entry point into our children's and community library procurement and supply service. Offering a miscellany of news and featured authors for all our readers, whatever their age.