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Category: Dolphinbooksellers

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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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Set back in the days WHEN DINOSAURS WALKED THE EARTH, this is a hilarious picture-book about Smallasaurus, who enjoys a plant-based diet, and Badasaurus who likes to eat small dinosaurs who enjoy a plant-based diet.

It all begins when Smallasaurus has to think. And thinking can be a problem when you only have a brain the size of a walnut. Luckily, Badasaurus only has a brain the size of a peanut  . . . and so begins a hilarious game of 'cat and mouse'.

Will she eat the small dinosaur, with a plant-based diet? Or will she eat the great big dinosaur, with a small-dinosaur-based diet? It doesn’t take long for her to choose. And it doesn’t take long for Badasaurus to find out. And that’s how it sometimes was back in the days . . . WHEN DINOSAURS WALKED THE EARTH.

Super book which will engage with all those interested in dinosaurs.

Sean Taylor is an award-winning author of over 50 books for young readers of many different age.  Zehra Hicks is a brilliant illustrator and author, her character dinosaurs are so appealing.

Frances Lincoln Children's books are part of the Quarto Group and have a wide and engaging portfolio of children's books.

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 the last tiger is captured by human hunters, he realises that it is more important to be free than to be strong...

Strong and proud, the tiger is lord of the jungle, but all his strength and boldness cannot keep him safe from the human hunters. In captivity, the tiger realises that what really matters is not strength or power, but freedom.

Moving, thought-provoking and superbly illustrated by an award-winning picture book creator - this is an important fable for our time.

An incredible story about a Tiger in captivity who only escapes when he has become so thin that he can get through the bars of his cage. He decides that he will never let a man see him again.

Petr Horáček is the writer and illustrator, with such skill in portraying emotion and feeling, both in words and images. The tiger in the cage is at first seen by many people walking past but when he becomes so thin and is no fun to provoke, no one comes past. He was born in Prague and studied at the Academy of Fine Art. After graduating in 1994, he moved to live in England and now lives in Worcestshire. He has won a sring of international awards and The Last Tiger is Long Listed for the UKLA Book Awards

Otter-Barry Books are the publishers and have amazing skill at creating these wonderful picture books which tell much more that the words on the page.

The Last Tiger is a stunning book with a huge tale to tell.

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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Follow five families and their babies from birth to around 12 months, with all the excitements, challenges and joys of that first year with a new baby in the world. With lots to look at and point to, this delightful celebration of babies, from the team who created The Great Big Book of Families, will be loved by babies, older siblings - and grown-ups too!

A fantastic exploration picture book about babies. The pictures are wonderfully true to life and will really support toddlers in understanding the different aspects of a babies life.

Mary Hoffman has written over 100 titles for children that range from picture books to teenage novels. Amazing Grace, illustrated by Caroline Binch, was commended for the Kate Greenaway Medal and has, together with its sequels, sold over 1.5 million copies. Her Great Big Book of Families, illustrated by Ros Asquith, won the inaugural SLA Information Books Award.Ros Asquith has been a Guardian cartoonist for 20 years and has written and illustrated over 60 books for young people. She answered only to the name of Jim until she was five and believed herself to be an Apache brave until she was nine, a brilliant assumption and clearly led to a creative career!

 

A beautiful book from Otter-Barry Books, which will be much loved and read over and over 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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Inspired by real-life activists and campaigners...

Four brave children watch, listen, search, and feel, as they experience the inequalities, dangers, and injustices of life in our world. A stunning look into how our world can be shaped and changed by young voices across the planet.

Inspired by real-life activists and campaigners Greta Thunberg, Yusra Mardini, Marley Dias and Iqbal Masih, each of these children is filled with courage, determination and hope. They campaign to help save the planet, show that refugees can contribute and show leadership in sport in their new land, they build a library of 1000 books depicting black girls, they speak out against the outrage of child slavery.

“Somewhere, out there, in the wide, wide world,a child like you is watching …”

Lyrical and powerful, this book is a passionate call to children everywhere to speak their truth and stand up for a better world.

Na'ima B. Robert is a powerful writer and brings a wonderful perspective to all her books. 'As a young mum living in South London, Black, Muslim, wearing hijab and niqab, I definitely did not look like any writer I had ever seen!'

Nadine Kadaan   is the illustrator and she is also a writer of many books. She has always had a passion for writing for children.

Nadine is published in several countries and languages and her mission is to champion empowered and inclusive representation in children’s books so that every child can see themselves in a story.

A Child Like You is  a book for schools, libraries and homes everywhere, a true call to find a way forward to make the planet a better place.

Sue Martin - Children's Literary 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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Discover the life of King Charles!

Charles always knew that, one day, he would have a big job to do. As the son of Queen Elizabeth II, he was a prince, and in the future, he was to inherit the throne of the United Kingdom.

As a young man, he developed a passion for one cause; the environment. Charles recognised that plastics and pollutants were causing harm to Earth, and as the Prince of Wales, he spent all his efforts championing climate justice and sustainability.

As a member of the Royal Family, Charles used his power to build important organisations such as The Prince’s Trust, a charity that works to improve the lives of young people across the UK. In 2022, when he became King, he pledged that he would spend the rest of his life serving his people with loyalty, respect and love.

 

This inspiring book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the royal’s life, from little prince to grown-up king.

A new title from the highly successful Little People, Big Dreams series published by Quarto Knows, with author Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and illustrator Matt Hunt.

Definitely a book to buy and keep as the Coronation of King Charles the Third  will be happening next month.

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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"What can we do
when Mother Earth needs our help?
From one to ten we’re counting green
to keep our planet safe and clean."

Super brilliant new book for young children and anyone who wants to find ways to help our planet survive, published 16th March 2023.

Follow a group of children as they discover how every small action can make a big difference and help to save our Earth. From one new tree and two breezy bicycle wheels to seven beach pick-ups, nine wild flowers and ten friendly neighbours.
Illustrated with the simplicity, warmth and charm which Barroux is famous for, Counting in Green is an inspirational picture book, encouraging young children and their families to push for change and keep our planet safe and secure for all living things.

Hollis Kurman is a multi-talented author ,and writing for children is just part of her talents. Counting in Green is part of Counting series. There are amazing activities to download and videos too.

Otter- Barry Books has a wonderful portfolio of books and Counting in Green is an excellent addition to their books which will make a difference to children's lives.

It is always a joy to receive a book from Otter- Barry Books and Counting in Green is a book which I will enjoy so much for sharing at home or for school visits.

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 fantastic, full-colour, read-aloud poetry collection for young children.         All aboard for Kalamazoo!

One ticket will let you… ride on an elephant, stay in a bug hotel, travel by train boat and plane, mingle with bears and minibeasts – and even meet an alien! All this and more, in 19 zippy poems to read aloud.

This is a fantastic and eagerly awaited poetry collection for young children, from the author of bestselling Zim Zam Zoom!, which was shortlisted for the CLiPPA Award and long-listed for the UKLA Award

I love poems to read out loud, poems which can be right for any time of the day and can be shared with  just one or many little people. What fun!  I loved the poems in  A Ticket to Kalamazoo ( such a good word!) and one of my favourites is  ‘Hug Day’.

'Is today a hug day?

A going on and on day?

An everything’s all wrong day?

You   need   a   hug!....'

Or maybe my favourite is Ginger-Pincher?

James Carter, the author, is a prize-winning poet, guitarist and educational writer. He travels all over the UK to give poetry performances and workshops and is the author of many best-selling poetry books including Hey Little Bug! and I'm a Little Alien. James lives in Wallingford, Oxfordshire.

Neal Layton is an author and illustrator whose images are prized for their spontaneity and inventiveness. His picture books include The Tree, The Story of Stars, and Oscar and Arabella. Born in Chichester, he was going to be a scientist but instead studied Graphic Design, gaining a BA at Newcastle and an MA in Illustration at Central St Martins. He lives with his family in Portsmouth, Hampshire.

Otter-Barry Books are unique, small independent publishers based in Herefordshire with a focus on culturally diverse and inclusive illustrated books, as well as a strong collection of poetry titles. They just produce such irresistible books of high quality.  They have been shortlisted for the British Book Awards Small Press of the Year, 2020, 2021 & 2022.

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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In partnership with their sponsors, Hachette Children's Book Group (HCG), and Peters, who support the award, the School Library Association are pleased to announce the 2022 winners of their Information Book Award (IBA).

Now in its twelfth year, the IBA aims to emphasise the importance of non-fiction by highlighting and celebrating the high standard of children's information books. This year's shortlist was made up of ten terrific titles, covering themes of science, art and diversity.

The awards are divided into three age categories, judged by a panel of educators against a criteria that assesses the quality of the text and illustrations, accuracy, bias and currency, alongside areas such as indexes, glossaries, content and whether it is likely to fire the enthusiasm of young readers.

In the 0-7 category, the judges have crowned Meet the Microbes, written by Dr Emily Grossman and illustrated by Maggie Li (Wren & Rook), as the winner. With illustrations that help readers to visualise concepts that can be hard to understand, this title is a colourful exploration of how these tiny living things play a crucial role in our existence.

The judges' winner of the 8-12 age category is Making a Baby: An Inclusive Guide to How Every Family Begins by Rachel Greener, illustrated by Clare Owen (Nosy Crow). Praised by judges as being "interesting, factually correct, and insightful", this book crucially celebrates the diversity of many different types of family.

The winner of the 13-16 age category - and taking the title of the overall judges' winner - is Black Artists Shaping the World by Sharna Jackson & Dr Zoé Whitley (Thames and Hudson).

The judges hail this title as "a stunning beginners' guide to the best of contemporary Black art". Populated with "dynamic black and white portraits", the "thoughtfully presented examples of a wide range of types of art [with] clear, concise text and exceptional design" creates a "classic" for any school library.

As well as the judges' choices, children have also had the opportunity to vote for their favourite book from the shortlist in order to determine an additional Children's Choice winner in each age category, and one overall. Generously funded by the Foyle Foundation, this year schools were invited to take part in the IBA Book Club, through which 24 lucky schools received a bundle of free books from a relevant age category in exchange for sharing their experiences of using the shortlist in their school library or classroom and taking part in the 2022 Children's Choice voting.

Students showed their agreement with the judges by giving Black Artists Shaping the World its third win as the Children's Choice Winner of the 13-16 age category. An eye-popping celebration of Black history, Black and British: An Illustrated History by David Olusoga, illustrated by Jake Alexander and Melleny Taylor (Macmillan Children's Books) was named the Children's Choice Winner of the 8-12 age category, as well as the Children's Choice Overall Winner. And finally, Katie Daynes and Jordan Akpojaro's gentle and sensitive lift-the-flap book, What is Racism?, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat (Usborne), was crowned the Children's Choice Winner of the 0-7 age category.

These votes from children across the UK show an overwhelming affinity to books that focus on race, with the winners in each age category being titles that celebrate the history and contributions of Black people and thoughtfully explore race for even the youngest of readers.

For further information  visit  SLA  

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.