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Category: Featured authors

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Image 1Books Go Walkabout held a conversation with Australian author, Carole Wilkinson and students at Kellett International School, Hong Kong.

The Dragonkeeper Series, published by Walker Books, Australia is a great read for students for ages, 9 - 13yrs.

It is set in Ancient China, during the Han Dynasty and begins with a slave girl and her master,two dragons and a rat. One of the dragons dies and is made into pickle, the other dragon and the slave girl escape and their journey to the ocean begins.

The students had read the first 5 chapters and asked some insightful and searching questions such as;

' Why didn't you give the slave girl a name at the beginning?' student.

'I didn't want her to have anything, she had a hard life I wanted the reader to feel for her.' Carole.

The questions kept coming for an hour and the students at Kellett School also shared their own dragon that they had made. Carole explained that dragons in China were good and didn't always have wings. Maybe the Year 5 dragon will try and fly once his wings have been attached?kellett master cmyk aw

More reviews will follow this blog and photos and student comments will be added to Books Go Walkabout.

A great start to the Dragonkeeper series.

Sue Martin Books Go Walkabout at Kellett School


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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Image 8The pages of these books are packed full of up to date information about the world of Romans, Vikings, Ancient Greeks and the Pharaohs. Brilliantly put together by Mick Manning and Brita Granstorm and published by Frances Lincoln.

They are a great resource for history in KS 1 and 2 to come alive and to keep young readers attention from beginning to end. Boys especially will love them.The layout and illustrations provide chunks of information that is appealing and easy to remember in a scrapbook style of layout.

Image 3Greek Hero- the page I loved was on Sparta and shows girls enjoying wrestling matches. Only boys were given an education and they learned philosophy, history and mathematics.

Image 1Roman Fort - children had toys like marbles and hoops and played games with balls and bats. Soldiers usually joined the army for 20 years but about half of all recruits didn't survive long enough to retire.

Image 4Pharaoh's Egypt - scribes were used to write and to read, as reading was only accessible by the rich, in fact, ordinary people who could read were thought to have the power of the gods!

Image 2Viking Longship- From invasion by a longship called the Sea Dragon to a deal with King Edmund, the book has amazing detail including a recipe for Birka Bread.

 

These are great books! Strongly recommended to schools we work with and also to parents.

Sue Martin - Dolphin Booksellers, the best in children's books always on line


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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Image 2 Adventures in looking at Art is a brilliant book by Quentin Blake and published by Frances Lincoln in association with the National Gallery Company, London.

Quentin describes the vision for this book as a way for children to talk about the pictures, and the story that is within them. On each page there are characters alongside the picture with captions from the characters.

 

Image 1Great to watch on Quentin Blake's web page.

The book was originally published in 2001 and this new edition is in hard back and makes a truly beautiful book to have for home and for school.

 

On choosing the pictures, Quentin says,

'All the pictures in this book are the ones I like, and if you like them too you may eventually want to know more about them and the artists who created them, so there are many notes about the artists...at the end of the book.'

Tell Me a Picture is a book with real adventures in looking at art, and if you buy this book it will lead into further adventurers I'm sure.

Sue Martin - Children's Books in Dolphin Booksellers and 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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Image 5'You are invited to a Digging Party and there will be free cakes and even some hidden treasure.'

Daisy's Big Dig is one of the new books from Francis Lincoln this Spring, through Janetta Otter-Barry Books. It is written and illustrated by Angie Morgan, and the pastels and watercolour mixes make for some brilliant illustrations throughout the book.

'The people who live in Daisy's street, never, ever talk to each other. But Daisy has a big plan to bring everyone together- a Digging Party!'

This must make a welcome change to all parents who try and find the latest in childrens themed parties.

A great book written and illustrated beautifully and published by such a successful childrens book publisher.

Sue Martin Dolphin Booksellers - Children's Books on line


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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Wide Eyed Editions is a new imprint of Quarto Publishing Group UK.

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This is a very recent addition to the publishing group's portfolio and includes some amazing publications, which will be available in March 2015. The site is excellent to look through and the Wide Eyed Blog has some of the best images ever.

Definitely one to include in your favourites or Pinterest, and to follow on Twitter.

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Wide Eyed are creators of non-fiction for children and families and believe that books should encourage curiosity about the world, inspiring readers to set out on their own journey of discovery.

The illustrators and authors will bring a new sense of wonder to classic themes in simple, quality formats that look and feel like beautiful objects.

 

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The first tranche of books includes the images below and if you click through you can access about 10 pages of the books from the Wide Eyed website.

Sue Martin Dolphin Booksellers - the best in children's books always on-line...

Image 6Twitter @booksgowalk

 

 

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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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Four great new titles from the publisher Frances Lincoln this month.Image 5

Beautifully created with thought and care, they all make splendid additions to your bookshelf at home or to the library.

Image 2The Magic Bojabi Tree by Dianne Hofmeyer and Piet Grobler.

Folktales from Africa.

'Python has wrapped himself around the melon/mango/pomegranate tree with its delicious fruit, and he won't share the fruit unless the animals can tell him the correct name of the tree. Elephant, Monkey and Zebra each in turn visit Lion, who alone knows the name of the tree...'

My Life as a Goldfish and other poems
by Rachel Rooney.

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I just love the title and it is excellent for jokes, rhymes and surprises.

'A monster’s lunch, a wolf boy, Monday mornings, monkeys, headlice, Christmas, making friends, goldfish – and lots more. Full of jokes, surprises and puzzles, but also sensitive and thought-provoking, this is a spellbinding new collection from the winner of the CLPE Poetry Award...'

 

Image 4How the Library Saved Rapunzel by Wendy Meddour (and illustrated by Rebecca Ashdown)

Living on the 16th floor, the only thing that saves Rapunzel is the work in the library.

'Rapunzel sits on the sixteenth floor of an inner city block, bored, dreaming and looking out at the rain.  No one can rouse her from her apathy, not the milkman or the postman or the baker or her aunt – or even the prince. But when at last a letter is delivered, it contains news that has Rapunzel on her feet again. She has a new job at the library! And suddenly her life is busy, sparkling, exciting and stimulating...'

 

Unos, Dos, Tres, by Yanitzia Canetti and illustrated by Patrice AggsImage 3

This is a beautiful collection of Spanish words and phrases.

"Simple songs and rhymes are an excellent way to familiarise young children with another language. Uno Dos Tres a collection of 25 traditional nursery rhymes, is a delightful way to introduce Spanish. An illustrated vocabulary features simple words and phrases that are easy to learn and that can be used in games or everyday life. Children are encouraged to repeat the phrases and sing along with the rhymes, and the included CD lets them know how both should sound..."

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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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IMG 9918In 2014, there were three exceptional librarians on the Honours List and we were pleased to be able to attend the ceremony held by the Schools Library Association.

This year Liz Millett, Teaching Assistant/Library Co-ordinator at Weatherfield Academy, Dunstable, has been awarded the honour of the SLA School Librarian of the Year 2014 at a celebration at the Hotel Russell in London on 6 October. Award-winning author and artist Chris Riddell (Macmillan Children’s Books) presented her with the award.

Weatherfield Academy is a special school for students aged 7 to 19 with Moderate Learning Difficulties and additional complex needs. There are 117 pupils in the school with 52% attracting Pupil Premium funding and entitled to free school meals and 32% in social care. Much of the curriculum is aimed at giving students lifelong skills. In 2009 a room was adapted for the library and Liz Millett took on the job of developing it. The pupils make good levels of progress, as judged by Ofsted in 2013.

Liz says “My aim is to increase their pleasure from reading whatever level they are at to make sure they are not frightened by books or put off them, so that they will come to see reading as something they will always have for themselves.”

To read more about Liz go to: http://www.sla.org.uk/liz-millett.php

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Sue Martin - Dolphin Booksellers - the best in children's books, always on line

dolphinrt.jpg


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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BearThis is just Amazing!!

A golden brown book full of beautiful images all about bears. This is the latest from Jackie Morris, written and illustrated this year, published on 2nd October by Frances Lincoln.

'Let me tell you something about a bear...

Where the water churns with the salmon, there the Brown Bear stands and catches the wild king of the river.

Eight wild bears - Moon Bear, Sun Bear, Sloth Bear, Brown Bear,Spectacled Bear,American Black Bear, Giant Panda and Polar Bear, all in their own habitats and some info about each of them.

The last page is the best! Brown Bears paws, just waiting to be touched, if you dare!

Sue Martin

Dolphin Booksellers - the best in children's books always on line.

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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 magical collection of poetry for any child and especially for Early Years. I'm a Little Alien written by James Carter and illustrated by Mique Moriuchi is perfect for all little stars.

Frances Lincoln has a great reputation for new and inventive children's books and this fits well with their poetry collection.

 

 

 

One of my favorites is Beware!

....Forest dweller

grizzly-fella

sneaking, lurking

here and there

you beware-

there's a BEAR !

Buy for nursery and Foundation Stage settings or for parents and children to share together.

dolphinrt.jpgSue Martin - Dolphin Booksellers - the best in children's books always on line


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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Image 1What happens when puppies fall in love? How do you fold up your Gran?

Not things you normally have to think about, but the mysterious rules of the Werewolf Club are funny, spooky and spellbinding.

It's an exciting debut poetry collection by Joseph Coelho and illustrated by John O'Leary, the book is a brilliant addition to any class room, childrens bookshelf. Fifty poems and a delight to read.

An excellent book from Frances Lincoln publishers, who have a wonderful knack of launching some brilliant materials.

Buy direct through Dolphin Books and we will donate to our project in Nepal.

Sue Martin

dolphinrt.jpgDolphin Books - the best in children's books, always on line.


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.