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The Little Fir Tree is by Hans Christian Andersen and re-imagined by Christopher Corr in this beautiful paper back picture book from Frances Lincoln Children’s Books.

When the tree is taken into town at Christmas it feels like all his dreams have come true. But what happens after Christmas?

A delightful retelling of this original story with  text set amidst illustrations from Christopher Corr, which are bright, engaging and tell the story in their own right.

The Little Fir Tree wishes and dreams of all the things he could see and places he could visit but the birds laughed at him and said,

“ Don’t wish your life away, little tree, Every moment is precious. Look at the sunlight falling through the green leaves. It is so beautiful.”

And then the little fir tree is cut down by some lumberjacks and taken into town where  he is bought and carried into a grand house and placed in a beautiful room. Children come and decorate him with wonderful things and he feels he very proud.

So when he  is taken out of the house he doesn’t know what will happen to him… But all ends well and what happens next is for you to read in the book itself!

Just the right gift for Christmas, and why not put it on your own Christmas tree, or maybe a present for the tree itself!

I am saving my book for story time around the tree on Christmas Eve...

Sue Martin     Children's Literacy Specialist

Dolphin Book Blog, part of Books Go Walkabout

 

 


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.


Charles Dickens - book cover image
A great story-teller...

A brilliant book which describes the challenging early life of Charles Dickens and his meteoric rise to fame as an established author and an amazing story teller. As a little boy, Charles was fascinated by everyday challenges and life in Victorian Britain, He loved to make up stories based on people he had met.

 

When his own father was sent to a debtors prison he left school and started work in a factory, full of grime and hard work. The video tells more about the way Charles Dickens moved from working in a factory to becoming a written publisher.

Through determination he became one of the most inspiring writers of all time and tells of life in all its downside and glories. He always used inspirational characters with unforgettable names such as Mr Micawber  and Ebenezer Scrooge.

The Little People, Big Dreams series is published by Frances Lincoln Children's Books and written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, illustrated uniquely buy Isobel Ross. The text is stunningly created for children around 5-8 years and provides much information for project writing and inspiration about life in Victorian Britain.

I thoroughly recommend Charles Dickens, in Little People, Big Dreams for children  in school and at home.

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.


 

Michelle grew up as a young child  on the south side of Chicago. She  worked hard at school  and from High School attended Princeton University, where she became one of their finest graduates. From Princeton she went on to Harvard, and graduated in law.

We know Michelle Obama as a very famous First Lady of the United States from 2009-2017, in fact the first African American woman to ever serve in this position, being married to Barack Obama. Michelle  wasn’t just a good lawyer, she worked with not-for-profit organisations. She now campaigns for poverty awareness, education, health and many things which prevent people being able to be the best they can be.

Little People, Big Dreams captures the heart of Michelle as a person who follows her beliefs and work tirelessly to support and help those who cannot. Equality is at the core of what Michelle does.

If you already have a collection of Little People, Big Dreams, this book of Michelle Obama will be the perfect addition. If you are just getting started on Little People, Big Dreams,  there is no better place  to start.

Written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and illustrated by Mia Saine, this is an amazing series of books about people, about people who started small but had big dreams for the future. It makes a perfect series for any school library and for home too.

Publishers are Francis Lincoln, part of the Quarto Knows, and they have the way of creating books where you can dive straight in and stay immersed for a long time! This empowering book features stylish and quirky images with extra facts at the back plus a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the inspiring woman’s life.

My review copy is going straight to a small school nearby, which have a whole shelf of Little People, Big Dreams.

Sue Martin

 

 


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.


Mermaid's Tail - cover image
Beautiful graphics...

'Theodore took the deepest breath he could and then he jumped in'.

Theodore had gone fishing and found the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. So he took Oceanne home and tried to keep her but she had to go back to the ocean. And so Theodore jumped in...

A beautiful story about a boy who just likes fishing and caught a tiny creature in a beautiful shell, but she just gets weaker and weaker. Until she is back in the ocean and released from her glass bowl when the other fish gather round to help this mermaid have a beautiful mermaid's tail.

A stunningly beautiful book, both the story and illustrations. Created by Beatrice Blue who is a freelance illustrator living in Montreal, Quebec, working in animation and children's picture books. She has an appealing technique and  Once Upon a Mermaid's Tail, follows Once Upon a Unicorn Horn as real signs of great talent.

Publishers are Frances Lincoln  Children's Books, part of Quarto Knows, a great portfolio of beautiful and  inspirational books for children.

I will keep this book close on my bookshelf and read to any young people who one day may come and visit.

 

Sue Martin

 


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.


Tatenda says a great BIG THANK YOU!!  This time it cheers up the whole community. Because lately it seems that everyone's heads are too foggy with worry to hear Tatenda, This book was inspired by the Thursday Clap for Carers. Whilst we are still in the Covid19 pandemic it is a good opportunity to continue to say thank you. 

A picture book with a real difference and a strong message. Now, as we enter our second lock-down it has real resonance, people's heads are '...foggy with worry and clouded with fear'.

Tatenda has the HUGEST Thank You  and it becomes a rainbow of colour which he tries to capture and as everyone tries to help him, people start talking again, they start looking each other in the eye and they all join in to make the BIGGEST thank you yet.

Joseph Coelho, the author, decided to write this story when we were all first at home.  We joined in with everyone on the street to say thank you to all who helped us get through this crisis. Joseph wants to underline the 'power in gratitude' and as he says, 'a power that is available to us all, old and young, big and small.'

Along with illustrator Sam Usher and publishers, Frances Lincoln they have created a book which we can all use at anytime and especially now, in the second lock-down in the UK 2020.

A simple message, told from the heart, THANK YOU! 

Sue Martin


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.


 

With a sock full of rags for a ball, Pelé honed his skills in a poor neighbourhood in Brazil. He believed that, one day, he would lead his country to World Cup victory—and he was right! With Pelé and his super skills on the team, Brazil lifted the trophy three times.

Today, he is widely regarded as the greatest soccer player who ever lived—and a hero off the pitch, too, using his voice to help the people who need it most.

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 King’s life.

Little People, BIG DREAMS is a best-selling series of books and educational games that explore the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream.

This empowering series offers inspiring messages to children of all ages, in a range of formats. The board books are told in simple sentences, perfect for reading aloud to babies and toddlers. The hardcover versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. Boxed gift sets allow you to collect a selection of the books by theme. Paper dolls, learning cards, matching games, and other fun learning tools provide even more ways to make the lives of these role models accessible to children.

The author is Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara, born in Barcelona, Spain. She is a writer and creative director who is an inspiration in developing new concepts for children’s books.  Little People, BIG DREAMS series of picture books that explore the lives of outstanding people.

The Illustrator is Camila Rose, who has a very distinctive style, perfect for this book. Camila lives in Brazil and believes in the strong connection between political themes and social change. Camila hopes that her work can support and educate people around the world. This is so true for the series Little People, BIG DREAMS as it is now widely used by schools in the UK. We work with many schools who use the series as part of their social education curriculum.

Frances Lincoln publish this great series and the books are expertly produced for home, school and libraries with an instant appeal.

We love this series and just check out the whole range of books as there will be one just right for you!

Sue Martin


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.


 

Adventure on ice...

Ernest , aged 6, had the four good qualities of an explorer; optimism, patience, idealism and courage.

He started digging a large hole in the back garden, when he was six years old, determined to reach the other side of the world.

This inspirational book about Ernest Shackleton is  part of the Little People, Big Dreams series and is perfect for younger readers to become inspired by the determination and courage of Ernest Shackleton in attempting a Trans Antarctic Expedition from 1914-1917.

Ernest realised he could not be the first to reach the South Pole,  Roald Amundsen achieved that feat in 1911. Instead Shackleton gathered a crew for this greatest journey. Sadly, they were defeated by the weather and their ship Endurance was trapped in polar ice and split in two. The whole crew escaped and landed on Elephant Island, where Shackleton and a few others eventually rescued them from a whaling station.

It was certainly a huge dream and the courage and optimism of Ernest are inspirational to so many who dream of big adventures.

Written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, the text tells much of the full story and in a captivating way, accessible for younger readers. Maria was born in Barcelona, Spain, is a writer and creative director in constant search of new concepts for children’s books and the author of the multimillion-copy best-selling Little People, BIG DREAMS series of picture books that explore the lives of outstanding people.

Olivia Holden, the  illustrator, is currently based in Lancashire. She grew up in a tiny village on the Fylde Coast and studied Fine Art, Textiles and English Literature.Olivia has created some beautiful images for the crew and Endurance in a sea of ice and storms.

Frances Lincoln, part of the Quarto Group have a highly successful series showing how powerful and impactful picture books can be with a great sense of adventure for all younger readers.

I love this series and have learnt so much, Ernest Shackleton  Little People, BIG DREAMS has already set me on the road to find out more about this adventurer, explorer and person of courage. Maybe one day I will dream of a Big Adventure !!

Sue Martin


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.


Brains are amazing! They are responsible for every single thing we do.

The Great Big Brain Book shows how our brains work and all the things and activities we do are directed by the brain, from sleeping and dreaming, to language and memory.

Illustrations and bite sized sections of text deliver the facts in an engaging and memorable way. You can use them to explore more about the subject or as an introduction to how are bodies and minds work together so well.

It is part of the series of The Great Big.... books about all sorts of things which children ask about all the time. It gives some answers and is a fascinating collection of thought processes.

At home I have a very large and detailed book about the brain, so far I have only ever read the first chapter, so maybe this will help me to get a little further!

Mary Hoffman is an internationally acclaimed author of over 120 books for children, with an amazing selection of genres, titles and age groups.

Ros Asquith who has partnered Mary on many books is the illustrator with  such a distinctive style and aptitude for pictures that will be a great part of the text for young children.

Frances Lincoln Children's Books are the publishers and The Great Big Brain Book not only joins an amazing series but an amazing publisher of total quality books.

 

Sue Martin


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.


Discover how Astrid Lindgren grew up to become a best loved author, and creator of Pippi Longstocking, the character who never wanted to grow up. 

It is from Frances Lincoln Children's Books, Little People, BIG DREAMS series. We discover that at the age of four, Astrid met a whole new world of giants, fairies as a friend read to her and she discovered books.

Astrid did her best to learn to read as soon as she could, once she had exhausted the local library she started to write her own books. There was no stopping Astrid and she wrote many books including the much acclaimed stories of Pippi Longstocking.

Published  on March 3rd, this book is just in time for World Book Day on 5th March. It is a wonderful autobiography of Astrid Lindgren and contains a time line of important aspects of her life. There are now over 36 titles in the Little People, BIG DREAMS series and they are a great collection for any school or home.

Isabel Sanchez Vegara is the author and  she is excited by new concepts in children's' books and a creative way to enhance active learning.

Linzie Hunter is the illustrator, with a wealth of experience, including work for Apple, BBC and The Guardian. The illustrations are endearing and full of character.

A moving book, with a story to match with stylish and quirky illustrations, a great addition to the series and a great book for World Book Day.

Sue Martin


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.


Cinderella - cover image and web link
Buy this book here

Cinderella - a magical book complete with  wand from Sanna Mander,an award winning author from Finland.

This classical fairy tale comes to life with music and sound effects, all you need to do is to wave over the page and magic will happen.

On a more serious note... many fairy tales have a darker side, Cinderella is an iconic tale of unjust oppression which teaches  kindness, forgiveness and the value of making good choices in the face of adversity.

Sanna Mander's illustrations and text are beautiful and evocative of a fairy tale world. As an illustrator she won the Cannes Young Creatives in 2006 and Junior of the Year in 2007 at Finnish Best of Year.

Buy this book here - image and web link
...free delivery

Another beautiful book from Lincoln Children's Books.

So, with a 'swirl, a twirl and a puff of starry smoke...' start reading and waving the magic wand.

A great fun book recommended for ages 3-5 years

Sue Martin

 


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.