Now in its fourth year, the Diverse Voices Children’s Book Award, will announce the winner on Thursday May 23rd at Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children’s Books in Newcastle upon Tyne.

The award, continues the Frances Lincoln’s tradition of promoting writing which celebrates cultural diversity and cultural and social tolerance. It provides a platform for new authors to present their work and celebrate aspects of their own culture through the world of children’s books.

The award is also supported by The Arts Council and encourages writers to have a voice and to reach out to all children, and especially for children who can find reflections of their own lives in the stories.

“Diversity in children’s books is crucial – in this ever-shrinking world we are all foreigners somewhere. I’m delighted to be part of an award recognising the importance of this element in young people’s fiction.”
Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty (The National Council for Civil Liberties)

This year the short list is

One of a Kind by Jude (Najoud) Ensaff

Samosa Girl by Swapna Haddow

You’re Not Proper by Tariq Mehmood

From dark secrets, from characters whose existence is shaped by issues of war,to children with multiple identities, these are all great books to be short listed.

Dolphin Booksellers will post the announcements.

Sue Martin – Dolphin Booksellers, best in children’s books, always on line.

Post from: Dolphin Book Blog

The Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Children’s Book Award 2013 -

Check out what happens when you visit Type Books in Ontario, Canada. Could it happen in your high street too?

Maybe it happens in your own house on the bookshelves, when you are fast asleep…..

Start being creative and have fun, learning too with ideas for children and for adults.

Take two minutes out to watch the video on Dolphin Booksellers. W’er about to have a page for short book videos too. Maybe even a visit to our online anytime book shop and buy a new book, whilst Spring is just about to happen.

Sue Martin
Dolphin Booksellers The best in children’s books always on line

Post from: Dolphin Book Blog

Bookshops at Night

” …there are some stories that when you hear them for the very first time it is as if you know them, as they are part of your soul. You then spend the rest of your life trying to understand them…. It is a journey, an adventure, a love story that in the writing took an unexpected turn.”

It is a magical story and a book to treasure and return to. It will make you go back to it and try and relive the story or find yourself as the girl seeking through all the winds to find her lost love in the castle east of the sun and west of the moon.

Published by Frances Lincoln the book is available via this Amazon link. The format of the book is wonderful with a neat hardcover. It’s a book for a present and especially for yourself too, a treat and a joy.

Jackie lives in a small house by the sea in Pembrokeshire where she writes and paints. She has a range of wonderful books, such as The Snow Leopard and Can You See a Little Bear?  Jackie’s website is a dream and is worth hours of exploring.

There is a competition to win the necklace from East of the Sun, West of the Moon on Jackie’s blog.

Dolphin Booksellers – the best in children’s books always on line.

Post from: Dolphin Book Blog

East of the Sun and West of the Moon

The Federation of Childrens’ Book Groups

Not the usual Spring like feel as the snow blew in from the east and in Suffolk, that means cold!

The engaging authors,publishers stalls,splendid array of books for sale(Norfolk Children’s Book Centre) made it a weekend of books, stories and illustrations.

Saturday was the busiest day and authors enlivened the discussions with slides and talks about their writing, their books and all the things that just makes their books special.

Authors we especially connected with;

Marcus Sedgewick, Annabel Pitcher,Liz Pichon, Emma Chichester Clark, Gill Lewis, Adele Geras and Colin Mulhern. Worth looking at their websites and following their work. Brilliant stuff!

But especially the work of Gill Lewis,

Sky Hawk, White Dolphin and Moon Bear. Her work as a vet has a big influence. Her childhood of hating books and librarians must have turned her into a great writer!

‘I turned my back on books, but other children got lost in the magic of books, I couldn’t get lost in that world.’

You can buy more books from the pages of Dolphin Booksellers, and we will make a donation to supporting Kalpana to get to school in Nepal.

Sue Martin

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

Related articles

• Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher wins Waterstones children’s prize
• Books and Babies…Never Too Young – Reading to Your Newborn
• 7 Things Editors at Children’s Book Publishers Wish Writers Knew

Post from: Dolphin Book Blog

The Power of the Page

Are you ready for the Biggest Show on Earth?

World Book Day in 2013 is going to be a big one! There’s loads going on, take some time in the day to be part of it.

At Dolphin Booksellers and our worldwide project Books Go Walkabout we will be there on-line with links and blogs about some of the events.

Schools we work with are gearing up for all sorts of fun, from dressing up as book characters to using the World Book Day website to access children’s authors like Mallory Blackman in video on how to start a story.

For starters and to get ready for a bonanza of books, reading, authors, stories and fun try clicking through to these World Book Day events.

Find an event near you, competitions, games and videos.

There are loads of resources too…try the Primary Resource Pack

Find how you can buy the books for £1. Have fun.

Dolphin Booksellers and Books Go Walkabout

Related articles

• World Book Day 2013 Costume ideas.
• Becoming A Talking Book: Celebrating World Book Day
• World Book Day aims to be ‘biggest book show on earth’
• 50 fabulous, fun ideas for World Book Day

Post from: Dolphin Book Blog

World Book Day Thursday March 7th

Books Go Walkabout is moving into 2013 with a pilot programme for a London school and in Victoria, Australia.

Over the next few weeks, we will be in Sydney, meeting with authors and colleagues to develop the project.

We will also be delivering books from Australia into the London school… two places at once!

A funding route is being explored and if successful will support the project for a time.

Books Go Walkabout, a project which is on its way into 2013 and will bring more books and authors to children across the world.

Sue Martin

Related articles

• Ibby International Congress 2012

Post from: Dolphin Book Blog

Projects for 2013

Post from: Dolphin Book Blog

Happy Christmas

A true story of a girl in exile in the 1940′s, The Endless Steppe …. written by Esther Hautzig and now re-published by Jane Nissen Books.

‘One of the truly great stories of the survival of the human spirit against all odds,’ says Michael Morpurgo.

A remarkable story of a girl who starts out at age 10 from her comfortable home in Poland. With her family they travel for six weeks in a cattle truck as they are transported to Siberia. Esther lives for the next five years in exile and learns to live with hunger, loss and a deep struggle for the barest essentials.

Twenty years later and settled in New York, Esther writes her story. A story that cries out to be read from the very first page.

To find more books that are classics or favourites from the past, visit Jane Nissen Books, a wealth of stories that should not be forgotten.

You can buy The Endless Steppe  here or through Jane Nissen Books.

Dolphin Booksellers – the best in children’s books always on line Sue Martin

Related articles

• Michael Morpurgo’s top writing tips

Post from: Dolphin Book Blog

The Endless Steppe

Winner of the 2011 Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Award,Helen Limon’s novel Om Shanti Babe is a real winner of a story, hard to put down from beginning to end.

Cassia can’t wait for her first visit to India… Bollywood glamour, new friends, a new adventure into this exciting world.

But it doesn’t work out quite like that!

Kerala has a life all of it’s own and the culture shock is HUGE! and then her Mum’s new romance with ‘call me V’ Mr Chaudury, her own stand off with fashion mad Priyanka takes over. But pop idol Jonny Gold arrives on the beach with his new song, Om Shanti, Babe, sparking a mystery, new friendships, a race to save the mangrove swamps…

Om Shanti, Babe, a roller coaster journey of discovery with an exciting environmental twist- all against the backdrop of beautiful Kerala.

The Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Award encourages and promotes diversity in children’s fiction. Jointly founded by Frances Lincoln Ltd and Seven Stories, the national centre for children’s books it is a powerful voice for the world of children.

Om Shanti, Babe is published by Janetta Otter-Barry at Frances Lincoln. Buy direct from Frances Lincoln or through Dolphin Booksellers.

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

Related articles

• Books of the Year 2012: Children’s books

Post from: Dolphin Book Blog

Om Shanti Babe

Pre-order now for September 27th 2012 release…

Your chance to get ahead and enjoy a J.K. Rowling book all for yourself!

Click on the book to pre-order at Amazon price of £9.86 (saving of £10.14)

The first novel for adults by J.K.Rowling will be released on Thursday 27th September.

A big novel about a small town, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults. It is the work of a storyteller like no other.

For all Harry Potter e books visit Pottermore.

The Casual Vacancy is published by Little Brown Book Group and will be available in hardback and ebook at £11.99

The plot…
When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.
Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty facade is a town at war.
Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils… Pagford is not what it first seems.
And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

It’s going to be the Big Read and Must Have book.

Pre- order through Dolphin’s link to Amazon  or just click on the book cover above.

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

Pottermore

Related articles

• J.K. Rowling’s ‘Casual Vacancy’ Becoming BBC TV Series
• J.K. Rowling’s adult novel to be televised

Post from: Dolphin Book Blog

The Casual Vacancy by J.K Rowling