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William Tyndale Primary School
Art and Literacy Month October 2013

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Through our Authors in Schools projects, Ifeoma Onyefulu and Cheryl Moskowitz gave some amazing presentations to children in eight classes in October. From writing hearing about Nigerian Traditional Tales to writing a Cinquain poem the children were given some real insights to writing in different genres.

 

Ifeoma read one of her stories from The Girl Who Married a Ghost and other stories a book of folk tales from Nigeria. The story was The Girl who Married a Ghost.

The children were soon enthralled and straight away saw the problem that the girl had and just why she married a ghost, 'She was too choosy' said one child.' She shouldn't have married at all!'

After lots of discussion the children
drew some pictures of the story
and the ghost appeared with the girl.

 

CherylCheryl has developed a great technique for the whole class to give something in writing a shared Cinquain.

  • From the first line being the subject and having 2 syllables,
  • to the second line being a description and having 4 syllables
  • to the third line being the purpose and having 6 syllables
  • to the fourth line being how it feels and having 8 syllables
  • And the fifth line reflecting the start and having 2 syllables.

All the children took part and voted on the words and lines to be used so it was truly collaborative and very effective.

An examples of the poems created...

 

Water
Blue sea, salty
Drinking the turquoise waves
Relaxing in the swimming pool
Swish, swash

You can discover Ifeoma's work on Amazon.co.uk here...

You can discover Cheryl's work on Amazzon.co.uk here...

Sue Martin

Books Go Walkabout and Dolphin Booksellers


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.


Image 1This year two librarians have been awarded the School Librarian of the Year, a celebration at the Hotel Russell in London, on 7th October.

Ginette Doyle, Chair of the SLA School Librarian of the Year Selection committee said:

"They are not joint winners, but each deserves the accolade of School Librarian of the Year.”

Photo from Philip Cooper Photography

“It was an extremely strong, and international, Honour List. In the end we chose two librarians both working in different ways to bring their libraries into the heart of the school and learning.

Candy Gourlay, author of the award-wining Tall Story and recently published second novel, The Shine, presented the award to:

Hilary Cantwell, librarian at St Paul’s Community College Waterford, Republic of Ireland.

Hilary gained expertise in New York schools and public libraries before joining an Irish government programme to create school libraries.

St Paul’s has 430 students and is in a rural county with the highest unemployment in Ireland. It is affiliated to the Irish government’s inclusion programme, Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools.

John Iona, librarian at Oasis Academy Enfield, Middlesex.


John creates award-winning resources, delivers the school’s Extended Project Qualification programme and plays a significant role in curriculum planning and support. The school has 1,100 students of which up to 70% have English as a second language. John actively promotes reading for pleasure with a number of initiatives including Reading Games.

A great celebration and the awards a real reflection of the importance of reading and literacy in schools.

Dolphin Booksellers are pleased to celebrate this achievement of the School Library Association.

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.


cardJackie Morris was in Covent Garden on 12th September, well actually, in the beautiful Swiss Church in Endell St, Covent Garden, to show her new Christmas card design and to talk about her life in writing and illustrating.

The talk was on behalf of Help Musicians UK and proceeds from sales of Jackie's designed card will go to support musicians of all ages and Jackie also donated prints of her work to be auctioned.

Jackie talked about how she includes all of her life into her art and writing, her walks at St David's and into the fields and with views across the sea and hares racing across the fields.

Engaging, creative and just beautiful,and sitting in the midst of the London hubbub, it is easy to drift away into that delight of the Pembrokeshire countryside and wish you were there.

JM hareHer latest book,The Song of the Golden Hare, published by Frances Lincoln is out in print in October. It's a must!

Follow Jackie's work through her blog and on facebook. You can buy the cards too from Help the Musicians and you can buy her books, details on her website.

We are pleased to work with Jackie on getting her stories and books to the children, who don't have much chance to see them.

Contact us to find out more about events and book do's!

 

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.


Image 1Kevin Crossley-Holland,celebrated author and President of the School Library Association, delivered an enchanting and beautifully crafted lecture:

'Footprints on the Grass: Speaking of Gardens and Children's Books' to a full house at Homerton College Cambridge on 6th September.

The theme of gardens was delicately drawn into ways in which children use imagination within places where there is space, beauty and security.

Kevin talked about John the Peddar from Norfolk, is journey to London following a dream about a pot of gold, only to turn back and return home where the pot was in his back garden.

' The greatest treasure in the world is on our doorstep, but you may have to go away and come back to find it.'

There were many references to Philippa's writing, and especially her most famous book, Tom's Midnight Garden.

Philippa Pearce died in 2006, but respect and affection for her writing is as strong as ever. In her memory, a series of lectures is now underway, each intended to celebrate excellence in writing for children.

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The inaugural Philippa Pearce Memorial Lecture was held on 11th September 2008, at Homerton College, Cambridge, and focused on Philippa Pearce's own writing and contribution to children's literature. Subsequent lectures have ranged more widely and speakers have included Michael Rosen, Michael Morpurgo, Philip Pullman and Malorie Blackman.

The 2014 Lecture will be given by Frank Cottrell Boyce.

Kevin's speech was filmed and will be available on the Philippa Pearce Memorial Lecture website soon. http://www.pearcelecture.com


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.


Image 2Poetry will be back in the mainstay of children's learning at school. Frances Lincoln have just published a brilliant array of books in a series called, Poetry for Children.

Titles and authors include; Kathy Henderson with The Dragon with a Big Nose, Cheryl Moskowitz with Can it be about Me?, Brian Moses with The Monster Sale along with Roger McGough, Grace Nichols and Wes Magee.

 

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The new Primary National Curriculum, to be introduced from September 2014, will bring a focus on poetry. The Bookseller said,

"The move could help to boost children’s poetry publishing output, support poets in schools and encourage booksellers to revitalise their limited children’s poetry offer."

Take a look at the Frances Lincoln poetry books, and from our Dolphin site go to Anytime Book Shop and shop via Amazon. When you buy books through Dolphin we will donate 20p per book to supporting children at school in Nepal(or at least getting to school as the recent monsoons have meant a long break!).

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.


Image 1Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children's Books has reached the finals of the National Lottery Award.

This is a fantastic centre with a wealth of exhibitions and information on children's books in the UK.

It deserves your vote!!

"Children's books are an essential part of our childhood, national heritage and culture. Everything we do at Seven Stories is aimed at inspiring children and adults to be curious, imaginative and creative. We strive to ensure people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities can take part and enjoy a lifetime of reading for pleasure. It is a tremendous honour to be nominated for a National Lottery Award and we hope we can harness the energy and support of everyone young and old to vote for us and make us a winner." Kate Edwards, Chief Executive

The Awards are an annual search to find the UK's favourite Lottery–funded projects, and they aim to recognise the difference that those projects have made to people, places and communities all across the UK.

With the mission to save, share and celebrate our rich heritage of children's books to inspire a love of reading across generations, Seven Stories is competing against six other projects for the title of Best Education Project. The winner will accept the award on BBCTV and receive a £2,000 cash prize. Voting has opened and closes at midnight on 24 July.

Vote at National Lottery Good Causes or at Seven Stories.

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.


maxMax is a small boy mad about sport, and every day Max imagines that he is the most successful sports person,taking parts in all sorts of exciting sports.

In his world, he dives into an Olympic swimming pool, he takes the lead in the bob sleigh and he scores a winning goal in an amazing football team.

His friends are there in his dreams too, and in the illustrations, which speak as much as the words, you can find many aspects of disability and inclusion. Look carefully and you will find a hearing aid and an oxygen tube, and more...

What a wealth of opportunity for all children and a book that will go down really well in the classroom as teachers can use both as a good story book and also as a real resource for inclusion and disabilities as part of everyday life.

Max the Champion, written by Sean Stockdale and Alexandra Strick and illustrated by Ros Asquith and published by Frances Lincoln. As publishers, they are amazing at delivering books that are both great reads and meet the needs of our diverse and rich culture.

You can buy this book through Dolphin Booksellers today.

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.


BGW logoJSBooks Go Walkabout has just started on a new journey, into e-publishing. The project is now able to publish books for authors and creative writers around the globe.

Books go Walkabout is the e-publishing arm of SmithMartin LLP, the parent practice of Dolphinbooksellers.

An exciting new adventure and we are pleased to start our journey with the first book in series called Writing about Africa. Short stories about Africa, fiction, travel, interest and lots more to come.

The first story, The Goat That Vanished  is by Ifeoma Onyefulu.  A story of a goat, some elders and a wedding gift that went wrong... a story of culture, humour and family life.

Ifeoma Onyefulu - a story about a goat
The Goat That Vanished

Ifeoma writes for children and uses her captivating photos of African life as she travels across the continent.

Buy from the Amazon Kindle Store for less than the price of a cup of coffee here.

Our publications are set to grow, in conjunction with the Worldreader programme, who provide 300 stories on a Kindle free to individual children throughout Africa. Great readers!

Our publications are designed to feed into social projects supporting children and literacy in Africa, but their interest is world wide. already the story is available across the globe, in 9 different countries.

A real success for Books Go Walkabout...join us on the journey.

Books Go Walkabout - Children and authors using technology across the globe

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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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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.Image 3

 

Image 2The 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.


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.


Return of an old favourite - The Joy of Books

Image 5What happens in a bookshop at night when everyone goes home?

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


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.