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Tag: Dolphinbooksellers

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beach hutAugust and at last a space in the diary for clearing the store of books. Well that is in the plan.

There are approximately 8,000+ books. What is it about books from the past, those children's novels that just have to be re-read? From The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner and The Butterfly Lion by Michael Morpurgo to 100+ways to make paper aeroplanes.

booksWay back in the winter we completely changed a school library into a community library. It's a fantastic space, with comfy chairs, computers, smart shelving units and books, of course.

Some of the sorted books will be going back into school, but the majority will be taken to places, mainly overseas, where books are in short supply. We are lucky that people we work with have many contacts with groups and can get the books direct to the children who need them.

So, I'll just read one or two more, then get back to packing into boxes.

Dolphin BookBox will give you information about our Community Library service, plus other things that we can supply too!

Visit the home page of Dolphin Booksellers for latest information.


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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wikiWikiReadia is a searchable, editable good practice guide to reading. It's a great resource and has loads of information about projects that are happening around the country to promote reading. Its part of the Reading for Life programme. Its beauty is in its collaborative nature and its purpose is to provide a place where good practice in reading is recognised and shared, in effect, an online encyclopedia.

Anyone who is interested in reading can take part. The programme which runs the wiki, called a MediaWiki is carefully designed so that any mistakes can be easily be altered.

gardeThere's a great section on Reading Gardens, which are great for your health and well being. What joy to sit in the outside and just read!

'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.' Marcus Tullius Cicero.

You can visit our home page of Dolphin Booksellers. Bringing information about the best in children's books direct to you. Working with authors and illustrators in schools and book events.


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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MA3 Illustrators in conversation and a woolly armadillo, that took central stage!

Jackie Morris, Petr Horacek and Jan Fearnley were talking about their illustrations at the Federation of Children's Book Groups conference.

Then out of Jan's bag appeared not a canvas with the latest drawing but a woolly armadillo called Milo. Brightly coloured in a stripy outfit he was the answer to Jan's problems . Find out more about Jan's books, a very successful author and illustrator.

SGPetr's, Suzy Goose, just wants to be different to all the other ducks. On her adventures she finds herself in front of a very scary lion.

There's a fantastic video on Petr's website that's well worth a look. Plus his other books, like Elephant,who went inside. Petr started out in Prague,working in communist Czechoslovakia and also studying at the Academy of Fine Art, that was until the revolution and student strike!

SLJackie Morris, with her amazingly beautiful illustrations and huge range of books, both illustrated and written. The Snow Leopard, published by Frances Lincoln and The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems, published by Barefoot Books are two of our favourites. Her web site is full of interest,things to buy and blogs to read!

I love the shots of her studio and the walks by the sea. It makes me feel better about having lots of stuff around me, helps with the creativity, or at least that's my excuse.

Milo Armadillo - Amazon Link

Silly Suzy Goose - Amazon link

Elephant - Amazon link

The Snow Leopard - Amazon link

Barefoot Book of Classic Poems - Amazon link

You can visit our home page of Dolphin Booksellers. Bringing information about the best in children's books direct to you. Working with authors and illustrators in schools and book events.


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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ifeomamainpicIfeoma Onyefulu is more than just a children's writer. Her books show the colour and vibrance of Africa just as it is, a wealth of culture and life that produce riches all of their own.

The books are made using high quality photographs which Ifeoma has taken on her travels across the continent. She has a real flair for spotting the things that make life meaningful and for some beautiful images of people and children. If anyone can make you smile Ifeoma can.

She has recently won the Children's Africana Book Award (in the USA) for her book called Ikenna Goes to Nigeria. (Amazon link).  In November, last year she went to the ceremony in Chicago to receive her award.

A isOther titles she has written are A is for Africa, which is a complete alphabet of places in Africa. (Amazon link). The Big Book version is a brilliant book to have. We have used it in our homes for children just to look at, they love the size!  It's also great as a coffee table book.

Then there's Chidi Only Likes Blue. My favourite! (Amazon link). Beautiful pictures and a lovely story, but I 'll let you read it to find out. Other titles include, One Big Family, (Amazon link), Ebele's Favourite, (Amazon link), plus many more, published by Frances Lincoln.

We first met Ifeoma, when she came as a writer to our author and book event, LeytonStories. Ifeo At a Children's Centre opening, where we were holding a City Story event.  Ifeoma was famously doing some games with the children on the floor. Ed Balls,  Secretary of State for Children and Families was opening the Centre and he joined in too, as well as the head teacher.

Ifeoma is always pleased to go to schools and meet with the children and can be contacted through her web site. You can buy her books direct from Ifeoma's web site or from the Dolphin Booksellers Amazon links. Her books will give your ideas on Africa a whole new meaning! To view the Dolphin Booksellers home page click here.


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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T4037What Mr Darwin Saw, by Mick Manning and Brita Granstorm is a beautiful new book. (Amazon link) It has given us an insight into a man who gave a new understanding to evolution and was also a great family man. (Amazon link)

It is published by Frances Lincoln in association with the Natural History Museum, to mark the centenary of Charles Darwin was born in 1809.

He became one of the world's greatest scientists. His theory of evolution radically changed the view of how people saw the world and themselves.

He married Emma Wedgwood in 1839 and they had ten children. Three of the children died but it was Francis, born in 1848,who became a plant physiologist and carried on much of Darwin's work.

05-24 tinyTheir family home was in Downe, Kent and he planted a 'thinking path' called The Sandwalk, which he walked round and round every day, when he was at home. He meticulously noted the changes in the plant life on a daily basis.

He is most famous for his work on The Evolution of Species and his epic five year voyage on the HMS Beagle around the world . Both in the Galapagos islands and at every place in which they stayed, including South America, he collected vast amounts of data and specimens.
Darwin spent a huge amount of time on the details of his work. It's easy to assume that his discovery was made simply, and using only the information found on the Galapagos Islands. But there is much more to Charles Darwin.

Did you know:
He wrote 25 books in total as well as numerous articles.
He spent a long time and wrote at length on 'The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Actions of Worms. (Amazon link)
He wrote two monographs on Barnacles (Amazon link)
At school he was a slow learner and was taken out of school for being lazy and getting poor grades.
He was a great family man.

There's lots of information available about Darwin and his work, like so many great people his dedication to his work and his mesmeric aptitude for detail has given an insight and understanding that has shaped our understanding of the world.

You can visit our home page at /www.dolphinbooksellers.co.uk/


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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T3042Stump the white horse, bedraggled and forlorn has a stump in the middle of his forehead. It takes Danni to recognise that he is more than just a horse. Amazon link.

Danni is new to this country, he has made it over here, a terrible journey, which he can only remember with pain. His family are left far behind, the ways that he knew are not a part of the world he finds himself in. In the city, there are no wide open spaces to play, no freedom to run and, it seems no places to hide.

Being picked on by the class bullies is not what Danni wants at all. But then he finds Stump or as he re-names this special horse, Moonlight.  A friend and a friend in need.

But Danni is just a bit too late....

A wonderful ending with lots of sadness and promise, but you will need to read it to find out.

A great book for children of any age from about 7-11 years.

Michaela Morgan has written lots of really good books, she writes for a number of publishers, including Frances Lincoln and Barrington Stoke.

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Try 'Respect' also by Michaela. Amazon Link

Michaela joined us at LeytonStories at Newport Primary School in East London. We had some great workshops and terrific questions from the year 6 students.

Visit our home page at Dolphin Booksellers.  Lots of information and you can buy books too.


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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T3053The Golem of Prague, emerged through a clay model as a fierce looking giant. It gave Dan some courage when he knew he was being bullied. He had felt alone and isolated. Amazon link.

His friend, Lucy was there but even she wasn't convinced that Dan was anything but okay when he started to tell her that his clay model could talk.

Being zapped back into the 16th century, going where
danger was beating at the door and finding just how tough he was, could only be the best thing for Dan. Hard as it was!

Jonny Zucker, author of Dan and the Mudman, has captured a real sense of what it is like to be bullied and singled out for something you can't escape from. Amazon link.

The adventure, and links with the historical setting of the 16th century make this both an exciting read and a story which lots of children will relate to.

flPublished by Frances Lincoln the book has a band reading of 9+, but as a story it's a great read for younger or older children.

It was recently read by 10 and 11 year olds at LeytonStories, in East London,they had some really rave reviews. Jonny was one of three authors, giving workshops and talking about books. leytonstoriesLogo2

Visit our home page at Dolphin Booksellers.co.uk


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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cindersCinderella doesn't have a Fairy Godmother and Sleeping Beauty didn't have an evil step mother. Rapunzel has a hidden secret, and Frog Princes seldom get kissed, well would you?

The world of the Brothers Grimm in Germany in 1812 was not the sort of place that you would expect a collection of fairy tales to come from. Yet the two brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm gathered series of tales from around the country and published them first as folk tales. (Amazon link). The first book was called "Children's and Household Tales". It was so popular that another 70 stories were added to the next volume and it went on growing for six more editions. Finally the book had over 200 stories.

But are Fairy Tales all that they seem, why have they managed to exist for so long and why even now are they the source for so much materials in film and in children's books?

The stories have in fact changed continuously, they have been adapted, added to, sections removed and still the understanding of the story is much the same. There are complete sets of morals and a way of finding out about the world from the relative safety of a book. In vivid characterisations and settings that may only appear in a world of dreams the very young child finds themselves confronting danger, conflict and right versus wrong comes through in abundance!

In Bruno Bettleheim's The Uses of Enchantment (Amazon link) there is much about the stories being a focus of where the child actually is in their emotional and psychological being at an early stage.

And so often these are stories that are shared with parents or teachers, and that makes a difference.They can also be read and re read, knowing where the scary bit is in the story can really bring on the anticipation!

They are stories of kings and queens, castles and forests, animals and witches, magic and fantasy.But whatever has happened right always wins over wrong and happiness is found in the end. What more could we want!

castle

Visit our home page at Dolphin Booksellers.co.uk.


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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ghostscapeGhostscape is the first novel of Joe Layburn. (Amazon link)

Joe works as a teacher in London's East End, a far cry from his time as a journalist and televsion reporter. But maybe there are lots of connections between his book and what he had to report for the TV.

Ten year old Aisha is trying to make a life in London's East End. But she had lived in Somalia and had seen war and dead bodies. Now she was just a girl in a headscarf.

But she had never seen a ghost before, well that was about to change.....

An exciting time slip novel when Aisha is transported back to the Blitz in the 1940's.

In a world full of changes Aisha comes to rely more and more on her new ghost friend and together they work it out. But you should read the book, its really a great story.

This quotation taken from the first chapter of Ghostscape, called Bombs and Bullies, gives a little idea of the feelings the book fosters.

"Don't let her get you down,  Aisha. You're worth more than that." I liked that.  He was right.  I was worth something.  I fell asleep, leaning against him, still with a smile on my face."

Ghostscape, written by Joe Layburn and illustrated by John Williams is published by Frances Lincoln, first edition in August 2008.

Joe is a great author to have working with children and is part of a team delivering workshops directly with Year 6 children in Newport Primary School, Leyton, East London. This is part of LeytonStories, an exciting new initiative bringing children's books direct into the community.

See Dolphinbooksellers.co.uk home page here.


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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tobyaloneCoverAnnouncement of the 2009 winner

At a ceremony at the English speaking Union on 20 January Sarah Ardizzone won the Marsh Award for Children's Literature in translation 2009, for Toby Alone by Daniel Pennac.

There was great competition from some exceptionally talented authors and translators, including Henning Mankell's book When the Snow Fell and Francesco D'Adamo's book My brother Johnny.

The Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation has been running since 1996, and is given biennially.

It was designed to spotlight the diversity of translated fiction for young readers and to bring a richness to children's books into the English language from places way beyond our own lives and in cultures and countries we may never have the chance to visit.

Our feelings at Dolphin are that is just great to value books and cultures in countries that we have little experience of. Stories still give everyone a chance to experience something else, to be with that character in the story, feel what its like and learn that you're not alone.

Congratulations to Sarah and to the other short listed translators.

This is the shortlist, hope you get to read at least one, I'm going to start with When the Snow Fell.

My Brother Johnny by Francesco D'Adamo translated from Italian by Sian Williams (Aurora Metro Press, 2007) Amazon link

When the Snow Fell by Henning Mankell translated from Swedish by Laurie Thompson (Andersen Press, 2007) Amazon link

Letters from Alain by Enrique Perez Diaz translated from Spanish by Simon Breden (Aurora Metro Press, 2008) Amazon link

Tina's Web by Alki Zei translated from Greek by John Thornley (Aurora Metro Press, 2007) Amazon link

Toby Alone by Timothée de Fombelle translated from French by Sarah Ardizzone illustrated by François Place (Walker Books, 2008) Amazon link

Message in a Bottle by Valérie Zenatti translated from French by Adriana Hunter (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2008) Amazon link

The Dolphinbooksellers home page is here


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.