March 2015 – Bookmonitor – news from around the world

Bologna Children’s Bookfair 2015

The best venue for those interested in Children’s Books is Bologna Children’s Bookfair, March 30th – April 2nd 2015.

The country focus this year at Bologna is Croatia and there are a wealth of countries from all over the globe with fascinating workshops and stands.

Books Go Walkabout is especially interested in the Digital Café,

Meeting with Dust or Magic

Speakers: Warren Buckleitner, Chris Meade, Louise Carleton-Gertz and Kristin Heitmann
Organized by: Children’s Tech Review

An impromptu coffee with Warren Buckleitner (Children’s Tech Review), to discuss the state of children’s tech.

Last year Walker Books, Australia, won the Bologna Prize for Best Children’s Publisher of the Year – Oceania Region.

A great achievement and we are pleased to be working closely with Walker Books Australia and their authors.

Stay on line, if you can’t make it to Bologna and listen to some amazing stories.

This blog will keep you in touch, or join us on Twitter @booksgowalk

Sue Martin at Books Go Walkabout BGW logoJS

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Fly on the Wall books – See history as it happened, by Mick Manning and Brita Granstorm

The 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.

Greek 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.

Roman 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.

Pharaoh’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!

Viking 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

Tell Me a Picture by Quentin Blake

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.

Great 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

World Book Day 2015

March 5th 2015

The Biggest Book show on Earth…. is how World Book Day is described. With children all over the world dressing up and just getting down to reading, there are all sorts of things to do. Share a story competition, Dress Up and Donate, The Biggest Bookshop in Earth Online and a World Book Day, Lucky Dip… plus of course the £1 offer on loads of books.

BooksGoWalkabout is offering a free conversation with one of our authors from across the world. It can be to any school with internet connection that can skype out.

BGW logoJS Check out the offer at World Book Day events

Have fun on World Book Day.

Sue Martin Books Go Walkabout-