Featured authors – Page 11 – Bookmonitor

School Librarian of the Year Award 2014

In 2014, there were three exceptional librarians on the Honours List and we were pleased to be able to attend the ceremony held by the Schools Library Association.

This year Liz Millett, Teaching Assistant/Library Co-ordinator at Weatherfield Academy, Dunstable, has been awarded the honour of the SLA School Librarian of the Year 2014 at a celebration at the Hotel Russell in London on 6 October. Award-winning author and artist Chris Riddell (Macmillan Children’s Books) presented her with the award.

Weatherfield Academy is a special school for students aged 7 to 19 with Moderate Learning Difficulties and additional complex needs. There are 117 pupils in the school with 52% attracting Pupil Premium funding and entitled to free school meals and 32% in social care. Much of the curriculum is aimed at giving students lifelong skills. In 2009 a room was adapted for the library and Liz Millett took on the job of developing it. The pupils make good levels of progress, as judged by Ofsted in 2013.

Liz says “My aim is to increase their pleasure from reading whatever level they are at to make sure they are not frightened by books or put off them, so that they will come to see reading as something they will always have for themselves.”

To read more about Liz go to: http://www.sla.org.uk/liz-millett.php

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

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Something About a Bear
by Jackie Morris

This is just Amazing!!

A golden brown book full of beautiful images all about bears. This is the latest from Jackie Morris, written and illustrated this year, published on 2nd October by Frances Lincoln.

‘Let me tell you something about a bear…

Where the water churns with the salmon, there the Brown Bear stands and catches the wild king of the river.

Eight wild bears – Moon Bear, Sun Bear, Sloth Bear, Brown Bear,Spectacled Bear,American Black Bear, Giant Panda and Polar Bear, all in their own habitats and some info about each of them.

The last page is the best! Brown Bears paws, just waiting to be touched, if you dare!

Sue Martin

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

I’m a Little Alien
by James Carter

A magical collection of poetry for any child and especially for Early Years. I’m a Little Alien written by James Carter and illustrated by Mique Moriuchi is perfect for all little stars.

Frances Lincoln has a great reputation for new and inventive children’s books and this fits well with their poetry collection.

One of my favorites is Beware!

….Forest dweller

grizzly-fella

sneaking, lurking

here and there

you beware-

there’s a BEAR !

Buy for nursery and Foundation Stage settings or for parents and children to share together.

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

Werewolf Club Rules
by Joseph Coelho

What happens when puppies fall in love? How do you fold up your Gran?

Not things you normally have to think about, but the mysterious rules of the Werewolf Club are funny, spooky and spellbinding.

It’s an exciting debut poetry collection by Joseph Coelho and illustrated by John O’Leary, the book is a brilliant addition to any class room, childrens bookshelf. Fifty poems and a delight to read.

An excellent book from Frances Lincoln publishers, who have a wonderful knack of launching some brilliant materials.

Buy direct through Dolphin Books and we will donate to our project in Nepal.

Sue Martin

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

Mark Carthew & The Moose is Loose

The Moose is Loose has been short listed for the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards 2014.

This is a great title and we have used the book in schools in the UK, with great success. Have skyped with Mark across the globe and we are pleased to work with him on Books Go Walkabout projects.

Mark’s books are real pleasure to read and the rhymes and illustrations give so much to involve children in the books. They also have a real place in supporting children who don’t come to reading too easily and they are wonderful to engage with boys through activities and actions.

They really help reading progress and engage children in wanting to read.

Congrats to Mark, and good luck with the Award 2014.

Sue Martin

Dolphin Book Sellers – always online…

Wolf Man and Freddy and the Pig

Two super star authors have joined Barrington Stoke on the Red Squirrel dyslexia friendly picture book list.

The picture books are designed for easy reading, with good layouts and fonts to help emergent readers and children with dyslexia.

Wolf Man is by Michael Rosen and Chris Mould. The townspeople are terrified, Wolf man is on the loose, he has escaped! This is a funny tale with some serious stuff for toddlers!

Image of Freddy the Pig by Charlie Higson and Mark Chambers... — Really good fun…

Freddy and the Pig is by Charlie Higson and Mark Chambers. Freddy has hit on a cunning plan. He sends the pig to school and he stays at home eating and watching TV. But it doesn’t work out quite as Freddy planned.

Dolphin Booksellers are pleased to support these reading projects.

She Wore Red Trainers

When Ali first meets Amirah, he notices everything about her – her hijab, her long eyelashes and her red trainers – in the time it takes to have one look, before lowering his gaze. And, although Ali is still coming to terms with the loss of his mother and exploring his identity as a Muslim, and although Amirah has sworn never to get married, they can’t stop thinking about each other.

Can Ali and Amirah ever have a halal ‘happily ever after’?

This book is recently published by Kube Publishing, publishers of Islamic literature. It’s a stunning novel of young romance, for young people and adults, written by award winning author Na’ima B. Robert.

Falling in love as a teenager is a difficult time and for a young Muslim there are things that make life really hard. ‘She Wore Red Trainers’ is brilliant at being right there with the characters.

Nai’ima was born in England, grew up in Zimbabwe and converted to Islam in 1998 at the age of 21after visiting Egypt as a student. She graduated from the University of London and is founding editor of the UK-based Muslim women’s magazine, Sisters.

She has published many picture books with Muslim themes and four young adult novels: From Somalia, With Love, Boy vs Girl, Black Sheep and Far From Home. You can discover Na’ima B. Robert’s collected works on Amazon.co.uk here.

She has also published a memoir, From My Sisters’ Lips, and a series of children’s non-fiction books under her family name, Thando McLaren. Na’ima B Robert is married with five children and divides her time between London and Egypt.

You can buy direct from Kube Publishing or from Amazon.co.uk here…

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

Alanna Books

Alanna Books is an independent publisher, founded in 2006, and has a number of titles that are beautifully delivered, with a real understanding of children and parents.

They are just the sort of publisher we love! Their latest book is Zeki Loves Baby Club, written by Anna McQuinn and illustrated by Ruth Hearson.

A story for everyone, families are the same the world over.

It’s about all the things that babies find good fun as they develop and increase understanding. The book is full of information for parents too, with rhymes and words to join in with. As well as all that…. the book is a joy to hold and explore. Inside the covers, there’s information in small sound bytes about language and communication, stories and reading. It make sit a great book for parents and for Early Years settings too.

You can find more details about the work of Anna McQuinn here on her Amazon page, including details of this great title.

Sue Martin

Pioneer in Children’s Literacy and Early Years Consultant

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

Kellett School, Hong Kong Students in Beijing

Year 5 Kellett School students have just returned from a week in Beijing.

An experience of a lifetime with many cultural visits and contact with students in the capital of China. At Books Go Walkabout we just think this is an amazing experience and will produce life long memories and connections with China. What an experience!

In March, this year we were pleased to work with Year 5’s on books written by award winning author,Carole Wilkinson, The Dragonkeeper Trilogy. The books are about a slave girl and other dragon keepers in Ancient China. They are some amazing fiction stories with excellent research and information about life in Ancient China.

The books were sent from the UK, written by Carole in Australia and read by students in Hong Kong. We held a video conversation with Carole direct to the students at school, which was great and the students went away eager to read more of the stories.

Books Go Walkabout is on the journey….. Ancient China and beyond!!

Sue Martin – Books go Walkabout

Red Squirrel Picture Books

Great authors and illustrators have come together for a new picture book list with an added bonus – parents with dyslexia can read them too!

The picture books are designed to enable the print to be clear and well laid out.

Many picture books are now designed with print running through the illustrations and in changing fonts. These are especially hard for anyone with dyslexia to read.

Two great titles out now;

All I Said Was by Michael Morpurgo and Ross Collins. A story about a boy who dreams of flying and then swaps places with a bird. A real imaginative journey and who comes off the best?

Itch Scritch Scratch by Eleanor Updale and Sarah Horne. A wonderful rhyming story with great comedy and just needs to be read aloud!

Red Squirrel books are part of Barrington Stoke, books for readers of all ages who want to have access to the best stories.

Sue Martin

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