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Bone Talk, Short Listed for Costa Children’s Book Award 2018

Bone Talk - cover image and web link — Buy this book with free delivery here…

Congratulations to Candy Gourlay, author of Bone Talk, shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards, Children’s Book Award, 2018.

Candy is an award-winning author, her books include Tall Story, Shine and most recently Is It a Mermaid?

At Books Go Walkabout, we are pleased to work with Candy on school visits in the UK and Far East.

Bone Talk is a story from 100 years ago, about a boy named Samkad, who thinks he knows everything about the world. He knows the mountains he lives in. He knows his people. He knows his blood enemy, the Mangili and he wants to become a man, to be given his own shield, spear and axe to fight with.

Buy this book with free delivery here…

His best friend, Luki, wants all the same things – except she is a girl, and no girl has ever become a warrior. But everything changes when a new boy arrives in the village. He calls himself Samkad’s brother, yet he knows nothing of the ways of the mountain and he brings news of a people called ‘Americans’, who are bringing war and destruction right to his home…

Candy is from the Philippines and her stories are linked to culture and childhood from this amazing country on the edge of the Pacific Ocean.

Whilst writing Bone Talk, Candy travelled to her book’s remote mountain setting and became engrossed in the spirit and dynamics of this incredible country.

Bone Talk is published by David Fickling Books and is a great read for children ages, 8-11 years.

Congratulations Candy on having Bone Talk shortlisted and Good Luck for the Costa Children’s Book Award.

Sue Martin

Bookmonitor is our news source for reviews and project information.

Books go Walkabout is our international books and literacy project - connecting authors and illustrators with children and young people around the globe.

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The Skies Above My Eyes

The skies are full of so many things and this newly published book is packed full of all you could ever want to know about life above our eyes.

The Skies Above My Eyes is written by Charlotte Guillain and illustrated by Yuval Zommer, published by Words and Pictures, who have produced this beautiful book in an explosive style format.

You can lift out all the pages in one go. The bottom pages are the closest to the earth reaching high into the skies through the stratosphere, thermo-sphere and crossing the Karman Line into space.

Buy this book with free delivery here…

It’s a dream book for anyone interested in the skies and our planet.

Charlotte Guillain lives in the UK and writes fiction and non fiction for children. Her book, The Street Beneath My Feet was shortlisted for the UKLA 7-11 Book Award 2018. She writes in a style that appeals to all and enables bite size pieces of information to be presented in very easily digested chunks!

Yuval Zommer graduated from the Royal College of Art and after working in advertising is now successfully illustrating children’s books. His debut book was much acclaimed,called The Big Blue Thing on the Hill.

Words and Pictures are part of the Quarto group and have some amazing books, of which The Skies Above My Eyes is one of the best.

Recommend for all ages and especially for 6-9 years

Sue Martin

Joanna Grochowicz – Autumn tour in UK with BGW

Joanna, awaiting visitors with the SPRI team...image — Joanna, awaiting visitors with the SPRI team…read more below.

An outstanding visit from New Zealand author Joanna Grochowicz to U.K. schools and organisations in September.

Joanna’s visits were planned with Books Go Walkabout.

We were delighted that over 1,000 children, have been inspired to be writers of the future. They have learnt so much about Antarctic exploration and history of the early 1900’s.

Joanna is a born storyteller and can captivate any audience from a class of 30 to a theatre auditorium packed to over 400 people, with such tales to tell! Her knowledge of this incredible voyage, which ended in disappointment and disaster, is based on real stories from the expedition, bringing the book alive.

Joanna engages a full audience of readers...image — Joanna engages a full audience of readers…

Books Go Walkabout planned the visits over the last 6 months, from timings, specifics and curriculum links for each school, making sure it would work best for the students and bringing added value for the teachers.

Joanna visited some outstanding schools, including Christ’s Hospital in Sussex, Bournemouth School, Copthorne Preparatory School, William Tyndale Primary and Cheltenham College. She had a rapturous welcome throughout, with many return visits planned.

The adventures of Captain Scott are full of meaningful tales. Herbert Ponting, the photographer, for instance was about to take a photo of killer whales, only to find they were looking at him with other thoughts. They swam under the ice and turned the ice pack that he was standing on upside down. He was rescued by colleagues as he hung on to his tripod and escaped being eaten by Orcinus Orca.

At the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge, Joanna met with visitors and parents who avidly bought copies of Into the White. Scott Polar Research Institute is the home of Arctic and Antarctic exploration and research. The museum is full of artefacts and information and a delightful visit is guaranteed.

Joanna returns in the Spring to continue her research for the third book on Antarctic exploration.

Into the White - cover image and web link... — Buy ths great book here…i

In May 2019 Joanna’s second book will be published by Allen and Unwin, based on the treks of Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian polar explorer.

We are delighted to be working with Joanna over the next few years and if you would like a visit, contact suemartin@booksgowalkabout.com.

Copies of Into the White, Scott’s Antarctic Odyssey, can be purchased here.

Sue Martin

Mr Chicken Lands on London by Leigh Hobbs

Mr Chicken Lands on London - cover image and web link — Buy a Leigh Hobbs title here…

Mr Chicken arrives in London via parachute, without wasting any time on immigration control he sets off to see as many of the famous sights as he possibly could.

He sails over the Houses of Parliament, and lands in the River Thames.

Although no-one seemed to notice and heads off to the Savoy Hotel, which is THE place to stay in London.

Mr Chicken visits Buckingham Palace and has tea with the Queen before heading off across Piccadilly Circus and the London Eye. Amazingly, Mr Chicken blends in well with the local people and other tourists before heading back home ‘down under’.

A brilliant picture book about a loveable character making his way across the centre of London. Explore the city of London with Mr Chicken and find all the most famous sights. Leigh Hobbs is excellent at portraying characters in different places and Mr Chicken Arrives in London is part of a series of books about travels into European cities.

Buy the book button - image and web link — …with free delivery!

Leigh Hobbs is an award-winning writer and illustrator of a whole range of books, including the Mr Chicken series, Old Tom, Horrible Harriet and my favourite, Mr Badger.

He was Australian Children’s Laureate in 2016-17 travelling and visiting schools as an advocate for children’s books. He has an amazing collection of titles. Leigh lives in Melbourne, Australia and is also an artist, a sculptor, and indeed a great traveller himself.

Leigh Hobbs studio - image and book purchase web link — Buy a Leigh Hobbs title on-line here…

Mr Chicken is published by Allen and Unwin, Australia and is available in the UK. Click the book image to buy.

Books Go Walkabout have planned a tour of schools and organisations in the UK for Leigh this autumn, October 2018. He is a great hit with the schools and children and instantly gets children interested in Mr Chicken and other characters, looking at; how to draw a character, how to add the text and best of all how to make the book fun.

We recommend Mr Chicken Lands on London for ages 4-9 and of course parents too.

Sue Martin

Authors connected with audiences across the world…

Lyla Through My Eyes by Fleur Beale

Lyla Through My Eyes - cover image and web link — Buy this great book here…free delivery

Lyla is a gripping and personal story about one girl’s experience of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and its aftermath.

Lyla has just started her second year of high school when a magnitude 6.3 earthquake shakes Christchurch to pieces. Devastation is everywhere. While her police officer mother and trauma nurse father respond to the disaster, Lyla puts on a brave face, opening their home to neighbours and leading the community clean-up.

But soon she discovers that it’s not only familiar buildings and landscapes that have vanished – its friends and acquaintances too. As the earth keeps shaking day after day, can Lyla find a way to cope with her new reality?

This is a page turner of a book exceptionally well written by Fleur Beale. A young person’s life turned upside down with the major earthquake and then made even worse as the shakes continue and liquefaction of the soil makes moving around incredibly difficult.

Lyla - Buy this book button - image and web link — …with free delivery!

As she finds herself alone, with her parents helping others, Lyla establishes a friendship with Matt, who she has previously thought of as a real loser. She rescues her friend’s documents by entering a building about to collapse.

The book is great to read, with references to the 2011 Christchurch earthquake plus a timeline, and a glossary, the reader will be well-informed plus an understanding of life through this natural disaster.

Fleur Beale is author of many award-winning books for children and young adults – with 40 books published in New Zealand, plus books published in the United States and England. She is a former high-school teacher and lives in Wellington.

Fleur has won many awards including; the Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-Loved Book: with Slide the Corner in 2007, and I Am Not Esther in 2009, the Esther Glen Award for distinguished contribution to children’s literature for Juno Of Taris in the 2009 LIANZA Children’s Book Awards, Fierce September won the YA category in the 2011 NZ Post Children’s Book Awards and the LIANZA Young Adult Award in 2011.

In 2012 she won the Margaret Mahy Medal for her outstanding contribution to children’s writing, and in 2015 she was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to literature. In 1999, Fleur was Dunedin College of Education’s Writer in Residence Series editor and series creator

Allen and Unwin, Australia publish Through My Eyes series created and developed by Lyn White. Her work with refugee children motivated her to create the acclaimed Through My Eyes series of books set in contemporary war zones.

Lyn created and edited Through My Eyes – Natural Disaster Zones series to pay tribute to the courage and resilience of children, often the most vulnerable in post-disaster situations. Lyn continues to teach EAL and is an education consultant and conference presenter.

We loved reading Lyla, a captivating book about this recent disaster.We recommend for children from 9-10 years and all ages.

Sue Martin

Grandad Mandela by Zazi and Ziwelee and Zindzi Mandela, illustrated by Sean Qualls

Grandad Mandela - book cover and web link — Buy this book here…

This amazing book is written from a child’s perspective, and authored jointly by Nelson Mandela’s great-grandchildren and daughter, told as never before, to celebrate what would have been Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday on 28^th June 2018.

This book will bring alive Mandela’s legacy for a new generation of children and is published by Lincoln Children’s Books, who are renowned for quality, information books in a highly accessible format. (Title available on 28th June…)

Nelson Mandela’s two great-grandchildren ask their grandmother, Mandela’s youngest daughter, with Winnie Mandela, 15 questions about their grandad.

Mandela is a global icon of peace and forgiveness who fought peacefully, against apartheid and a brutal regime in South Africa. He spent 27 years in prison on Robben Island.

The grandchildren learn that he was a freedom fighter who put down his weapons for the sake of peace, and who then became the President of South Africa and a Nobel Peace Prize-winner.

The illustrations by Sean Qualls are brilliant, the style and colours support the feel of South Africa. The book is written in a picture book style and the text points to some of the hard questions that the great-grandchildren ask such as;

“Why did Grandad have to go to jail?”

“Where were you Grandma when Grandad was in jail?

It tells of that period of time when apartheid and lack of freedom for black people in South Africa were part of everyday life. The struggle to achieve not only justice but a place where all people should be free was an enormous task.

We highly recommend this beautiful and heartfelt book for all ages and for schools, libraries and home.

Sue Martin

Books! Books! Books!

A book about books by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom. Explore inside the greatest library on earth!

A fascinating journey through literature via Shakespeare, Bronte sisters, Brothers Grimm, Dickens, Lewis Carroll and many others included at The British Library. Opening the pages of Books! Books! Books! is like stepping into The British Library itself in London. An enormous building full of hidden treasures and packed with books. Visit the cafe with a wall of very old books stretching from the ground floor to the second floor.

Mick Manning and Brita Granstorm work in partnership, this intriguing book is full of information and illustration; from man-eating monsters to lost children, from magical creatures to flying machines. Mick and Brita’s Facebook page shows some of their award-winning titles, such as What Mr Darwin Saw, The Beatles and William Shakespeare.

Otter-Barry Books has created and published this beautiful hardback book, which children of many ages will enjoy reading and adults too.

The book will act as a pathway for children to venture into libraries and explore, to follow their imaginations learning along the way.

We recommend for all ages and for adults too!

Sue Martin

Stuff You Should Know! by John Farndon and Rob Beattie

Stuff You Should Know cover image and web link — Buy this great book here…

The first things you will notice about ‘The Stuff You Should Know’ are the really good illustrations and the interesting use of text, there are questions that you never ask but the answers are fascinating.

What happens when you tweet on Twitter?

What happens when you recycle your drinks can?

What happens when you charge your iPad?

This book is packed with so many answers and you will become full of knowledge! There is a page, for example, on Sending Mail, with the issues around transport and deliveries to rural areas, using postcodes and barcodes to get the letter to the right place.

Stuff you shuold know! Buy this Book - image and web link — …with free delivery!

The double page open spread on Using a Mobile Phone is amazing!

Fact – by 2015 around 2.7 billion people worldwide owned a smart phone and it is now one of the most important gadgets on the planet.

The book describes the operating system, the battery, USB connector, the Sim card, touchscreen technology, emails, apps, music, location services, games and much more. For instance, when you touch the screen it interrupts a current of electricity informing the phone where your fingers are, it’s called capacitive touchscreen!

John Farndon is an internationally known author, as well as a playwright, composer and songwriter. He has written hundreds of books, which have sold millions of copies around the world in most major languages and include many best-sellers, such as the award-winning Do Not Open.

Rob Beattie is a professional writer and life-long camper and angler. He has written numerous titles on a wide range of outdoor activities, including: The Pocket Survival Guide, The Campsite Companion: All You Need to Know for Life in the Great Outdoors, The Boating Companion: All You Need to Know for Life on the Open Water, and The Fishing Handbook(published in the UK as 101 Golden Rules of Fishing). All have been published internationally and translated into several languages. He lives in the seaside city of Brighton, England.

STEVE FRICKER is a renowned illustrator and painter. Awarded the Rhone-Poulenc prize for his illustrations for What Happens When? His work has appeared in many of the worlds leading newspapers and magazines as well as private and National collections. Steve studied painting at Chelsea School of Art .He worked for 25 years as a political cartoonist and illustrated comment pages by Tony Blair, John Major and Boris Johnson and many others.

This book, published by Marshall Editions, part of Quarto Knows, is a great way to find out information and then maybe find out more on the internet too. It will be great for the summer holidays and I think parents will have as much fun with this as any child.

And now to find out about jet engines!!

Sue Martin

Authors and Schools across the world via BGW

Jumping betwixt Australia, China, Hong Kong and the UK!

Kellett School year 5’s had just returned from Beijing in May 2018 when they joined Books Go Walkabout ‘skyping’ to Carole Wilkinson, award-winning Australian author, her Dragonkeeper series is set in Ancient China.

The year 5 students at Kowloon Bay campus of Kellett School were intrigued with Carole’s presentation showing drawings and research, especially the drawing of an Emperor taking his dragon for a walk, his body curled around and walking side by side.

The hour-long session covered a whole host of creative writing thoughts and possibilities,conversations about writing, story ideas, and characters. Dragonkeeper is now being made into a movie, it is now two years from starting and two years until completion. Very exciting and maybe two years is not too long to wait?

Dragonkeeper is a fantasy story about a slave girls who saves the life of an ageing dragon, and escapes her brutal master.

Pursued by a ruthless dragon hunter, the girls and the dragon, make an epic journey across China in 141BC, carrying a mysterious stone that must be protected. There are seven books in the series plus an introduction book, a great read and some of the students have already read the first five books.

Kellett year 5 students had already completed some brilliant writing projects about characters and the story-line.

Books Go Walkabout provides more than just an author, we work with the school to ensure that there is great benefit to school and students and that there are curriculum matches to enhance attainment and enjoyment too.

Looking forward to more ‘skyping’ across the world.

Sue Martin

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Discover a world of authors, illustrators and readers!

The Ghosts and Jamal

Jamal lives away from a village in West Africa, he is different, people are afraid that his twitching and strange behaviour may be linked to black magic. His Mum has died and his grandfather disappeared with the remains of the palm wine.

The villagers believe Jamal is marked by spirits, which meant that when the village is attacked by terrorists he is left alone and saved. But he is totally alone. Along with his kit bag and copy of The Koran, which was given to him by the Imam who is friendly to him, Jamal sets off away from the village.

Although Jamal finds his grandfather, he sends him away and throws stones at him as he scrambles down the mountain. He is taken in by humanitarian workers who do their best to help and provide him with pills for his epilepsy, but their solution is to send him to an orphanage.

Jamal’s journey goes on, with each place being hard to live in, children knowing Jamal is not quite the same as them. Slowly it appears that Jamal is also autistic. Children and adults in the places where Jamal finds himself, usually end up trying to trick or abuse Jamal, who always has a sense of this but unable to defend himself properly, that is until the end of the story.

This is a great book, quite challenging at times, and brings you directly to life in West Africa and the challenging time for anyone with autism or epilepsy. The concept of bad spirits is pretty frightening and an awareness grows that a sudden epileptic attack could leave Jamal in a very bad place.

But it doesn’t and the surprise at the end of the book is terrific!

The Ghosts and Jamal is written by Bridget Blankley, who spent most of her early life in Nigeria and has an autism spectrum disorder. It is published by HopeRoad Publishing, who work with a focus on West Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, supporting neglected voices.

Sue Martin