Featured children’s book – Page 10 – Bookmonitor

The Fire Children

A West African Folk Tale which has been retold by Eric Maddern and illustrated by Frane Lessac.

An intriguing West African creation myth looking at the question of why some people are black and some are white, and others different shades?

The ‘ first spirit people’ who found that they were lonely decided to solve their loneliness by filling the earth with children of all colours under the sun.

‘ Now the spirit people breathed life into the fire children. One by one they awoke, yawned, stretched and opened their eyes, just like children waking up in the morning. Then they stood up and went off to play.’

Frances Lincoln have published another good title which will compliment school libraries and your collection at home too.

Sue Martin – Dolphin Booksellers, The Best in Children’s Books on-line.

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The Arabel & Mortimer Series by Joan Aiken, illustrated by Quentin Blake

A wonderful series and now republished with Frances Lincoln Children’s Books.

Mortimer and Sword Excalibur is the fifth book and Mrs Jones packs Arabel and Mortimer off for a quiet afternoon in Rainwater Crescent Gardens. But as Mortimer investigates the new underground car park he discovers that it is just possible that the long lost sword, Excalibur is waiting to be found.

The Spiral Stair, is based in the zoo. Arabel comes to the rescue as Mortimer becomes entangled in snakes and giraffes.

The books are an excellent new edition and the compact size is just right for an emerging reader, or even for a fluent reader in the midst of a busy holiday time.

Illustrations are, undoubtedly the best of Quentin Blake and portray the characters brilliantly. The text is pure Joan Aiken, with the sharpness of the story intrigue and mix of humdrum life and exciting adventure.

Sue Martin

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

The Unexpected Crocodile
by Kim Kane and Sara Acton

Peggy’s family is hosting a barbecue for their neighbours, the Dawsons. Peggy is not sure about the Dawson boys but she is delighted with the unexpected arrival of a crocodile.

What an unfortunate habit though of eating the guests!!

This book is brilliant, the story just leads you on into the world of a very polite but yet hungry crocodile. The illustrations are a real joy of the book, simply drawn yet captivating, especially the expressions.

Kim Kane has been short listed for many awards and now lives in Melbourne,Australia and this partnership with Sara Acton, is one to watch.

Sara lives near a beach in Sydney, just how awesome is that! From there she writes and draws in her studio for children’s books.

The Unexpected Crocodile is published by Allen and Unwin, and is part of their excellent portfolio of children’s books.

It can be purchased on line and if you buy through Dolphin Booksellers, we will donate 10% to Kalpana finding a home again in Nepal.

Sue Martin Dolphin Booksellers and Books Go Walkabout

I Have a Dog by Charlotte Lance

I have a dog. An inconvenient dog. When I wake up, my dog is inconvenient…..

And that follows through the day in this delightful book about how a young child and a puppy can just be the bests of friends and playmates who help each other to make tunnels or try and get socks on feet or paws.

An inconvenient dog can be the best of friends when it comes to watching something scary on the TV or when you don’t want to eat your dinner and your very convenient dog is just under the table.

The illustrations in the book are just wonderful. Charlotte Lance is an Australian author/illustrator to watch out for. Ideas put into text and illustrations that are captivating and make for great books.Allen and Unwin are the publishers and have found another great children’s author.

Sue Martin Dolphin Booksellers and Books Go Walkabout

The Arabel and Mortimer Series

A wonderful revision of the Arabel and Mortimer Series written by Joan Aiken and illustrated by Quentin Blake has just been reissued by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books.Arabel’s Raven is the first story in the series. Mr Jones takes home a bedraggled raven who becomes his daughter’s best friend. Together they form a real bond and adventures are numerous with thefts and a robber’s quarrel entwined in the story.

The books are wonderfully illustrated by Quentin Blake and bring the characters to life in the most amusing ways. Who else could draw a girl and a raven with saucepans on their heads and make them look totally natural?

A great series and the new release is sure to bring well loved characters back to life. The stories are for sharing and also for reading alone for 6 yrs old and onwards.

Sue Martin Dolphin Booksellers – the best in children’s books always on line, buy this book for £4.99 through Dolphin Books(via Amazon)

Who is King? by Beverley Naidoo and Piet Grobler

What a great book! By Beverley Naidoo and Piet Grobler.

Ten brilliant stories from across Africa with illustrations throughout that give a real feel for the story even before you read the words.

There’s a Zulu tale called, Unanana and One Tusk about a woman who looks after her children on her own and a very angry elephant. A Shona tale from Zimbabwe about a mouse in a house, a Luo tale from Kenya about a hippo that has no hair.

Stories which are set in the past and like folk lore are rooted in past lives and a time when stories were for sharing.

This makes a great book for reading aloud and if you are thinking about folk tales and stories from Africa, it is ideal.

Written by Beverly Naidoo and published by Frances Lincoln and recommended by Dolphin Booksellers.

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

A Day I Remember
by Prodeepta Das

My Uncle’s Amazing Indian Wedding is certainly a day to remember and this book is full of colour and images with text that shows just how the whole community is involved in the wedding.

The girls had mehndi ( henna) on their hands.The groom had holy water sprinkled over him from the temple and Swayam, the boy in the story was going to be the markundhi, a very important person at the wedding.

This a story that many children will relate to about going into a culture of their own backgrounds and making a special journey to visit family in India.

Published by Frances Lincoln and written by Prodeepta Das, this is a great book for families and for schools.

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

Eddie’s Tent and
How to go Camping

When Mum, Tom, Tilly, Lily and Eddie decide to go on a holiday, a camping trip sounds like the ideal break.

After setting up camp, there are lots of adventures ahead for Eddie and his family.

The first adventure was how to get the tent in place and eventually beds are ready and Mum has a flask of hot chocolate, even though she looks very ready for sleep herself!

A wonderful new book about a family holiday, with adventures for Eddie along the way, including a hunt for Bouncer the dog, in the big dark wood. This will have appeal for parents, boys and girls. The illustrations are great and show the characters of the children really well. At the end there is a section on Tips for Campers and a note on knots, and a charming picture of how to tie the dog’s lead to a tree!

It is written and illustrated by Sarah Garland and published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books.

A book which will certainly find a place in my bookshelf.

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

Azzi in Between

Azzi and her parents are in danger. They have to leave their home and escape to another country on a frightening journey by car and boat.

This is a telling story, set in graphic novel format and now available in paperback from Frances Lincoln Children’s Books.

It is written and illustrated by Sarah Garland, who has worked directly with refugee families and the text shows that Sarah has been able to hear and understand the thoughts from children as they leave friends and family.

But for all the hardships, this book explores the resilience of children and the times when Azzi, starts to make friends and to learn at school are so valuable for her and her family.

A quote from Julia Eccleshare, ‘ Sarah Garland tenderly creates a story of home from the troubled experience of immigration in this warm-hearted picture book.’

This is a great story to share and to have in any school or home. We recommend to all our schools and Children’s Centres

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

Dragonkeeper author Carole Wilkinson in conversation with Kellett School, Year 5

Books Go Walkabout held a conversation with Australian author, Carole Wilkinson and students at Kellett International School, Hong Kong.

The Dragonkeeper Series, published by Walker Books, Australia is a great read for students for ages, 9 – 13yrs.

It is set in Ancient China, during the Han Dynasty and begins with a slave girl and her master,two dragons and a rat. One of the dragons dies and is made into pickle, the other dragon and the slave girl escape and their journey to the ocean begins.

The students had read the first 5 chapters and asked some insightful and searching questions such as;

‘ Why didn’t you give the slave girl a name at the beginning?’ student.

‘I didn’t want her to have anything, she had a hard life I wanted the reader to feel for her.’ Carole.

The questions kept coming for an hour and the students at Kellett School also shared their own dragon that they had made. Carole explained that dragons in China were good and didn’t always have wings. Maybe the Year 5 dragon will try and fly once his wings have been attached?

More reviews will follow this blog and photos and student comments will be added to Books Go Walkabout.

A great start to the Dragonkeeper series.

Sue Martin Books Go Walkabout at Kellett School