Featured children’s book – Page 17 – Bookmonitor

Twilighters

The Twilight effect has taken children’s books into another world, not just literally either. The saga and series of books are written by Stephenie Meyer – Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, published by Atom Books of the Little, Brown Book Group have sold in epic proportions.

The films Twilight and New Moon are also available on DVD and they make chilling viewing.

But one of the real successes of the book is how a love story and other stories are interwoven in the framework of vampires and evil, a world Bella stumbles into. Once there, it seems like there is no escape…..

You may not find the books in the children’s section any longer. That’s mainly because so many ‘grown ups’ are now reading them. But what teenager would want to walk in to a children’s section with Thomas the Tank Engine and The Gruffalo.This series is a stunnning new approach and brings you to a supernatural world, mixed with romance and a large portion of suspense.

Available from Amazon.co.uk through our web links above. Hover your mouse over the ‘little book’ icon to see the details of the title.

The books are available at great price today. So why not start at the beginning with Twilight and start reading. I guess you will not be able to put them down.

Dolphin Booksellers always on line – bringing you information and great books.

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.

We use Stripe to handle your e-purchase. Buy with confidence from BgW. Customer FAQ's here.

Papa Panov’s Special Day – Books for Christmas

Papa Panov was an old shoemaker, who lived in a Russian village.

It was Christmas Eve and he was expecting a special visitor the next day. He found the very best pair of tiny leather shoes that he had ever made.

‘ That’s what I shall give him.’ He said.

The next day, Christmas Day, he made a really warm fire, put some coffee on the stove and waited. He had several visitors that day, the old road sweeper, a young mother with a baby. He asked them into the warm and gave them coffee. He gave the best pair of shoes that he had ever made to the baby.

But still the special person didn’t come.

As it got dark, he sat in his chair. Two large tears welled up in his eyes.

“Dearie, dearie” he said. It seemed as if someone was in the room. A voice said, ” I was cold and you made me warm, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. Didn’t you see me Papa Panov?”

Papa Panov is a beautiful, old french story, retold by Leo Tolstoy . It captures the heart of Christmas without too much tinsel.

Papa Panov’s Special Day has been adapted by Mig Holder and illustrated by Julie Dowling.

cdpp There’s also a CD which features Papa Panov as a story.

This story is one of several Christmas stories that will be on Dolphin Bookblog this Christmas.

Dolphinboooksellers.co.uk for children’s books and information on line.

Continue reading Papa Panov’s Special Day – Books for Christmas

The Book Store

beach hut August 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.

books Way 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.

Poetry Award 2009 CLPE- winner

John Agard, with The Young Inferno, illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura is the winner of the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education poetry award for 2009.

CLPE has a brilliant poster information sheet,which you can find on CLPE and Dolphin Booksellers.

The Young Inferno is an amazing retelling of this classic by Dante. Full of action and loads of mental images, pacy and more than just engaging. The Furies are there and you will come face to face with them!

Satoshi Kitamura has captured all the action and more besides in his compelling and powerful illustrations. The teenage hoodie, as narrator of the tales into the nine circles of hell must be a hit with its audience of young people. Where else would you find Frankenstein as a bouncer…….

Frances Lincoln, the publishers, have shown yet again their skill at commissioning two of the best, in writing and illustrating, and bringing them together in a daring retelling of this story.

Visit the home page of Dolphin Booksellers. Bringing information about children’s books direct to you. Working with authors and illustrators in communities delivering book events with a difference.

Amazon link to The Young Inferno

Amazon link to the books of John Agard

Amazon link to the books of Satoshi Kitamura

Children’s Laureate 2009- 2011

Anthony Browne, illustrator is the new Children’s Laureate for 2009- 2011.

Famous for many of his books, he is a brilliant choice and at Dolphin Books we send our congratulations.

It was fantastic to be present at the announcement and to feel part of the real uniqueness that the Children’s Laureateship brings to the future of children’s books for all our children.

Great to hear Anthony so enthusiastic about Picture Books, ” They’re special, perfect for sharing,. There’s a gap between pictures and words and they encourage a way of looking. They are for everyone, not just for younger children.”

His own picture books are certainly that, try Willy the Wimp or Gorilla. (…links to books below).

More details on the event and the speeches that were made will be added to the Dolphin site soon.

You can visit the home page of Dolphin Booksellers. Bringing information about the best in children’s books direct to you. Working with authors and illustrators in school book events and supporting literacy projects in a community nearby.

Amazon link for Anthony Browne

Amazon link for Willy the Wimp

Amazon link for Gorilla

3 Illustrators and a woolly armadillo….

3 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.

Petr’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!

Jackie 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.

The Knife of Never Letting Go

knife Patrick Ness, author of ‘The Knife of Never Letting Go’ was talking with Nikki Gamble at the Annual Conference of Federation of Children’s Book Groups, 3 – 5 April 2009.

The Knife of Never Letting Go Amazon link.

Fantastically good to listen to, and a real empathy with teenagers. He made us all think! The issue of moral dilemmas vs. a real need to do something maybe you shouldn’t. The main character in the book, Todd, who struggles with himself over whether or not he can use his knife,” a big ratchety one with the bone handle and the serrated edge that cuts into practically everything in the world“.

Some of the questions that came up on the day got everybody thinking.

Is evil something you are or something you do?

Should you always, ultimately be on the right side and can the actions be justified?

They speak the same language but why don’t they talk the same?

How loud is the world ?

The Knife of Never Letting Go, published by Walker Books is the first book in a trilogy, called Chaos Walking.

ask The second book, The Ask and the Answer is due to be published in May 2009.

This was Patrick’s first novel for teenagers and it won the Guardian Children’s fiction prize in 2008. An exciting read, based around the whole idea that the world is full of noise and gets even noisier when thoughts are heard and nowhere remains silent.

The Ask and the Answer Amazon link.

You can visit our home page at Dolphin Booksellers. Bringing information about the best in children’s books direct to you.

Ifeoma Onyefulu

ifeomamainpic Ifeoma 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 is Other 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.

What Mr Darwin Saw

T4037 What 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 tiny Their 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/

Night Flight by Michaela Morgan

T3042 Stump 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.

513QRouPiHL

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.