Quarto Kids – Bookmonitor – news from around the world

We Build Our Homes

We buld our homes - book cover and weblink — Biuy this book with free delivery…

We Build Our Homes is a beautiful book to have and to read. It is packed with information about how different creatures make their homes. Each page has a stunning picture with the text woven into the illustrations.

Another great book from Lorna Knowles and Chris Madden.

The front cover is beautiful, and shows a shiny blue, bower bird making his home with all sorts of useful and interesting things, like a wrist band and jam jar top.

On the back of the book a beaver wanders across his lodge as he makes a dam under which he and his family can live.

Buy this book here with free delivery….

These are small stories of incredible animal architects. It is not only humans who can create incredible structures around the world; there are weaver birds, gophers, termites, honey bees, meerkats and moles.

The world map shows locations and key facts for each animal with lists for mini beasts builders and mammal builders.

We Build Our Homes follows on from Laura’s previous book called We Travel So Far and Once Upon a Jungle, The Coral Kingdom, and It Starts with a Seed, which was awarded the Margaret Mallett Award for Children’s Non-fiction.

Laura Knowles has a love of natural history and along with Chris Madden, they have produced this creative and visual book of facts and creatures, making every little creature come alive on every page.

A great book from publishers Word and Pictures, part of The Quarto Group, making books open the doors of children’s imagination and exploring other worlds.

Recommended for all ages and especially for ages 6-10 years.

Sue Martin

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Raise the Flag

Rasie the Flag - cover image and web link — Buy this book with free delivery…

Raise the Flag is written by Clive Gifford and illustrated by Tim Bradford.

Terrific flag facts, stories and trivia in this engaging book all about flags.

It is packed full of amazing facts and information about flags. There are pages of different types of flags, great moments in history when flags were raised and lowered, and ways we can communicate with flags.

Raise the Flag is an ideal book for anyone, child or adult who loves to store facts and gain in knowledge about our world.

Buy this book here with free delivery…

Included in the book are sections where you can design your own flag, complete with a good set of instructions, you can learn how to communicate using semaphore signals, a fabulous flag quiz to test your knowledge and you can learn about the different parts of the flag, its history and what it symbolises.

Clive Gifford the author lives in Manchester and has travelled all over the world, having visited over 70 countries. He has climbed on rocket launcher towers, ridden on robots and flown gliders. He has over 200 books published and has received nominations for or won awards for Royal Society, Library Association, Blue Peter, Smithsonian and TES.

Living right next to a nature reserve in Nottingham, Tim Bradford, the illustrator is inspired by nature and loves drawing people from all over the world.

Raise the Flag is published by QED, part of the Quarto Group and this book joins a collection of outstanding non-fiction books for children.

We recommend this book for children from 7 years – 11 years.

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

Frida Kahlo at V&A Museum in London

Frida Kahlo - cover image and web link — Start your art journey here…

The V&A Museum in London is holding an exhibition of the work of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

In our Dolphin Book Blog we wrote about the Little People, Big Dreams series of books from Frances Lincoln Children’s Books featuring Frida, and are delighted that this exhibition is taking place. This book can be purchased by clicking on the book cover.

Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist born in 1907, she painted many portraits, including self-portraits with a strong style and combination of colour, realism and surrealism. Frida was interested in politics and in 1927 joined the communist party, where she met Diego Riviera. Later that year they married and through a tumultuous time they travelled across Mexico and the United States in the 1930’s.

In 1938 Frida had a solo exhibition in The Julien Levy Gallery in New York, which led to other exhibitions, some solo and some with Diego. After an exhibition in Paris, the Louvre purchased one of Frida’s paintings, which was the first Mexican artist to be featured in their collections.

Self-portrait on the Border between Mexico and the United States of America, Frida Kahlo, 1932. © Modern Art International Foundation, Courtesy María and Manuel Reyero.

In 1953, Frida had her first solo exhibition in Mexico, but sadly her health had deteriorated and she died in 1954 at the age of 47. By the 1970’s Frida became a recognised figure in art history and also as an icon for Chicanos, the feminist movement and LGBTQ movement.

The exhibition at the V&A Museum presents an extraordinary collection of personal artefacts and clothing belonging to Frida, which has been locked away for over 50 years. There are also some of her paintings and the chance to see this remarkable style should not be missed.

Sue Martin

50 Ways to Feel Happy

This is the first book from Action for Happiness, written Vanessa King and illustrated by Celeste Aires. It is packed with wonderful ideas, to feel happy and to sustain happiness.

Action for Happiness is a global, social movement to promote happiness and well-being. The Dalai Lama is patron and his book The Art of Happiness is also a great read.

The book is divided into sections including; giving,relating, awareness, exercising,resilience, emotions and acceptance. Each page is well crafted with ideas and good illustrations showing just how the ideas will work. Becoming a kindness detective for example or ‘trying a mindful moment’ will help your mind and body to relax and feel positive.

Well-being is something that we are all aware off now, and is included in PSE school curricula. 50 Ways to Feel Happy is an excellent book for schools and can be used as a tool for engaging all children , especially where children are not as positive as others. It will really help.

Vanessa King is an author and expert in positive psychology and has worked extensively on enhancing well-being and resilience. In this book she was supported by Val Payne a teacher and education consultant and Peter Harper a consultant clinical psychologist. Vanessa gives an excellent TED talk on The Ten Keys to Happier Living

Celeste Aires is an Argentinian born illustrator, her modern style uses geometric shapes and bright blocks of colours, which work really well in this book.

QuartoKids are the publishers and have a wealth of excellent non-fiction titles which are engaging and informative.

50 Ways to Feel Happy would be a great book for schools and for home, there are times for all of us when we need a little way into happiness.

Sue Martin