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The Big Book of Mr Badger by Leigh Hobbs

Mr Badger is always on hand to cope with many surprises at the Boubles Grand Hotel.

My favourite story is Mr Badger and the Missing Ape. Algernon is usually kept stuffed in a glass case in the lobby. But Lady Celia’s granddaughter is not happy with this gorilla and wants it sent away. As she usually gets just whatever she wants the alarming disappearance one morning gives Mr Badger quite a task, but solve it, he does.

There are four stories in the one book, which is full of brilliant sketches and the characters really come to life.

Mr Badger is written by Leigh Hobbs, who has an amazing talent for writing and for illustrating too. He has a great website for a whole range of his books.

This year he has been appointed as the Australian Children’s Laureate and there are whole host of great activities for children all over the world as well as Australia.

Mr Badger is published by Allen and Unwin, Australia and can be purchased here in the UK.

A great book and we recommend for children 7+, especially for those who still get a lot from the images through each chapter.

Sue Martin Books Go Walkabout and Dolphin Book Blog

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Ultimate Mapping Guide for Kids

Who needs Google Maps when you can read and learn from the Ultimate Mapping Guide for Kids?

Justin Miles is the author of this extremely inviting mapping guide, published by QED Publishing released on May 20th 2016.

Being so new you may not see it in the bookshops yet, but I can be absolutely certain that when you buy on-line, this book will be used straight away.

It is packed with information from, creating your own map of your room, to a world wide guide on orienteering and navigation. There is a section on using the stars and another on using GPS to find your way.

Try out the new outdoor game of Geocaching ,you can make your own game in the garden, park or nearby outside space.

With its fast pace,clear instructions and nuggets of information, this authoritative guide will appeal to all. Written by Justin Miles, one of the few full time explorers in the world, this book won’t just whet your appetite for adventure; it will give you the confidence and the tools to set off on one too.

Justin Miles is a British professional adventurer and has explored The Arctic, climbed mountains, explored deserts and hacked his way through the jungle. He uses his work is support charities and fuel education projects. He is the founder of Just for a Challenge and supports the global education programme Educate a Child.

Books Go Walkabout works in a similar way and supports children across the globe, we recommend Justin’s work and especially the Ultimate Mapping Guide for Kids. In fact I am about to set out to the untamed North Norfolk coast this afternoon, armed with this book and a flask of coffee!

Have fun mapping!

Sue Martin

Books Go Walkabout and Dolphin Booksellers

Oh, Freedom !
by Francesco D’Adamo

The story had me hooked from the beginning, it’s an amazing story of freedom from slavery set in Alabama in May 1850.

Due for release in June 2016 by Darf Publishers, written by Francesco D’Adamo and translated by Sian Williams.

Captain Archer and his intimidating guards with their fierce dogs, protect the land and prevent the slaves from leaving. Tommy is part of a family of slaves and meets Peg Leg Joe, who turned out not to be the devil but a spirit in disguise, who was to lead Tommy and his family away from slavery and into the promised land of freedom, Canada.

‘ Are you a Devil?’ he asked….

The man squatted on his heels, ‘No’, he replied. ‘Are you?’

‘No way!’ exclaimed Tommy.

‘Well then,’said Peg Leg Joe,’we can trust each other.’

Tommy had to admit that was reasonable.

Now the boy could see the man properly, and stared at the wooden leg sticking out of his right trouser leg. So it was not a cloven hoof. P.3

They travel along the legendary Underground Railroad, which stretched for miles across the country’s vastness,the network famously facilitated more than 100,000 slaves to a new life. For Tommy the journey is far from easy and he takes on responsibilities ahead of his years. He later becomes a guide along the routes, moving silently and bringing many people to freedom .

Tommy also learns to read and at one stage discovers a poster advertising a ‘Sale of Slaves’. Knowing that he could read he discovers a truth…

‘His heart beat very fast. He was unlocking a secret, and would find something that the others, his father,mother,sisters could never know. But he would! Confusedly,he understood that doing this made him strong. p.103′.

A powerful book and has lots of links with the current refugee movements.

This is a young adult book and recommended for age 10 years and beyond.

Sue Martin dolphinlogo2012imageright3

Books Go Walkabout and Dolphin Booksellers. BGW logoJS

Malini by Robert Hillman

Malini cover image — Buy this book from Amazon here…

In the closing stages of Sri Lanka’s civil war, Malini and her family are herded by soldiers to the coast, where they will act as human shields. Malini’s father tells her to hide in the forest with her younger sister, Banni.

But once the shelling begins, Malini realises they are not safe there,and they must travel inland to her grandparents.

But will they survive and who can they trust?

This is a truly remarkable story on one girl, her sister and how they made it through the jungle and past the soldiers in war torn Sri Lanka.

Part of the Through My Eyes series published by Allen and Unwin and in connection with Unicef, Malini is written by Robert Hillman.

This is a story for everyone, and for all who are struggling to live in war torn areas of the world.

We recommend this book for all ages…

Sue Martin Dolphin Booksellers and BooksGoWalkabout

The Jungle Book – a reimagining of Mowgli’s story by Robert Hunter – New Release!

Jungle Book cover image — Buy this book from Amazon here…

An evocative tale of Mowgli and his story in the jungle, with Bagheeera, Baloo and the wolf pack. Mowgli has to face life with others who are not so keen to help, Kaa,the snake, the pack of monkeys and Shere Khan, the tiger.

The first in a series of classic texts reimagined into the modern day, published by Frances Lincoln (Quarto Group), as Classics Here and Now. These will be a wonderful way of bringing the classic stories to children of today and maybe encouraging them to read the original versions.

The publication coincides with the release of a new feature length film of Jungle Book from Disney and it also commemorates the 80th anniversary of the death of Rudyard Kipling.

Robert Hunter is a London based illustrator and this is his first children’s book, but he is well known with work for V&A, The New York Times and other places.

The images in the book are beautiful and bring a sense of a forever sunset in the jungle, using blue, purple and pinks. The presentation of the book is one for everyone and in hardback makes a really special present and book for keeps.

The parting words of Baloo are the call of any parent.

” Remember!” called Baloo. ” If you ever get in trouble, use the Jungle Call!” And he made the sound, which carried through the night, mournful and long.

“AaHaoOO!”

But Mowgli had already gone.’

We recommend for ages from 6 years for sharing and for 7 onwards to adults and beyond for reading.

Sue Martin Books Go Walkabout and Dolphin Booksellers

The Truth about Peacock Blue by Rosanne Hawke

The Truth About Peacock Blue cover image... — Buy this book from Amazon here…

An immensely powerful story of truth about todays hard world in the life of Peacock Blue, written by Rosanne Hawke and published by Allen and Unwin.

This is a powerful story about one girl’s fight for justice in Pakistan. Quietly getting on with life, Aster faces huge changes when her brother dies. Instead of finding a suitable husband, her parents decide that she will be educated, which to a western mind is a good idea.

But she attends a school for Muslim girls and is in the minority being a Christian. At her examinations a teacher who finds her difficult as a Christian accuses her of blaspheming. It was a simple spelling mistake with enormous consequences.

Aster is imprisoned, her family and the whole village have to move away and she faces the death sentence.

In Australia, there is an online petition which gathers amazing results, but will it really help?

I read to the end in absolute unbelief…. a must read book. Excellent blog by Paula Vince, worth reading.

We recommend for ages 10 and above and for adults too.

Sue Martin Books Go Walkabout and Dolphin Booksellers

Ralf by Jean Jullien

Ralph is forever getting under his family’s feet, But when a fire threatens to burn the house down, Ralf stretches himself to the limit to save his family.

This is an intriguing book with a style of illustrations that turns over the page for you. When Ralf cannot wake his family you instantly feel the life of a dog when everyone is asleep and they are forever alert.

Ralf is published by Frances Lincoln and was released in February 2016, the hardback edition is well worth the money and has a lovely tactile sense to your fingers.

Jean Jullien is a graphic designer from France who is known for his symbols of peace in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015. He now lives in London and is working on an eclectic body of work in illustration.

Now working on children’s books, his first book Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise is a huge success

We recommend this book for ages 2yr to share and for 4/5 years for beginning to read alone and for adults everywhere!

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

Children’s Books published by the British Library

My Book of Stories -write your own adventures by Deborah Paterson
This is a thrilling book and is packed with ideas to write your own adventures. Create your own characters and use your imagination to share adventures. Dream up thrilling pirate escapades on the high seas or let your ideas soar as you imagine life at a Jungle School.
The book combines as a book with ideas on every page and as an activity book to write or draw as your story unfolds. The pages are very tempting to start work straight away.
The story starters are from the very best children’s authors, such as Rudyard Kipling, J.K Rowling, JM Barrie and Arthur Ransome. Which new character, for instance, would you add to the Wizard of Oz and could you fill in the ships log for Phileas Fogg?
A great book for a gift, maybe following a visit to the library, or for in school. We recommend for 8 years and upwards.

My Book of Stories – write your own Shakespearean tales. By Deborah Paterson.
A wealth of Shakespearean characters, plots and stories are brought to life in this compendium of tales, activities and ideas. An intriguing book with an activity on each page, such as write your own fairy song for Midsummer Nights Dream or draw a secret disguise as in Twelfth Night.
The illustrations are beautiful and are taken from British Library collections.
This book would be an excellent resource as we celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death and also on Shakespeare Week, on 14- 20th March.
We recommend for 9 – 13 year olds and for adults too!
Dolphin Booksellers and Books Go Walkabout are pleased to support the British Library through blogs and Twitter.
Sue Martin

50 Things You Should Know About Series from QED. Human Body, Prehistoric Britain

50 Things You should Know about the Human Body by Angel Royston

This has everything you would need to know about the Human Body, unless you are about to embark on a medical degree!!

The facts are really clearly presented with illustrations that are accurate and easy to identify how parts of the body are working. The pages are well laid out and text and illustrations are combined to make an engaging impact. Each section has a different colour and the glossary and index at the back of the book will point the reader to the right places in the book without being off putting to children with any reading difficulties.

The start of the 50 Things You Should Know About Series from QED Publishing, well worth buying for home, school or the library. We suggest the book for 6-9 year olds and beyond.

50 Things You should Know about Pre-Historic Britain by Claire Hibbert

From The Old Stone Age, through the Ice Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age and touching on the Romans, this book has everything you need to start work on prehistoric Britain and to lead the reader into all sorts of interesting directions.

Particularly good section on an Iron Age Village and dwellings in Scotland called, crannogs, brochs and wheelhouses. For instance a crannog is a roundhouse that stood on a jetty and Loch Tay there were 18 crannogs.

We suggest the book for 6 – 9 year olds and beyond.

Great new series from QED Publishing and is part of their new books published in November 2015.

Sue Martin Dolphin Booksellers and Books Go Walkabout

The Snowman and the Sun

The Snowman and the Sun is written by Susan Taghdis and illustrated by Ali Mafakheri.

It is a delightful story about a snowman and his journey. You may think that a snowman stays firmly put on the ground. But in fact in this story the sun warms him and first of all he melts and then he evaporates and climbs high into the sky.

He turns into a cloud drifting free in the sky until it gets cold again and he falls as snow on the ground. Along come the children and once again he becomes a snowman.

A story about change and an explanation about how water is everywhere, the water cycle explained for young children.

The book is translated by Azita Rassi and published by the brilliant new publishers Tiny Owl, publishers to watch out for.

We recommend this book for 3- 7 years, either reading together or late on their own.

Sue Martin – Dolphin Booksellers and Books Go Walkabout