smithmartin partnership – Page 2 – Bookmonitor

It’s Not Fairy

You know the favourite children’s saying, “It’s not fair!”

Well Ros Asquith has changed it into a It’s Not Fairy. She flaps around all night, she’s a fairy on a mission and you don’t want to mess with this fairy.

A picture book for all the family and across the world, there are children everywhere declaring how unfair things are.But the fairy can get tired of complaints.

‘I’m sick of your squawking,

Now give me a break.

Or I’ll bake you all

In a Fairy cake.”

Published by Frances Lincoln this is a good book to buy for the half term hols. Buy through Dolphin Booksellers to get the best price from Amazon.

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

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.

World Reader and St Jordi’s Day in Barcelona

w reader

We had just met with Zev from the World Reader organisation at a World Literacy Foundation conference in Oxford. Some concepts just make sense form the start and this was our feelings for World Reader.

It works by loading a Kindle with over 300 books taking to Africa, direct to communities where the children have the chance to read! No more expensive lorry loads of slightly used books trying to find their way across the continent and then being stopped and refused entry.

This scheme actually works! You just need a small mind shift to know that children in Africa can access Kindles and benefit hugely from the supply of information at their fingertips.

The inquiring and smiling faces says it all. World Reader projects has some excellent photos. Read the stories of how empowering this project is for the whole family, Daniel and his grandmother are just one example.

We were invited to World Reader‘s new office celebrations and also to mark their ambition to get 1 million books into Africa. How amazing is that!

la rambla On St Jordi’s day in Barcelona the streets were full, the tradition is to mark the day of their patron saint by sharing gifts; the man to buy the woman a flower and the woman to buy the man a book.

At the SmithMartin Partnership we were delighted to celebrate with World Reader and look forward to being involved. It parallels and brings into one, our work with communities, children’s literature and modern technology solutions.

Sue Martin

SmithMartin Partnership LLP Inspiring communities and Broadening Horizons

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

Dolphin Bookshelf

Books for Children’s Centres and Communities

A new project!!!

We wanted a place for books to be part of the Centre, there for children and families.

Space to sit and read together.

Time to look and to buy a book, or simply to have a chance to read in comfort when the children are happy too.

DolphinBookshelf also supports the Centre by giving a discount on all books sold.

Contributing to sustainability.

It links to a whole range of literacy ideas and projects too. It will help the Centre to keep literacy at the heart of its work, and bring a whole new world into the building. read supp

Brought to you by Dolphin Booksellers, part of SmithMartin Partnership LLP as an initiative to bring books into Children’s Centres and community buildings.

The pilot project has started. It is going well and centres are adapting the way of presenting books depending on the setting. Some have the basket right at the reception so parents can buy straight away. Others take the baskets and books as part of story time sessions.

Let us know if you are interested, they are great books in a basket made from English willow from a charity working with the homeless – so it’s a winner all round.

bkshelf logo

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

Jackie Morris – Artist, illustrator and author of amazing children’s books

Imagine 30 children in a village school on an October afternoon, enthralled, listening and just wanting to hear the end of the tale.

For a whole hour the children in years 4, 5 and 6 at Babraham Cof E Primary School near Cambridge, sat and listened to Jackie and watched these wonderful pictures developing into a whole world of dragons, cake eating dragons, dragons made from the sun and the stars and tiny dragons with whisper thin wings.

“In their own drawings, their imaginations were sparked with fire as the dragon came to life, tails made of flowers, to dragons with spikes and claws whose tails curled round and round in spiraling circles”.

By the end of the afternoon, neither the children or the teachers were in any hurry to leave, eagerly looking at the books of Jackie’s we had brought.

Tell Me a Dragon(published by Frances Lincoln ) was in print from last year, the images and the story are just beautiful. The latest book from Jackie Morris is The Ice Bear, look no further for an inspiring book as a present.

We are really looking forward to working with Jackie again. Enabling her to share with children in schools, so they can be inspired first hand is worth so much, apart from being a magical moment which both the children and staff will remember.

Dolphin Booksellers , part of SmithMartin Partnership LLP broadening horizons and widening imaginations. Sue Martin