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A brand new series of books...

A brand new series of books by an exciting new author. Imagine a world where children grow up never doubting whether they are included, seeing the world how it should be.

Then finding a way to create a world where life is fair for everyone, no stereotypes, no preconceived ideas of who may be better than someone else. This is the concept for the series expertly written by Esther Marshall.

As a new parent Esther realised  she wanted her child to grow up in a fairer world, and set about writing books , not just for her son but for others too. Now Esther visits schools and places where children are gathered and has some excellent resources to work with children of all ages.

Her first book Sophie Says I can, I will, is an exciting positive take on children's  hope for their world and their future, a dream and a vision for all their life experiences. Whether in our own country or abroad, families are ambitious for their children and it is only different life chances that get in the way.

The second book has a great title, Sophie Says, It’s Okay Not to Be Okay. It follows children  in different situations when they feel uncomfortable about their place with friends and school. It is a really great book to use showing how even the hardest feelings can be okay and not last forever.

All the books teach about aspects of mental health , increasingly important for young people.  With these books as a resource, they will be helped to work with others and challenge their own negative thoughts.

Esther Marshall is the author and Buzz Burry the illustrator.

Books are available through  Sophie Says it's Official, along with further resources.

Highly recommend these books as an excellent help in exploring positive well being and mental health, for all schools and Early Years settings and counsellors working with children.

https://youtu.be/20LdrSdk5co

Plus this brand new video for Mental Health Week !!

Sue Martin Children's Literacy Specialist

 

 


Dolphinbooksellers.co.uk is part of SmithMartin LLP

A retail resource for the best children's books, entry point into our children's and community library procurement and supply service. Offering a miscellany of news and featured authors for all our readers, whatever their age.


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Nelson Mandela, a man who never gave up hope. Whose spent twenty-seven years in jail and then became President of South Africa. A period of time in the history of South Africa which will never be forgotten.

This is an outstanding book about an outstanding person.

The Little People, BIG DREAMS series now includes this copy about the incredible life of Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid freedom fighter. As a child Nelson’s given name was Rolihlahla, which means 'troublemaker' in Xhosa, his native language.

His rebellious nature and sense of right and wrong would lead him to become one of the world's most inspirational civil rights leaders and anti-apartheid revolutionaries. Despite the many years of imprisonment and adversity he faced, Nelson Mandela remained victorious and was voted to become South Africa's first Black president. This inspiring book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the activist turned president’s life.

Maria   Isabel   Sánchez   Vegara, born in Barcelona, Spain, is a writer and creative director in constant search of new concepts for children’s books and the author of the  Little People, BIG DREAMS series picture books that explore the lives of outstanding people.

Alison Hawkins is an illustrator based in North Carolina, USA. She started her career as a Graphic Designer. Alison loves to explore colour and hand lettering in her illustrations, as well as experiment with animation. She approaches art with a sense of humour and creates images which are appealing and exciting.

Frances Lincoln Children's Books are the publishers and have an amazing catalogue of interesting and creative books.

Sue Martin   Children's Literacy Specialist


Dolphinbooksellers.co.uk is part of SmithMartin LLP

A retail resource for the best children's books, entry point into our children's and community library procurement and supply service. Offering a miscellany of news and featured authors for all our readers, whatever their age.


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The Katha Chest - cover image
A wonderful book about families...

A wonderful book about family and stories, tales of people in the past who are woven into the magic of the sari material into katha quilts.

Six-year-old Asiya loves to go to Nanu's house. Best among all of Nanu's treasures is the big old chest filled with quilts that tell the stories of the women in Asyia's family.

With gorgeous, fresh and beautifully colourful illustrations inspired by Bangladeshi katha quilts and traditional West Bengali pattachitra panel illustrations, The Katha Chest is a beautifully woven tale about the bonds of love, culture and memory.

Radhiah Chowdhury is the author, and she is passionate about stories that reflect all the magnificent, different facets and experiences of our community, and has been an advocate for representative publishing in her work as both an editor and an author. She lives in southwest Sydney, where she recreationally grows mutant potted plants, and is currently outnumbered by her cats.

Lavanya Naidu is an animator, designer and award-winning children's book illustrator, born and raised in Kolkata, India. She has illustrated for numerous children's books.

Allen and Unwin are the Australian publishers with a global reach and The Katha Chest is available in the UK and across the world.

 

Sue Martin - Children's Literacy Specialist


Dolphinbooksellers.co.uk is part of SmithMartin LLP

A retail resource for the best children's books, entry point into our children's and community library procurement and supply service. Offering a miscellany of news and featured authors for all our readers, whatever their age.


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Christmas - with a little help from the toys...

A beautiful, gold foiled Christmas story about Father Christmas making sure each child has the right gift - with a little help from their toys!

It is Christmas Eve and Noah’s toy elephant Fanfan has gone missing!

But Fanfan has an important place to go to. Every year he and other toys travel to the same place in a clearing in the woods where a very special person is waiting to see them all.

This person who wears red clothes and has a large white beard is writing a list for all the toys’ children.

The illustrations are truly beautiful with a far away feel to them, perfect for the story of The Toys Christmas. Genevieve Godbout has a unique style, excellent for children’s books and has captured the essence of this story.

The author Claire Clement has written the story which is a delight and so good for a Christmas bedtime tale.

Genevieve lives in Montreal where she works as a children's book and fashion illustrator. She studied traditional animation in Montreal and at the prestigious school of Gobelins in Paris. Genevieve was born and raised in Quebec, but spent seven years in London, UK, after her stay in France.

Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, part of the Quarto Group have a wonderful flair for publishing amazing children’s books with high quality illustrations and text.

The Toys’ Christmas is a beautiful hard back picture book which will make the perfect present for children aged from 2- 6 years.

Sue Martin - Children's Literacy Specialist

 

 


Dolphinbooksellers.co.uk is part of SmithMartin LLP

A retail resource for the best children's books, entry point into our children's and community library procurement and supply service. Offering a miscellany of news and featured authors for all our readers, whatever their age.


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Charles Dickens - book cover image
A great story-teller...

A brilliant book which describes the challenging early life of Charles Dickens and his meteoric rise to fame as an established author and an amazing story teller. As a little boy, Charles was fascinated by everyday challenges and life in Victorian Britain, He loved to make up stories based on people he had met.

 

When his own father was sent to a debtors prison he left school and started work in a factory, full of grime and hard work. The video tells more about the way Charles Dickens moved from working in a factory to becoming a written publisher.

Through determination he became one of the most inspiring writers of all time and tells of life in all its downside and glories. He always used inspirational characters with unforgettable names such as Mr Micawber  and Ebenezer Scrooge.

The Little People, Big Dreams series is published by Frances Lincoln Children's Books and written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, illustrated uniquely buy Isobel Ross. The text is stunningly created for children around 5-8 years and provides much information for project writing and inspiration about life in Victorian Britain.

I thoroughly recommend Charles Dickens, in Little People, Big Dreams for children  in school and at home.

Sue Martin       Children's Literacy Specialist


Dolphinbooksellers.co.uk is part of SmithMartin LLP

A retail resource for the best children's books, entry point into our children's and community library procurement and supply service. Offering a miscellany of news and featured authors for all our readers, whatever their age.


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Mowgli and Bagheera and the story of their wonderful journey through the jungle. They  meet with other animals like Shere Khan the tiger, Kaa the snake, Baloo the bear and finally King Louie.

The story of Jungle Book in a delightful board book form for very young children and hands that love to turn from page to page.

It’s a beautiful book with every layer having a different way to get to the next page. Little fingers will easily find the space in the flower or Baloo’s ears, to turn each page and find the next part in the adventure.

The illustrations by Cynthia Alonso have bold and bright colours, wonderfully presented and will delight young children. As a board book it will be a great start to a famous and classic story and will be a wonderful way to journey along with the film  too.

There are more books in this series  of Layer by Layer, published by happy yak from Quarto Knows, and you can find many more board books and picture books which are truly uplifting for young children and for parents too.

Sue Martin Children’s Literacy Specialist


Dolphinbooksellers.co.uk is part of SmithMartin LLP

A retail resource for the best children's books, entry point into our children's and community library procurement and supply service. Offering a miscellany of news and featured authors for all our readers, whatever their age.


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Michelle grew up as a young child  on the south side of Chicago. She  worked hard at school  and from High School attended Princeton University, where she became one of their finest graduates. From Princeton she went on to Harvard, and graduated in law.

We know Michelle Obama as a very famous First Lady of the United States from 2009-2017, in fact the first African American woman to ever serve in this position, being married to Barack Obama. Michelle  wasn’t just a good lawyer, she worked with not-for-profit organisations. She now campaigns for poverty awareness, education, health and many things which prevent people being able to be the best they can be.

Little People, Big Dreams captures the heart of Michelle as a person who follows her beliefs and work tirelessly to support and help those who cannot. Equality is at the core of what Michelle does.

If you already have a collection of Little People, Big Dreams, this book of Michelle Obama will be the perfect addition. If you are just getting started on Little People, Big Dreams,  there is no better place  to start.

Written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and illustrated by Mia Saine, this is an amazing series of books about people, about people who started small but had big dreams for the future. It makes a perfect series for any school library and for home too.

Publishers are Francis Lincoln, part of the Quarto Knows, and they have the way of creating books where you can dive straight in and stay immersed for a long time! This empowering book features stylish and quirky images with extra facts at the back plus a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the inspiring woman’s life.

My review copy is going straight to a small school nearby, which have a whole shelf of Little People, Big Dreams.

Sue Martin

 

 


Dolphinbooksellers.co.uk is part of SmithMartin LLP

A retail resource for the best children's books, entry point into our children's and community library procurement and supply service. Offering a miscellany of news and featured authors for all our readers, whatever their age.


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'Then one morning, someone new arrived. It was an elephant.’

An enchanting story about Humperdink, the elephant  joining in with all the fun at playgroup. He tries hide and seek, but that is tricky, he tries the slide, but he broke that. But he was so much fun at the stomping and stamping game outside.

With a little patience and understanding the children soon discover that Humperdink is good at some things–especially if they use their imaginations–leading to a riotously fun conclusion.

A delightful picture book with endearing artwork and a humorous story to engage young readers and help them gain an understanding about those different from themselves. This title helps children learn the key skill of playing with and accepting new friends, whatever their size, shape... or species! Exploring themes of empathy and imaginative play, this title is a must-have for young readers seeking to understand the world around them.

Sean Taylor  is the author and he is an award-winning author of over 50 books for young readers of many different ages. As well as writing, he has many years’ experience visiting schools, where he works with poetry and storytelling to encourage young people to write themselves. He lives with his wife and two sons in Bristol.

Claire Alexander is an award-winning picture book author and illustrator based in London. She is the illustrator of Humperdink Our Elephant Friend and The Snowbear and the author–illustrator of A Little Bit Different, Back to Front and Upside Down, That’s When I Knew, Millie Shares, and Monkey and the Little One. Claire earned a BA in painting from the Kent Institute of Art and Design and studied children’s illustration at Putney School of Art and Design. Claire teaches her own course on writing and illustrating picture books in local libraries, bookshops, and at the House of Illustration in London. She regularly visits schools and enjoys drawing for children.

Words and Pictures, part of Quarto Kids are the publishers and Humperdinck is another excellent book in their book lists.

At the end of the book, Humperdink makes a sign for all the children to climb on his back. It has a really good feeling about the book and is a great way to show that we can be friends with everyone, whatever their skills and interests.

I’m off to try and find an elephant just like Humperdink on this wet English day!

Sue Martin


Dolphinbooksellers.co.uk is part of SmithMartin LLP

A retail resource for the best children's books, entry point into our children's and community library procurement and supply service. Offering a miscellany of news and featured authors for all our readers, whatever their age.


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As we emerge from the lockdowns of 2021, I imagine we will all be travelling in our cars to places in the UK. For anyone with children on a long journey this book is ideal.

It's a fun packed activity book filled with cars, buses, trucks and all the vehicles you see as you journey along.

There are puzzles galore, quizzes and drawing activities. All you need are colouring pencils and hours of fun are at your finger tips. My favourite is the page on Design your own sports car...

Or maybe you could design a poster for a monster truck rally or play spot-the-difference in a mechanic's garage or find the way home in a road maze.

Putri Febriana is the illustrator, she is based in Jakarta in Indonesia and her work is really engaging, bright and colourful. Her previous books include On the Plane Activity Book.

Wide Eyed Publishers part of Quarto Knows are the publishers with a stunning portfolio of beautifully published titles which bring delight their readers.

The Car Activity Book is the perfect companion for a long and short journeys and road trip holidays, this book will keep you busy for hours! In the Car Activity Book is a fun gift for all young readers who love cars and vehicles.

Sue Martin

 

 

 


Dolphinbooksellers.co.uk is part of SmithMartin LLP

A retail resource for the best children's books, entry point into our children's and community library procurement and supply service. Offering a miscellany of news and featured authors for all our readers, whatever their age.


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Freddie and the High Flying Kick - cover image
Delightful graphics, great storytelling...

How to see the world from  a different point of view. How it feels to never be included in the games and fun activities because you are in a wheelchair of have to use a frame.

This is  a special book about disability and shows the absolute understanding of how difficult life becomes when you can’t take part in activities where other children are having fun .

Sometimes its hard to be involved and easier just to walk away rather than help.

Freddie and the High Flying Kick is a story which shows how the power of working together with a group of children cam make all the difference. Freddie is helped by the Super-siblings, who at first find it hard to know what to do. But they do take the giant step and help Freddie who just needs someone to help his balance as he kicks the football so high.

Zoe Wanamaker has reviewed the book and says, 'This is charming, delightful and fun. A lesson in care for others. The pictures and verse make it a joy to read!'

Freddie and the High Flying Kick is available on Amazon and  is written by Adelle Spindlove with illustrations by Claire S. Bicknell and would be well placed in schools and early years settings as well as in the home.

Sue Martin


Dolphinbooksellers.co.uk is part of SmithMartin LLP

A retail resource for the best children's books, entry point into our children's and community library procurement and supply service. Offering a miscellany of news and featured authors for all our readers, whatever their age.