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Zim Zam ZoomZim, Zam,Zoom!

Zappy poems to read out loud, by James Carter and illustrated by Nicola Colton is published by Otter-Barry Books, the new children's publishers.

A brilliant introduction to poetry for young children, poems easily learnt and performed, great titles and include colours, animals, space, music and fairy tale fireworks.

James Carter is a prize winning poet, guitarist and educational writer, he gives poetry performances and workshops and is a great choice for schools on author in school.

Nicola Colton is an Irish illustrator with a playful, folktale art style and these are really good at making the poems come to life in the book.

Zim Zam Zoom! is one of the launch titles for Otter-Barry Books, an exciting new imprint aiming to make a difference, push boundaries and publish books that children will love.

Recommended for schools and libraries and for armchair moments!

Sue Martin Dolphin Booksellers and Books Go Walkabout


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 Anti Princess Club 1
Review and purchase this book on Amazon.co.uk

The Anti Princess Club is a series of books which follows four best friends; Emily, Martin, Bella, Singh, Grace Bennett and Chloe Karalis and they are just 'sick' of being treated like damsels in distress.

They are a thoroughly good read and the style and illustrations by Sarah Davis fit the whole scene in the books. They are published by Allen and Unwin and are a first time series from Australian author Samantha Turnbull.

They read as a book which is really for children of that age, when they know what they want, but just can't seem to stop adults and others treating them in a stereotyped way. It gives also a real sense of meaning to some of the trials and problems around making friends, families, teamwork and courage of your own convictions.

We also love the notes for teachers which are available on-line and free to use alongside the books, they cover a wealth of learning opportunities.

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Recommended by Dolphin Book Blog for ages 7+

Sue Martin

Books Go Walkabout & Dolphin Booksellers

 

 

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

Oh FreedomDue for release in June 2016 by Darf publishers, wrtitten 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 Railroads, 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 to freedom many people.

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 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


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 Ancient Egyptians by Isabel and Imogen Greenberg
View or buy this book from Amazon.co.uk here...

The Ancient Egyptians is the first book in the new Discover Series, published by Frances Lincoln and newly released on 7th April.

The style and illustrations make this a very good read into life at this time. It is a perfect companion for curriculum use and research in the classroom as well as in the home. It's great as inspiration for wall displays in schools across the UK. It's a book that is not only easy to read in the graphic style but will allow the information to stay with you.

The information in the book includes everything from pharaohs and mummies to daily life and the role of the Nile, via hieroglyphs and archaeology. A map and a timeline complete this fabulous book by graphic novelist Isabel Greenberg and her sister Imogen Greenberg.

There is also a special exhibition at The British Museum on Ancient Egypt's Sunken Cities which open on 19th May.

The Roman Empire by Isabel and Imogen Greenberg
View or buy this book on Amazon.co.uk here...

Discover the Roman Empire is also newly published on 7th April and written and illustrated by Isabel and Imogen Greenberg.

It covers a length of time in the Roman Empire starting with the rise and ending with the fall of the empire. There are great sections on Roam beliefs, architecture, inventions and daily life. It is a good book for the curriculum in primary schools and also to read at home.

We recommend for ages 7-10 years and as a book to have at home for all the family.

Sue Martin Dolphin Booksellers and Books Go Walkabout


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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Ralf
Buy this book from Amazon here...

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


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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adventuresMy 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.shakespeare
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


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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Dino DinnersA wonderful new series from Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom published by Frances Lincoln in connection with the Natural History Museum.

Dino Dinners - Who eats What and Who eats Who? A big question if you are a dinosaur fan. Triceratops? He eats plants, but with 6 tons of muscle, he is a very dangerous veggie!

Woolly Mammoth - How did they survive in ice age cold? A gentle giant but if angry they can become a battering ram of tusks and steaming shaggy hair.

The books are beautifully illustrated and on each page there are interesting facts.

A great series for KS1 and beyond.Woolly Mammoth

We recommend for ages 5 - 9 years

Sue Martin Dolphin Booksellers


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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An amazing visual adventure through the tomb of Egypt's most famous Pharaoh, Tutankhamun. This hard back book is full of inviting flaps and pop ups as you journey through the Kingdom of the Nile and the Valley of the Kings.

The journey with the archaeologist, Howard Carter in 1922 takes place as he discovers the steps leading down into the tomb, which had not been walked on for over 3000 years, and as he glimpsed the treasures that lay in the tomb of Tutankhamun.

TutankhamunWritten by Jen Green and Julie Renee Anderson and published by QED, this book is a real gem of a book for design, information and readability.

Each page is packed with facts in intriguing layout of the text, there are lots of opportunities for learning and adventure. The book would be an invaluable tool for KS2 work on the Egyptians or as a book at home or in the library for an avid explorer.

My favourite page was about Sailing across the Heavens, and a pop up model of a boat that was in the tomb for Tutankhamun to use to sail into the heavens. Sailing was important for the Egyptians and they believed that even the gods sailed in boats.

Packed from start to finish the information in the book will give those who read it a real interest and understanding about Tutankhamun and the Ancient Egyptians.

We recommend the book for 8 years to adult and beyond!

Sue Martin Dolphin Booksellers and Books Go Walkabout


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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Juidth Kerr exhibitThe Judith Kerr exhibition had been held and produced by Seven Stories and was available to view in the Jewish Museum, London.

Fortunately for me I had a few hours to spare and couldn't have found a better place than this exhibition. There is something about Judith Kerr in her work and in her expression of her life that is so wonderfully understated, but yet so powerful in evoking the characters and the settings for the stories.

The Tiger who Came to Tea, just has so much appeal and his appetite for all the food and drink was insatiable! There is a life size model in the exhibition amongst a chaotic kitchen.

Mog, of course, is just everyone's favourite cat, and is the perfect pet at times and at others shows how contrary all cats can be, ie Mog at Christmas. Also in the exhibition was my favourite place, a huge cat basket with books for reading. Just right for curling up within!

And When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, the pictures from Judith's own drawings and paintings at the time were on display, and some of the events that were happening around her, and just why they had to flee from Berlin.

She is quoted as saying, " If we had tried to leave Germany a day later, if I hadn't been stopped from asking questions on the train... I can never forget how lucky I am."

I could have spent a whole day here, but had to catch the train, homeward bound.

Sue Martin Books Go Walkabout and Dolphin Booksellers

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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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IbbY uk - 21st Annual IBBY UK/NCRCL

MA Conference, University of Roehampton, Saturday 8th November 2014

'Belonging is...an exploration of the right to be included and the barriers that must be overcome'

Something that is deep inside us all is the need to belong, to belong to our family, to belong to a group of friends, to belong to the places that we are part of in our work and free time.

A good theme for the conference and met with enthusiasm by all present.

The topics ranged from inclusivity and diversity, against the need for publishers commercial concerns,.

It was really interesting to hear about The International Conference held in Mexico this year. Pam Dix, the chair of iBbY UK, and other members who attended the Congres International de IBBY gave a wonderful account of the global dimensions and international development in children's books and the need to pursue an agenda of translation.

Image 3 Alexandra Strick, from Inclusive Minds encouraged others to join their collective and share ways of enabling inclusivity and the creation of characters with needs being just part of the story rather than being a stereotype of special needs.

Julia Hope, who has carried out a great deal of research on refugees in the primary classroom, gave a brilliant account and gave examples of children's books which are fundamental to the story and narrative of refugees. These included; The Silver Sword by Ian Serrailer, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr and Waiting for Anya by Michael Morpurgo.

Always a good day with time for reflection and thoughts about the role and immense importance of children's literature.

Sue Martin - Books Go Walkabout and Dolphin Booksellers

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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.