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Tag: children’s book illustrations

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What's a penguin to think when he wakes up pink? Patrick is not happy being a pink penguin and he runs away in search of other pink playmates. He travels far across the oceans until the seas are warm and he finds a whole flock of pink flamingos, boys and girls.

Patrick learns that not all friendships are black and white and when he discovers that he can't even stand on one leg to go to sleep, or fly high into the air, he decides to go home. He does find out that his black and white penguin friends are pleased to see him back and he understands the true meaning of friendship is not always related to colour.

Written by Lynne Rickards, who lives in Scotland and comes from Canada, and illustrated by Margaret Chamberlain, Pink is published by Wacky Bee an independent publishers with an inspirational book list, definitely a publisher to watch out for.

https://youtu.be/4JWSLeLQFIg

A beautifully produced book with a strong message and great to use for young children, we recommend for 3-5 year olds at home and nursery.

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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Dance. Dolphin, Dance - cover image and web link
Buy this beautiful book here...

The adventure of a bottle-nose dolphin living in the underwater kelp forest of the coast of California. The dolphin dances in the swirling waters of the kelp forest, but the waters become rougher and stronger and dolphin finds herself among other sea creatures who are escaping the stormy seas.

Tuna, a Big Blue Whale, a Great White Shark and a Killer Whale all are hiding within the kelp. Our dolphin has to be quick and escapes to the deepest part of the dark kelp forest.

A beautiful picture book written and illustrated by Patricia MacCarthy and with fascinating images using photo shop techniques  showing the dolphin swimming with other creatures in the kelp forest. Published by Otter-Barry, Dance.Dolphin, Dance is a  unique edition to their list of excellently published picture books.

Book image and web link   Buy this impressive book here...

I really enjoyed this book, and especially as we had just returned from the beach in North Norfolk and seen jellyfish on the sands at low tide. No dolphins though! And we are especially keen on dolphins!!

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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A CAt Called Trim - cover image and web link
Buy this great book here - free delivery on publication!

Trim was born in 1799 aboard the sailing ship Reliance, a cat born for adventure and seaward journeys. This is the story of a famous cat, Trim, who sailed with his master Matthew Flinders across the Indian Ocean and  circumnavigated Australia. Courageous, mischievous and full of ideas, Trim could be seen on the rigging, along the sails and more than once ended up swimming for his life.

A beautiful book full of wonderful illustrations and an amazing story  of characters, events and a way of life that is not known to us today. Except that showing kindness, being brave and trusting remain good characteristics for anyone.

Flinders and Trim were sailing back to England when they were forced to stop at the Isle de France, a fateful trip as Flinders was put in prison and one day Trim disappeared.

But they are always remembered through statues to Flinders and Trim all over the world, including Sydney, Port Lincoln and  Euston Station, London.

A Cat Called Trim is written by Corinne Fenton, illustrated by Craig Smith and published by Allen and Unwin of Australia, released on 5th September 2019.

Corinne Fenton is an award-winning Australian author,and a passionate creator of picture books for younger readers and a talented presenter of books to children. Craig Smith is a highly talented illustrator of many, many children's books and his amazing pictures have a real sense of story.

Book icon image and web link   Buy this book securely on-line from The Dolphin here...

I love this book, it has enormous appeal and would recommend for children from ages 5 upwards... no limit really! Order the book for dispatch on publication date of 5th September 2019.

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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Jasper Space Dog - image and web link
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Jasper Space Dog is the first in series of stories about a lovable hound with big ideas. Jasper travels and crosses time boundaries as he explores time and place. A great first chapter book which will be a good read for eager readers and for those who just love to find out more.

This first book (Moon Landing 50th Anniversary Edition) is about space and about traveling to the moon, with many references to just what it was like on those first journeys to the moon and the moon landing. Jasper just needs to know how a dog would survive.

"Would the astronauts have eaten hot dogs and how did they cook the sausages", he asks a Rocket Scientist who has all the answers to his questions.

A great addition to the story is the last section of the book which is about Apollo 11 and the crew who made the first journey to the moon and celebrated this with the first moon walk.

Book image and web link - buy this book here...   Buy this great book here....

Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the moon, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin were the crew. Great timing to write about this book as Toy Story 4 hits the cinemas and my favourite character Buzz Light Year works with Woody and others to solve problems.

The author is Hilary Robinson, author, radio producer, broadcaster and feature writer. She was born in Devon and brought up in Nigeria and England.Author of over forty books for children.   The illustrator  is Lewis James, with some really appealing images, just right for an adventurous dog! It is published by Strauss Production

Recommenced in homes and schools as a great book for children around 6- 7 who are keen to read more. Look forward to the next books in the series of Jasper Dog.

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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Humperdink - cover image and web link
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Humperdink arrives at the children's playgroup.

He is not quite the same as the others and he can't play all their games, although he is very friendly.

But dressing up is a problem and hide and seek is just a disaster, even if he keeps his eyes shut!

 

But one day he tries the children's slide, which is their favourite thing in the whole playgroup and he is so big that he breaks it. So sad!

He is good at other things though, like follow my leader, and carrying all the children on his back for a ride.

In the end all the children love Humperdink and  know just what he can do best.

Buy thi s book here - book icon and web link  Buy this great book here!

A beautiful book, and it will help children to know that we are not all the same and  our differences can be the best thing for us all. recommend for children from 1- 4 years at home and in the Nursery

Written by award-winning author Sean Taylor and illustrated by award-winning illustrator Claire Alexander, Humperdink is a great new title from  publishers, Words and Pictures.

 

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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Astro Girl cover image
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Astrid loves stars and space and whilst her Mum is away, Astrid and her Dad have fun acting out some of the challenges that an astronaut might face in space.

In a near zero-gravity environment many things are different; does your food stay on the plate, where do you leave your clothes or do they just wander through the space with you?

Fortunately, Astrid feels she is very well prepared and can do all the things that her Dad asks her about,

‘What about eating food out of a tube or a packet every day?’

“I can do that,” says Astrid, munching a cereal bar.

At the end of the story, there is a great surprise for Astrid when she goes to meet her Mum as she returns home. She is dressed in a space suit and carrying a space helmet,Astrid is dead impressed when she learns her Mum has been in space?

The last page in the book gives some facts about space travel, such as astronaut comes from two Greek words, Astro meaning star and Nautes meaning sailor! It includes a number of women who have travelled in space and this is probably more than you would think.

Astro Girl is a great book for sharing and for young children to look at over and over again, the illustrations also by Ken Wilson-Max are brilliantly appealing and colourful. Published by Otter-Barry Books, Astro Girl is part of a number of books that are great fun to read and excellently presented.

Space, adventure, love of our planets and solar system are all of huge interest to young children and to adults too. This book will enable children and parents to talk with each other and build stories and pictures around all sorts of space travel…. And who knows some of it may just happen one 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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The Perfect Sofa cover image and web link
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‘I think we need a new sofa, ‘said Panda. 'This one is too old’.

Penguin and Panda are the best of friends and share everything, including the sofa!

Their journey through the book is a wonderful way to make choices together. Penguin and Panda are engaging and delightful, the book encourages everyone to enjoy what we have.

In the end of course, they discover that their original sofa is the best one for them both, and the book finishes with two exhausted characters on the patched up sofa, with all their things around them.

Fifi Kuo is from Taiwan and has studied in the UK at Cambridge receiving an MA in Children’s Illustration at The Cambridge School of Art. She has already been shortlisted for awards and gained Bronze in the Macmillan Prize.

...with free delivery

The Perfect Sofa is to be published in the UK on 11th April by Boxer Books.

 

It follows Fifi’s amazing title of I Can’t/Can Fly.

Fifi has a brilliant way of using illustration to convey meaning and her use of characters like Panda and Penguin show enormous loveable characters.

A great book for young children and for parents too!

Recommend for ages 2- 22!!

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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Digger - cover image and web link
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Digger is the story of one toy kangaroo, one Australian soldier,  Annie and Colette, set in two countries engaged in a world at war.

It is an amazingly poignant story and beautifully portrayed in text and illustration. 

It is  a tribute to the French school children who tended the graves of Australian soldiers and a quiet reminder of the casualties of the battle for Villers-Bretonneux in April 1918.

James goes off to war, leaving his homeland Australia behind and takes with him Digger, a toy kangaroo which Annie,  his sister, has lovingly repaired and named just for him. The pages turn over to show images of a soldier who is keen to help and fight for his own country and for others. He faces everything with courage.

Digger is always with him and  they both even survive a blast in the trenches.

Colette in France, helps to repair Digger and one day he is brought to Colette without James. He is sent back to Australia repaired and with a note for Annie...

Mike Dumbleton is the author and illustrated by Robin Cowcher another great book from publishers Allen and Unwin, Australia.

Buy this book - button image and web link

With tears in my eyes on the last page, I believe this book is truly amazing and will be a sad but good read for anyone, whether they are coping with loss, learning about the effects of war or just as a brilliant picture book.

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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Grobblechops - cover image and web link
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What kind of monster is lurking under your bed? Grobblechops is one of those monsters that just becomes more frightening by the minute.

An old tale by Rumi, a 13th century poet and Sufi mystic, which is given a new take by award-winning author, Elizabeth Laird.

Grobblechops looms large in each of the stunning illustrations from Jenny Lucander, it is spiky and brown, with teeth as large as you can imagine and eyes that keep on staring at you.

'But what....' asks Amir at every answer given by his parents to his worried and questions. ' But what if my monster's got a Dad too?'

...with free delivery!

Eventually, Amir is persuaded that his monster might just like to play. And so he does and so does the monster's mother and father and life can calm down once again.

Brilliantly told tale and Elizabeth Laird has an amazing way of making the words on each page just right for the images.

Or maybe it's the skill of illustrator Jenny Lucander to create the pictures that fit so amazingly well with the words? Either way publishers Tiny Owl have another excellent book to add to their collection.

Watch a video from publisher

A great book to have, recommended for ages 3-7 and older too!

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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Cinderella - cover image and web link
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Cinderella - a magical book complete with  wand from Sanna Mander,an award winning author from Finland.

This classical fairy tale comes to life with music and sound effects, all you need to do is to wave over the page and magic will happen.

On a more serious note... many fairy tales have a darker side, Cinderella is an iconic tale of unjust oppression which teaches  kindness, forgiveness and the value of making good choices in the face of adversity.

Sanna Mander's illustrations and text are beautiful and evocative of a fairy tale world. As an illustrator she won the Cannes Young Creatives in 2006 and Junior of the Year in 2007 at Finnish Best of Year.

Buy this book here - image and web link
...free delivery

Another beautiful book from Lincoln Children's Books.

So, with a 'swirl, a twirl and a puff of starry smoke...' start reading and waving the magic wand.

A great fun book recommended for ages 3-5 years

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.