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Outside. A Guide to Discovering Nature
Review or purchase this great book from Amazon.co.uk here...

A real discovery book, excellent in all aspects of creating a love of nature, finding out and just getting outside with a purpose.

Outside. A Guide to Discovering Nature was published by Frances Lincoln in March 2016 and is a great book to buy now for the summer holidays and for enjoying time together in the Big Outside.

The authors are: Maria Ana Peixe Dias and Inês Teixeira do Rosário and the book is beautifully illustrated by Bernardo P. Carvalho, all from Portugal.

This book won the Bologna Regazzi award, which aims to arouse curiosity about fauna, flora and to get to know the outside world.

Every page turned has an intriguing illustration or fascinating information in the text. From how to build a swing and reach the clouds, with facts about making a swing in a tree to the different types and styles of beaks on birds! It is literally packed with information for children ages, 8-12 and for adults who have maybe forgotten that stuff or never knew!

Who does this footprint belong to?
What is this worm up to?
What is the name of this tree?

Even if we live in the city, nature is still all around us: clouds and stars, trees and flowers, rocks and beaches, birds, reptiles or mammals.
What are we waiting for?

I will definitely be using this book through the summer and can't wait for a child or two to share our time in the Outside. A Guide to Discovering Nature.

Very much recommended!!

Sue Martin

Books Go Walkabout           Dolphin Bookshelf


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.


The SEal ChildrenThe Seal Children by Jackie Morris has been republished in this captivating edition by Otter-Barry Books.

The water colours on every page are a joy in themselves and you can spend so much time just looking as they portray the story in picture.

The story is about a fisherman who falls in love with a Selkie – half woman, half seal – she gives him her seal skin as a sign of her love, and bears him two children, Ffion and Morlo, before returning to her own people. When a stranger comes to the village, telling of a land far away, the children remember their mother’s stories of the cities of gold and pearls beneath the waves….

This is a wonderful book from Jackie Morris. Presented in a beautiful new gift edition, this is a haunting story of love and freedom, for all ages.

'A lyrical story with beautifully painted watercolours' Books for keeps

A book for everyone to have, in the home to share, and to read alone, in schools for all sorts of projects in education and in the libraries. It is a book that definitely will not be staying long on the shelves but will be on the table, by the rug or in the fireside chair ready to be read time and time again.

Recommended for all ages and especially for me!!

Sue Martin Dolphin Booksellers and Books Go Walkabout

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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.


I will not wear pink'Nothing or no-one will make me wear pink!' declares Plunkett the pig. A great fun read by the duo Dunbars, wonderful, uplifting and meaningful. A launch title for Otter-Barry Books and part of an excellent collection for Spring 2016.

Children have great determination and are not easily persuaded... I will not, I absolutely can not, you cannot make me and in fact I just won't!! Often used by young children on all sorts of occasions.

The story is based on an invitation to a party and Plunkett would love to go except the theme is Pink, Dream, Fancy, Frills and Thrills. Plunkett is not going to wear pink!! ' I will not wear pink.' he says. The solution in the end is charming, he doesn't actually wear pink but...

Beautiful illustrations from Polly Dunbar, who already has several bestselling picture books and the words words from Joyce Dunbar are delightful, fun and playful.

Recommended for all children... Oh, and for adults too who will relate to the scenario very well!

Sue Martin Dolphin BookSellers & 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.


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.


Hiccups
Review or buy this book from Amazon.co.uk...

A delightful first book from Holly Sterling, she has previously illustrated the Everybody Feels... series published also by Frances Lincoln.

Hiccups is newly published this month so watch out for it on line and in the bookshops, or you can buy direct through this picture link

Holly has a great way to show feelings in the characters and this story which follow Oscar the puppy's problem with hiccups that just won't go away, that is until Ruby dresses up as a cat. This is so scary that even the brave Oscar is scared!

Holly is an author/illustrator to watch, she has already won a number of awards, and was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal 2016.

Read an interview with Holly on Quarto Kids Blog, and on Holly's blogspot you can read about some interesting work with Michael Rosen.

We recommend Hiccups for all young children and for reading with parents too, you never know it may just be a long lasting cure for hiccups itself.

Sue Martin Dolphin BookBlog

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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.


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

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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.


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


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.


Everybody feels angryAre you sad, angry, happy or scared? This new series from QED Publishing features emotions, how and why children sometimes feel they way they do.

Coping with feelings is a challenge for young children at times and finding ways that will help to express emotions, talk about what is happening and the different things that can make children upset or wildly happy.

Every title features two stories, each told from a child's point of view and in a common scene or something familiar to the child.

At the end of the story there are story words' which explain words simply and gently.

The series is written with care and love by Moira Butterfield and illustrated by Holly Sterling. They both have brilliant websites full of information.

We recommend these books for Early Years settings and also for sharing at home. Everybody feels sad

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.


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.


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.