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Engaging reads for children, from Books go Walkabout

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Lyla Through My Eyes by Fleur Beale

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On August 30, 2018

In 9 to 10 years, All Ages, Allen and Unwin, Books go Walkabout, Featured authors, Featured children's book

Lyla Through My Eyes - cover image and web link

Buy this great book here…free delivery

Lyla is a gripping and personal story about one girl’s experience of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and its aftermath.

Lyla has just started her second year of high school when a magnitude 6.3 earthquake shakes Christchurch to pieces. Devastation is everywhere. While her police officer mother and trauma nurse father respond to the disaster, Lyla puts on a brave face, opening their home to neighbours and leading the community clean-up.

But soon she discovers that it’s not only familiar buildings and landscapes that have vanished – its friends and acquaintances too. As the earth keeps shaking day after day, can Lyla find a way to cope with her new reality?

This is a page turner of a book exceptionally well written by Fleur Beale. A young person’s life turned upside down with the major earthquake and then made even worse as the shakes continue and liquefaction of the soil makes moving around incredibly difficult.

Lyla - Buy this book button - image and web link

…with free delivery!

As she finds herself alone, with her parents helping others, Lyla establishes a friendship with Matt, who she has previously thought of as a real loser. She rescues her friend’s documents by entering a building about to collapse.

The book is great to read, with references to the 2011 Christchurch earthquake plus a timeline, and a glossary, the reader will be well-informed plus an understanding of life through this natural disaster.

Fleur Beale is author of many award-winning books for children and young adults – with 40 books published in New Zealand, plus books published in the United States and England. She is a former high-school teacher and lives in Wellington.

Fleur has won many awards including; the Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-Loved Book: with Slide the Corner in 2007, and I Am Not Esther in 2009, the Esther Glen Award for distinguished contribution to children’s literature for Juno Of Taris in the 2009 LIANZA Children’s Book Awards, Fierce September won the YA category in the 2011 NZ Post Children’s Book Awards and the LIANZA Young Adult Award in 2011.

In 2012 she won the Margaret Mahy Medal for her outstanding contribution to children’s writing, and in 2015 she was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to literature. In 1999, Fleur was Dunedin College of Education’s Writer in Residence Series editor and series creator

Allen and Unwin, Australia publish Through My Eyes series created and developed by Lyn White. Her work with refugee children motivated her to create the acclaimed Through My Eyes series of books set in contemporary war zones.

Lyn created and edited  Through My Eyes – Natural Disaster Zones series to pay tribute to the courage and resilience of children, often the most vulnerable in post-disaster situations. Lyn continues to teach EAL and is an education consultant and conference presenter.

We loved reading Lyla, a captivating book about this recent disaster.We recommend for children from 9-10 years and all ages.

Sue Martin

Books go Walkabout, stories across the world

 

 

Books! Books! Books!

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On August 13, 2018

In 7+ years, 9 to 10 years, All Ages, Books go Walkabout, Featured authors, Featured children's book, Featured illustrators, History, The British Library

Books! Books ! Books! - cover image and web link

Buy this book here…free delivery!

A book about books by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom. Explore inside the greatest library on earth!

A fascinating journey through literature via Shakespeare, Bronte sisters, Brothers Grimm, Dickens, Lewis Carroll  and many others  included at The British Library.  Opening the pages of  Books! Books! Books! is like stepping into The British Library itself in London. An enormous building full of hidden treasures and packed with books. Visit the cafe with a wall of very old books stretching from the ground floor to the second floor.

Mick Manning and Brita Granstorm work in partnership, this intriguing book is full of information and illustration; from man-eating monsters to lost children, from magical creatures to flying machines.  Mick and Brita’s Facebook page shows some of their award-winning titles, such as What Mr Darwin Saw, The Beatles and William Shakespeare.

…with free delivery

Otter-Barry Books has created and published this beautiful hardback book, which children of many ages will enjoy reading and adults too.

The book will act as a pathway for children to venture into libraries and explore, to follow their imaginations learning along the way.

We recommend for all ages and for adults too!

Sue Martin

Books Go Walkabout

Swan Lake by Anne Spudvilas

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On July 19, 2018

In All Ages, Allen and Unwin, Books go Walkabout, Featured illustrators

Swan Lake cover image and web link

Buy this great book here – with free delivery

A magnificent visual retelling of the classic ballet story from a much-loved, award-winning Australian illustrator.

Swan Lake is an incredible book, in style, illustration and emotional involvement.

Taken from the iconic ballet of Swan Lake telling the tragic love story of a princess transformed into a swan by an evil sorcerer. In this atmospheric adaptation, Anne Spudvilas re-imagines the classic tale of passion, betrayal and heartbreak in the dramatic riverscape of the Murray-Darling.

Like a ballet the story emerges without words, and captures all the tension, heartbreak and  love with the inevitable finale or end. It has a different twist in this adaptation! The book, as the ballet, is in three acts with an explanation of the events that follow.

The illustrations are truly magical, with many dark tones and a minimal use of  a colour palette, enormously effective.

…with free delivery

Anne Spudvilas is one of Australia’s most talented visual artists. Her illustrations are full of emotion and beauty. Anne’s Swan Lake is simply enchanting and sublime!’ Li Cunxin, author of Mao’s Last Dancer and Artistic Director, Queensland Ballet

Anne Spudvilas is a multi-award-winning illustrator of children’s books and an established portrait painter and print-maker. Her first picture book, The Race by Christobel Mattingley, was awarded the Crichton Award for Illustration and was a Childrens’s Book Council of Australia Honour Book.

Anne’s move to the Murray River has inspired her latest book, an illustrated retelling of the classic ballet story Swan Lake. She lives in Wentworth, where the Murray and Darling rivers meet, surrounded by birds and river red gums.

Published by Allen and Unwin, it was released in the UK earlier this year. Allen and Unwin have a remarkable portfolio and list of amazingly beautiful books and this is one which we are lucky to have in the UK.

Whether you are also a ballet fiend or not, this book is one to have.

Sue Martin

Books Go Walkabout

Authors and Schools across the world via BGW

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On June 9, 2018

In 9 to 10 years, Black Dog Books, Books go Walkabout, Carole Wilkinson, Featured authors, Featured children's book, Featured illustrators

Jumping betwixt Australia, China, Hong Kong and the UK!

Kellett School year 5’s had just returned from Beijing in May 2018 when they joined Books Go Walkabout ‘skyping’ to Carole Wilkinson, award-winning Australian author, her Dragonkeeper series is set in Ancient China.

The year 5 students at Kowloon Bay campus of Kellett School were intrigued with Carole’s presentation showing drawings and research, especially the drawing of an Emperor taking his dragon for a walk, his body curled around and walking side by side. 

The hour-long session covered a whole host of creative writing thoughts and possibilities,conversations about writing, story ideas, and characters. Dragonkeeper is now being made into a movie, it is now two years from starting and two years until completion. Very exciting and maybe two years is not too long to wait?

There be dragons!

Dragonkeeper is a fantasy story about a slave girls who saves the life of an ageing dragon, and escapes her brutal master.

Pursued by a ruthless dragon hunter, the girls and the dragon, make an epic journey across China in 141BC, carrying a mysterious stone that must be protected. There are seven books in the series plus an introduction book, a great read and some of the students have already read the first five books.

Enjoying the book…

Kellett year 5 students had already completed some brilliant writing projects about characters and the story-line. 

Books Go Walkabout provides more than just an author, we work with the school to ensure that there is great benefit to school and students and that there are curriculum matches to enhance attainment and enjoyment too.

Looking forward to more ‘skyping’ across the world.

Sue Martin

Skype is a trademark of the Microsoft Corporation
Books Go Walkabout

Discover a world of authors, illustrators and readers!

Plantopedia, A Celebration of Nature’s Greatest Show-offs by Adrienne Barman

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On May 10, 2018

In 6+ Years, All Ages, Books go Walkabout, Featured children's book, Featured illustrators, WideEyed Editions

Plantopedia

Buy this book…

Welcome to the greatest show on earth, featuring the most tremendous trees and tiniest seeds, flowers masquerading as twinkling stars and very confused fruit and vegetables!

This is an incredible, non-edible, fun-loving and intellectually desirable book about plants! Plants from all over the world, chosen for their unique traits and characteristics, their abilities in disguise, and captivation, who is the cleverest, the plants or the insects?

Discover the ‘evergreens’, the ‘edibles’, the ‘elderly’ plants that have outlived the dinosaurs.

The budding naturalists among the students will be absorbed totally by the quirky text, wealth of fascinating information and stylish illustrations.  Watch out for the section on poisonous plants, which is led by an illustration of a skeleton in clothes; it includes plants such as Feverfew, Henbane and Strychnine tree.

It is a book that I keep picking up and reading from, remembering the bite sized pieces of information.

Adrienne Barman is the author and illustrator and produces very colourful and stylish work. She lives in Geneva having illustrated many books.

WideEyed is part of the QuartoKnows publishing group and has an amazingly interesting list of children’s books.

We thoroughly recommend this book for schools and libraries and especially for the families kitchen table, a book to have and to dip into, it will be a joy to have.

Sue Martin

Books Go Walkabout

 

 

The Ghosts and Jamal

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On May 4, 2018

In Books go Walkabout, Featured authors, Featured children's book, New titles

Buy this book here…

Jamal lives away from a village in West Africa, he is different, people are afraid that his twitching and strange behaviour may be linked to black magic. His Mum has died and his grandfather disappeared with the remains of the palm wine.

The villagers believe Jamal is marked by spirits, which meant that when the village is attacked by terrorists he is left alone and saved. But he is totally alone. Along with his kit bag and copy of The Koran, which was given to him by the Imam who is friendly to him, Jamal sets off away from the village.

Although Jamal finds his grandfather, he sends him away and throws stones at him as he scrambles down the mountain. He is taken in by humanitarian workers who do their best to help and provide him with pills for his epilepsy, but their solution is to send him to an orphanage.

Jamal’s journey goes on, with each place being hard to live in, children knowing Jamal is not quite the same as them. Slowly it appears that Jamal is also autistic. Children and adults in the places where Jamal finds himself, usually end up trying to trick or abuse Jamal, who always has a sense of this but unable to defend himself properly, that is until the end of the story.

This is a great book, quite challenging at times, and brings you directly to life in West Africa and the challenging time for anyone with autism or epilepsy. The concept of bad spirits is pretty frightening and an awareness grows that a sudden epileptic attack could leave Jamal in a very bad place.

But it doesn’t and the surprise at the end of the book is terrific!

The Ghosts and Jamal is written by Bridget Blankley, who spent most of her early life in Nigeria and has an autism spectrum disorder. It is published by HopeRoad Publishing, who work with a focus on West Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, supporting neglected voices.

Sue Martin

Books Go Walkabout

50 Ways to Feel Happy

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On March 22, 2018

In 7+ years, All Ages, Books go Walkabout, Featured authors, Featured children's book, Featured illustrators, Non Fiction, Quarto Kids

50 Ways to feel happy

Buy this book from BgW here…

This is the first book from Action for Happiness, written Vanessa King and illustrated by Celeste Aires. It is packed with wonderful ideas, to  feel happy and  to sustain happiness.

Action for Happiness is a global, social movement to promote happiness and well-being. The Dalai Lama is patron and his book The Art of Happiness is also a great read.

The book is divided into sections including; giving,relating, awareness, exercising,resilience, emotions and acceptance. Each page is well crafted with ideas and good illustrations showing just how the ideas will work. Becoming a kindness detective for example or ‘trying a mindful moment’ will  help your mind and body to relax and feel positive.

Well-being is something that we are all aware off now, and  is included in PSE school curricula. 50 Ways to Feel Happy is an excellent book for schools and can be used as a tool for engaging all children , especially where children are not as positive as others. It will really help.

Vanessa King is an author and expert in positive psychology and has worked extensively on enhancing well-being and resilience. In this book she was supported by Val Payne a teacher and education consultant and Peter Harper a consultant clinical psychologist. Vanessa gives an excellent  TED talk on The Ten Keys to Happier Living

Celeste Aires is an Argentinian born illustrator, her modern style uses geometric shapes and bright blocks of colours, which work really well in this book.

QuartoKids are the publishers and have a wealth of excellent non-fiction titles which are engaging and informative.

50 Ways to Feel Happy would be a great book for schools and for home, there are times for all of us when we need a little way into happiness.

Sue Martin

Books Go Walkabout

 

KidGlovz by Julie Hunt, illustrated by Dale Newman

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On February 27, 2018

In 9 to 10 years, All Ages, Allen and Unwin, Books go Walkabout, Featured authors, Featured children's book, Featured illustrators, New titles

KidGlovz

Buy this title from Bookmonitor here…

This is a book with a difference, it’s a graphic novel in hardback, with an incredible number of drawings, vividly brought to life in black and white to tell this amazing story of Kid, his music his kidnap and all the characters who appear on the way.

Kid Glovz is a musical genius. His gift is so precious that he’s kept under lock and key. But when a young thief helps him escape, Kid must embark on a perilous journey through which he will discover the terrifying nature of his talent. A spellbinding graphic fable about friendship and freedom.

The story is full of mystery, an adventure with real danger and otherworldliness, a gripping tug-of-war between the forces of good and evil. It is a beautifully produced graphic novel for children, and on Julie’s website you can read the background to the story.

The author, award-winning Julie Hunt has written some amazing titles, including Little Else and a Song for Scarlet Runner. She lives on a farm in Southern Tasmania, she has a love of dramatic landscapes and has used these to build stories full of imagination and intrigue.

Dale Newman’s stunning artwork is reminiscent of Shaun Tan’s The Arrival and has the same air of foreboding in many of the pictures. Kid Glovz is her first epic graphic novel and a stunning start to a career in children’s books. She lives in New South Wales, Australia and is also used to some amazing landscapes.

Allen and Unwin, Australian publishers have a star packed book list and KidGlovz is bound to be a great success. In Australia it has already won 2016 QLD Premier’s Literary Awards, Children’s Books and short-listed for  2016 CBCA Book of the Year, Crichton Award for New Illustrators

Books Go Walkabout recommend KidGlovz for children aged about 9+ and for adults too.

Sue Martin

Books Go Walkabout

Peter Pan and Wendy by JM Barrie and illustrated by Robert Ingpen

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On February 16, 2018

In 9 to 10 years, All Ages, Books go Walkabout, Children's Classics, Featured authors, Featured children's book, Featured illustrators

Peter Pan and Wendy - Palazzo Editions - cover image

Get your copy here…

All children except one grow up! Maybe there are  a few more, for those who read this book will inevitably not want to grow up”

In a most beautiful new edition of Peter Pan and Wendy, from Palazzo, the story is enhanced with deeply imaginative illustrations from Robert Ingpen. 

Peter Pan flies into Wendy’s bedroom window in a house in London and with John and Michael, they fly away to Never Land.

Peter is the leader of the Lost Boys and meets his nemesis Captain Hook. From there along with Fairy Tinkerbell, the story and adventure begin.

J.M. Barrie left his royalties in perpetuity to Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital and this magnificent edition was published to commemorate the centenary of first publication and to continue as a fundraiser.

Robert Ingpen, is from Australia and first attempted illustrating Peter Pan at 7 years old. In 1986 he was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for his contribution to children’s literature and he has been honoured with membership of the Order of Australia.

A world-renowned artist and author, Ingpen has designed, illustrated and written more than one hundred books, including his highly acclaimed series of illustrated Children’s Classics, which have now been published in many editions around the world.

This book is part of a wonderful series of Classic Children’s Literature from Palazzo and will provide hours of pleasure.

Sue Martin

Books go Walkabout, stories across the world

 

A Child’s Garden of Verses

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On February 11, 2018

In 6+ Years, All Ages, Books go Walkabout, Poetry

Get this lovely hardback book here…

A beautifully presented hard back book of A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson and illustrated by Michael Foreman in this magical new edition from Otter-Barry Books.

The verses were first published in 1885, so reflect quite a different era. In 1985, Michael Foreman created the wonderful water-colour illustrations which bring a soft and ephemeral magic to the poems.

This latest edition published in 2017, from Otter-Barry has a foreword from Alexander McCall Smith, who begins by saying about Stevenson,” He not only knows what children like, but he likes it along with them”

McCall Smith tells of Stevenson’s childhood in a family of lighthouse engineers, but he suffered from ill-health and spent much time in his sickbed. May be that it was here that he dreamed and thought of the world beyond. It was also in the Victorian times, when travel to far away places was possible for those with money to spend.

The poems are a delight and can conjure up images of gentle childhoods, as in The Swing,

Till I look down on the garden green,

Down on the roof so brown

Up in the air I go flying again

Up in the air and down.

One of my favourite illustrations is from My Shadow, a poem that will stay with you once read.

My Shadow from Robert Louis Stevenson

This book will make a wonderful present  and will add to any school, library and home collection. I am off to read some of the poems now, by the fireside and ready to dream!

Sue Martin

Books Go Walkabout

Books Go Walkabout

 

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