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Engaging reads for children, from Books go Walkabout

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The Rabbit Girl

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On May 1, 2011

In Featured authors, Featured children's book, New titles, Dolphinbooksellers

rgHow can a dusty old picture draw the past and the present together?

In The Rabbit Girl by Mary Arrigan the mystery unfolds. In one time period two evacuees are brought together on the far side of Lake Windermere. They are living with country people and finding life very different from life in the city of London during the war.

They find a friend turns out to be a very famous artist. She has time for them and they get together whenever they can. But time is not on their side and Tony has to return to London as his father is killed in a bombing raid.

Two generations later in a pet shop the story is brought back to life and the grumpy old man is not all he seems. Mallie is intrigued by an old picture of a rabbit and a girl which she gives to her Mum as a present. But it has something very special hidden within it that will reveal a very special secret.

maA great read from Mary Arrigan and published by Frances Lincoln in April this year. It follows on from Nesty’s Gold and let’s hope there are more stories to come from Mary.

 

 

Dolphin Booksellers – the best in children’s books always on line.

Stories at Bedtime

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On April 9, 2011

In Book events, Dolphinbooksellers

Once upon a time….. there were children who went back to school in their pyjamas just as it was getting dark, for bedtime stories…

Aug 09 018

We are working with a children’s centre in the London Borough of Wandsworth. As part of the work in engaging with literacy and families Stories at Bedtime was born!

The thought of cosy stories, hot chocolate and with the Big Bookmark guiding the way the first event was a huge success. Over 30 children brought their parents and snuggled down for the stories, then went into other parts of the nursery for more stories before bedtime.

James, aged 2 just had to give in to and was fast asleep in his pushchair before the stories finished. But I’m hoping he will come to the next event in the spring.

Try our Big Bookmarks from Dolphin Bookbox to develop and promote your ideas, you may not send everyone to sleep but it will make an impact.

m granardStoriesFront

 

Sue Martin
Dolphin Booksellers – bringing the best in children’s books always on line

World Book Day 3rd March 2011

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On February 18, 2011

In Book events, Dolphinbooksellers

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The celebration of books and reading worldwide. World Book Day is now marked in over 100 countries across the globe. In the UK and Ireland we will hold World Book Day on Thursday March 3rd. Schools and bookshops are already getting prepared, full of ideas for events with reading, books and stories.

wbdThe World Book Day website has loads of resources and activity suggestions, all free to download. If you register on the on-line portal you will receive information and updates. A great way to access ideas and support to ensure that you have some great activities happening at your centre.

nbtNational Book Tokens and participating booksellers including Dolphin Booksellers enable the £1 token which can be used to purchase one of the £1 books or against another book as available.

Dolphin Booksellers will be keeping you up to date with activities and events as they happen. Keep looking even after March 3rd as other countries go for April 23rd 2011.

Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Award

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On January 20, 2011

In Featured authors, Featured children's book, Dolphinbooksellers

dvTime for sending your entries for the Diverse Voices Award. This is the third year that Frances Lincoln in partnership with Seven Stories will be searching through entries.

The Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Children’s Book Award promotes diversity in children’s books, it encourages new authors to write about aspects which touch children from all over the world. It enables books to be published which recognise and celebrate diversity.

flThe award is held in memory of Frances Lincoln who was an advocate for hearing the voice of children in all sorts of situations, especially those who were unable to access books and reading.

For the winner there is a prize of £1500 plus an option for Frances Lincoln to publish the novel.

The details are on the Seven Stories website, which is great site for a wander. There’s lots happening.

The winner of last year’s Diverse Voices Award was Tom Avery with Too Much Trouble

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Closing date for entries is February 25th. So get writing, it’s worth it just to get that story finished!

Sue Martin Dolphin Booksellers – the best in children’s books always on line.

The Children’s Bookshow

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On November 21, 2010

In Book events, Featured authors, Featured children's book, Featured illustrators, Dolphinbooksellers

cbThe Children’s Book Show 2010 came to a triumphant end last night (17 November, 2010) with a sell out event at L’Institut Français, London. The popular event was also part of the Youth Festival.

Quentin Blake, the inaugural Children’s Laureate who has also been referred to as a ‘national institution’ and one of France’s most highly acclaimed illustrators illustrator Francois Place (best known in the UK for his illustrations for Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse) talked about their work, showing exquisite examples, and then treated an enthusiastic audience to an amazing drawing duel.

A wonderful evening watching and listening to two people who are good friends but also expert in their fields. They so much enjoyed their work and seemed unruffled by their fame. But then an audience of children are always good at asking the questions that you hadn’t thought about and didn’t really want to share on a wide scale. But Quentin and Francois just answered away.

Seeing a book in pictures first, meant that for Francois, he “ …wondered where the words would go?” and Quentin liked to tell the story in pictures and leave the words to children’s minds.

The artists took it in turns to transform each other’s drawings, keeping the audience guessing what would happen next. Much laughter later a splendid wordless story had been created on one sheet of paper. At the end of the show there was a round of applause when one young person asked the artists to do another drawing. The artists took up the challenge and picked up their pins, giving the audience another chance to see two masters of their craft at work.

A finale to a national programme that has seen children across the country involved with authors and illustrators, a great way to explore children’s books and we look forward to 2011 in even more places.

Sue Martin, Dolphin Booksellers – the best in children’s books always on line

The Ice Bear

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On September 8, 2010

In Book events, Featured authors, Featured children's book, Featured illustrators, New titles, Dolphinbooksellers

Ice bJackie Morris’s latest book The Ice Bear is newly in print this month with Frances Lincoln.

‘ When the great bear wakes in her ice den to find that one of her two cubs has been taken, she holds the second close, but she never forgets her lost child.’

Set in the pristine polar regions of the Arctic, this is a beautiful story with illustrations that are just amazingly powerful.
It brings emotions to the surface, and is a reminder of our responsibility to the world’s animals and wildlife. Polar bears, for instance, can show us the best ways to use natural resources, even in the wildest of places like the Arctic.

hareJackie also has exhibitions across the country. Imagine Gallery at Long Melford in Suffolk is currently holding an exhibition of illustrations including cheetahs and the contemplative White Hare.

In October Dolphin Booksellers are hosting and sponsoring an event in Cambridge with Jackie at Babraham C.of E. Primary School. Young children learning, creating and using illustrations and books to fire imaginations.

You can see Jackie’s books and illustrations, plus cards to buy on her website. It’s definitely worth a visit.

Sue Martin
Dolphin Booksellers – information and children’s books, always on line

Nuffin Like a Puffin

By

On July 20, 2010

In Book events, Featured authors, Featured children's book, Featured illustrators, Dolphinbooksellers

70 years of Puffin Books – what an amazing feat!! And celebrated by the opening of an exhibition at Seven Stories, Newcastle featuring a whole host of brilliant authors and illustrators.

This is an exhibition about everyone’s childhood reading, whichever generation is yours, you can find books that will take you straight back to your own memories. As we approached Stig of the Dump‘s Cave I touched the Stig type clothes, someone next to me said’
‘I’m not going in there! I always worried about the smoke from Stig’s fire.’

Mr Big is there with his piano and author Ed Vere is delighted to be in the exhibition,
“ It’s a real honour for me to be part of Puffin’s 70th birthday celebrations and this wonderful exhibition.”

A real gem of the exhibition has to be the Kaye Webb Collection . Kaye was the second editor at Puffin and much of her work inspired the addition of so many titles and new authors and illustrators.
Along with her complete archive of children’s books, which was the first major purchase of Seven Stories, there are letters written to authors and friends. Written on the old style type writer and with a soft way of expression, they make enchanting reading, especially when there is the odd correction, crossed out and over written.

There are some very modern ways too of interacting with characters, The Borrowers , by Mary Norton is well worth stopping at, just past the grandfather clock….. thanks to the team at Newcastle University for providing support.

If you are in Newcastle, then do visit the exhibition and Seven Stories, its just up from the Quayside and make sure you get to find the little boat in the Ouseburn…..

And even if you can’t get to Seven Stories in Newcastle on Tyne, you can still take part.

Everyone has a favourite place to read. In a comfy chair, on a bus, up a tree… It could be anywhere! Email Seven Stories a picture of you reading in your favourite spot and you can be on the super screen in the exhibition too!

Sue Martin at Dolphin Booksellers – information and books always on line

Winner of Diverse Voices Book Award

By

On June 13, 2010

In Book events, Featured authors, Featured children's book, New titles, Dolphinbooksellers

dv

ssOn the very top floor in the attic of Seven Stories, a group of people gathered to listen with excitement to the announcement of the Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Book Award. Set within a roof space of sturdy beams, interlocked together from the industrial past of this amazing building beside the canal, the atmosphere was wonderfully friendly with an electric buzz waiting to find out which book and which author had won.

‘ And the winner is….

Tom Avery for Too Much Trouble

A story of two brothers, Emmanuel and Prince. Emmanuel tells his story as he looks back on how events led to him holding a gun to a man’s head. The boys are forced to live on hand outs as their drug dealer uncle says they are too much trouble. They make an art of being unnoticed. But when they are forced to look after themselves they end up in a life of crime from which Emmanuel can see no way out.

ss teamShort listed for the prize were, Remi Oyedele for Goal Dreams, Sue Stern for Rafi Brown and the Candy Floss Kid and Karon Alderman for Story Thief.

The judges were made up of a panel including the team at Seven Stories and they said that they had some excellent entries in this second year of the award.

The award was announced by John Nichol, Managing Director at Frances Lincoln and Janetta Otter Barry, said that she is looking forward to working with Tom on the future publishing of the book.

Our team from Dolphin Booksellers were delighted to be at the event and look forward to the publication of Too Much Trouble.

Dolphin Booksellers for information and children’s books, always on line.

Twilighters

By

On March 26, 2010

In Featured authors, Featured children's book, New titles, Dolphinbooksellers

TwThe Twilight effect has taken children’s books into another world, not just literally either. The saga and series of books are written by  Stephenie Meyer – Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, published by Atom Books of the Little, Brown Book Group have sold in epic proportions.

The films Twilight and New Moon are also available on DVD and they make chilling viewing.

But one of the real successes of the book is how a love story and other stories are interwoven in the framework of vampires and evil, a world Bella stumbles into. Once there, it seems like there is no escape…..

You may not find the books in the children’s section any longer. That’s mainly because so many ‘grown ups’ are now reading them. But what teenager would want to walk in to a children’s section with Thomas the Tank Engine and The Gruffalo.This series is a stunnning new approach and brings you to a supernatural world, mixed with romance and a large portion of suspense.

Available from Amazon.co.uk through our web links above. Hover your mouse over the ‘little book’ icon to see the details of the title.

The books are available at great price today. So why not start at the beginning with Twilight and start reading. I guess you will not be able to put them down.

Dolphin Booksellers always on line – bringing you information and great books.

The Snow Leopard by Jackie Morris

By

On January 6, 2010

In Featured authors, Featured illustrators, Dolphinbooksellers

snThe Snow Leopard by Jackie Morris

Whilst listening to the radio, I heard that snow leopards are perfectly adapted to the snow and bitterly cold weather we are having in the UK. It made me stop and think, then refind my copy of The Snow Leopard by Jackie Morris, published by Frances Lincoln.

The beauty and spirituality of these animals is captured wonderfully. The story is truly magical.

“From the beginning of time the Snow Leopard has sung the stars to life, the sun to rise and the moon to wax and wane. She weaves a song to keep her hidden valley safe from the world of men and as she sings, a child down in the valley beneath, dreams her song.”

slThe illustrations are amazingly evocative with the dreaming and sleeping child snuggled close to the leopard. The shades of cobalt blue matched boldly against the white and grey fur.

If you are looking for a book to use for creativity and imagination, go for this one over the winter spell. The writing and illustrations will give endless scope.

And just open the pages, read, gaze and dream…………

For a more scientific approach, facts about the snow leopard can be found on the BBC nature web site with further links. There are some great videos of snow leopards, these solitary cats need about 2000 acres of snow covered lands in which to roam.

Or visit Jackie’s website and find out more about her work, she has a large range of prints for sale too.
Buy The Snow Leopard, by Jackie Morris before you leave?

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