Book Monitor - books from across the world

Engaging reads for children, from Books go Walkabout

Category: Books go Walkabout,

The Panda’s Child By Jackie Morris  & Illustrated by Cathy Fisher

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On October 16, 2023

In Books go Walkabout,, Featured children's book, Otter-Barry

From internationally bestselling author Jackie Morris and award-winning illustrator Cathy Fisher, a beautiful gift book with the resonance of a legend and a passion for the wild world.

A stunningly beautiful book full of soul catching moments, when we can connect with nature around us and look askance at those who seek to make profit from wild animals, especially the young.

Watch the video to hear Jackie Morris, author talk about the book. In 2019 she was awarded the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal for her work on The Lost Words. Jackie Morris lives in a wild idyll in St. David’s, Pembrokeshire.

In a faraway forest a baby is lost and found, protected by a she-panda.
Nine years later another baby, the panda’s child, is in great danger, and only a boy and the spirit of the forest can save him.

This magical, powerful story by Jackie Morris, co-creator of The Lost Words, and award-winning illustrator Cathy Fisher, is a book for all ages to treasure, exploring our most vital connection with wild nature. Otter-Barry Books have a unique way of creating wonderful books.

There is something mesmerizing about this beautiful book, the dreamy illustrations and captivating words lead you to turn every page, unsure if it is going to be a work of art illustration or poetic text which will stay with you.

A Picture Book for everyone and I think everyone should read this Picture book.

Sue Martin – Children’s Literacy Specialist

A House Without Walls by Elizabeth Laird

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On August 11, 2022

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

Could losing her home mean finding herself…

An incredibly moving story of Safiya, and her family who were forced to leave their home in Damascus, Syria. Taken from a life where her father was a lawyer, where they had a house and Safiya went to school, as well as her brother. But the Syrian war destroyed all of that and Safiya and her family were no longer welcome in the place they called home.

The story in which Safiya, aged thirteen is the protagonist, and her family are being driven out of Syria by civil war. Safiya knows how lucky she is to be at a relative’s house, lucky to be living near her family and not in a refugee camp, lucky to be alive.

But it’s hard to feel grateful when her house is a tent. As they struggle to survive, Safiya realizes that her family has always been incomplete. With her own future in the balance, it’s time to uncover the secrets that war has kept buried.

An intriguing story of a family in a time of crisis but uncovering issues hidden in the past. This book gives a glance at life in the midst of a war torn country, the consequences on individuals and the immense changes to life and life opportunities.

Elizabeth Laird is a remarkable traveller and award winning author of books which bring issues and concerns from all over the world into a narrative where we can have a smattering of understanding with situations of war and crisis which otherwise we would leave behind us. Her website has brilliant pdf’s for teachers , as free downloads. Here latest book, The Misunderstandings of Charity Brown was published in July and is the next book on my reading list, it looks excellent.

Lucy Eldridge , illustrator…

Panmacmillan are the publishers who have a great portfolio of books about a modern day understanding of war torn places in our world.

Definitely a great book! It’s for teachers, class projects and reading at home.

Sue Martin Children’s Literacy Specialist

Stories Across the World…

The Sea Below My Toes by Charlotte Guillain and illustrated by Jo Empson

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On July 7, 2022

In Books go Walkabout,, Featured children's book, Quarto KNows

What’s going on in the sea below your toes?

What a stunning book! A kaleidoscope of blue,  and a  book which extends to over 3 metres! From the Look Closer series, this richly illustrated concertina book takes you on a journey through the deep dark waters, all the way down to the seabed, before floating back up to the surface.

A follow-up to The Street Beneath My Feet, The Skies Above My Eyes and The World Around Me, this visually stunning book ventures to the very bottom of the sea on a journey of discovery.

Through the waves and into the deep, you’ll spot all kinds of weird and wonderful marine creatures, explore the seabed and discover the impact humans have had on the underwater world. 

As you dive below the surface, past sea otters playing in fields of giant kelp, you will see sea lions and shoals of mackerel playing in the shallows, before passing orcas hunting in pods in the deeper water.

As well as animals, discover the technology which is used under the sea, from scuba breathing apparatus to oil pipelines and deep sea submarines.

As you reach the very bottom of the sea, the ‘twilight zone’ where very little light can filter through, you will meet the mysterious creatures of the deep such as Lanternfish and the luminous swell shark.

This book is part of the Look Closer series, from QED Books, part of Quarto Knows a set of concertina books which help teach us about the mysteries which can be found in the world around us.

The Twilight Zone starts here…

Charlotte Guillan, the author creates books of non fiction which are really exciting to dive into or to just take a glance, either way you will find out facts you never knew.

Jo Empson, the illustrator has a real gift for using the natural world and creating wonderful illustrations which are part of the text on each page.

  I really love this book and once I have read a few times I will donate to my local school so it can be used time and again.

Sue Martin Children’s Literacy Specialist

Stories across the world…

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