Engaging reads for children, from Books go Walkabout

Category: Featured authors Page 1 of 21

Around the World with Friends by Philip Waechter

Raccoon finishes his book and is ready for his own adventure—he wants thrills, excitement, and to cross the ocean! He borrows everything he needs from his friends, who insist on coming along. They sail through rapids, collect sweet blackberries, chase away bees, and play soccer, until a little rain and thoughts of home bring their excursion to an end. That, thinks Raccoon, was the most thrilling magnificent adventure with friends I’ve ever had.

In this heart-warming follow-up to A Perfect Wonderful Day with Friends, Waechter shows how life is better when you bring along your friends and take what the day brings.

Such a feel good factor about this book as Bear sets out on his adventure to travel around the world. With his friends he gest into all the action, but actually without ever going far from home. An adventure on your doorstep.

‘For a first world trip, that wasn’t bad, ‘ says Crow.

It was a proper adventure!’ adds Fox.

The rapids were a real thrill!’ says Racoon.’

Philip Waechter is the author and illustrator and gives a really good feel about the characters through their actions and in the illustrations. He lives as a freelance graphic designer and illustrator in Frankfurt am Main.

Gecko Press releases this beautiful book in July 2024, to join an excellent portfolio of books.

I am always delighted to receive books which are such good quality and so inspirational, perfect for reading and sharing together.

Sue Martin Children Literacy Specialist

The Pinchers and the Dog Chase by Anders Sparring and Per Gustavsson

The first in a funny chapter book crime series about a well-behaved child who doesn’t fit in to his family of criminals—featuring a prison break, a diamond heist, and a lie that saves the day.

Theo is good at most things. He can almost count to a thousand, knows several French words, and can operate the washing machine. But he can’t lie or steal. “You must try harder,” says his mother sternly.

The Pincher Family love to steal things. It’s what they are born for! When his parents leave to visit the diamond exhibition, Theo’s heart sinks. After breaking Grandma out of prison (his little sister needs someone to read her bedtime story), Theo sees no alternative but to stop his parents stealing the diamond. His shout of “Stop! Police!” brings them only delight—Theo’s lie has shown he is a true Pincher.

A mix of adventure, silliness, and everyday family life, and with bright and funny illustrations, this is a perfect chapter book for beginning and reluctant readers.

Gecko Press are exciting publishers and have a wonderful portfolio of children’s books from all over the world.

Such a brilliant book, engaging and fun story, a real page turner. Perfect for children starting out on chapter books, the illustrations are really good and will help to develop imagination and use of exciting adjectives.

Sue Martin Children’s Literacy Specialist

I Love Books by Mariajo Ilustrajo

*Winner of the Klaus Flugge Prize for Illustration 2023*

From the award-winning creator of Flooded and Lost comes a magical story about the joy of discovering a connection with books for the very first time.

This brightly illustrated adventure story is perfect for kids who claim to hate reading, as the enchanting narrative opens their eyes to a fantasy world created by words on a page.

In this spellbinding story, we meet a little girl excited for the end of term. No more school! However, she’s given the very unreasonable task of reading a whole book over the holidays. A whole book? but she HATES books. Luckily, her sister takes her to the library and says she has just the thing.

Slowly, the little girl is drawn into a world of adventure inside her own imagination, for the very first time. Even the greyscale world starts to fill with colour as she is carried away in the story. A little fennec fox leads her to meet fairytale witches and creatures as they find ingredients to cast a special spell at the end of her book. The little girl is dismayed to learn that this spell seemingly hasn’t changed a thing. However, the little fox points out that she is completely transformed: discovering the power of her imagination has changed her forever.

This charming and engaging picture book shows children how wonderful books can really be, leaving them with a lifelong affinity for reading. Discover adventure on every page and turn I Hate Books into I Love Books.

Mariajo Ilustrajo is an award-winning Spanish illustrator based in the UK. She completed her MA in Children’s Illustration from the prestigious Cambridge Anglia Ruskin course in April 2021. Her debut picture book, Flooded, won the Klaus Flugge Prize for Illustration 2023.

Super book from Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, a great way to help children find the magic of reading.

Sue Martin – Children’s Literacy Specialist

The Pinchers and the Diamond Heist by Anders Sparring and illustrated by Per Gustavsson

The family of Pinchers just love to steal. But Theo, their son just can’t do that. He doesn’t steal but he is really good at so many things which his family are seriously not bothered by. Theo just doesn’t fit in with a family of criminals.

The first book in this funny, chapter book, crime series for children aged 6- 9 years. It is packed with schemes and adventures from beginning to end, featuring a prison break, a diamond heist and a lie that saves the day.

The book is beautifully presented with text and illustrations on every page. The quality of the paper is wonderful, and the pale cream colour makes it accessible for all readers. Originally published in Sweden where the book sold over 300,000 copies, it is now translated into over thirty languages.

Super little video …

Anders Sparring, is the author of many children’s books and is also a screen writer and a stand up comedian based in Sweden

Per Gustavsson is an award winning illustrator and author of many popular children’s books. He is been a judge in the Astrid Lingren Memorial Award since 2019.

Gecko Press hand-picks books by some of the best writers and illustrators in the world—books of good heart and strong character, excellent in story, illustration and design. Lizard logo is really cool!

Delighted to receive this captivating book and perfect for me for a Friday night in front of the fire.

Sue Martin Children’s Literacy Specialist

     

Nikhil and Jay: Flying High

Nikhil and Jay: Flying High

By Chitra Soundar & Illustrated by Soofiya

The Nikhil and Jay series is perfect for children moving on from picture books to longer storybook. In this fourth book for early readers about the irrepressible British Asian brothers, Nikhil and Jay, the boys have four fun adventures at home.

Nikhil and Jay feel sorry for Appa when he falls and hurts his ankle, but they make him feel better by playing Dayan, the Indian Board Game; litter-picking at the Clean and Green Club is great fun when the boys do it in the park with all their friends; one windy day Nikhil, Jay, Amma and Appa make kites and decorate them – and have a fantastic time flying them; Jay doesn’t like tidying up but he discovers that putting away his toys can be a fun game when he does it together with Nikhil!

Chitra Soundar, author and storyteller has written over 40 books and is widely celebrated as a writer and storyteller. She lives between south London and Chennai, India.

Soffiya is the visual artist and illustrator of the Nikhil and Jay books. Her work explores ideas around race and gender. Her website has a great star wandering mouse!!

Otter-Barry Books are the publishers of this amazing series which provides early readers with just the right amount of text to image, and in globally diverse situations.

Sue Martin – Children’s Literacy Specialist

Books Go Walkabout



The Panda’s Child by Jackie Morris and Cathy Fisher

9781913074043.jpg

The Panda’s Child

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

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.

Stunningly beautiful book! Illustrations portray the powerful story of being lost and found and the rescuer who turned the wicked plans of man upside down. A mysterious and appealing story full of fears and joys.


Jackie Morris is internationally admired for her imaginative and atmospheric picture books, illustrated with watercolours and often with a fantasy dimension. Her previous books include The Snow Leopard, The Ice Bear and Tell Me a Dragon. Her books The Seal Children, New Born Child and One Cheetah, One Cherry were published by Otter-Barry Books in 2016. In 2019 she was awarded the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal for her work on The Lost Words. Jackie Morris lives in St. David’s, Pembrokeshire.

Cathy Fisher graduated in the ’80s. She taught in art schools in Britain, Seychelles and then, as an artist, in Australia. She now lives in Wales, where she has worked in collaboration with author Nicola Davies. She was longlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal for Perfect and The Pond and was nominated for The New Girl. Her latest collaboration is with the acclaimed author and illustrator Jackie Morris. Illustrating with watercolours and mixed media, her pictures convey her deeply felt connection with nature and her observations of human behaviour and emotion.
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.

Sue Martin – Children’s Literacy Specialist

Sala, Mountain Warrior

By Wakanyi Hoffman

Illustrated by Onyinye Iwu

A story of adventure and courage for all children. It is wonderfully illustrated and expresses just how we can all overcome our fears to achieve amazing skills and journeys.

Sala has a real mountain to climb in this authentic story set among the Samburu people of Kenya. There’s a school trip to climb the mountain near Sala’s home and she’s excited – but nervous too, because she’s the only girl to take the challenge….

But Grandmother shows the way, inspiring Sala with her mountain lore, her special beads and her storytelling. Can Sala climb to the top of the mountain and be the first warrior girl of her clan?


Set in the Samburu region of northern Kenya, this is an exciting, inspirational story about courage and empowerment.

Wakanyi Hoffman was born in Kenya and recalls visiting her grandmother’s home, with snow-capped Mount Kenya in the background, and listening to stories that not only entertained but told her about the world. Wakanyi is a storyteller, author, journalist and keeper of indigenous wisdom.

Onyinye Iwu is a secondary school teacher and freelance illustrator. She was born in Italy to Nigerian parents and moved to Britain as a teenager. She has a degree in Architecture and a Masters in Cultural Diaspora Ethnicity. Her work as an illustrator is inspired by Africa and especially her Igbo heritage. She is the illustrator of the Too Small Tola books by Atinuke. Onyinye lives in London.

Otter-Barry Books publish a portfolio of diverse and incredibly interesting books. Sala, The Mountain Warrior is a great story and new book.

Sue Martin – Children’s Literacy Specialist

The Secret Unicorn Club

Do you believe in unicorns? Would you like to join a secret club of unicorn experts, who search for and look after unicorns in the wild? Now is the time to earn your place in the Secret Unicorn Club.

Earn ten badges on your journey towards becoming an official Secret Unicorn Club member then discover a hidden handbook for only the truest friend of the unicorns.

Guard the precious knowledge within these pages for the good of all horsekind…

EMMA ROBERTS is the author and her life-long passion for all things Shakespeare in the student-theatre scene. When Emma isn’t queuing for tickets at The Globe, she is either performing in local theatre or training for her next marathon. Her latest book, The Dragon Ark, was published by Magic Cat in 2020.

A book within a book! Such a delightful surprise!


RAE RITCHIE, illustrator, lives with her daughter, her husband and her cat Nomi in Minneapolis, MN. Her watercolour and gouache paintings are created in a sunny little room in her home, and she is greatly inspired by the lushness of nature, classic children’s books and old photographs. Rae’s clients include Los Angeles Times, Dear Stella Design and Fjallraven.

TOMISLAV TOMIĆ, illustrator known for his pen and ink drawings that are based on a Re-naissance engraving style. He’s a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb and lives with his family is Croatia.

Did you know that a Hippogriff is a winged magical horse of a different kind, part horse and griffin, which is also part lion and eagle. Built for speed and travelling large distances it will tolerate passenger but only in exceptional circumstances.

Magic Cat Publishing Magic Cat creates beautiful children’s books that do more. We gently weave ideas that matter into stories that engage, entertain and bring joy. Ideas about kindness, togetherness, friendship, inclusivity. Ideas about the future of our planet, about culture, activism, and mindfulness. Our books inspire care for our world…
and each other.

Ideal as a present, this book will thrill and be treasured by children of all ages. a star of a book! Watch out for more beautiful books from this talented new Magic Cat Publishing team,

Sue Martin Children’s Literacy Specialist

A House Without Walls by Elizabeth Laird

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.

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

The Secret Life of Birds by Moira Butterfield and Vivian Mineker

A beautiful book full of facts and information about birds in chunk size pieces. The introduction of each page are led by Speedy the Swift, who flies faster than the fastest race car between different places in the world.

Did you know birds find their way by following invisible pathways in the sky?

The Secret Life of Birds is a collection of stories and facts, providing a love of birds and nature to the next generation, inspiring them to look after the world around them.
Did you know birds navigate by invisible pathways in the sky, that they can call to each other in thousands of different ways and they can be as big as a car or as small as a little finger?

Read some beautiful bird folklore stories from around the planet, too. Speedy has learnt much on her travels and she will be a great guide and inspiration for young readers.

Fly with Swifts… Swift chicks do press-ups on their wingtips to make themselves stronger

But before we get carried away with thinking this book is just for young readers, delve into the pages yourself, you will be amazed. The many intriguing facts, such as the wings of swifts are so well designed that drones are built in a similar way.

Moira Butterfield, the author has created this book from the amazing success of The Secret Life of Bees and other books. She writes non-fiction/stories to spark a child’s imagination about our amazing world.

Vivian Mineker, the illustrator, lives in Amsterdam via Taipei, Portland and Ljubljana has designed and created visual images which are captivating and make the facts jump off the page.

Happy Yak is an imprint of Quarto Kids and has a wonderful portfolio of beautiful and inspirational books for young people.

But this book like others, reaches more than just the young people, it is a way of accessing information in chunky sizes which support learning and inspire imaginations.

Sue Martin Children’s Literacy Specialist

PS Just spotted another fact… did you know there is only one bird in the world that hibernates? Read p 35 to find out which bird!




 

Page 1 of 21

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén