Engaging reads for children, from Books go Walkabout

Category: Featured children’s book Page 16 of 29

Mr Badger and the Magic Mirror by Leigh Hobbs

Mr Badger and the Magic Mirror

Get this great book here…

Mr Badger is a portly badger who gets into scrapes and adventures in Boubles Grand Hotel, where he works very hard.

 Mr Badger and the Magic Mirror, is the fourth in the Mr Badger series from Australian Children’s Laureate, Leigh Hobbs.

One day a mirror is moved from the room of Sir Cecil Smothers-Carruthers to a place above the stairs.

But something is not quite right, Mr Badger inspects the mirror, and ends up falling straight through it, a magic mirror! The adventure has started and Mr Badger finds much more than he had bargained for!

A brilliant books with characters emerging from every page, illustrated with line drawings and bringing the book and Mr Badger to life.

Really good for children from 6 – 8 years,Mr Badger and for sharing with adults, who may just end up reading the book to themselves!

Leigh visits the UK regularly and we are pleased to work with Leigh for any events in the UK.

Sue Martin

Books Go Walkabout

Imagine – words by John Lennon, illustrated Jean Jullien

Imagine Amnesty International cover image

Buy this book from BgW here

‘Imagine all the people living life in peace’ John Lennon

Imagine is a new book published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books in association with Amnesty International UK.

It brings the original words from the song, Imagine, by John Lennon, into a beautiful hard back book with the simplicity of the message of ‘peace’ into 2017 and our world of unrest and conflict.

The illustrations by Jean Jullien show a pigeon with a small brown case as he wanders across the globe sharing a message of peace and friendship. Each page is wonderfully simple in design, which matches John Lennon’s thoughts on living in peace and harmony. They echo a simple truth across different countries and borders.

This is a book that needs to be bought and shared in the home, in school, in faith groups and just to read on your own, when you have been getting depressed listening to the world news.

There is a wealth of material available to support the book; Amnesty International UK, shows many reviews and there is a message board where artists across the world have written their own message of peace.

‘Peace isn’t just the absence of noise, peace is also the absence of hatred and that starts right here, inside of you and of me. So come on, look inside and imagine! ‘ …Laurence Anholt

There are also downloadable activity packs and a fun craft kit to create ‘peace bunting’ from the birds in the book.

Imagine from Amnesty International image

Imagine from Amnesty International

To watch an amazing animated video with the song from John Lennon visit The Creative Cooperation, brilliant!

Final words must go to Yoko Lennon 

Everybody wants to feel happy and to feel safe. And we can all help make the world a better place in our own way. We should always share what we have, and we should stand up for people who are not being treated fairly.’  …Yoko Lennon

Make this a Christmas present for someone you know, or even yourself!

Sue Martin

Books Go Walkabout

 

Into The White, Scott’s Antarctic Odyssey by Joanna Grochowicz and illustrated by Sarah Lippett

Into the White

Buy this book on-line here…

A first children’s book for Joanna Grochowicz and an amazing start to a career in writing.

The book is full of adventure from beginning to end. This is a journey into the unknown, into a world full of extremes and hardship. It is an amazing story of a team bound together with courage and endeavour.

If you’re into happy endings, best look some place else. This story does not end well. This is a story where men die and their dreams of greatness with them. But it is a fine story and one that is worth telling, from heroic beginning to tragic end.

This is the story of Robert Falcon Scott’s Terra Nova expedition and the memorable characters, who with a band of shaggy ponies and savage dogs, followed a man they trusted into the unknown. Battling storms at sea, impenetrable pack ice, man-eating whales, crevasses, blizzards, bad food, extreme temperatures, and equal measures of hunger, agony and snow blindness, the team pushes on against all odds.

Buy this thrilling book here…

A thrilling story about leadership, resilience and facing adversity with courage, Into the White will leave you on the edge of your seat, hoping against hope that Scott and his men just might survive their Antarctic ordeal and live to tell the tale.

Joanna Grochowicz was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1972.  Following a career as a business writer, Joanna decided to take the plunge and did a Masters in Creative Writing.  Into the White is her first book.

“People fascinate me. I love oddballs and misfits, saints and creeps, the selfish, the needy, the dreary, the nerdy and the enormous tangle of real life characters you come across in life.  History offers a boundless source of fascinating characters to reanimate. It can be a wonderful thing to rehabilitate a great story – like restoring a dilapidated castle and making it magnificent again.”

Sarah Lippett, the illustrator has created some classic drawings of the characters and the teams of ponies and dogs on the journey. For a book for 9-14 year olds, the sketches add hugely to the feel of the time period and of the difference in equipment between 1912 and 2017. The maps are wonderful and are a great help to plot the journey as you read through the book.

Into the White, is published by Allen and Unwin, Australia, who have created a wonderful paperback book of this epic journey.

It has just been released in the UK, on November 2nd 2017 and is available to purchase in most good stores and on-line. (Link below…).

At Books Go Walkabout, we are delighted to be working with Joanna on her first visit to the UK from November 3rd 2017.

Sue Martin

Books Go Walkabout

 

 

The Family with Two Doors by Anna Ciddor

Buy this great book here…

The Rabinovitch family lived in Lublin, Poland. There were so many of them in the family that they had two apartments with two front doors. There were nine children and they grew up in the 1920’s as a devout Jewish family, with their father as the Rabbi.

The book is an engaging read about life in the 1920’s, written by Anna Ciddor and published by Allen and Unwin. 

The Rabinovitches include: mischievous Yakov, bubbly Nomi, rebellious Miriam, solemn Shlomo, and seven more! Papa is a rabbi and their days are full of intriguing rituals and adventures. But the biggest adventure of all is when big sister Adina is told she is to be married at the age of fifteen – to someone she has never met.

Although I expected the book to be about problems and issues, it wasn’t! It dealt very easily with a proposed and arranged marriage and was empathetic to a good family life. It is written carefully and with lots of fondness around the authors experience and  makes an excellent read.

It is based on the author’s real family. The Rabinovitches dance, laugh and cook their way through an extraordinary life in the 1920’s. The biggest adventure is the preparation for the wedding of Adina to Mordechai, which was arranged, but nevertheless a happy affair.

 

At Books Go Walkabout, we are now selling books directly on-line, so just click on the link, and buy through our secure portal and we will send you a copy of The Family with Two Doors.

Sue Martin

Books Go Walkabout

Little People, Big Dreams from Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

Frances Lincoln Children's BooksA brilliant series of books about the lives of women who have made a difference. Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, part of Quarto Knows, have produced eight books in this series, published in hardback, with stunning illustrations and aimed at children from around 6-9 years.

At Books Go Walkabout we know they also make excellent books  for older children in schools around the world who are translating from their own language into English.

The three latest books, released in August 2017 are Rosa Parkes, Emmeline Pankhurst and Audrey Hepburn. If you would like to purchase them, we have an online purchasing system or you can contact us direct for larger quantities.

Little People Big Dreams Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks, an inspiring read…

Rosa Parks is written by Lisbeth Kaiser and illustrated by Marta Antelo.

Rosa was the ‘Mother of the Freedom Movement’ and an inspiring activist for civil rights in Alabama in the days of segregation on public transport.

Rosa refused to give her seat to a white person…read more here…

She knew that many of the rules just weren’t right and one day when travelling on a bus she refused to allow someone else to take her seat just because she was a black woman.

As a result she was taken from the bus and jailed.  The rest is history! Rosa made such a difference to people’s lives. She remained a activist for the rest of her life and was an inspiration to many people.

 

 

Emmeline Pankhurst is written by Lisbeth Kaiser and illustrated by Ana Sanfelippo.

Emmeline was one of the famous suffragettes in the early 20th Century protesting against the government for the vote for women, as up until 1918, women had no rights to vote.

Emmeline and her daughters became the leaders of a new group of women, a group that would stop following the rules and would fight for their rights. People called them suffragettes.’

Emmeline Pankhurst spoke to many people.

The text is appealingly written and gives a good idea of how life was in the early 20th Century. The illustrations are delightful and add hugely to the impact of the book in portraying life at that time.

 

 

Audrey Hepburn

Little People Big Dreas Audrey HepburnIsabel Sanchez Vegara (Author) and Amaia Arrazola (Illustrator)…

Audrey is an iconic figure from the 1950’s but her life started in Holland during the World War 2, she experienced hunger and became very ill. When her mother finally was able to come to England Audrey pursued her dream of acting and dancing starring in Gigi and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Later, when she had retired she became a Goodwill Ambassador with UNICEF and travelled the world raising awareness of children needing food and medicine, something which she had experienced first-hand.

Audrey Hepburn and UNICEF Ambassador

Audrey Hepburn UNICEF Ambassador

The text is good to read and accessible for children from around the ages of 6, and the illustrations are beautiful, bold and full of character.

 

 

Little People, Big Dreams… an apt title for this series of books which will bring to young children the lives of people who have made a huge difference. Alongside the story there is a time-line and further historical context. Great little books in the classroom and library.

Sue Martin

Books go Walkabout, stories across the world

Pet Dragon – Dare to Care by M.P.Robertson and Sally Symes

Dare to Care Pet Dragon

Buy this book on-line here…

Have you ever wondered how to look after your dragon? Once caught and living with you, looking after a dragon is not an easy pet option!

From choosing the type of dragon to assisting in learning how to fly… this is the book for you!

The illustrations are captivating and appealing and dragons of all sorts and all colours and kinds are shown in detail of scales, fiery tongues and flames with boxes of text to read and enjoy.

The idea was conceived by M.P Robertson, and written by Sally Symes, and finally published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, who have a brilliant knack of spotting a great book potential.

If you are feeling brave… visit M.P Robertson website and you can find ways to draw and do more with dragons.

 

But first, we recommend that you buy the book and then when you have your dragon, let us know how.

PS Warning !! Never feed your dragon Brussel Sprouts!

Sue Martin

Books go Walkabout, stories across the world

What on Earth? Bees

What on Earth? Bees

Buy the book here…

Explore, create and investigate with this wonderful book written by Andrea Quigley and illustrated by Paulina Morgan.

Are you busy as a bee? Bees are the hardest working insects on our planet and without them the world would be a very different place. From looking at the different types of bees to making honey flapjacks, this book takes you on a journey into the life of the bee, bees around the world, making honey, life in the hive and being a bee keeper.

It is packed with facts in this very intriguing style of text and illustration, both working cleverly to enhance the interest and develop a real sense of enjoyment, understanding and learning.

As part of the What on Earth series published by QED this is a great book to have in your home or in the library. I can think of many children from ages 6 -10 who would enjoy finding out more about bees using this book as a guide.

At Books GoWalkabout, we are working with schools in Hong Kong. For students who are learning English, this is a wonderful resource to use for students from 11 and upwards. We will be promoting this book in Asia.

Sue Martin

Books Go Walkabout

All the Wild Wonders Poems of our Earth

All the wild wonders

Buy this book from BgW here…

An amazing anthology of poems from Wendy Cooling, beautifully illustrated by Piet Grobler. The poems are compiled to do two things; to celebrate the beauty of the world and to notice the dangers.

Wendy Cooling, MBE, is well known in the world of children’s books, in the UK and beyond. She has contributed enormously to supporting the provision of books for young children and is also a celebrated anthologist.

She hopes that at least one of the poems lingers in the readers mind.

Poets are taken from different periods of time, and space, from Christina Rosetti to Benjamin Zephaniah.


Two of my favourites are; The Prayer Tree, Anon, ‘I am the beam that supports your house, the board of your table, the bed on which you lie... and The Old Windmill by Paul Bright,  Catch the wind, just for an instant,Catch the wind , then let it go…

The illustrations are superb and involved in the words and lines of the poems, cleverly created by Piet Gobler in watercolour washes of subtle colours which  support the poems in thought and feeling.

A recent release from Frances Lincoln Children’s Books and an excellent addition for any library, home or school.

You can buy the book now from Books Go Walkabout..

Sue Martin

Books Go Walkabout

Books Go Walkabout

Taking Flight by Adam Hancher

Taking Flight cover image and purchase link

Buy this book from BgW here…

Take Flight is the courageous and true story of the Wright brothers, the pioneers of flight!

Two brothers of humble origins who never gave up their childhood dream of being able to fly. In Dayton, Ohio in 1878, two boys stood in their backyard, mesmerised by their new toy; a helicopter that can hover in the air.   “One day, I’m going to fly like that,” they agreed.

Written by Adam Hancher, an illustrator from London, Taking Flight tells in detail in words and images how two people followed their dream and managed to conquer problems and create a new way of travel. The book is a real insight into discovery, and although many years ago, this new experience is now part of so many peoples lives.

It is the first title in a new biographical series on inspirational figures called Dare to Dream, published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Publishers. The series will be dedicated to inspirational figures throughout history who can teach children that with courage and determination you can make dreams a reality.

We thoroughly recommend this book for children, especially for ages 6-9 years.

Sue Martin


Tiny Owl

The Elephants Umbrella cover image and web link

View, review or buy this book here…

Tiny Owl is an independent publishing company committed to producing beautiful, original books for children.

They were established in 2015, and believe in global children’s books and about building bridges across our world. Two  of their latest books are  The Elephant’s Umbrella and Alive Again, are both full of vibrant illustrations and intriguing text.

The Elephant’s Umbrella is a tale of generosity, and full of opportunities for conversation and reasons to smile. The elephant has an umbrella and his friends join him where it is cosy and dry. One day the umbrella blows away and the other jungle animals try to use it themselves, but don’t feel like sharing!

” If I become yours, where will you take me when it rains?” asks the umbrella to the bear. But the bear only wants the umbrella to help him get the honey!

Laleh Jaffari is the author, born in Iran she has written over 25 children’s bookss and is also a TV director.

Ali Khodal has illustrated over 80 books and won national awards in his home country of Iran.

Alive Again - cover image and web link

View, review or buy this book here…

Alive Again explores what it means to be alive and how words can express the meaning of ‘alive’, but yet they don’t hold the quality of being alive only. This book has lots of hidden depths and the illustrations will help teacher, parents and children to think and puzzle and wonder.

Ahmadreza Ahmadi is the author and is an Iranan poet and children’s story writer. In 2010 he was shortlisted for the Hans Christian Anderson Award. Nahid Kazemi is the illustrator.

Books Go Walkabout enjoys Tiny Owl books and shares values in vision of creating bridges through children’s books across the world.

Sue Martin

 

 

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