Engaging reads for children, from Books go Walkabout

Tag: children’s books Page 1 of 6

English Association Winners of 2023 English 4-11 Picture Book Awards

The English Association is proud to present the winners of the 2023 English 4-11 Picture Book Awards.

Established in 1995, the awards are presented by the English Association to the best children’s picture books of the year.  Awards are given to Fiction and Non-Fiction in age ranges 4-7 years and 7-11 years.

The winning books are chosen by the editorial board of English 4-11, the journal for primary teachers published by The English Association and the United Kingdom Literacy Association, from a shortlist selected by a panel of teachers and Primary specialists.

Each year, one of the books submitted to the English 4-11 Picture Book Awards is selected as the recipient of the Margaret Mallett Award for Children’s Non-Fiction. The winners in each category, plus the winner of this year’s Margaret Mallett Award for Children’s Non-Fiction, were announced at the online Awards Ceremony on Thursday 25 May 2023.

The award for 2023 was won by Narwhal: The Arctic Unicorn by Justin Anderson and Jo Weaver (Walker Books).

The Chair of the judging panel, Dr Sally Wilkinson, commented that…

It is a pleasure to honour prolific and well-loved children’s non-fiction authors like Nicola Davies, Anita Ganeri, and Justin Anderson, who have won many awards for their writing, film, and television work, all in celebration of our amazing natural world. These authors have worked in partnership with illustrators Abbie Cameron, Jianan Liu, and Jo Weaver to create rich, engaging texts for us to dive in to. Our fiction winners, Mariajo Illustrajo and Levi Pinfold, represent new, emerging talent and established, award-winning author-illustrators, both with lyrical, detailed works to share with us. We’re thrilled to announce this year’s winners, and look forward to seeing what next year’s competition brings!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the publishers, authors, and illustrators who sent in books to the Awards.  

A very exciting short list of books for these categories of children’s books from The English Association.

Sue Martin – Children’s Literacy Specialist

It’s Her Story: Irena Sendler

This is a fascinating graphic novel about Irena Sendler, a humanitarian and social worker in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II.

Her job allowed her to pass through the armed gates of the Warsaw ghetto, bringing limited aid to the 450,000 Jewish people who were forcibly moved there. In secret, Irena built a network of people to smuggle 2,500 children out of the ghetto, saving their lives. And in a hidden jar, she kept their family names.

This is her story. Part of the It’s Her Story series from Sunbird Books.

Margaret Littman, the author  lives in Nashville, Tennessee and is a writer  and editor. She writes stories about people who have done amazing things and explored country music  and huge amounts of different and exciting projects. In her book Irena Sendla, Margaret retraces some of her ancestry from Poland.

Sara Luna is an illustrator from Los Angeles with a wonderful portfolio of illustrations for children’s books.

Sunbird Books are the publishers with a portfolio of innovative and original books for children. From board books to picture books to graphic novels, their  titles represent strong, lively, and diverse voices that reflect children’s realities and feed their imaginations.

Sue Martin – Children’s Literacy Specialist

Books Go Walkabout

The Secret Life of Oceans by Moira Butterfield and illustrated by Vivian Mineker

The Secret Life of Oceans is a stunning book, full of wonderful images with delightful stories and engaging facts. It will enable a love of Oceans and nature on the next generation, inspiring them to look after the world around them.This book has been on my coffee table and is a real joy for anyone visiting. It just looks so inviting and is a ‘Wow’ with everyone who opens the book!

For instance , did you know that blue whales are the largest creatures on earth? And that corals are actually tiny creatures?
Tia the green turtle guides you through this beautiful first guide to ocean life around the globe. Learn about ocean homes and who lives where, big creatures (whales and whale sharks), little creatures (baby animals to zooplankton), incredible journeys, sea weather, and how to help save our oceans.  Intertwined in the facts you can read magical folklore sea stories from around the planet.


Following on from The Secret of Trees, The Secret Life of Bees, and The Secret Life of BirdsOceans is the next book in the series. Sumptuous and detailed illustrations have pride of place in this magical book that mixes natural history with a splash of fantasy, creating a book to be pored over time and again.

Moira Butterfield is an internationally published children’s book author. Her work includes picture books, board books, fiction and highly commended non-fiction books that seek to spark a child’s imagination about our world. She currently lives in Bath, UK, with her family, where she loves to cycle, sew and sing. 

Vivian Mineker is a Taiwanese American from Taipei and Portland, currently working out of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Her interest in art began at a young age, using drawing to express herself and her inner imaginary world. She uses watercolour, coloured pencil and digital processes to create a blend of traditional texture with a modern look and feel.

Happy Yak are the publishers and are part of Quarto group of publishers, they have a great range of eye catching designs bringing non-fiction title to life.

Sue Martin – Children’s Literacy Specialist

Philippa Pearce Memorial Lecture      Cressida Cowell 2023

How To Train Your Reader and Life-Changing Libraries.

Cressida Cowell is the multi-award-winning author and illustrator of the bestselling The Wizards of Once and How to Train Your Dragon series, and the author of the Emily Brown picture books, illustrated by Neal Layton. She was the Waterstones Children’s Laureate from 2019 – 2022.

An absolute joy to spend an hour listening to Cressida Cowell at the Philippa Pearce Memorial Lecture 2023, talking about young readers, the enormous need for a library in every primary school in the country and most important of all, the huge benefit and impact on ‘Reading for Pleasure’ for children and young people.

Many facts and quotes show the absolute importance of enabling all children to be able to read, to find themselves in another world, to seek adventures, to solve problems and to be immersed in words and illustrations.

This very short blog is just a tiny ‘eye squirt’ of a huge consideration of the problem we seem to have drifted into, whereby, our children are not engaged with reading for pleasure. Instead as Cressida pointed out, we are bombarding them with codes, structures, and methods to decode words. What we are not doing is engaging with them to impact on their creativity, their emotional intelligence, their understanding of worlds not of their own making and so much more.

Cressida quoted Einstein many times and the one that stood out for me,

 If you want a child to be intelligent read them fairy tales’.

Apparently reading for joy is a key indicator for future success. That was no surprise to me, but it seems that government circles are not so sure about the ‘fairy tale’ image of a good education and prefer other more stringent measures, even if they don’t work!

Cressida’s many books are full of her own illustrations which are part of the reading process and give as much to the book as the words. Engaging, dynamic, stimulating and so expressive. She has created characters and situations for anyone to follow the story and turn the pages.

The book is the ultimate survivor’, said Cressida where  books and words have been with us for so long and will continue. The book covers she saw as enticing ‘sweets’ to appeal to her readers and indicate just a sparkle of what was inside!

Whilst being Children’s Laureate from 2019-2022, Cressida created the Life Changing Libraries programme and the designs and books of the libraries which were created in primary schools were stunning, ‘Reading is Magic!’

‘Writing for children is the best thing to do’ said Cressida with so much enthusiasm and joy. We are so lucky to have an author who is sparked by this love and enjoyment and desire to reach out to children everywhere. And her final quote was from Garrison Keiller,

Nothing you do for children is ever wasted.’

With many thanks to the Philippa Pearce Memorial Lecture for this stunning talk to a packed audience in Homerton College Cambridge.

Sue Martin – Children’s Literacy Specialist

Books Go Walkabout

Vita and the Gladiator by Ally Sherrick

Vita’s nickname was ‘Little Owl’…

When high-born Vita’s father is murdered in Roman Londinium, Vita is forced to disguise herself as a slave at the gladiator’s arena.

Here she forges an unlikely bond with Brea, a native Briton gladiatrix. Together, they resolve to bring the killer to justice before Vita is discovered

Vita stood proud in her battle chariot as it thundered towards the Roman lines. She and her army of blue-faced warriors were seriously outnumbered, but she wouldn’t yield – not without a fight. She raised her spear and prepared to lead the charge . . . BANG! She started and looked up from her desk. The front door – which meant Mother and Lucius had gone at last! A flutter of excitement rippled through her. It was nearly time’.

Author Ally Sherrick has set this thrilling adventure  in Roman London at a time when Londoninium was expanding fast following the defeat of Boudicca by the Romans. The large ampitheatre would have provided a wonderful arena for games and for Vita to show her skills.

 Ally was the  winner of the Historical Association Young Quills Award in 2017. Her website has brilliant details for students and teachers. Watch a short film about inspiration for the story or find out more about the life of a gladiator.

Chicken House Books have an amazing range of titles. They also have a wealth of materials for schools to explore and  discover about the subject.

One of the best ways to start a school project is through a book. Vita and the Gladiator is an excellent way into finding out about the Romans.

Sue Martin

Selfies With Komodos

By Brian Moses & Illustrated by Ed Boxall

A sparkling new collection from a leading children’s poet

Every day is an adventure in this brilliant, eagerly awaited collection from one of the UK’s best loved poets. Find cats, dogs and dragons, a rock’n’roll iguana and the Rescue Centre for Mythical Beasts. Take the night train to Transylvania, learn to fly or send a postcard from Pluto – but never take a selfie with a Komodo!

Such a great book full of poems that are sometimes catchy, sometimes scary but always fun.

 A poem called Dragons, it just helps your imagination to roam beyond wherever you are.

When I met the dragon of vanity,

we gazed into his mirror.

When I met the dragon of discovery

we roamed the known world together.

When I met the dragon of imagination

we tiptoed in and out of each other’s dreams…’

Poet, Brian Moses is one of Britain’s favourite children’s poets and he is featured on the National Poetry Archive. He has written more than 200 books and has sold over 1 million of his poetry books and anthologies.

… never take a selfie with a Komodo!!


Illustrator, Ed Boxall, is an artist, performer writer and educator from Hastings, a seaside town in the south of England. He has written and illustrated loads of books. His website is packed with ideas and books of course. Try Word Dreaming, you’ll have fun and learn lots alongside.

Otter-Barry Books have a wonderful collection of poetry books and are an inspirational publisher for children’s books which spark imaginations and bring dreams to life.

Sue Martin Children’s Literacy Specialist

It’s Her Story: Rosalind Franklin by Karen de Seve & illustrations by Samantha Chow

A series of books about inspirational women from Sunbird Books

A remarkable story about a woman who led in many scientific discoveries and yet never received any acknowledgments in her lifetime.

Part of a series of books which feature inspirational women in a graphic novel format.

Rosalind Franklin was a British chemist during the 1940’s and 1950’a, when fee women worked in sciences. During WW2 she expanded our knowledge of the physics of coal and carbon, and later she studied viruses.

Her ‘photo 51’ was central to the double helix structure of DNA, ground-breaking work for which she never received any credit.

The true structure of DNA…

Written by Karen de Seve, based in the US and Illustrated by Samantha Feriolla Chow from Indonesia this book brings a wealth of interest, information and intrigue to young readers.

Published by Sunbird Books It’s Her Story: Rosalind Franklin is part of a series featuring inspirational women in a graphic novel format. This works very well for children who are keen to explore the subject, and the pictures give added information about the setting that words would take longer to express.

Its Her Story Josephine Baker by Lauren Gamble & illustrated by Markia Jenai

Left a segregated America in 1925…became the most famous entertainer in Paris

A graphic novel for children ages 7 to 10. Josephine Baker left a segregated America in 1925 and became the most famous entertainer in Paris, France. She went on to be the first Black woman to star in a movie, a volunteer spy during World War II, and the mother of twelve adopted children from around the world. Then, she returned to the States to dance for American audiences and bring her voice to the Civil Rights Movement.

This is her story and a fascinating glimpse of a world where as a black woman she had to force her way for the rights of so many.

I would thoroughly recommend these graphic novels from Sunbird Books for children from 7-10 years and beyond. Graphic novels which are fact based provide a huge resource bank for children, schools and libraries.

Sue Martin Children’s Literacy Specialist

Super Powers of Nature & Super Heroes of Nature by Georges Feterman – QED Publishers

Superpowers of Nature is a fascinating, quirky photographic book featuring the amazing superpowers in the animal kingdom.

Wild Wonders of the World


With incredible photos and fascinating text, this book is a celebration of biodiversity and nature. From the platypus to the peregrine falcon, find out all about these amazing animals and the extraordinary abilities that make them the superheroes of our planet. Did you know…

  • An octopus’s brain is distributed all over its body
  • The tropical frog causes potential predators to wretch violently
  • The plumed basilisk can run for its life on water!
Fearsome creatures…

For each animal discover their superpower, super stats and super facts about them, as well as information about how they used their super skills in the wild. With an important message about protecting the rich biodiversity of our planet, Superpowers of Nature is a stunning photographic book for kids fascinated by the animal kingdom and the weird wonders it has to offer.

Super Heroes of Nature has some incredible facts and photographs of creatures with superhero powers from the Leaf Cutter Ants to the Musk Ox.

Incredible Skills to Survive and Thrive…

Borneo ants to the flying dragon, find out all about these amazing animals and the extraordinary abilities that make them the superheroes of our planet. For example:

  • A hammerhead shark can see 180 degrees
  • The webbed gecko can glide across the desert sand
  • The springbok is super fast!
It can view 180 degrees…

These books published on 6th September are from the Animal Powers series, which celebrates the weird, extraordinary, and truly amazing powers of some of nature’s most incredible animals, while celebrating biodiversity and encouraging young readers to value the natural world around them.

Georges Feterman , the author is an associate professor of natural sciences. He is also the president of the association “A.R.B.R.E.S. “(Remarkable Trees, Assessment, Research, Studies and Safeguarding) campaigning for in-depth research on remarkable trees. For twenty years, he has been recording and photographing the most remarkable subjects of the French natural heritage because of their proportions, stories or rarity.

QED publishers are part of Quarto Knows and produce some of the best factual info books with appeal and a huge difference. At £7.99 these books in a Flexi Binding are incredibly good value and will provide hours of interest for children of all ages.

Sue Martin Children’s Literacy Specialist

Bigfoot Mountain by Roderick O’ Grady

Modern family and wilderness adventures…

Four giant footprints on a mountain trail change the world for Minnie and her friend Billy.

Bigfoot Mountain is a powerful and exciting book which skilfully weaves a relationships in a modern family with wilderness adventures.

On the edge of the lake and just above the log cabins, Bigfoot Mountain has a hidden presence, a large presence. Huge imprints on the forest floor would surely reveal this large creature. But they are skilful at hiding, appearing as part of the landscape to avoid human eyes.

Minnie is warned nor to explore high into the mountains, but intrigue builds as the sightings of footprints show her there must be something alive in the forest.

Way up in the mountain lives a family of very large creatures who have spotted Minnie and Billy two youngsters approaching and warnings are signalled into the air.

Bigfoot Mountain is a great book! Full of intrigue and adventure. Perfect book for ages 8-10 years, who are keen to become adventurers and explorers in their own lives.

Roderick O’Grady is the author, he lives in London and New York, having written plays and other materials for prodctions.

Firefly Press are an award-winning independent children’s and YA publisher based in Wales publishing quality fiction in all genres for 5-19 years olds.

Highly recommend Barefoot Mountain as a holiday read over this Jubilee weekend.

Sue Martin

Stories Across the World…

A King’s Armour- Book Two in The Chronicles of Will Ryde and Awa Maryam Al-Jameel

The story is set in Istanbul, 1592. In the court of Sultan Murad the Third, where a mysterious manuscript arrives claiming to know the location of the fabled armour of King David.

The Sultan goes into melt down to discover the site of the armour, so frantic is he to be the bearer of the armour and gain the protection of the legendary breast plate.

He has never led armies into battle but with this armour he would be sure of success, or so he believes.

This is the second in the series of The Chronicles of Will Ryde and Awa Maryam Al-Jameel and is an action-packed adventure in Istanbul. A story about unity and how a diverse set of individuals work together to seek a common goal.

Will and Awa, our protagonists, navigate, trying to keep true to their values yet weary of their obligations to their imperial overlords.” Rehan Khan.

Rehan was born in London and now lives in Dubai with his family, where he also works as a visiting professor in an international business school. His first book in the series; A Tudor Turk was a great success and is nominated for The Cilip Carnegie Medal 2020.

Hope Road Publishing is an independent publisher promoting literature with a focus on Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, along with neglected and often unheard voices. They have some enormously good books with  wonderful diversity.

A King’s Armour is an amazing book, packed with adventure, intrigue and history. The characters are brought to life by the expertise of the author and the story carries on at a pace that makes turning every page a joy.

Exceptionally worth reading and buying for children ages 9-14 or thereabouts. Great for home, school or library and would ably support other curriculum areas in school.

Sue Martin

Page 1 of 6

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén