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Engaging reads for children, from Books go Walkabout

Tag: dolphin booksellers

Old Possum’s Children’s Poetry Competition

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On December 22, 2009

In Uncategorized

opA great competition which had over 4000 entries this year from all over the world.
The awards and celebrations were held at The Unicorn Theatre in London on 14th December.
Children and parents mingled with poets and publishers.

Carol Ann Duffy, Poet Laureate and chair of the judging panel said,
‘We left our meeting convinced that the true beginnings of poetry are to be found in writing by children.”

This international poetry competition, now in its fourth year, is run by Children’s Poetry Bookshelf, part of Poetry Book Society, in partnership with the British Council.

grpLots of excited faces, as the winners joined judges John Agard, Roger Stevens and Carol Ann Duffy at the presentation. As well as the prizes there will be a commemorative booklet, in which winning and recommended poems will be featured.

It is available from Children’s Poetry Bookshelf, which is a great website as a resource and just good to read as well!

Some of the lines that have stayed with us are;

Men watching
Friends go forever

From A Soldier’s Poem by Louisa, aged 8.

And,

He is the blow of a whistle
That can be heard all over the world.

About Barack Obama by Sarah, aged 8.

Children’s writing has a way of finding the truth…..

Dolphin Booksellers – finding out more about books for children.

Papa Panov’s Special Day – Books for Christmas

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On December 11, 2009

In Featured authors, Featured children's book, Dolphinbooksellers

ppPapa Panov was an old shoemaker, who lived in a Russian village.

It was Christmas Eve and he was expecting a special visitor the next day. He found the very best pair of tiny leather shoes that he had ever made.

‘ That’s what I shall give him.’ He said.

The next day, Christmas Day, he made a really warm fire, put some coffee on the stove and waited. He had several visitors that day, the old road sweeper, a young mother with a baby. He asked them into the warm and gave them coffee. He gave the best pair of shoes that he had ever made to the baby.

But still the special person didn’t come.

As it got dark, he sat in his chair. Two large tears welled up in his eyes.

“Dearie, dearie” he said. It seemed as if someone was in the room. A voice said, ” I was cold and you made me warm, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. Didn’t you see me Papa Panov?”

Papa Panov is a beautiful, old french story, retold by Leo Tolstoy . It captures the heart of Christmas without too much tinsel.

Papa Panov’s Special Day has been adapted by Mig Holder and illustrated by Julie Dowling.

cdppThere’s also a CD which features Papa Panov as a story.

This story is one of several Christmas stories that will be on Dolphin Bookblog this Christmas.

Dolphinboooksellers.co.uk for children’s books and information on line.

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Perform-a-Poem

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On November 12, 2009

In Uncategorized

ntPerform-a-Poem is a terrific concept. Children perform their own poems, which are put onto a video and safely uploaded on to the web site. All you have to do is stand back and watch the performance.

Michael Rosen launched Perform-a Poem on 3rd November at the National Theatre. He wanted to create a website where it was easy for children to upload their own videos and to browse other children’s poetry.

A fantastic concept and I guess its going to grow and grow. There’s a whole host of poems that are out of copyright, such as Edward Lear and the Book of Nonsense. And you will be able to find the poem that matches your feelings, and make it come alive.

A Michael Rosen quote from the website;

“Poetry is the sound of words in your ears, it’s the look of poets in motion and that can be you. Make your poems sing, whisper, shout and float. Let the words make the rhythm and give the viewers a buzz to see you.”

It has started with support from Booktrust and the London Grid for Learning and is available across the capital. But it can be hosted by other UK learning grids.

pfpThis is a web site for sharing and for children, teachers and parents to get involved in. Would be great for some Christmas poems?

Dolphin Booksellers supporting great books for children.

Lucy Bakewell – School Librarian of the Year

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On October 8, 2009

In Book events, Featured authors

lucyLucy Bakewell of Hill West Primary School, Sutton Coldfield has just been announced as the School Librarian of the Year 2009 .

A first for primary school libraries.

Lucy said, “I am ecstatic and honoured to be given this award for something I love doing. I have the best job in the world and it’s a joy to spend time the library. I feel passionate about making the library a space that children feel is their own and am delighted to receive the honour for the children and for the school. It is exceptionally important that a primary school has won for the first time. It is vital to enthuse and engage children in books and reading from an early age.’
Anne Cassidy award winning author of Looking for JJ, presented Lucy with the award.

Ginnette Doyle, chair of the Judging Panel was especially full of praise for Lucy’s inspiration in creating a place where children can love reading.

‘Primary schools are vital in inspiring children to read and reading is so important in the development of children, expanding their imagination, their knowledge, their vocabulary. They also are the places where children begin to learn, where information skills are first taught, creating individuals competent in finding information. Few primary schools can afford to have a librarian and many rely on dedicated individuals, such as Lucy to run their libraries. Lucy inspires her pupils to love books and reading and she inspires the adults around her. Hill West School is an example of a marvellous school where reading and books are central to learning, much of which is down to Lucy. We feel that it is really important to raise the profile of good primary school library practice, to demonstrate that with the right person in place wonderful things can be achieved.’

The groupwork of three other exceptional school librarians on the Honours List was also celebrated.
” Barbara Band – The Emmbrook School, Wokingham
” Lynne Varley – Sponne Community Technology College, Towcester
” Joy Wassell-Timms – Parrs Wood High School, Didsbury

Its fantastic that the award celebrates so much the good work that exists in school libraries, not just as a place for rows of books. But more and more as a place where children can go to read, enjoy books and lose themselves in their imaginations.

Photographs by kind permission of Philip Paul

Dolphin Booksellers is pleased to be a member of SLA.

What is Children’s Poetry For?

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On September 18, 2009

In Uncategorized

ppThe title of the 2009 Phillipa Pearce Memorial Lecture, given by Michael Rosen and introduced by Morag Styles. The lecture was presented to a packed audience at Homerton College in Cambridge on 10th September.

As always Michael Rosen is great to listen to, a captivating speaker and lots of information. These notes highlight some of the evening.

Poetry can be seen as a speaking picture. It helps meaning to become clear without us knowing how. It provides insight into emotions. It is memorable and enters our value judgement. It encapsulates wisdom with action. It brings together ideas and feelings.

Poetry exists more like the mortar than the bricks. It is the glue in between.

mrMichael presented much of the talk based on work by Sir Phillip Sidney, 1595 ‘An Apologie for Poetry’,or rather defence of poetry. Even then he was defending the way poetry was associated with playing and jesting.

But for children and poetry, it is no wonder they go together so well. Rhyme, verse, patterns, what better way to learn from the start about words and meaning. It’s about playing with words, hearing words when you don’t know the meaning, putting them in context.

And making sense of what you hear- children do it all the time!

Keep visiting Dolphin Booksellers, we are going to be adding more information this autumn.

The Book Store

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On August 10, 2009

In Featured authors, Featured children's book

beach hutAugust and at last a space in the diary for clearing the store of books. Well that is in the plan.

There are approximately 8,000+ books. What is it about books from the past, those children’s novels that just have to be re-read? From The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner and The Butterfly Lion by Michael Morpurgo to 100+ways to make paper aeroplanes.

booksWay back in the winter we completely changed a school library into a community library. It’s a fantastic space, with comfy chairs, computers, smart shelving units and books, of course.

Some of the sorted books will be going back into school, but the majority will be taken to places, mainly overseas, where books are in short supply. We are lucky that people we work with have many contacts with groups and can get the books direct to the children who need them.

So, I’ll just read one or two more, then get back to packing into boxes.

Dolphin BookBox will give you information about our Community Library service, plus other things that we can supply too!

Visit the home page of Dolphin Booksellers for latest information.

Antarctic Dreams

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On July 28, 2009

In Featured illustrators, New titles, Dolphinbooksellers

AntHave you ever wished you could sail away on a boat to the land of ice and snow?

Antarctic Dreams is just where Jackie Morris, the illustrator, is hoping to go. But she needs our votes for her to get on a voyage to Antarctica in February 2010.

Vote for her at Quark Expeditions, we have at Dolphin Booksellers. It’s a great thing to do for Jackie. She is so talented and the pictures and images will be just amazing.

starOn her blog Starlight Starbright, the title of a new book to be published by Barefoot Books in autumn 2009, you can see her wish. But here is a small extract.

‘So now I wish…..and look up at a sky where the dark is pinned in place and held up by different patterns of starlight.’

Wishes and hopes and dreams – they can come true.

For lots about children’s books visit the home page of Dolphin Booksellers.

Poetry Award 2009 CLPE- winner

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On July 13, 2009

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

ja

John Agard, with The Young Inferno, illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura is the winner of the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education poetry award for 2009.

CLPE has a brilliant poster information sheet,which you can find on CLPE and Dolphin Booksellers.

yiThe Young Inferno is an amazing retelling of this classic by Dante. Full of action and loads of mental images, pacy and more than just engaging. The Furies are there and you will come face to face with them!

Satoshi Kitamura has captured all the action and more besides in his compelling and powerful illustrations. The teenage hoodie, as narrator of the tales into the nine circles of hell must be a hit with its audience of young people. Where else would you find Frankenstein as a bouncer…….

Frances Lincoln, the publishers, have shown yet again their skill at commissioning two of the best, in writing and illustrating,  and bringing them together in a daring retelling of this story.

Visit the home page of Dolphin Booksellers. Bringing information about children’s books direct to you. Working with authors and illustrators in communities delivering book events with a difference.

Amazon link to The Young Inferno

Amazon link to the books of John Agard

Amazon link to the books of Satoshi Kitamura

Wendy Cooling MBE June 2009

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On June 29, 2009

In Uncategorized

WCWendy Cooling ,the founder of Bookstart received an MBE for her services to children’s books on June 2nd 2009. A wonderful recognition of her inspirational and long lasting work in the world of children’s books.

National Children’s Book Week and the Children’s Book Foundation were also started by Wendy, as she could see that getting children and books together was a real need and had so much to offer.

Reading for pleasure, for children and parents is great for all sorts of reasons. Wendy has always promoted a love of reading and has done so much to make sure that books are available for all parents and children.

In 2006, Wendy won the Eleanor Farjeon Award for her outstanding services to the world of children’s books.

And the good work continues in book reviews and in working with children on numerous reading related projects, Wendy makes sure that children’s books have the place they deserve.

You can visit the home page of Dolphin Booksellers. Bringing information about the best in children’s books direct to you. Working with authors and illustrators in school book events and supporting literacy projects in a community nearby.

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