Wednesday 28 February 2018
ReadItDaddy's Chapter Book Roundup - February 2018
Wow, January was a busy month wasn't it? But we're not slowing down. I might have just hit the half century (yes, saying it like that makes it sound EVEN MORE SCARY THAN IT IS!) but that doesn't mean C or I will be easing off on the throttle of bringing you the most amazing book reviews every single month.
So we're kicking off with a new book that definitely caught both our eyes. "Horace and Harriet Take on the Town (Horace and Harriet Book 1)" by Clare Elsom. It's such a fresh and original idea that we really wanted to make a huge fuss about it - so we are!
Lord Commander Horatio Frederick Wallington Nincompoop Maximus Pimpleberry the Third (or Horace, for short) has been a statue on a plinth in Princes Park for hundreds of years.
More fantastic stuff from Oxford Children's Books now, and a new novel from a fave author whose stories are just SO dizzyingly atmospheric...
"Night Speakers" by Ali Sparkes sets out a mysteriously dark and delicious tale right from the off.
Night after night Elena, Matt, and Tima wake at exactly the same time, with no idea why.
It's messing them up and fracturing their lives . . . until they venture out into the dark and find each other.
The sleepless trio realize their astounding power - they can speak any language; they can even communicate with animals.
But something is happening over on the industrial estate nearby, something which is emitting sounds that only they can hear, and killing any winged thing that crosses its path.
There's nobody to fight it but the brave trio for only they can possibly understand it and what it means to do.
This is powerful stuff that'll have you casting worried glances at your bedside clock every night as the numbers slowly tick over to 1:34...
"Night Speakers" by Ali Sparkes is out on 1st March 2018, published by OUP / Oxford Children's Books.
This next book really raises and deals with a ton of issues that children, and young girls in particular, will start to encounter as they move through school and enter their teens...
"Ella on the Outside" by Cath Howe is a superbly written tale tackling those issues head on.
We meet Ella who is the new girl at her school. She doesn't know anyone and she doesn't have any friends - and of course finds it very difficult to fit in at first.
Worse still, Ella has a terrible and dark secret. Ella can't believe her luck when Lydia, the most popular girl in school, decides to be her new best friend - but what does Lydia really want? And what does it all have to do with Molly, the quiet, shy girl who won't talk to anyone?
Described as "A gripping story of lies, friendship, and blackmail" this is actually a real page-turner, which reminded me a bit of "Heathers" (that classic dark comedy from way back when) but offers up a valuable moral lesson on friends not being quite as 'friendly' as they first seem. A real riveting read.
"Ella on the Outside" by Cath Howe is out on the 3rd May 2018, published by Nosy Crow.
Next, a rather neat dream-like tale full of suspense and tension...hold on, it's going to be a heck of a ride!
"Twister" by Juliette Forrest tells the story of a mighty girl - a girl like no other. Her father has gone missing and as she's searching for him she stumbles across a witch living in the woods.
She is given a magical necklace that holds the souls of living things and can turn the wearer into a wolf, or a rushing river, or a rainstorm.
But there's a dark foe on the hunt for this necklace, a nefarious villain who wears a coat crawling with creatures and who might have something to do with her father's sudden disappearance. Will twister master this magical artefact, rescue her father and defeat the dark forces massing against her?
It really is a twister this, with a dazzlingly original plot, a ton of amazing atmosphere and a real roller-coaster quest laced through this un-putdownable book. A fabulous debut for Juliette.
"Twister" by Juliette Forrest is out now, published by Scholastic.
Next up, another corker of a mystery that's bound to set all the hairs on the back of your neck on end...
Book 3 of "The League of Unexceptional Children: The Kids Who Knew Too Little" by Gitty Daneshvari follows on from "Get Smartish" with a zippy and cleverly written continuation of this awesome series.
Shelley and Jonathan are members of the League of Unexceptional Children - the world's least impressive spy network.
Jonathan's parents have been arrested by the CIA, and the dangerous mission to liberate them is definitely beyond his and Shelley's utterly average skill set.
Can they accidentally save the day one last time?
This final book beautifully rounds off Gitty Daneshvari's hapless spy series. Even though each adventure works as a standalone it's well worth tracking down the rest of the series (you KNOW you want to!)
Somewhere in the Badlands, embedded deep in rock and sand, lies the skeleton of a massive dinosaur, larger than anything the world has ever seen.
In this first book we meet the Bear family, who, sadly, are locked up in a bear pit in Berne.
As the mighty alien fleet from the latest computer game thunders across the screen, Johnny prepares to blow them into the usual million pieces.
Muddle the puppy is magic, but he's also a little bit naughty!
Read More
So we're kicking off with a new book that definitely caught both our eyes. "Horace and Harriet Take on the Town (Horace and Harriet Book 1)" by Clare Elsom. It's such a fresh and original idea that we really wanted to make a huge fuss about it - so we are!
Lord Commander Horatio Frederick Wallington Nincompoop Maximus Pimpleberry the Third (or Horace, for short) has been a statue on a plinth in Princes Park for hundreds of years.
But after suffering pranks, graffiti, endless mobile phone chat, and pigeon poo, Horace has had enough.
He decides it's time to get off his pedestal. Surely he can find a better home? One suitable for such a fine commander?
Assisted by his new friend Harriet (she's seven and a quarter years old and definitely NOT a statue) Horace tackles modern life (though he can't shake off his embarrassing hobby of invading everything) in his quest to find the perfect place to live. The trouble is, nowhere seems to be quite as good as Mayor Silverbottom's house. And Mayor Silverbottom just happens to be a descendant of Horace's arch enemy! EEKS! Will old scores be settled?
We instantly took to this 'fish out of water' story, hilarious and charming in equal measure, and that rare example of an early chapter book that's good for 5 - 10 year olds equally.
"Horace and Harriet Take on the Town (Horace and Harriet Book 1)" by Clare Elsom is out on 1st March 2018 (with book 2 swiftly following on its heels too!). Both published by Oxford Children's Books.
More fantastic stuff from Oxford Children's Books now, and a new novel from a fave author whose stories are just SO dizzyingly atmospheric...
"Night Speakers" by Ali Sparkes sets out a mysteriously dark and delicious tale right from the off.
Night after night Elena, Matt, and Tima wake at exactly the same time, with no idea why.
It's messing them up and fracturing their lives . . . until they venture out into the dark and find each other.
The sleepless trio realize their astounding power - they can speak any language; they can even communicate with animals.
But something is happening over on the industrial estate nearby, something which is emitting sounds that only they can hear, and killing any winged thing that crosses its path.
There's nobody to fight it but the brave trio for only they can possibly understand it and what it means to do.
This is powerful stuff that'll have you casting worried glances at your bedside clock every night as the numbers slowly tick over to 1:34...
"Night Speakers" by Ali Sparkes is out on 1st March 2018, published by OUP / Oxford Children's Books.
This next book really raises and deals with a ton of issues that children, and young girls in particular, will start to encounter as they move through school and enter their teens...
"Ella on the Outside" by Cath Howe is a superbly written tale tackling those issues head on.
We meet Ella who is the new girl at her school. She doesn't know anyone and she doesn't have any friends - and of course finds it very difficult to fit in at first.
Worse still, Ella has a terrible and dark secret. Ella can't believe her luck when Lydia, the most popular girl in school, decides to be her new best friend - but what does Lydia really want? And what does it all have to do with Molly, the quiet, shy girl who won't talk to anyone?
Described as "A gripping story of lies, friendship, and blackmail" this is actually a real page-turner, which reminded me a bit of "Heathers" (that classic dark comedy from way back when) but offers up a valuable moral lesson on friends not being quite as 'friendly' as they first seem. A real riveting read.
"Ella on the Outside" by Cath Howe is out on the 3rd May 2018, published by Nosy Crow.
Next, a rather neat dream-like tale full of suspense and tension...hold on, it's going to be a heck of a ride!
"Twister" by Juliette Forrest tells the story of a mighty girl - a girl like no other. Her father has gone missing and as she's searching for him she stumbles across a witch living in the woods.
She is given a magical necklace that holds the souls of living things and can turn the wearer into a wolf, or a rushing river, or a rainstorm.
But there's a dark foe on the hunt for this necklace, a nefarious villain who wears a coat crawling with creatures and who might have something to do with her father's sudden disappearance. Will twister master this magical artefact, rescue her father and defeat the dark forces massing against her?
It really is a twister this, with a dazzlingly original plot, a ton of amazing atmosphere and a real roller-coaster quest laced through this un-putdownable book. A fabulous debut for Juliette.
"Twister" by Juliette Forrest is out now, published by Scholastic.
Next up, another corker of a mystery that's bound to set all the hairs on the back of your neck on end...
Book 3 of "The League of Unexceptional Children: The Kids Who Knew Too Little" by Gitty Daneshvari follows on from "Get Smartish" with a zippy and cleverly written continuation of this awesome series.
Shelley and Jonathan are members of the League of Unexceptional Children - the world's least impressive spy network.
Jonathan's parents have been arrested by the CIA, and the dangerous mission to liberate them is definitely beyond his and Shelley's utterly average skill set.
Can they accidentally save the day one last time?
This final book beautifully rounds off Gitty Daneshvari's hapless spy series. Even though each adventure works as a standalone it's well worth tracking down the rest of the series (you KNOW you want to!)
"The League of Unexceptional Children: The Kids Who Knew Too Little" by Gitty Daneshvari is out now, published by L & B Kids.
Next we're looking ahead to May, and an awesome new middle grade book from Sally Christie...
"Spirit" is chock full of atmospheric and awesome storytelling from the word go.
We meet new kid Matt who is quiet and shy.
The total opposite in fact to Jazzy who is outspoken, popular, confident.
How did these two ever get to be friends? In the village of Burnham Stone everything is possible but most things certainly aren't normal.
Matt believes he has seen something extraordinary up in Burnham Wood. And Jazzy is the only one who believes him.
With the help of Matt's little dog and Jazzy's little sister, the two make surprising discoveries - and unleash such a powerful force that nothing can ever be the same again.
A wonderful story about friends, growing up, and the very real magic in the world around us. We loved this one for all the feel of those classic Famous Five adventures, fused with ghostly goings on and spookiness in a remote village community.
Awesome stuff from Sally. "Spirit" by Sally Christie" is out on 3rd May 2018, published by David Fickling Books.
Next, a palaeontologist's dream in a fantastic and exciting book revolving around a truly landmark dig.
Kenneth Oppel's "Every Hidden Thing" is a rip-roaring dinosaur adventure with a difference.
To seventeen-year-old Samuel Bolt - just kicked out of school - it's the "Rex", the king dinosaur that could put him and his archaeologist father in the history books, if they can just dig it out.
But Samuel and his father aren't the only ones after the Rex.
For Rachel Cartland this find could be her ticket to a different life, one where she can explore her loves of science and adventure.
But if she can't prove herself to her father on this expedition, the only adventures she'll have to look forward to are marriage or spinsterhood.
As their paths cross and the rivalry between their fathers becomes more intense, Samuel and Rachel are pushed closer together. And with both after the same prize, their budding romance seems destined to fail.
But as danger looms on the other side of the hills, Samuel and Rachel are forced to make a decision. Can they find the skeleton-and with it a new life together-or will the rivalry tear them apart?
This is a crackingly original story idea digging back into history in a fabulous way. Utterly brilliant stuff.
"Every Hidden Thing" by Kenneth Oppel is out now, published by David Fickling Books.
Next, it's time for a compilation gathering some of the most supreme writing talent on the planet for a very special book...
"Make More Noise" is an incredible collection of brand new short stories from ten of the UK's very best storytellers, celebrating inspirational girls and women.
Next, it's time for a compilation gathering some of the most supreme writing talent on the planet for a very special book...
"Make More Noise" is an incredible collection of brand new short stories from ten of the UK's very best storytellers, celebrating inspirational girls and women.
The book is being published to commemorate the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in the UK.
£1 from the sale of every book will be donated to Camfed, an international charity which tackles poverty and inequality by supporting women's education in the developing world.
Featuring short stories by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize-wining The Girl of Ink and Stars, M.G. Leonard, author of Beetle Boy, Patrice Lawrence, author of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize-winning Orangeboy, Katherine Woodfine, author of The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow, Sally Nicholls, author of Things a Bright Girl Can Do, Emma Carroll, author of Letters from the Lighthouse, and more, this is sure to wow your socks off and it's in a fantastic cause too.
"Make More Noise" is out now, published by Nosy Crow.
Next, something of a timely revival for a classic set of stories, given a whole new lease of life thanks to one of our favourite illustrators...
"Mostly Mary" revives the first of Gwynedd Rae's corking stories, with fabulous new illustrations from Clara (Mango and Bambang) Vulliamy.
Amazingly the family still seem to have a fairly happy life, but when young orphan Mary comes into Friska's care, no one has any idea just how energetic and naughty the newborn can be.
Friska, anxious mother of twin bear cubs of her own, takes charge of the orphan Mary and does her best to teach her proper bear manners such as the correct way to wash your ears.
Into their closeted world comes the Owl Man who somehow strikes up a friendship with the lonely cub and before long Mary is off discovering the world - thus her real adventures begin.
These are wonderfully simple and yet completely compelling tales, like a bruin-y version of the "Little Tim" books with timeless adventures that today's kids will love.
"Mostly Mary" by Gwynedd Rae and Clara Vulliamy is out now, published by Egmont.
The late Sir Terry Pratchett might be gone, but his books will live on forever.
"Only You Can Save Mankind" is a fantastic tale in the Johnny Maxwell stories, with the hapless hero being thrown right in at the deep end this time, in a story of intergalactic invasion.
But then they send him a message: "We surrender!"
They're not supposed to do that! They're supposed to die. And computer joysticks don't have 'Don't Fire' buttons do they?
But it's only a game, isn't it. Isn't it?
They're not supposed to do that! They're supposed to die. And computer joysticks don't have 'Don't Fire' buttons do they?
But it's only a game, isn't it. Isn't it?
This is a rip-roaring tale that demonstrate's Pratchett's endless versatility, putting together a story that'll still resonate with your resident game-head. Utterly fantastic catching back up with this one again.
"Only You Can Save Mankind" by Terry Pratchett is out now, published by Corgi.
Last but by no means least, a pair of new books that will be perfect for the cute animal lover in your life...
"Muddle the Magic Puppy: The Magic Carpet" by Hayley Daze kicks off a whole new series of gorgeous little animal tales.
Emerging readers will laugh along to the humorous stories featuring best friends, Ruby and Harry, and build their reading confidence at the same time.
In "The Magic Carpet" Muddle jumps into a magical puddle and takes Ruby and Harry on an amazing adventure to Arabia!
They need teamwork and a lot of puppy magic to help a young boy win a magic carpet race.
Luckily, Muddle, Harry and Ruby make a great team!
These stories are absolutely perfectly pitched for kids just branching out into self-reading, with nice simple and short stories designed to entertain but also offer a collectable series to inspire them onto further reading.
"Cuddle the Magic Kitten" is an accompanying series, also written by Hayley Daze, so even if your kids really don't like dogs they're sure to love Cuddle's adventures too.
"Muddle the Magic Puppy" and "Cuddle the Magic Kitten" by Hayley Daze are both available now (with followup books arriving in the summer). Published by Willow Tree Books.
And that's a wrap! We'll be back once again in March with even more awesome chapter books. See you then!
"How To Eat Pizza" by Jon Burgerman (OUP / Oxford Children's Books)
Posted by
ReadItDaddy
at
February 28, 2018
Labels:
How To Eat Pizza,
Jon Burgerman,
OUP / Oxford Children's Books
This could almost be the definition of C's perfect picture book, featuring that most beloved of subjects dear to her heart...
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Tuesday 27 February 2018
Professor Astro Cat's Human Body Odyssey by Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman (Flying Eye Books)
Posted by
ReadItDaddy
at
February 27, 2018
Labels:
Ben Newman,
Dr Dominic Walliman,
Flying Eye Books,
Professor Astro Cat's Human Body Odyssey
We're taking a trip to an incredible destination with intrepid Professor Astro Cat and his crew. But this time we're not jetting off into space...more like Inner Space!
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Ten Fat Sausages by Michelle Robinson and Tor Freeman (Andersen Children's Books)
Posted by
ReadItDaddy
at
February 27, 2018
Labels:
Andersen Children's Books,
Michelle Robinson,
Ten Fat Sausages,
Tor Freeman
Two of our absolute children's book HEROES have combined mighty forces for a whole new take on that classic nursery rhyme...sizzling stuff!
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Monday 26 February 2018
"Search and Find: The Jungle Book" by Rudyard Kipling and Federica Frenna (Studio Press)
Posted by
ReadItDaddy
at
February 26, 2018
Labels:
Federica Frenna,
Rudyard Kipling,
Search and Find: The Jungle Book,
Studio Press
Ooh now this is utterly WONDERFUL! A new "Search and Find" book revolving around one of our favourite children's books of all time...
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Friday 23 February 2018
ReadItDaddy's Chapter Book of the Week - Week Ending 23rd February 2018 - "The Nothing To See Here Hotel" by Steven Butler and Steven Lenton (Simon and Schuster Children's Books)
Posted by
ReadItDaddy
at
February 23, 2018
Labels:
Chapter Book of the Week 2018,
Simon and Schuster Children's Books,
Steven Butler,
Steven Lenton,
The Nothing To See Here Hotel
There are just SO MANY great books around at the moment. So we couldn't resist cramming in one more "Book of the Week" winner this week for a chapter book par excellence...
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ReadItDaddy's Second Picture Book of the Week - Week Ending 23rd February 2018 - "The Night Box" by Louise Greig and Ashling Lindsay (Egmont)
Posted by
ReadItDaddy
at
February 23, 2018
Labels:
Ashling Lindsay,
Egmont,
Louise Greig,
Picture Book of the Week 2018,
The Night Box
Sometimes a picture book text just flows over you, like the gentle lapping of a stream's cool currents or the whisper of a summer breeze. So it is with our second picture book of the week this week, "The Night Box" by Louise Greig and Ashling Lindsay.
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ReadItDaddy's Book of the Week - Week Ending 23rd February 2018 - "Frankfurt" by Mia Cassany and Mikel Casal (Tate Publishing)
Posted by
ReadItDaddy
at
February 23, 2018
Labels:
Frankfurt,
Mia Cassany,
Mikel Casal,
Picture Book of the Week 2018,
Tate Publishing
It definitely seems to be a fantastic year for dog books, as our first Picture Book of the Week for this week definitely demonstrates...
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ReadItDaddy's Comic of the Week - Week Ending 23rd February 2018 - "Monkey Nuts (Volume 1 and 2)" by Robin and Lorenzo Etherington (Lulu Self Publishing Platform)
Posted by
ReadItDaddy
at
February 23, 2018
Labels:
Hulu,
Monkey Nuts 1 and 2,
Picture Book of the Week 2018,
The Etherington Brothers
Our Comic(s) of the Week this week hail back to a (sadly departed) attempt to stick a ton of dynamite up the butt of the british children's comic industry...
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Thursday 22 February 2018
Playing the numbers game with books - It's not how many, nor how frequent, it's all about how much enjoyment you get from reading - A ReadItTorial
One of the things that's always worried me about being a book blogger, and having a book-blogging daughter is that sometimes the sheer number of books we read can lead to an interesting (but slightly worrying) pattern developing.
This week's ReadItTorial post was partially inspired by a Twitter conversation around what constitutes "A Matilda* level of book numbers read". There seems to be a belief that the more books a child packs in during a given year, the more successful they will be in other aspects of their life (particularly academic).
It's fair to say that a child who genuinely loves reading will definitely reap their own rewards at school. We quite often have some rather nice compliments paid to us about C's reading ability (and one of the positives from the Twitter conversation was hearing the same from other booky parents), and her sheer voraciousness for books.
We politely (and yes, sometimes rather smugly) smile, grateful that when our daughter is stuck for something to do, she'll reach for a book rather than an iPad, games controller or something else screen-based. We actually get a lot of negative comments about the amount (or lack) of screen time C gets. Usually at weekends when there's some dead time C will either catch up with comics, catch up with reading or opt to play a game on the iPad or games consoles but very rarely so, and she knows where the boundaries are and not to push against them (don't we sound like the most horrible hateful strict parents!)
Honestly though, normally the default is reading or books.
I get a slight tingle in the hairs on the back of my neck when I see folk professing that their child has read a 'phenomenal number of books'.
I keep a spreadsheet of the books we read and review through the blog, and most years the blog has been in existence I can honestly say that we have read AT LEAST 500 as the lower end of the scale, but sometimes on a good year we've cleared over a thousand. For want of a frame of reference, in 2017 we read, reviewed and wrote up over 700 books and that's just the stuff documented as part of our normal blogging schedule, that doesn't reflect older stuff we've re-read or stuff we've read but not reviewed.
The only reason we count at all is from a necessity to have some semblance of organisation around the blog. The spreadsheet I keep is a convenient way to keep track of what we've been sent, stuff we've reviewed (splitting picture book and chapter book sections so we can track each individually) or any blog tours etc that we're taking part in. Nothing more, and certainly not some "My child is better than yowrse" yardstick.
The point I'm getting to glacially slowly is that competing over 'numbers read' seems like a really odd thing to do, and fails to take into account that the types of reader vary greatly in children and adults.
For example, all three of us (my wife, C and me) all read at different speeds. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool speed reader (having previously learned speed-reading techniques to blast through huge thick technical manuals for Microsoft exams). Unable to switch this off, but able to blast through a decent sized paperback in a few nights or less. Always with a need to re-read books later on if they've piqued my interest enough and I feel I need a second or third pass.
My wife polishes off a fair-sized paperback in a week or just over. She can blast through most stuff fairly quickly, and has more staying power when it comes to books (I'll basically ditch a book if it starts to bore the pants off me, but she usually stays with them through hell and high water).
C can blat through middle grade chapter books in a single night or a couple of nights (which is very handy for the reviews), squeezing in other reading at breakfast, sometimes after school (homework permitting), mostly at weekends and always after we've read to her at night.
Some children will read slowly, savouring every single morsel on the page, almost to the point of wearing the print off. Some will (like C) read books incredibly quickly, or juggle several at a time (this is another nasty habit C has picked up from me but it's not exactly difficult to see why).
Then of course there's the other factor in the numbers game. If you proudly claim your child can get through more than 300 J.K Rowling / Deathly Hallows-sized books a year, that's definitely something of an achievement (and makes me wonder what the heck they do with the couple of hours they have spare every day, I'm assuming food is ingested, personal cleanliness is taken care of, perhaps they even go to school?)
But in all honesty, the end line for this ReadItTorial is that clamouring about numbers read, in the words of the great Shania Twain "Don't impress me much" - Now if you have genuine tales of your child intricately dissecting a book, its world, its characters and being able to passionately talk about that book in glorious detail, that's likely to impress both of us far more.
(* - Matilda the Roald Dahl book, of course!)
Do Not Open This Book by Andy Lee and Heath Mckenzie (Studio Press)
Posted by
ReadItDaddy
at
February 22, 2018
Labels:
Andy Lee,
Do Not Open This Book,
Heath McKenzie,
Studio Press
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I Say Ooh You Say Aah by John Kane (Templar Publishing)
Posted by
ReadItDaddy
at
February 22, 2018
Labels:
I Say Ooh You Say Aah,
John Kane,
Templar Publishing
Frustrated that there has never been a follow up to the awesome "The Book With No Pictures" by B.J. Novak? Step right this way...
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Wednesday 21 February 2018
Dog in Boots by Paula Metcalf (OUP / Oxford Children's Books)
Posted by
ReadItDaddy
at
February 21, 2018
Labels:
Dog in Boots,
OUP / Oxford Children's Books,
Paula Metcalf
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Lola Dutch is a Little Bit Much by Kenneth and Sarah Jane Wright (Bloomsbury Publishing)
Posted by
ReadItDaddy
at
February 21, 2018
Labels:
Bloomsbury Publishing,
Kenneth Wright,
Lola Dutch is a Little Bit Much,
Sarah Jane Wright
Now here's a book we can REALLY relate to, after all nothing worth doing is worth doing by halves is it?
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Tuesday 20 February 2018
Lionel and the Lion's Share by Lou Peacock and Lisa Sheehan (Nosy Crow)
Posted by
ReadItDaddy
at
February 20, 2018
Labels:
Lionel and the Lion's Share,
Lisa Sheehan,
Lou Peacock,
Nosy Crow,
Picture Books 2018
Here's a tasty treat of a book that's all about sharing and friendships that'll entertain tinies with a cool cast of animal characters...
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Eric Makes a Splash by Emily Mackenzie (Bloomsbury Publishing)
Posted by
ReadItDaddy
at
February 20, 2018
Labels:
Bloomsbury Publishing,
Emily MacKenzie,
Eric Makes a Splash
Books that deal with children's anxiety issues in a thoughtful and sensitive way are so valuable as part of a child's early years...
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Monday 19 February 2018
15 things NOT to do with a Puppy by Margaret McAllister and Holly Sterling (Frances Lincoln Children's Books)
Posted by
ReadItDaddy
at
February 19, 2018
Labels:
15 things not do to with a puppy,
Frances Lincoln Children's Books,
Holly Sterling,
Margaret McAllister
We love these rib-tickling "How To" guides from Margaret and Holly. Here's a handy guide for little ones welcoming a new pet into the house for the first time...
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"Swapsies" by Fiona Roberton (Hodder Children's Books)
Posted by
ReadItDaddy
at
February 19, 2018
Labels:
Fiona Roberton,
Hodder Children's Books,
Swapsies
Everyone has a favourite toy, but what happens when your friend has a cool toy they want to swap with you for your favourite thing?
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Friday 16 February 2018
ReadItDaddy's Chapter Book of the Week - Week Ending 16th February 2018 - "King Coo" by Adam Stower (David Fickling Books)
Adam Stower is really no stranger to our Book of the Week slot...having staked his claim here with his fantastic picture books on a regular basis...
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ReadItDaddy's Second Book of the Week - Week Ending 16th February 2018 - "Young Gifted and Black" by Jamia Wilson and Andrea Pippins (Wide Eyed Editions)
Posted by
ReadItDaddy
at
February 16, 2018
Labels:
Andrea Pippins,
Jamia Wilson,
Picture Book of the Week 2018,
Wide Eyed Editions,
Young Gifted and Black
This one has been on our "Watch" list ever since we found out about it...and we're delighted to make this a Book of the Week for so many reasons...
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ReadItDaddy's Picture Book of the Week - Week Ending 16th February 2018 - "Tiny Little Rocket" by David Fickling and Richard Collingridge (David Fickling Books)
Posted by
ReadItDaddy
at
February 16, 2018
Labels:
David Fickling,
David Fickling Books,
Picture Book of the Week 2018,
Richard Collingridge,
Tiny Little Rocket
There are so many artists and authors we always keep a very sharp eye on at all times when it comes to upcoming new releases...
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Thursday 15 February 2018
A fabulous guest post from Juliette Forrest, author of new gripping Middle Grade novel "Twister" out now from Scholastic Publishing
Posted by
ReadItDaddy
at
February 15, 2018
Labels:
Guest Post,
Juliette Forrest,
Scholastic Publishing,
Twister
We're delighted to have a guest post from Juliette Forrest, talking about five inspirational things that help her dream up the fantastic characters and worlds in her fabulous stories.
Without further ado, over to Juliette!
Some people listen to music when
they are writing. Not me. I need to surround myself with pictures. I turned my
kitchen wall into a mood board when I was working on Twister and this was one of the photos I pinned up. I snapped it not
far from my parent’s house. I found the tree quite spooky, which was perfect
for one of my characters in the story. It is a sweet chestnut and I have grown
quite attached to it now.
This was given to me by an old
colleague of mine. We got our very first job together in advertising – she was
a copywriter and I was an art director. That was many years ago when an all-female
creative team was unusual in the industry. My friend knows I have a busy mind,
so having this close by when I am writing reminds me to concentrate on the task
at hand.
When I am stuck, or need to figure
something out plot-wise, I take the dog for a walk. I always find time away
from the laptop works wonders. I love being outdoors and will often weave what
I see in the park into the story. I am so deep in thought, my friends have to
flap their hands in front of my face before I notice them. I am quite sure they
think I am a sandwich short of a picnic.
The chair is a symbol of sitting
and watching people. Place me in an airport, train station, library or park
bench and I am in seventh heaven. Sometimes, in the theatre, I will be looking
at the audience instead of the actors. People are a never-ending source of
great inspiration and writing material for me.
Meet my dad. As you can tell from
this ancient photo, having a sense of humour was a must in our household. I am
forever thankful for the stories he used to read out at bedtime. No Roald Dhal
or Enid Blyton for me. I was held spellbound by authors and poets such as
Laurie Lee, Dylan Thomas and Norman MacCaig.
Twister by Juliette Forrest
is available now , published by Scholastic Children's Books.
Let's put a stop on World Book Day becoming World "Make a Quick Buck" Day - A ReadItTorial
Oh dear. Pre-made costumes for a 'click and buy' generation. Convenient or cash-in? |
Or at least that's what's supposed to happen. You see World Book Day seems to have become yet another source of stress and annoyance for many parents, and just as many kids too.
Every year it feels like the pressure is on to come up with a costume that isn't just some shop-bought piece of tat (like the header image above, a merciless cash-in branded with the WBD ident and logo. I wonder how much Dave's topslice of the revenue from these is?)
Most of the stress at home comes from the element of competition schools introduce with World Book Day - and that bizarre 'middle-class-parent' struggle to come to school in a costume that looks like you've roped in a Hollywood Wardrobe Designer to design and build an eerily accurate rendition of a character cossie from a book.
Though C's school doesn't actually celebrate or support the day itself (and it seems a lot of schools do their own thing at other times of the year - just like C's school) there are still the inevitable times when we're called on to design a costume, make the durned thing (with my wife normally doing the bulk of the hard work - I just contribute the 'fancy bits' sometimes, as I can't sew to save my life) and then send C to school in something that most teachers and kids will scratch their heads at, and ask "Who are you meant to be?"
Quite often it's made worse by our school's bizarre choice of 'themes' for their own book week. Normally they seem to default to stuff like "Dress as someone from a Roald Dahl book" (easy enough, 'Girl from "The Magic Finger" it is then!) or someone from Alice in Wonderland...but...well...
You see, we're subversives - and as such we always look for the 'non mainstream' approach when it comes to Book Day / week costumes.
To date, C has gone to school dressed as the girl from "Pirate Girl" by Cornelia Funke. She's gone as Laura Ingalls Wilder from the "Little House on the Prairie" novels. She went as a huge and rather complex flower design meant to be one of the living flowers from Alice in Wonderland (because virtually ALL the other girls in her class just stuck a blue dress and Alice band on and went as Alice herself instead). All our costumes have been home made, probably taken longer than we'd liked but it felt more like we were entering into the spirit of world book day - to celebrate the joy of reading and have a bit of fun making a costume that didn't suck.
Anyway, back to that header image and the thought that World Book Day has become yet another celebratory day hijacked by mass consumerism.
If you think the Walliams costumes were bad, here's H & M's attempt to provide ready made costumes...
Crikey, talk about a lazy pass... |
It does at least give most parents a ready made and 'easy' alternative (honestly though, can you really be as cheeky as to dress your girls up in Disney Princess costumes because "Snow White was a book once, right?").
Still our question remains though - what do you think World Book Day is about? What should it be about? Why does it often feel like books, a celebration of creativity and the essence of why we encourage our kids to read for pleasure is completely and utterly lost somehow? Admittedly this may be our own experience and ours alone. We look on in envy every WBD at some of the things that happen in other people's schools and wonder why not ours. But I'm sure we can't be the only ones thoroughly jaded with the whole thing? For book bloggers that feels a bit...strange really. We should be looking forward to it every year, not dreading it.
Sometimes it feels like WBD is now destined to become as tacky and over-commercialised as Halloween - a day that (I swear to god) would not have become the sh*t-show it has over here if it wasn't for the movie "E.T The Extra Terrestrial"?
We do at least get some cracking mini book editions going out on WBD which definitely make the day worthwhile from a reader perspective. But this biz about the costumes really can take the shine off things big time.
Let's hope this year's is a huge success but let's see less of the profiteering, more of the celebration of reading and fantastic kids books this year, eh?
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