Perhaps
it is because there are a number of imprints now under the Quarto Publishing
Group that there are such a wealth of titles, I am not sure but what I am very
sure about is the quality of these titles, it really, honestly is outstanding.
I have
had so many wonderful books arriving in my post recently, many of them
non-fiction which is wonderful from my perspective of a Librarian as well as an
editor of a children’s book review magazine for me there is always a need for
fresh, exciting, informative non-fiction for children of all ages. Younger children who just devour facts and
information, yearning for knowledge need a wide range of materials to satisfy
their needs and older children too still have a thirst to learn only they also
need the books to support their school learning and subject knowledge
development. The difference is perhaps
subtle but it is there and it needs to be addressed.
Frances
Lincoln and Wide Eyed Editions both have an amazing output of highly quality
books that not only do I strongly recommend but that I use in my own library or
send to local primary schools. It would
be wrong of me to recommend something I have not read or used myself so I make
sure to make use of and read all these books too – I really do – not having a
television provides so much more time to read and I love it!
Now to
the books, let us start with Frances Lincoln titles:
The My First Experiences series by Ifemoa
Onyefulu, continues with Deron Goes to
Nursery School and Grandma Comes to
Stay sharing the experiences of these activities in an African setting
allowing children to capture the universality of such first experiences.
Continuing
with the theme of setting books around the world, as we all know football is a
global phenomenon and with Goal! Football
From Around the World by Caio Vilela we can see the excitement of football
in action around the world.
Then a
book with charity endorsements, from Street Child Africa and Streets Ahead, Street Children by Anthony Robinson
addresses the plight of six real children, and their families who must live and
work on the street. Here are stories
from Zimbabwae, Mozambique and Guatemala of people who are resilient and live
in hope. An important message not only
about hope but about remembering how lucky we are to live the lives we do and
how much others around the world need our support now as much as ever.
Another
title with an African setting is Thank
You Jackson by Nicky Daly and Jude Daly with illustrations that glow and a
story that will make smiles shine from the faces of readers this is a touching
picture book tale of manners and thank you’s.
Family
and friendship are strong and repetitive themes in children’s publishing but
they are so for a reason, because these two are incredibly important for
children to understand and learn about in the course of growing up. Therefore the paperback edition of The Great Big Book of Families by Mary
Hoffman and Ros Asquith is a welcome publication and will hopefully mean more
libraries and schools will now be able to afford to stock copies. Another title in this series is now available
too. The
Great Big Green Book attempts to explain why we need to look after the
earth and be conscientious about conservation.
Understanding
the people around us, family and friends, is important, as is knowing about
those of a similar age around the world but we must not forget issues closer to
home. Victoria’s Day by Maria de
Fatima Campos is again new in paperback but this is a title which explains, in
a child friendly style, the way in which a child with Down’s Syndrome is just
like any other and can be integrated into main school activities. Particularly touching is the personal touch
with this title having been photographed by her mother.
In
partnership with Amnesty International comes the feast of visual imagination
and story Dreams of Freedom in Words and
Pictures. This title combines the words of some of our heroes of human
rights with stunning illustration from around the world. This book has a powerful message to be
explored with young children and it is done in a uniquely sensitive way.
Now let
us turn to adventure with Wild Adventures
by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom, an adventure in the playground of nature
for the whole family to enjoy that will inspire an awareness and love of the
natural world too. 100 Family Adventures by Tim, Kerry, Amy and Ella Meek is a family
book by a family team encouraging family adventure outdoors, an inspiring get
out and do title!
For a
book close to home what better title could there be than ABC London by James Dunn and Kate Slater. An alphabetic tour of our capital city not
only does this book help children learn their alphabet and a selection of words
it also introduces them to the unique cultural identity of one of the world’s
best known cities.
Before
this Blog post closes I must tell you about the most wonderful fiction from
Frances Lincoln for they do this beautifully too.
In a new
series Classics Unfolded classic
literature from throughout the ages is transformed into works of art and a
bite-sized version of the story. Each
book is condensed into 16 scenes featuring quotes from the original, close-up
pictures of main characters and summaries of the key themes in the story. I can see these being used in displays as
well as to quickly give pupils in school an overview of the main thrust of some
classic texts before they are studied.
This is an ingenious new idea that will have a wide appeal.
Now to
the Wide Eyed Editions. I think I
mentioned these in my last blog post as some of the forthcoming titles were
displayed at the recent Quentin Blake event.
Now I have some of my own to share with you!
The Learning Garden series, to date two titles Colours, Counting is a new series of
board books with sturdy flaps to lift, teaching children how to spot and know
their colours and how to count.
Gloriously chunky and colourful these books are a true delight.
One Thousand Things by Anna Kovecses is a visual
encyclopedia of things to spot and say with a difference, the pictures are
strong, bold and dominate the page, the labels are clear and defined but it is
not just about the learning, it comes with a game too, a little mouse to spot
on every page! Compulsive and instructional
fun, minimal and modern.
There it
is! A quick romp through and round-up of
a selection of fiction and non fiction titles from one of our outstanding
children’s book publishers.
