A Christmas Round-Up

What a wonderful selection of Christmas books have been made available this year for readers of all ages and whilst for the younger members of our audience many of these have a Christmas theme some are just very good books that Christmas allows the leisure of time to read!

It is with enormous thanks to Macmillan books that I present you with the first part of my selection, a wonderful parcel of goodies that arrived in my office just this week , part two is a pair of books from Hot Key Books and Picacdilly Press' Christmas highlights, then if you head over to Armadillo Magazine you will see a great selection from a variety of publishers to read this Christmas (these are featured as a round-up in the Also Out section but don't forget all the other great books that we feature too!)

Now back to my current selection, sitting next to me on the desk and begging for readers just like you are ...

The Macmillan Alice, Advice for Modern Women: What Would Alice Do? with a foreword by Lauren Laverne.  In this wonderful pocket-sized book are selected quotes from Alice on the themes of Inspiration, what to do when having a bad day or a tough day at work - keep your sense of humour and remember that each day will come to a natural end!.  And so it goes on with plenty of wit and humour these selected quotes will help you get through the day and maybe even encourage you to read Alice all over again, a real treat and beautifully illustrated too.

If getting through the day means having a good colouring in or doodle session then Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: A Colouring Book could be just what you need and in fact is featured in the Winter edition of Armadillo.  Or why try something from our current Children's Laureate, Chris Riddell's Doodle a Day should keep many a doodler happy for an entire year ... packed with Chris' own illustrations and plenty of tips and hints this book could create some master doodlers in a year's time!

Three stories in one slim book make up the very special The Christmas Star: A Festive Story Collection from Eva Ibbotson.  Read and discover how a young Viennese girl discovers the magical meaning behind the family celebrations or how the words of a fortune teller can change the life of a family and finally a heroic fish who, destined for the Christmas dinner plate wins over his would-be eaters!

For comedy at Christmas try William at Christmas by Richmal Compton or for comedy of a non-christmasy but still very funny type why not pick up Mooneboy: The Fish Detective by Chris O'Dowd and Nick V. Murphy, the hardback has a great front cover cut out feature and the story - well it is just a laugh a page!

A Thousand Nights by E. K, Johnston is a classic re-imagining of the famous 1,001 Arabian Nights story and has been reviewd in Armadillo so I won't go into detail again here suffice to say it is an arresting, clever and unusual read.
Another title already mentioned in our main magazine is Julia Donaldson's What the Ladybird Heard Next with its glorious glittery cover this is a must read for fans of the little ladybird and the wonderful creative imagination of Julia Donaldson and her illustrator Lydia Monks.

From Hot Key and Macmillan not only two charming books but they were in a delightful red envelope complete with snowflakes and a mini candy cane, quite charming.  snowball: The Baby Bigfoot is a delightful addition to The Secret Animal Society series by Ruth Symes and illustrated by Tina Marchington.  The story is perfect for younger readers with its mix of fantasy and reality, the delightful characterisation and the warm appealing story.  Lily and the Christmas Wish by Keris Stainton is a magical Christmas story abut how wishes really can come true, in the most unexpected of ways.  This magical story of mix-ups is a delightful read, perfect for sharing at Christmas and ideal for helping to realise that there are many ways in which wishes can come true - not always for the best ...

To conclude this blog two very Christmasy titles, from Macmillan imprint Campbell books Busy Santa a board book introducing the youngest of readers to the busy time that Santa has every Christmas with plenty of options to 'push, pull and slide' keeping little fingers busy... then The Best Christmas Present Ever by Ben Mantle with its glorious glittery snowy cover and wonderful story of love and friendship at Christmas what could be a better way to round off this Blog?

As always your comments welcomed...

Starting Summer with a Celebration!

I love a summer celebration and there have already been a few with more to come … these have been celebrations of the book launch and party kind, for new books in the meantime however there are also celebrations of old books to note this summer.

Well when I say old, I mean the books are having their anniversaries and as such there are in fact new editions and spin offs to celebrate.

Let us start with Thomas the Tank Engine, he must be everyone’s favourite little engine I am sure and so it is only right that we celebrate 70 years of being able to enjoy his stories with a charming new series of picture books and a wonderful slipcase, hardback edition of the first and absolutely classic title.  This wonderful celebratory edition introduces us to Thomas and friends in a classic story that has withstood the test of time and includes too photographs and sketches that have not been seen before and will delight fans and enthusiasts old and new.

An older book is Alice in Wonderland, which, this summer is celebrating 150 years in print and there have been a wealth of titles published to help the celebrations along.  A Little Folks Edition puts the story into the smallest of hands in a charming hardback edition with wonderful watercolour illustrations.  This miniature was in fact first published by Macmillan in 1907 and at only a sixth of the length of the story is perfect for the youngest reader as an introduction to the story.  Then there is the story with a foreword by Hilary McKay in a charming classic edition from Macmillan Classics, this is a hardback book for collectors to treasure.  The Nursery Alice, first published in 1890 as the very first colour edition has been faithfully reproduced and adapted for the younger reader to enjoy an then for the very youngest there is a board book complete with holes to poke fingers through, sliders and even flaps giving a wonderful interactive feel to the story.  Busy Alice in Wonderland  is a delight!

If all this is not enough to fill your book case then look to Andersen Press who also have an Alice title, this one retold and illustrated by Tony Ross.  The Andersen Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a perfect abridgement of the original story magically retold and stunningly illustrated.

Enter Wonderland

Well I was going to continue the new tradition started in January and write about new books for the month, then it was going to be Valentines read but then a lovely pile of Alice in Wonderland books arrive on my desk so I must tell you about these instead!

2015 is the 150th anniversary of the publication of the book and fans old and new are in for a treat.

But first for some history.  It was 1863 when Charles L. Doodgson met Alexander Macmillan, Macmillan fell in love with Alice and agreed to publish the story.  From 1865 to 1900 there were no less than 9 editions of Alice including revised English editions, French, German and Italian translations too!  The two men continued to be friends too.  Now, 150 years later Macmillan are still publishing Alice.  What you may not know is that Alice was commissioned by them, her iconic blue dress, blond hair and band came from them.

For a very special anniversary comes a very special selection of books, from heritage collectible editions to newly imagined works there is a whole new range featuring something, quite literally, for everyone.

You may know that Alice was inspired by a real life friend of the author and took two and half years to write the story but did you know that it is now one of the most iconic of children's books?

There is Alice In Wonderland the Little Folks edition with its big print and glorious illustrations this is a real treat, a miniature edition, a sixth of the length of the original but every bit as charming if not more.  Sir John Tenniel's colour illustrations, all 32, are a delight and bring the story to life and this book feels extra special because it is from an archive original.  John Tenniel's drawings were originally black and white plates later replaced with colour drawings but by 1911 his eyesight was failing and Macmillan commissioned Harry G. Theaker to complete 16 new plates, these gave Alice her iconic look.  Over the years other illustrators have added to the collection of images creating a wonderful library of prints.

The Little Folks edition is complemented by the equally gorgeous The Nursery Alice which was first published by Macmillan in 1890 and was the first colour edition specially adapted for younger readers,a delightfully simple version of the story for the reader to interact with and pictures to truly engage with, another delight complete with copies of original adverts found int he first book. Enchanting and delightful.

The new paperback Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a charming read, as ever, for those old enough to manage a full book and then for the very youngest reader, not wanting to leave anyone out, Macmillan have produced a very special picture book complete with audio CD which is read by one of the Downton Abbey stars!


Alice in Wonderland Down the Rabbit Hole has the essence of the story simplified into picture book form by Joe Rhatigan and Charles Nurnberg with illustrations by Eric Puybaret.

This is a magical story, a magical version of an enduring classic and another fabulous title from the 150th anniversary collection that would do well to be added to the shelf.  For the very smallest reader the Macmillan imprint Campbell books will include Alice in their Busy series with tabs to pull making Wonderland come to life for its readers.

Anyone wanting to know more about Charles L Dodgson aka Lewis Carroll will not be disappointed either for there will be two titles The Selected Letters of Lewis Carroll: Anniversary Edition is wonderful for enthusiasts and for biography fans a biography by Morton N. Cohen will tick the box.

Need a small gift for family and friends?  Look no further than What Would Alice Do?: Alice's Guide to Life with inspired quotes.

Alice day, Sunday 4th July will be a day of celebrations, there will be events galore and activity packs for libraries, bookshops and schools.  Visit the website www.aliceinwonderland150.com and the Facebook page www.facebook.com/aliceinwonderlandofficialbook

Perhaps the piéce de resistance however is the hardback gift edition, The Complete Alice which you will need to wait until June to get your hands on.  This volume will contain both Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass with some archive material, a foreword by Philip Pullman and illustrations by all the contributors.

In fact the whole collection is a delight, each book different, a new take on the story and a new way to engage with it, so go on, splash out and treat yourself to them all!

Let us know how you plan to celebrate this very special anniversary and send us your pictures too and we will compile a special report to feature them all.