A Non Fiction Celebration

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.

Three ~ Not of A Kind!

Armadillo reviewer and avid reader Bridget Carrington gives us a taste of three very different but equally excellent titles for the week ahead...

Swarm: Operation Sting

It’s a race against time for SWARM to locate and retrieve a dangerous weapon before the thieves crack the encryption code protecting it… but just who are SWARM? The clue’s in the title of this new series by Simon Cheshire – they’re robotic insects used by the Secret Intelligence Agency to outwit villains. They may be robots, but they can squabble and moan just like us, but when things become serious they maximise their individual talents (or talons…) and act together to support each other. Packed with detail, easy-to-read, and accompanied by trading cards detailing the skills of each member of SWARM, this is a highly enticing series, particularly for boys who prefer games to books. Fans of Saxby Smart and Jeremy Brown stories will recognise the style, which Cheshire describes as ‘action packed comedy’, and look forward eagerly to the forthcoming titles in the series.

The Kingdom of Beautiful Colours

A collection of seven folk tales by Isabel Wyatt, a twentieth-century teacher, storyteller and collector of stories, which she retold in numerous books to resonate with the Rudolf Steiner philosophy in Waldorf schooling. Steiner’s views on education are a million miles from those of Michael Gove (for a start Steiner’s ideas reflected his observation of how children learn, and what makes a rounded human being…), and Wyatt’s stories add much to this enrichment, filled with a corresponding morality, wonder and beauty. This is just one of the new inexpensive Floris republications of Wyatt’s stories, and I would urge readers to seek out the other six volumes.

Scarlet Ibis

Gill Lewis is a vet, and her three earlier novels have resulted from her passion about practical conservation. She doesn’t just concentrate on the animals though, she is equally concerned about the humans who must interact with the animals, and in her latest book she looks at what the natural world can do for vulnerable humans. Scarlet looks after her severely depressed mother, and her autistic-spectrum brother Red, and she’s desperate to evade the intervention of their social worker. Red’s deeply focussed life revolves around his collection of bird feathers, and the baby pigeon on his windowsill.  When the family gets split up following a fire in their flat Scarlet has a plan to prevent her brother being taken into care, a plan which has a far-reaching effect. In this powerful novel infused with respect and empathy, Lewis highlights the plight of those who are old, homeless, mentally ill or just different from us, people who at best we often fail to understand and help, and at worst deride and bully. 

We'd love to know what you think after you have read any or all of these books so do leave us your comments ...

Back for Good (the good of books)

Dear all,
Faithful followers I know you have missed this Blog and I have missed making my contributions to it but I do hope in the interim you have been enjoying the magazine.

I have not been idle these last few months and this may be part of the reason that you have not seen me here, but I have plenty of posts to contribute and will be updating this Blog every Wednesday from now on, so please, as they say, watch this space, come back into the fold and enjoy some great Blogs on some even greater books!

To begin ... an explosion for an explosive day ... (contributed by Simon Barrett)

Itchingham Lofte: the explosive adventures of an element hunter

Itchingham Lofte is an element hunter.  He collects the elements on the periodic table, possessing a totally obsessive and near encyclopedic knowledge of them.  Impossibly Itch finds a new element, number 126.  It is hot, radioactively hot.  Suddenly Itch attracts a lot of unwelcomed attention.

So far there are three adventures in the element hunter series: Itch, Itch Rocks and Itch Craft.  It seems impossible that the story can continue and the stakes can get any higher.  Bruised, battered and near to death on more than one occasion, Itch and his cousin Jack, manage to keep outwitting rogue corporations and corrupt governments.  As Kirsten, an assigned M15 operative says, ‘I’m glad the kid is on our side’.  Inevitably his family and friends get dragged into a spiraling deadly situation, fuelled by Itch’s commitment to do the right thing and his enemies desire for revenge.

Itch’s nemesis is his old science teacher Dr Flowerdew.  Flowerdew’s menace extends out of the classroom and goes global as he uses his contacts and money in the oil business to try and steal element 126 and in villainous Bond-style exact a suitable death upon Itch and his friends.  In turn Itch must use his knowledge of science to escape and finally bring Flowerdew down.  Flowerdew however is ruthless and simply refuses to die.

Above all Simon Mayo is a terrific storyteller.  The adventures are impossible to put down as each chapter spurns you into reading the next.  Each book is packed with action as Itch travels around the world hounded by the mafia, corporate goons, government secret agents and outlaws.  There is suspense and hints surreptitiously placed in the book, teasing the reader to pre-empt what will happen next.  Itch, his family and friends are great characters, showing great grit and courage.  Sadly not all of them will survive.

Moreover the books have a really cool marketing concept.  If you download the app and point your device to the front cover of each book, the front cover comes to life and starts a book trailer.

The element hunter adventures have been the hit books of the summer for me.  I’m glad I could review the books after the final adventure, Itch Craft, had been released as I don’t think I would have had the patience to wait for them to be published.  If you haven’t done so already, start reading about the discovery of Lofteium, element 126.

2014 Blog 1 ...

After a considerable absence of 2 months I am happy to say that service is being resumed and for the first Blog of 2014 Armadillo reviewer Bridget Carrington shares a few (very honest) thoughts on a couple of books she has been kindly reading and reviewing recently...

Tiny Twisted Tales

Last January I blogged a piece about Stuart Reid’s Gorgeous George series, which I thought was better suited to an animated film than to print – not least because of the many typos. Further GG stories have confirmed my opinion…  The GG books are illustrated (well) by Calvin Innes, who has now written and illustrated two brief stories in verse, Pale Henry and Jenny in a series he calls ‘Tiny Twisted Tales’. Again, the illustrations are the best bit.

Glenmore Valley

This new series from the noted Irish publishers O’Brien is produced in collaboration with the Irish Farmers Journal, and are written by Anna McQuinn with illustrations from Paul Young. The two titles so far available are utterly delightful. Colm’s Lambs introduces us to the village, the farms and the characters who will appear in the stories, and gives readers a good insight to the realities of lambing, while A Rosette for Maeve? follows another farmer’s daughter, Lisa, as she prepares her prize calf for a show. Aimed at older KS1 and lower KS2 readers, well-illustrated, funny and sad at times, these short novels don’t glamorize farming but perfectly express the hard work and enjoyment which farm life offers. They also offer an insight to Irish life, on and off the farm.  Brilliant!

Yet more Tales from Lovecraft Middle School

I’ve just received another volume in Charles Gilman’s excellent ‘Tales from Lovecraft Middle School’ series (see the February Blog).  Intriguingly titles Creature it comes in the splendid holographic cover. Can’t wait to read it!

Comic Book Capers for Key Stage 1

Bridget Carrington reports for Armadillo on some innovative new titles for Key Stage 1 readers...

New from American publisher Blue Apple Books come two Balloon Toons titles aimed at Key Stage 1 readers. Combining simple(ish) text and typical zany cartoon strip set out and characters, they are aimed at early readers, and offer more zany humour than is often found in books for this age group. Their hard covers also give them a feeling of importance which will attract new readers.

My Friend Fred the Plant (Daniel Cleary and Kanako Usui) is a funny but gentle look at friendship, imaginary friends, and learning to understand others. A cat (in a hat) has a pet plant. He takes it out for a walk on a small wagon and meets another cat (on a skateboard and wearing a helmet) who scoffs at him, and words like ‘weird’ and ‘jealous’ are  exchanged.  Skateboard cat is left in charge of Fred while hat cat goes to get some water, and winds up caring for it as if it were his best friend! Clear, bright, funny illustrations add immeasurably to the very simple but punchy text.

The Radically Awesome Adventures of the Animal Princess is only one of several Balloon Toons titles written and illustrated by Pranas T. Naujokaitis. Three separate stories about the enterprising Princess show us how she rescues her royal parents from a Tri-wizard (don’t ask), overcomes the attack of the Rainy Day Cupcake Monster (a delicious tale), and earns enough money to purchase a Super-max Hoverboard 3000 by undertaking the Dragon’s Quests. There’s a secret to the Princess’s name, and her awesome powers, and it’s all to do with her pyjamas.  The Dragon’s ‘quests’ are great, and may well give adults some ideas to encourage youngsters to help out with the household chores!

Altogether this is a splendid series, offering cool reading for new readers, and for those who prefer their words extra well supported by humour-laden cartoon strips.

Picture book bears with Lucy Coats

A brand new picture book from the lovely Lucy Coats Bears Best Friend, was published on Thursday 14th March.

I spoke to Lucy about her book and the full interview can be found in the Spring Edition of Armadillo Magazine along with a review of the book too - here is a taster to whet your appetite and a question for you too!

Lucy, you are taking the theme of Bears, obviously, for your story.  What made you choose a bear and why do you think the bear is such a popular character for children’s fiction? Bears have always held a fascination for me as an adult - especially since I came in contact with real ones in the wild when I was staying in Colorado.  As for this particular book, my wonderful illustrator, Sarah Dyer,  showed me an adorable Bear with snipping scissors in her sketch book, and the story idea just came from that. 

I suppose the whole bears-in-children's-fiction thing really took off after the advent of Teddy Bears in the early years of the twentieth century.  Before that there had been bears in folk tales, obviously, (Goldilocks, East of the Sun, West of the Moon etc), but as more and more children had bears as fluffy toys, I think they became less wild and scary and more of a ubiquitous symbol for a kind of friendly, cuddly bedtime comfort which has translated well into bearish picture book characters for younger readers ever since. 

How long, from developing the idea, did it actually take you to write a story with which you were happy?  With this book, it was quite quick from development to a text my agent and I were happy to send out to a publisher - say a month or so.  Then there were the publisher's edits, which fine-tuned it into its current form.  But every picture book is different. Some you have to wrestle with for months, some only come right after they've lain in the bottom drawer for years and then they appear in a totally different form to the one you first imagined.

If you could create a named bear character what name would you give your bear and why?  The bear I take round to schools with me happens to be called Podge, and he belongs to my daughter. I've no idea why he's called that, except that he is fairly rotund around the middle. I should probably be picking a noble name, like Arcturus, but nope. Podge it is. It's a comfortable sort of name for a bear.  I should like to write a story about him one day - I expect one will come knocking eventually.

Who is your favourite literary bear and why?  But there are so many wonderful literary bears!  How can I pick just one?  Pooh Bear (the real one, NOT Disney's version) was an integral part of my childhood - so he'd be one, and then the icy Bear Prince from East of the Sun, West of the Moon would be another. I love the enquiring, ever innocent, slightly clumsy Pooh for his eternal optimism, love of hunny, and for his bravery in the matter of Heffalumps and Woozles. He is the perfect best friend for Piglet, and I love that generosity of spirit in him too.  The Bear Prince is another matter entirely - wild and free, and yet sad and noble. He'd probably be who my adult heart picked, especially having just read Jackie Morris's brilliant modern re-imagining of him.

I must admit to have a number of them – Alexander is big chief, then I have Albert and an unnamed one too!  Do you have a cuddly bear at home and if so what is his name?  My own beloved childhood teddy - Panda - was stolen by an errant dog and buried in the garden.  My mother never let me see the 'remains', and I still mourn her passing.  I've passed most of my other bears on to my children, all except for Edward, who is a large Steiff bear with worn ears and paws.  He still smells faintly of woodsmoke and home, even after all these years.

Finally, for children who do find story writing challenging do you have any useful tips?  First of all, I'd say, "Read read read read! Ask yourself what you like about your favourite stories.  What are the most exciting bits? What did the author do with the words to make you feel like that?" 

Then I'd say, "Ask yourself 'What if...'. Start off by imagining something extraordinary in your ordinary life. 'What if a giant came to my school? Is he a good giant? Is he an evil giant? Is he confused? Clumsy? What would happen if he nearly stepped on a classroom? My best friend? Me? Would I be brave? Would I be the hero? Would someone else be the hero? My teacher? Someone unexpected? Someone who's always been very quiet?'" 

Practice by making stories up in your head.  Let's say you're on a bus. Listen to the conversations around you. Look at passers-by. That man driving the digger - is he an alien? That lady discussing what she had for lunch - has she eaten a magic lettuce leaf which will make her hair grow down to her ankles? That kid with the dog - is he an orphan on an adventure, or is he part of a big noisy family with a mad uncle in the attic? Let yourself daydream - some of the best story ideas come up to the surface when you're daydreaming.

Most of all, though, don't try to force a story, and have fun writing it!

Now a question for you - my readers - do you have a favourite childhood bear and what is its name?  

Win a signed copy of Bear's Best Friend ...