Blog-Block & Back to Basics
I haven’t written a blog post in a while. Usually when I write one, it’s because a topic has popped into my head (or been swirling around my head for a while) but this hasn’t happened now in WEEKS. Maybe because my teaching job has been non-stop, crazy busy (Summer Term is the busiest term, there is no mythical wind-down!). Maybe because home life with 2 kids is non-stop, crazy busy. My head is too full.
Traffic has been significantly down to the website too. Trying to learn all about SEO, organic traffic and keywords. Selling books online is not as simple as my off-on-maternity-leave-exhausted-hormonal-slightly-delusional brain thought it would be. I didn’t think it would be easy at all, don’t get me wrong, but I also didn’t think I would be so stumped about what I am clearly doing wrong in this online world of retail.
So instead of overthinking blogs, I am going back to basics and simply recommending some picture books!
The World seems to be going to Hell in a handcart right now, I want to raise a little activist that can help change the World for the better! What would you recommend?
People Power: Peaceful Protests that Changed the World by Rebecca June & Ximo Abadia
A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara
The Far-Right seems to be popular at the moment, any books on why fascism is not something to vote for?!
This is Dictatorship by Equipo Plantel & Mikel Casal
One Day: A True Story of Courage and Survival in the Holocaust by Michael Rosen & Benjamin Phillips
Our family is definitely not your ‘traditional nuclear’ type! Where can we see ourselves represented?
Note to self: I have realised I need to do better with this category! I am on it!
Mama and Mummy and Me in the Middle by Nina LaCour & Kaylani Juanita
My Daddies! by Gareth Peter & Garry Parsons
We Are All Different: A Celebration of Diversity by Tracey Turner & Asa Gilland
Love Makes a Family by Sophie Beer
I am looking for a book to help discuss the death of a loved one. What would you recommend?
The Bear-Shaped Hole by John Dougherty & Thomas Docherty
Mum's Jumper by Jayde Perkin
If All the World Were by Joseph Coelho & Allison Colpoys
I want a book that will make my kid AND me laugh, what have you got?
Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson & Dan Santat
Simon and Chester: Super Detectives by Cale Atkinson
Goodnight Sun by Eoin McLaughlin & Morag Hood
I stand in solidarity with Palestine and want my children to understand their history and culture more. Where should I start?
Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine by Hannah Moushabeck & Reem Madooh
Sitti's Bird : A Gaza Story by Malak Mattar
We Are Palestinian : A Celebration of Culture and Tradition by Reem Kassis & Noha Eilouti
A Map for Falasteen : A Palestinian Child’s Search for Home by Maysa Odeh &Aliaa
New baby gift needed asap!
If You Come To Earth by Sophie Blackall;
Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers;
Sing With Your Baby Every Day: 30 Songs and Nursery Rhymes to Sing Along To by Claire Grace & Chloe Giordano
Your LIfe On Earth: A Record Book For New Humans by Oliver Jeffers
I am a Baby by Bob Shea
Eeeek, we are pregnant with number 2 and worried our OG baby is going to feel pushed out! Anything that shows them this isn’t true!
You Were the First by Patricia MacLachlan & Stephanie Graegin
The New Small Person by Lauren Child
My child has just been identified as having dyslexia and feeling a bit low about it, are there any books that could help show them dyslexia doesn’t have to hold them back?
Wiggling Words by Kate Rolfe
Xtraordinary People: Unlock your extraordinary Dyslexic Thinking Skills by Kate Griggs
I have a princess obsessed kid, but fed up with the traditional patriarchal tales of meeting a prince and getting married after one kiss! I want to see some strong, independent princess role-models!
A Damsel Not In Distress by Bethan Stevens
Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood & Meg Hunt
I don’t have kids, I just love beautiful picture books. What would you suggest?
Flashlight by Lizi Boyd
The Walk of the Field Mouse by Nadine Robert & Valerio Vidali
We Are Definitely Human by X Fang
The Search for Carmella by Chloe Savage
Who’s Afraid of the Light? by Anna McGregor
At Home in a Book by Lauren O'Hara
There’s actually too many so I’m physically stopping myself writing anymore now!
From Gandhi to Rosa Parks, the Arab Spring to Black Lives Matter, this introduction to the power of protests covers nearly every continent to show young readers that they can be effective on their own or as part of a movement. Filled with colorful, detailed illustrations and straightforward, engaging texts, this book uses double-page spreads to tell the story of world-changing moments when justice prevailed over intolerance, and peace overcame conflict. Neither preachy nor pedantic, the text offers clear-eyed information in a way that kids can relate to, helping them understand issues that they are probably already aware of, such as climate change, and introducing them to events which happened decades ago or worlds away.
Throughout this optimistic and hopeful book, the message is clear-peaceful protest can effect change, and everyone's voice matters.
From Gandhi to Rosa Parks, the Arab Spring to Black Lives Matter, this introduction to the power of protests covers nearly every continent to show young readers that they can be effective on their own or as part of a movement. Filled with colorful, detailed illustrations and straightforward, engaging texts, this book uses double-page spreads to tell the story of world-changing moments when justice prevailed over intolerance, and peace overcame conflict. Neither preachy nor pedantic, the text offers clear-eyed information in a way that kids can relate to, helping them understand issues that they are probably already aware of, such as climate change, and introducing them to events which happened decades ago or worlds away.
Throughout this optimistic and hopeful book, the message is clear-peaceful protest can effect change, and everyone's voice matters.
Key Themes:History; War; Holocaust
Click here to see more inside the book on Benjamin Phillips’ Instagram
A poignant and ultimately uplifting picture book based on a true story of an escape from a convoy to Auschwitz.
“Get through one day and then on to the next. One day at a time. One day after another.”
Eugène Handschuh was a Jewish member of the Resistance in occupied Paris. After he was captured by the Nazis, he was placed on a convoy to Auschwitz. Against all the odds, with the help of strangers and fellow members of the Resistance, Eugène and his father escaped the convoy and survived – when so many others did not. Former Children's Laureate Michael Rosen was inspired to tell this story after discovering his father’s uncle and aunt were on the same convoy as Eugène, but never returned. With powerful illustrations from Benjamin Phillips, whose work has been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Illustration, this sensitive true-story picture book reminds us of the best of people, in the worst of times.
A little girl stays home with Mama when Mummy goes off on a work trip in this tender, inviting story that will resonate with every child who has missed a parent. For one little girl, there’s no place she’d rather be than sitting between Mama and Mummy. So when Mummy goes away on a work trip, it’s tricky to find a good place at the table.
As the days go by, Mama brings her to the library, they watch films, and all of them talk on the phone, but she still misses Mummy as deep as the ocean and as high as an astronaut up in the stars. As they pass by a beautiful garden, the girl has an idea ... but when Mummy finally comes home, it takes a minute to shake off the empty feeling she felt all week before leaning in for a kiss.
Michael L. Printz Award winner Nina LaCour thoughtfully renders a familiar, touching story of a child who misses a parent, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita, whose distinctive style brings charm and playfulness to this delightful family of three.
There are BILLIONS of wonderful ways to be human - as many ways as there are people on planet Earth. We Are All Different is an inspiring celebration of the fact that all of us are individuals, and has been created in conjunction with several Inclusive Minds Inclusion Ambassadors. This vibrant, inclusive book introduces us to a cast of children who have different abilities and disabilities, likes and dislikes; who come from different places and have different cultures and ethnicities; and who have different family structures and gender identities.
It reinforces that everyone has something to offer, that diversity enriches our lives, and it also considers what all human beings have in common - that there is more that unites us than divides us. The book tackles the subject with warmth and humour, including speech bubbles and quotes from real children. The illustrations by Swedish illustrator Åsa Gilland are full of character and charm
Key themes: Grief; loss; emotions
If Mum has gone, how do you carry on? Missing her feels like a dark cloud that follows you around,or like swimming to a shore that never comes any nearer.
But memories are like a jumper that you can cuddle and wear. And Mum's jumper might be a way to keep her close. A simple, heartfelt and ultimately uplifting bookfor anyone coping with loss.
Key themes: humour for all the family
A laugh-out-loud picture book all about fish and how we absolutely must not trust them, illustrated by New York Times bestseller and Caldecott Medal-winning Dan Santat. Have you ever noticed that fish spend all of their time under water? What are they plotting down there? And did you know that a group of fish is called a ‘school’? Exactly what are they learning in these ‘schools’? We must find answers. But one thing’s for sure.
Whatever you do: Don’t. Trust. Fish.
Laugh along as you learn lots of fishy facts from a very suspicious narrator, who believes that there’s something more than a bit fishy about fish… Prepare to laugh, learn, and maybe even look at your pet goldfish a little differently. With deadpan humour from celebrated Irish author and playwright Neil Sharpson that will be loved by children and grown-ups alike.
A sensitive and heart warming story of how a little girl in Gaza finds strength and hope through her painting. Sitti's Bird is a unique children’s picture book, written and illustrated by Palestinian artist, Malak Mattar, reflecting her experiences of childhood in Palestine.
Malak is a little girl who lives in Gaza with her parents. She goes to school, plays in the ocean, and visits Sitti’s house on Fridays. One day while she is in school, bombings begin. She spends the next 50 days at home with her parents worrying and feeling scared, until one day she picks up her paintbrush …
Sitti’s Bird: A Gaza Story is a unique children’s picture book, written and illustrated by Palestinian artist, Malak Mattar. Reflecting her experiences of childhood in occupied Palestine, Malak’s story brings warmth and wonder to children as it tells of her rebirth as an artist during the 2014 airstrikes on Gaza. It is the story of a young girl whose love for her family and discovery of art help her channel her fears and overcome traumas that few of us can imagine―traumas shared by countless children in Gaza and around the world.
From two-time Caldecott Winner author-illustrator Sophie Blackall!If You Come to Earth is a glorious guide to our home planet, and a call for us to take care of both Earth and each other. This stunning book is inspired by the thousands of children Sophie Blackall has met during her travels around the world in support of UNICEF and Save the Children.
An engaging storybook about a single curious and imaginative child
Simultaneously funny and touching.
Carries a clear message about the need to care for the earth and each other
If you come to Earth, there are a few things you need to know. . . We live in all kinds of places. In all kinds of homes. In all kinds of families. Each of us is different. But all of us are amazing. And, together, we share one beautiful planet.
This masterful and moving picture book is a visually comprehensive guide to the earth, imbued with warmth and humour.
One day there may be a second - Or a third - To sleep in the basket with the yellow ribbon wound round. But you will always be the first. This sweetly sentimental picture book helps parents remind firstborn children that they will always be cherished (even if, and when, a new baby arrives). That child will always have been the first to crawl, the first to sing, the first to light up mum and dad's eyes with wonder and joy.
Children love to hear stories about what they were like when they were born but this is also a perfect answer when welcoming a new baby, offering older siblings tender reassurance that they will always be treasured. For families with only one child, the book celebrates why that one and only is so precious. Renowned author Patricia Maclachlan, who won a Newbery Medal for Sarah, Plain and Tall, weaves a beautiful story that is both comforting for children and sweetly reminiscent for parents and grandparents.
Drawing inspiration from walks through her own neighborhood in Brooklyn, Stephanie Graegin offers illustrations that are refreshingly modern and timeless for families of all kinds.
Key themes: Dyslexia; neurodiversity; confidence building
Click here to see more images on Kate Rolfe’s Instagram
From the creator of the Waterstones Prize-shortlisted Wolf and Bear, an inspiring story about a child lost in a forest of letters. The perfect book to share with children with dyslexia and other neurodivergence to encourage problem-solving and build confidence. Verbs, also known as action words, can be pesky things to master and nobody understands the struggle better than the young child in Wiggling Words.
Skip, trip, fumble and fall with them as they discover that even though words can be tricky, they can be fun too! Written and illustrated by Kate Rolfe, winner of the prestigious V&A Student Illustrator of the Year and Macmillan Prize for Illustration runner-up.
Previous Book of the Month (January)
Key Themes: Gender stereotypes; Fairytale with a twist
See more images on our Instagram page here
This clever and funny inversion on a classic fairytale from award-winning author Bethan Stevens tells the laugh-out-loud story of a damsel who does not need saving! Once upon a time, hidden deep in a valley in a magical land far away, there was a very tall tower. And trapped at the very top of that very tall tower there was a damsel . . .In distress! The only problem is, the damsel is not in distress. She keeps telling the narrator that she's perfectly fine.
The "terrifying beasts" in the moat are a family of ducklings. The "prickly brambles" are her rose garden. And the "wicked old witch" is actually her grandma! But the narrator just won't listen.
When a scary, fire-breathing dragon comes to visit, it's up to the damsel to take charge of her story and save the day for everyone. Characterful illustrations transport readers to the magical world of the damsel's kingdom, and easy to read text is perfect for young readers. This funny follow-up to the prize-winning Grumpy Fairies is perfect for any young damsel (or prince charming) who wants to be the hero of their own story.
Inside a tent it's cozy. But what is going on outside? Is it dark? Is it scary? Not if you have your trusty flashlight! Told solely through images and using a spare yet dramatic palette, artist Lizi Boyd has crafted a masterful exploration of night, nature, and art. Both lyrical and humorous, this visual poem-like the flashlight beam itself-reveals that there is magic in the darkness.
We just have to look for it.
Key themes: Literary Children’s Classics; illustration; nostalgic
Click here to see more inside the book on the O’Hara Sisters Instagram page
Step inside the worlds of classic children's books, look through the contents of Sherlock’s deducting bag and pore over the map of Neverland. Illustration star Lauren O'Hara brings the world of nine classic children's books to life - letting you step into iconic houses and explore their stories. The perfect gift for literary lovers and bookworms-to-be, each book is illustrated with an immersive cutaway illustration; you can look inside each room, see characters and pore over details.
Featuring Alice in Wonderland, Anne of Green Gables, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Wizard of Oz, Heidi, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, A Little Princess, Little Women and Peter Pan and Wendy. Perfect to introduce young readers to childhood classics books, while bringing literary worlds to life for avid bookworms.
A stunning book about wonder, bravery, and the freedom to pursue your curiosity from the author-illustrator of The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish. Ever since Dr Rose was a little girl paddling in rock pools, she has always loved the sea and exploring the weird and wonderful creatures living there. Now, as a marine biologist, Dr Rose is in search of a sea creature rumoured to reside within its hidden depths; one that many speak of, but no one has ever seen – Carmella.
With her team of scientists and explorers, she will descend to the unfathomable dark of the deep ocean in a slick submersible, to discover the incredible, and almost unbelievable, creatures that inhabit a nearly pitch-black world.
Key Themes: activism; equality; human rights; board book
Click here for more images of the book
“Reading it is almost like reading Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, but for two-year olds—full of pictures and rhymes and a little cat to find on every page that will delight the curious toddler and parents alike.”—Occupy Wall Street
A is for Activist is an ABC board book written and illustrated for the next generation of progressives: families who want their kids to grow up in a space that is unapologetic about activism, environmental justice, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, and everything else that activists believe in and fight for. The alliteration, rhyming, and vibrant illustrations make the book exciting for children, while the issues it brings up resonate with their parents' values of community, equality, and justice. This engaging little book carries huge messages as it inspires hope for the future, and calls children to action while teaching them a love for books.
A necessary and educational narrative non-fiction book for children that embraces the superpowers that dyslexic thinking brings. Xtraordinary People highlights how children's differences can help them go wherever they want to in life. This book for children of all ages is perfect for spotting dyslexic strengths in every dyslexic child - and helping them to discover their incredible Dyslexic Thinking.
This educational book on dyslexia for children features: Information that demonstrates that dyslexia is a superpower, with many exciting choices and paths available for dyslexic thinkers. Material that empowers children to embrace their differences and helps them to understand what dyslexia is. Content written by Kate Griggs, who is dyslexic herself and the founder of the Dyslexic Thinking movement and charity, Made By Dyslexia.
Dyslexic herself, author Kate Griggs dedicates her life to teaching the world about dyslexic thinking. This book is crafted with love and science, and helps dyslexic children feel seen, with quotes from famous names with dyslexia, such as Kiera Knightley, Princess Beatrice and Richard Branson. Xtraordinary People shifts the narrative on dyslexia and educates people on its strengths.
It's a needed hug for dyslexic children everywhere.
A cheeky bedtime book, bursting with colour, from twice-UKLA WINNING illustrator Morag Hood and bestselling author of The Hug, Eoin McLaughlin. Cheeky sun won't go to bed! He'll find any excuse to stay up . .. painting rainbows, drinking the sea, hiding behind mountains . .. but even the sun must go to bed . .. A vibrant, eye-catching, energetic picture book in Morag Hood's signature style. A great bedtime read which gives children a good giggle, and encourages them to go to sleep!
Key themes: Kindness; family life; tolerance; looking after each other and our wee planet earth
Click here for more images
Well, hello. And welcome to this Planet. We call it Earth. Our world can be a bewildering place, especially if you’ve only just got here. Your head will be filled with questions, so let’s explore what makes our planet and how we live on it.
From land and sky, to people and time, these notes can be your guide and start you on your journey. And you’ll figure lots of things out for yourself. Just remember to leave notes for everyone else! Some things about our planet are pretty complicated, but things can be simple, too: you’ve just got to be kind.
Here We Are is the utterly heartfelt book from Oliver Jeffers. We’re glad you found it.
An optimistic snapshot of contemporary life, this heartfelt hug of a book ought to become a classic - The Guardian
#1 New York Times Bestseller and #1 TIME Best Book of the Year for 2017! The exquisite and thought-provoking book from the multi award-winning, internationally best-selling picture book creator of Lost and Found, Oliver Jeffers.