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Find out moreActivity books are a great way to keep kids entertained. Pack one of these activity or puzzle books for your next long journey. To help you choose, download an extract and you can order the book too!
August 2021 Book of the Month | Edie is still grieving for her mother, killed a year earlier in a horrible accident, when she discovers a secret note her mother left for her. It states that the ‘accident’ was anything but, and that this is the first in a trail of clues she has left for her daughter, explaining what it was she was investigating, and why it got her killed. The tension heightens as Edie solves the clues, putting herself in more and more danger. The people who arranged her mother’s murder are utterly ruthless while Edie has very few she can turn to for help. Anthony Kessel handles plot and character well and this DIY detective story will appeal to fans of Holly Jackson and Sophie McKenzie. NB, there’s one particularly violent scene that some readers might find upsetting.
Can a wombat offer us life lessons on kindness? Can we possibly learn bravery from the meekest of hedgehogs? The answers to these questions and many others can be found in the pages of this remarkable, beautifully-illustrated book, as we look to the natural world to show us humans the way. Roar Like a Lion is full of advice from the animal kingdom, from the plucky platypus to the welcoming wombat, the perceptive pigeon to the cheerful chimpanzee. Carlie’s writing is effortlessly engaging and inspiring, and Katie’s stylish colour illustrations complete a stunning package that can make a real difference in children’s lives. Roar Like a Lion sparkles with wit, wisdom and warmth.
Shortlisted for the CLiPPA (CLPE Children’s Poetry Award) 2021 | A collection of new nursery rhymes, this is a book for parents and adults to share with the very youngest to spark a lifelong love of poetry. The judges call it a perfect post-lockdown book, allowing adults and small children to connect and share poems. It’s beautifully presented and perfectly illustrated.
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month September 2021 | For all those who are already fans of Roald’s Dahl’s awesome stories and for newcomers to them, this is a splendid introduction to some of the favourite characters and the most dramatic, hilarious, spinechilling and adventuresome stories that are his storytelling legacy. Following a brief account of Roald Dahl’s childhood and his famous writing shed, 15 of his top titles are cleverly explored through their main characters and the key features of the stories. There is James and his extraordinary crew from the awesome travelling peach in James and the Giant Peach; the delightful Charlie Bucket whose winning ticket takes him to Mr Wonka’s astonishing chocolate factory and a heap of adventures with some less lovely children including Veruca Salt and Augustus Gloop; the delightful Danny and his father and some fabulous pheasant poaching plots and the truly horrible Mr and Mrs Twit who have a whole book to themselves. The battle between Matilda and the awful Miss Trunchbull, the BFG’s encounter with the Queen and the utterly terrifying Witches – all of these and more are brought to life in these brief retellings which make clever use of letters, recipes and newspaper clippings. As in the originals, all are fabulously illustrated by Quentin Blake. The inclusion of an activity pack adds an interactive element to the book and enhances enjoyment of it.
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month August 2021 | The perfect book for everyone to join in! Each of the beautifully illustrated double-page spreads introduces one of 12 animals or birds describing the special noises they make – and the very different reasons they make them. When humpback whales want to call to their whale friends they sing long and low through the water but when a lion roars his fearsome roar he is boasting just how strong his is! When an owl hoots its distinctive hoot he’s telling other owls to stay away from his special tree while a gibbon, swinging through the trees, often calls out loudly to tell his friends to come and share the fruit he has found. Join each of these creatures – and more – by following the fun and engaging illustrations on every spread. Soon readers and listeners will be whooping and whinnying and hissing and squeaking just like the characters in the pictures!
Test your football knowledge with hundreds of funny and fascinating questions about your favourite players and competitions, plus enjoy a variety of other on-the-page activities. Find out more about the Football Superstars, an entertaining and informative series of biographies charting the success of some of our best known and admired global football players.
August 2021 Book of the Month | Written by an expert in dog training – Steve Mann is recognised all over the world for his expertise, he is also the author of the UKs leading dog training manual for adults. As you would expect from an author with such a pedigree this book is filled with useful information. Presented in short clear sections, with lots of cartoonlike illustrations, the book will not overpower any young dog owner, but sets out in a logical manner the how and why of dog (and human) behaviour – so that dog and handler are both comfortable, relaxed and learning. The book covers all the essential exercises for good dog ownership, how to read the dog’s body language (and how dogs read ours), clear instructions, as well as lots of fun activities and even some quizzes. An excellent choice for any young dog owner (and even some not so young ones!). The LoveReading LitFest invited Steve to the festival to talk about his awesome new book & to share a few dog training tips! You can view the event by subscribing to the LitFest programme for as little as £6 per month - or you can pay per view. For just £2, go, get some top tips from Steve and find out why every dog owner should read this book! Check out a preview of the event here.
This lushly illustrated, full colour activity book is packed withfacts about every inch of this Sceptred Isle, and a kaleidoscope of 50 activities including colouring, puzzles, quizzes, and more. Bite-sized information and awesome facts about the UK are scattered throughout, with 50 fun activities to get stuck into.
50 True Stories of Football's Greatest Sides | If you like football, you’ll love the Football School series of books by Alex Bellos and Ben Lytttleton and this latest, Terrific Teams is another winner! As England falls deeper in love with the national team, Terrific Teams introduces 50 other great sides, from across the world and different eras, and explains just what made them so good. As a Red, I turned immediately to page 112, to read about the rebirth of Liverpool under the great Bill Shankley and how he developed their winning strategy not in the office, but in the tiny boot room under the main stand. It’s a fun fact, but it tells you a lot. The previous entry is tiny Lewes, saved from bankruptcy in 2010 with the introduction of an inspired share ownership scheme which means there are 1,500 owners; while the entry after Liverpool, is Lyon Women, a trophy-winning machine whose former players include Megan Rapinoe, Lucy Bronze and Dzsenifer Marozsán. This is a fantastic way of examining the variety of the beautiful game, its appeal and the players and fans who make it so special. Unbeatable!
Hooray for books like this that encourage children to reuse and recycle, and turn stuff heading for the bin into something else altogether. Like the other books in this excellent series, it’s full of information and things to do, presented in a friendly and accessible way with step-by-step instructions and lots of photos. The ‘old jumper to beanie’ and tin can nightlight will be favourites in many houses but there’s lots to appeal and, best of all, everything can be re-recycled afterwards so that nothing goes to landfill. Guaranteed to keep children occupied and happy and to get them thinking about how we live and how much we throw away too.
Inspired by Bake Off or Masterchef but don’t know where to start? This is the book for you! Equal parts information and inspiration, it’s full of recipes kids can do easily, whether tasty snacks for film-night or an entire dinner. It explains techniques and runs through a safety checklist, then encourages kids to get cooking. The recipes are created by Helen Burgess of Little Cooks Co. and just the right level for the age group, while for extra fun there are related games and activities to do while the food is cooking or cooling, all designed to pass on more information. With colour photos and bright, lively design, the pages look good enough to eat and this is bound to whet the appetite of junior chefs.
With this book, you’ll have everything you need to explore the universe, and from the comfort of your own home. It’s full of information on the planets, stars and constellations, together with practical learning activities that can be done in the back garden or your bedroom, from how to make an astronomical torch, to how to take a star trail photo, to how to explore gravity with the help of marbles. You can use the book as a journal, recording your findings as you go, while regular ‘did you know?’ boxes add to the sense of excitement and discover. The design is bright and appealing, with colour photos scattered throughout too, and this is accessible, stimulating and lots of fun.
May 2021 Book of the Month | With 50 different activities to try out in this book, there’s really no excuse for not getting active. Its message is that wherever you are, you can get moving, and it makes it sound really tempting. After explaining why it’s important to get active, it lists things to do and how to do them, whether that’s trying the long jump to building an indoor obstacle course. The instructions are clear and fun, with charts and photos to make it even more appealing and easy to follow, and you can record your activities as you go on write-in charts. Little ‘Did you know?’ boxes pass on fascinating facts and there extra tips scattered throughout too. Bright, colourful, lots of fun, this is certain to get everyone on their feet.
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