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Find out moreDavid Dean is a full-time illustrator who travels the world from the comfort of his own studio. He paints in a room surrounded by books from many different cultures, which inspire his exotic and colourful work. In his spare time, David enjoys walking and taking photographs of the countryside near his house in Cheshire.
Innovative and inclusive, The Barefoot Book of Children empowers young readers to learn about the different lives of children around the globe. Whilst being gently encouraged to ponder their own place in the world - the sights and sounds, the place they live - this beautifully illustrated book takes them on a journey to other children throughout the world inviting comparisons and further thoughts about differences. This is a wonderful celebration of all the things that make us unique and different, yet expresses how each individual is just the same in their hopes, fears and dreams and the fact that they all have a story to share. This is a very important book to share with children and perfect for raising a gentle discussion about diversity. ~ Shelley Fallows A Piece of Passion from the Publisher: You’re a part of the world, and a world all your own. That’s the one fact that The Barefoot Book of Children co-author Kate DePalma wants to pass on to her young daughter ? and the idea that sparked Children. Co-authors DePalma and Tessa Strickland penned the book’s simple, poetic text over the course of a few spring days in Oxford. To ensure that the text and illustrations would be as sensitive as possible, the co-authors then consulted with an entire team of specialists, including a child development expert and the diversity specialists at Inclusive Minds. They were also delighted to commission David Dean, the illustrator of the bestselling Barefoot Books World Atlas, knowing that he’d do the meticulous research the project required. The result - DePalma and Strickland’s beautiful book will pass on incredible wisdom to children everywhere - children who, one day, may build a better, kinder world. To order direct through Barefoot Books please click here.
Interest Age 5-8 They always say a man's best friend is his dog and in this beautiful, heartwarming story set in Africa about a young boy and his yearning for a pet dog. When Timo brings home an injured dog he cares for it as if his life depends on it and eventually he persuades his mother that he can keep it. Animal stories are always realy favourites' for kids but this one will stick long in the memory of those who read it. It's written by the international bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith who is probably best known for his No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels. About the Little Gems series: Little Gems are in a gorgeous new chunky format, with high-spec production including coloured endpapers and jacketed flaps with activities. Additional features include high quality cream paper, Barrington Stoke font and illustrations on every page. They are perfect for 5-8's. These quality stories promote good reading practice for all newly independent readers.
This is a visually stunning Atlas - more so than any we've seen before. Kids will embark on a mind-expanding journey across the planet with pull-out maps, fact-filled booklets and fold-outs on most pages. It's a book that can be viewed and read on a number of different levels to suit different ages of child and has a strong sense of purpose in that it focuses on the ideas and initiatives that might possibly help to create a sustainable future. Very much an atlas for children for the twenty-first century, it also has a fully integrated iPad App specially engineered to take advantage of the stunning new Retina display and quad-core graphics on an iPad. It is the Barefoot World Atlas - Touch Press" available from the App Store. The TV presenter and Earth enthusiast Nick Crane is the guide whilst artist David Dean is the creator of the incredibly detailed and colourful maps.
The fifth African adventure in Lauren St John's bestselling THE WHITE GIRAFFE series. When Sawubona's white rhinos are attacked, the poachers leave behind a terrified calf. Devastated but determined to help, Martine and Ben agree to take the rhino baby to a sanctuary near the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. But the sanctuary is hiding a precious secret - one that must be guarded from the poachers at all costs. When the secret gets out, Martine and Ben find themselves in the fight of their lives to save one of the rarest animals on earth. But who can they trust? A magical and heartwarming adventure about saving endangered species.
Blue Peter prize-winner Lauren St John tells a thrilling rags-to-riches story in this gripping story of one girl and her dream. Horse-mad Casey has only one dream: to ride a winner in the Badminton Horse trials. But Casey lives in a flat in an urban tower block with her out-of-work father; owning a horse is out of the question. When Casey saves a broken-down bag of bones from the knacker’s yard, she sets in motion the possibility of making her extraordinary dream come true. CLICK HERE to read a message from Lauren on why she wrote this book.
The adventures of Martine and her magical white giraffe continue in THE LAST LEOPARD and THE ELEPHANT'S TALE, as Martine races against time to save the world's rarest leopard, and uncovers a terrible plot deep in the Namibian desert. Join Martine and her magical giraffe, Jemmy, in two more heart-warming adventures. In The Last Leopard, an accident sends Martine and Ben on a journey to the Matabo Hills in Zimbabwe where they must race against time to save the world's rarest leopard - and each other. And In The Elephant's Tale, Martine and Ben travel to the Namibian desert where they uncover a terrible plot. These are books full of charm and atmosphere and stunning African landscapes, which will enchant animal lovers everywhere.
11 year old Martine's African adventures begin in THE WHITE GIRAFFE and DOLPHIN SONG, as she meets a magical white giraffe, rescues beached dolphins, and learns of an ancient prophecy that says the child who rides the white giraffe will have power over all the animals. Martine is eleven when she goes to live on a game reserve in South Africa. One night she looks out of her window and sees a giraffe - silver, tinged with cinnamon in the moonlight. In that instant, she knows that she is prepared to risk everything for it, and her thrilling adventures as the child who can ride the white giraffe begin. Join Martine in these heart-warming stories, as she discovers her special gift of healing, and rescues beached dolphins in the islands of Mozambique. These are books full of charm and atmosphere and stunning African landscapes, which will enchant animal lovers everywhere.
This is the fourth thrilling African adventure featuring Martine, her beloved giraffe Jemmy and Martine’s best friend Ben. With just 13 days to investigate the mysterious goings on at the Game Reserve and the fate of 20 missing elephants, Martine must stop at nothing to unearth the truth. Either that or she stands to lose the wildlife sanctuary and the animals altogether. There’s simply no-one better than Lauren St John for such vivid descriptions of Africa and the wild animals featured. To see other titles in the series, please click here
Shortlisted for the Independent Booksellers' Book Prize 2010. Saving the world’s rarest leopard is the mission for Martine and Ben in this latest African adventure about a young girl and the animals she loves and protects. Instead of spending the holiday riding her white giraffe as she’d expected, Martine is sent off to the Matobo Hills in Zimbabwe where she and Ben uncover a plot to destroy the leopard. The duo need all their courage and skill to save the leopard and to survive themselves in the latest in a series of thrilling stories set against a vivid background. If you’ve not read other African adventures written by Lauren St John then click here for more details. The Lovereading comment: Rich with the scents, sounds and intoxicating magic of Africa, join Martine, an English orphan and her greatest friend and ally, the white giraffe as they uncover a plot in which the fate of a magnificent leopard and the lost treasure of an African King is at stake. Their friendship faces its greatest test as they race against time to save the leopard as well as themselves. Lauren’s previous novels set in Africa include Dolphin Song and The White Giraffe. The shortlisted titles for the 2010 Independent Booksellers' Award were: Running Wild by Michael Morpurgo Dog Loves Books by Louise Yates Auslander by Paul Dowswell Dogs by Emily Gravett The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech Henderson’s Boys: The Escape by Robert Muchamore Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray What’s for Dinner Mr Gum? by Andy Stanton Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce The Last Leopard by Lauren St John Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick The Silver Blade by Sally Gardner
Lauren St John’s much-loved and critically acclaimed debut novel The White Giraffe came out in 2006 and Dolphin Song is his second African adventure. It’s a beautifully told story that screams out the sights and the sounds of Africa but it also has a mystery element to it that enriches the whole reading experience. The author travelled to Mozambique’s Bazaruto Archipelago where the story is set and is home to hundreds of wild dolphins and a true African paradise. Lauren says, ‘The sand is so clean that it squeaks when you walk, the water is aquamarine, and the islanders are extremely proud that their islands are friendly and free of crime.’
The White Giraffe is Lauren St John’s stunning debut novel about a young English orphan, Martine, sent to live on a South African game reserve with a grandmother she never knew existed. Rich with the scents, sounds and intoxicating magic of Africa, it follows the magical story of 11 year old Martine as she meets her soulmate, a young white giraffe named Jemmy. When Martine's parents are killed, she is sent to live in Africa with her grandmother who seems to be hiding something from her....A wonderful adventure ensues. We have a pre-pub extract of the sequel Dolphin Song, which is equally atmospheric of time and place. This book is also available as an audio CD - click here to find out more
When she is eleven years old, Martine is orphaned and sent to live with her grandmother on a game reserve in South Africa. Her grandmother seems strangely unwelcoming and Martine has a difficult time settling in at her new school, where she is conspicuously an outsider. But she has an ally in Tendai - one of the keepers on the reserve, from whom she learns the lore and survival techniques of the bush, and in Grace - who instantly senses there is something special about Martine. There are secrets about Sawubona (the reserve) just waiting to be revealed, and rumours too about a fabled white giraffe - a trophy for hunters everywhere. One night Martine, lonely and feeling slightly rebellious too, looks out of her window and see a young albino giraffe - silver, tinged with cinnamon in the moonlight. This is the beginning of her mysterious and magical adventures - her discovery of her gift of healing and a secret valley that she travels to with the giraffe, where she'll find clues about her past and future. Above all it's is a heart-warming story, full of charm and atmosphere, and Martine's sheer delight in her giraffe friend and the fantastic landscape which is theirs to explore.
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