Meet Julia Donaldson

At Seven Stories, Newcastle: Thursday 4th April, 12pm 

Meet Julia Donaldson, current Children’s Laureate and award-winning author of Room on the Broom, Squash and a Squeeze and The Gruffalo. Join Julia for an hour of storytelling and a whole lot of fun. Followed by a free public book signing at 1.45pm. Tickets: £3 per person in addition to admission fee.

For further information please visit www.sevenstories.org.uk 

Recommended Reads for Dec 2013

Check out the reviews section of our website for the latest recommended reads - from children's fiction to poetry and classic reads we're sure there is something for everyone. We also welcome your reviews too - email them to 'Reviews' at info@bookapoet.co.uk and we'll let you know when we use it!

Below are the titles we recommended during December 2012. You can read our reviews and recommendations at:  http://www.bookapoet.co.uk/book_reviews/book_reviews/december_2012/

‘100 Poems for Children: A Laureate’s Choice’ chosen by Carol Ann Duffy and illustrated by Emily Gravett (Published by Macmillan Children’s Books)
‘Willard Price: Shark Adventure’ by Anthony McGowan (Published by Puffin)
‘A Palace Full of Princesses’ by Sally Gardner (Published by Orion)
‘Blood Prophecy’ by Alyxandra Harvey (Published by Bloomsbury)
‘Again’ by Emily Gravett (Published by Macmillan Children’s Books)
‘The Paper Dolls’ by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Rebecca Cobb (Published by Macmillan Children’s Books)
‘Don’t Flush!: Lifting the Lid on the Science of Poo and Wee’ by Mary and Richard Platt, illustrated by John Kelly (Published by Kingfisher)
‘The First Christmas’ by Georgie Adams, illustrated by Anna C. Leplar (Published by Orion Books)

January's recommended reads will start to appear on the website from next week. A selection of reviews will be published here too, as well as on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/BookaPoet) and links from our Twitter account (@bookapoet).

Recommended Reads for October 2012

Check out the reviews section of our website for the latest recommended reads - from children's fiction to poetry and classic reads we're sure there is something for everyone. We also welcome your reviews too - email them to 'Reviews' at info@bookapoet.co.uk and we'll let you know when we use it!

Below are the titles we recommended during October 2012. You can read our reviews and recommendations at:  http://www.bookapoet.co.uk/book_reviews/book_reviews/october_2012/

‘Beamish Boy’ by Albert Flynn DeSliver (Published by The Owl Press)

‘The Oxford Treasury of Fairy Tales’ by Geraldine McCaughrean and Sophie Williams (Published by Oxford University Press)
‘The Rhyming Rabbit’ by Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks

(Published by Macmillan Children’s Books)
‘A First Poetry Book’ by Pie Corbett and Gaby Morgan 

(Published by Macmillan Children’s Books)
‘iF: A Treasury of Poems for Almost Every Possibility’ edited by Allie Esiri and Rachel Kelly (Published by Canongate Books)
‘Desires Reborn’ by Penny Pepper (Published by Bejamo Press)
‘Stinky and Jinks: My Hamster is a Genius’ by Dave Lowe 

(Published by Templar Publishing)
‘Horrid Henry’s Christmas Play’ by Francesca Simon (Published by Orion Books)
‘The Misadventures of Winnie the Witch’ by Laura Owen and Korky Paul 

(Published by Oxford University Press) 

‘Brothers Grimm Folk Tales’ translated by Brian Alderson (Published by Templar Publishing)

‘The Lego Book’ (Published by Dorling Kindersley)
‘Eleven, Eleven’ by Paul Dowswell (Published by Bloomsbury)

 

November's recommended reads will start to appear on the website from next week. A selection of reviews will be published here too, as well as on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/BookaPoet) and links from our Twitter account (@bookapoet).

Our Recommended Poetry Reads for National Poetry Day 2012

‘The Rhyming Rabbit’
By Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks
Published by Macmillan Children’s Books
RRP £6.99 (large format paperback)
ISBN 9780330544016
Reviewed by Lynsey Evans

‘The Rhyming Rabbit’ is yet another fabulous book from the brilliant Julia Donaldson. Join the Rhyming Rabbit on his journey under and overground trying to find someone who’ll appreciate his rhymes, as the other rabbits don’t like them. He meets creatures along the way, such as a worm who can’t hear Rhyming Rabbits poem, to mole who tells him to shut up. The Rhyming Rabbit feels sad until he meets a poetry-loving sheep who makes up rhymes with Rhyming Rabbit.

This is an adorable book, packed full of rhymes, it has a great pace and Rhyming Rabbit finds someone who shares his love of poetry in the end. I love this book, my daughter really enjoyed the adventure and the fantastic illustrations, which even have sparkles on some pages! Anything that encourages the reading and enjoyment of poetry in young children is a winner for me, and I cannot recommended or champion this book enough!!

Very Highly Recommended for pre-school readers +

‘A First Poetry Book’
By Pie Corbett and Gaby Morgan
Published by Macmillan Children’s Books
RRP £6.99 (paperback)
ISBN 9780330543743

The first in a brand-new series of poetry books created with KS1 teachers and students in mind, but packed with glorious poems that will appeal to a wide audience. This topic-based collection features brand-new poems about fairies, mermaids, princesses, monsters, mythical creatures, dinosaurs, pets, transport, families, seasons, school, people who help us, pirates, the senses, space, feelings, holidays and festivals, minibeasts, food, where we live, nature, friends and the past.

Highly recommended for readers aged 5+

‘iF: A Treasury of Poems for Almost Every Possibility’
Edited by Allie Esiri and Rachel Kelly
Published by Canongate Books
RRP £20 (hardback)
ISBN 9780857865571

If you need cheering up... If you need guidance... If you want to laugh... If you need courage... Sometimes only a poem will do. In this magical new collection of our best-loved poems, selected and introduced by the creators of the bestselling app iF Poems, discover the joy, solace and beauty of poetry with your family. Whether you're after a poem that is charming, funny, sad, silly, magical, sleepy, long or short, there's something in here for everyone. From Lear's The Owl and the Pussycat to Tennyson's The Charge of the Light Brigade to Eliot's Macavity the Mystery Cat, these are poems to pass down the generations. A favourite poem will stay with you for life, and this beautifully illustrated collection for children aged 0 to 90 is sure to delight and entertain for years to come.

“There is little that is as deeply satisfying than the apt poem. It's like chocolate for the soul. Except less fattening. It resolves the nervous system, captures the elusive experience of being alive so we may always have it and never lose it. Give your child an appetite for poems and they will never be bored” - Helena Bonham Carter on iF Poems

“This gorgeous and electrifying anthology should be on the shelf of every child in Britain” - Carol Ann Duffy

“The iF anthology of poems - both beautiful and useful. What more could anyone want?” --Erica Wagner, Literary Editor of The Times

Highly recommended for readers 11+