Our Recommended Reads from June 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 June 2013. (You can read our reviews and recommendations here.) If you'd like to get your book on our reading list send us an email that includes a press release and we'll get in touch!

‘Fast And Furious’ Published by Ticktock Books
'The Forgetting and Remembering of Air' By Sue Hubbard Published by Salt Publishing
Red Moon By Benjamin Percy Published by Hodder & Stoughton
To Sing Away the Darkest Days By Norbert Hirschhorn Published by Holland Park Press
Hazel By Julie Hearn Published by Oxford University Press
‘Gloss’ By Marilyn Kaye Published by Macmillan Children’s Books
‘Off By Heart’ By Roger Stevens Published by A&C Black
‘First Term at L’Etoile’ By Holly and Kelly Willoughby Published by Orion Books
‘Wilbur’s Book of Colours’ By Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul Published by Oxford University Press
‘Early Reader: Algy’s Amazing Adventure in the Arctic’ By Kaye Umansky Published by Orion Books
‘Bob’s Film Fiasco’ By Simon Bartram Published by Templar Books
‘I Wandered As Lonely As A Cloud … and Other Poems You Half Remember From School’ By Ana Sampson Published by Michael O’Mara Books
The Shadow Lantern’ By Teresa Flavin Published by Templar Publishing
‘Horrid Henry’s Nightmare’ By Francesca Simon Published by Orion Books
‘My Hamster is an Astronaut’ By Dave Lowe Published by Templar Publishing
‘Letterland’s My First Dictionary’ Published by Letterland
‘Poppy the Pirate Dog’s New Shipmate’ By Liz Kessler Published by Orion Books
‘Sophie’s Dance Class’ By Angela McAllister Published by Orion Books
‘Hide! The Tiger’s Mouth is Open Wide!’ By Adam Frost Published by Bloomsbury                                                                  

July's recommended reads will start to appear on the website from this 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 from August 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 August 2012: http://www.bookapoet.co.uk/book_reviews/book_reviews/august_2012/

‘After’ by Morris Gleitzman (Puffin)

‘Fire Spell’ by Laura Amy Schlitz (Bloomsbury) (Our Featured Title for the month)

‘Cough in Your Shirt, Bert!’ by Sheralee Hill Iglehart / Illustrated by Carol Brolin (Barny Books)

‘Everything Must Go’ by Rosie Garland (Holland Park Press)

‘Nitty Winnie’ by Laura Owens and Korky Paul (Oxford University Press)

‘Party Disaster’ by Sue Limb (Bloomsbury)

‘The Little Grey Men’ by B.B. (Oxford University Press)
‘The Magic of Mammoth Hollow’ by Linda Whatton / Illustrated by David Sharpe (Barny Books)
‘Naughty Kitty’ by Adam Stower (Templar Publishing) 

'The Devil's Creature in the City of the Dead' by R H Stewart (Barny Books)

 

You can read our reviews and recommendations at 

 

 

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

Winnie the Witch Celebrates 25th Anniversary

Winnie the Witch and her black cat Wilbur have been delighting children with their magical capers for 25 years. The fun, and often chaotic, stories by Valerie Thomas are illustrated in immense detail by the brilliant Korky Paul. Thus creating a collection of stories that delight young readers and entertain them for hours.

Winnie the Witch is available in 12 original fantastic picture books (written by Valerie Thomas), plus 3 treasury collections, a sticker book and special 25th anniversary edition of the first ever Winnie book, ‘Winnie the Witch’. There are also 15 young reader fiction books (written by Laura Owen), both series are illustrated by Korky Paul. The Winnie the Witch series has sold over five million copies worldwide and has been translated into over twenty-five languages.

I have a 4-year-old daughter who adores Winnie the Witch picture books and it is quite usual to return from the library with every Winnie the Witch book they have on the shelves! And she asks to read them with us again, again and again. It’s just brilliant, as a parent, to see the enthusiasm, the laughter and pure enjoyment my daughter gets from the Winnie the Witch series. She also refers to her auntie’s black cat as Wibur now too!

Due to my daughter’s obsession with Winnie the Witch, we have read all of the Winnie the Witch books, including the treasury editions!:

Winnie the Witch
Winnie’s Amazing Pumpkin
Winnie’s New Computer
Winnie Under the Sea
Winnie Flies Again
Winnie’s Magic Wand
Winnie’s Midnight Dragon
Winnie in Winter
Winnie at the Seaside
Winnie in Space
Winnie’s Flying Carpet
Happy Birthday Winnie!
Winnie’s Magic Moments (Treasury of Winnie’s New Computer, Winnie’s Magic Wand, 
Winnie at the Seaside)
Winnie’s Madcap Mishaps (Treasury of Winnie the Witch, Winnie Flies Again, 
Winnie in Winter)
Winnie’s Crazy Capers (Treasury of Winnie’s Midnight Dragon, Winnie’s Midnight Dragon, Winnie’s Flying Carpet)

Each story Winnie utters her famous spell-cast of ‘Abracadbra’, which usually sees chaos ensure! Not only are the stories great and easy to follow, the illustrations completely transform the stories to a new level. They are so detailed, from Winnie’s hairy legs and washing line on the roof, to the millions of items in her kitchen or flowers in her garden. The ‘end papers’, (the pages that come before and after the story) are always drawn by children and are based on the story of the book they appear in. It’s a lovely touch, and my daughter enjoys looking at these and explaining the pictures to us!

It would be great to see Winnie the Witch merchandise available, and of course more Winnie the Witch books! We’re excited to hear that ‘Winnie’s Dinosaur Day’ (ISBN 978-0-19-279403-1) is due out in March 2013 (picture book).

For all the teachers out there the publisher, Oxford University Press (OUP) offer a free Winnie the Witch teacher resource pack for both picture books and the fiction series. You can download the pack here http://www.oup.com/oxed/children/winnieteacherpack/.

 
For fans of Winnie the Witch, you can visit Winnie at www.winnie-the-witch.com to find out about the authors, the books and much, much more!

Here’s to 25 more years of Winnie the Witch and her black cat Wilbur.