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Books for Keeps 119 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 119 - November 1999

Cover Story
This issue's cover is from Patrick Benson's new picture book, The Sea-Thing Child by Russell Hoban. Patrick Benson is interviewed by Joanna Carey. Thanks to Walker Books for their help in producing this November cover.

BfK No. 119 Articles

Editorial - November 1999

News and comment from the Editor.
Books for a Real Christmas

Stephanie Nettell recommends books for giving.
Authorgraph No.119: Patrick Benson

Patrick Benson interviewed by Joanna Carey.
The Children’s Books of the Century

Rosemary Stones on the most important writers, artists, poets and books of the century chosen by BfK's readership.
Fin de Sièclism

Brian Alderson on children's books at the turns of the 18th and 19th centuries.
BfK Briefing - November 1999

News * Awards * Prediction Chart * Events * Obituary * Letters to the Editor
I Wish I’d Written... Josephine and Pobble and Mimi and Apricot Max

Jean Ure chooses Adèle Geras’s Josephine and Pobble and Mimi and Apricot Max.
Classics in Short No.18: Struwwelpeter

Brian Alderson on Heinrich Hoffman's Struwwelpeter.

Editor's Choice

Hair in Funny Places
Babette Cole
(Jonathan Cape Ltd)
5

The workings of the pituitary gland have seldom had such a wittily upfront version of their activities presented to young readers as in this entertaining picture book. Narrator Ted (a large teddy bear) explains to his (female) owner how her...

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New Talent

Songquest
Katherine Roberts
(Thorsons)
4

Rialle is top of the class at school and school, as in the Harry Potter books, is not of the usual kind. Rialle is being trained to be a singer, one who can use the Songs of Power which control emotion and memory, to proper...

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All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 119

  • Under 5s
  • Ages 5-8
  • Ages 8-10
  • Ages 10-14
  • Ages 14+

Under 5s

  • My First ABC Book
    Jane Bunting
    4

  • Little Frog
    Christopher Gunson
    4

  • Big Brother, Little Brother
    Penny Dale
    4

  • God's Quiet Things
    Nancy Sweetland
    4

  • Simply Delicious!
    Margaret Mahy
    4

  • Old Hushwing
    Alan Brown
    4

  • Mr Wolf's Pancakes
    Jan Fearnley
    4

  • The Hollyhock Wall
    Martin Waddell
    4

  • Where is Maisy?; Where is Maisy's Panda?
    Lucy Cousins
    3

  • Well Done, Little Bear
    Martin Waddell
    3

  • Mr Bear's New Baby
    Debi Gliori
    3

  • Geraldine's Baby Brother
    Holly Keller
    3

  • Peek-a-Moo!
    Marie Torres Cimarusti
    3

  • Coming to Tea; Going Swimming; Going to Playschool; Doing the Garden
    Sarah Garland
    3

  • Sally's Fantastic Counting Book
    Paul Dowling
    3

  • Mine!
    Hiawyn Oram
    3

  • "Just One More Story"
    Dugald Steer
    3

  • The School Trip
    Nick Butterworth
    Mick Inkpen
    3

  • Sports Day
    Nick Butterworth
    Mick Inkpen
    3

  • Don't Dawdle Dorothy!
    Margrit Cruickshank
    3

  • Touch and Feel Puppy
    2

  • Runaway Rabbit
    Ron Maris
    2

  • The Clothes Book
    2

  • Reading is Fun with Dr Seuss
    2

  • One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish; The Lorax
    Dr Seuss
    1

Ages 5-8

  • Wish You Were Here (And I Wasn't): A Book of Poems and Pictures for Globetrotters
    Colin McNaughton
    5

  • Clockwise: A first look at time; The Case of the Missing Caterpillar: A first look at the life cycle of a butterfly; The Earth is Like a Roundabout: A first look at night and day
    Sam Godwin
    4

  • The Flight of the Snow Goose
    Deborah King
    4

  • In the Street; In the Home
    Kath Cox
    Pat Hughes
    4

  • My Granny's Great Escape
    Jeremy Strong
    4

  • Roald Dahl
    Emma Fischel
    3

  • Royal Blunder; Royal Blunder and the Haunted House
    Henrietta Branford
    3

  • Harry the Poisonous Centipede
    Lynne Reid Banks
    3

  • Roll Over Roly
    Anne Fine
    3

  • Bessemer
    Michael Ponsford
    3

  • Noah's Ark
    Mary Auld
    3

  • Dogblaster; The Queen's Birthday Hat
    Andrew Martyr
    Paula Martyr
    3

  • Mummy, Mummy, Where Are You?; Pay Up, Or Else!
    Ann De Bode
    Rien Broere
    3

  • Dancing Maddy
    Clare Jarrett
    3

  • The Wonky Donkey
    Jonathan Long
    Korky Paul
    3

  • Maya, Tiger Cub
    Theresa Radcliffe
    3

  • Artists; Writers
    Jillian Powell
    2

  • The Magnificent I Can Read Music Book
    Kate Petty
    Jennie Maizels
    2

  • The Firework Maker's Daughter
    Philip Pullman
    2

  • Fairy Tales From Far and Wide
    Fiona Waters
    2

  • Supermum
    Mick Manning
    1

  • The Witch of Blackberry Bottom
    Dick King-Smith
    1

  • Delilah Alone
    Jenny Nimmo
    1

Ages 8-10

  • Rainforest; The Wayland Atlas of Rainforests
    Kathryn Senior
    5

  • The Little Ships
    Louise Bordern
    5

  • Hair in Funny Places
    Babette Cole
    5

  • The Aztecs
    Peter Chrisp
    4

  • Two Weeks with the Queen
    Morris Gleitzman
    4

  • Elidor
    Alan Garner
    4

  • My Second-Best Friend
    Geraldine Kaye
    4

  • Home and School; Sport and Leisure; Travel and Transport; Work and Industry
    Neil Morris
    3

  • William and the Wolves
    Kathryn Cave
    3

  • Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out
    Nick Park
    3

  • 3D Rocks and Minerals
    Cally Oldershaw
    3

  • Invisible!
    Robert Swindells
    3

  • Fitzwizo and the Good Ghost Guide
    Linda Pitt
    3

  • The Girl Who Went to the Underworld and The Girl Who Loved Food
    3

  • MacPelican's American Adventure; The Stone in the Sword
    Scoular Anderson
    3

  • What I Believe
    Alan Brown
    Andrew Langley
    2

  • We Come from South Africa
    Alison Brownlie
    2

  • Exploring Ancient Greece
    John Malam
    2

  • P.S. Longer Letter Later
    Paula Danziger
    Anne M Martin
    1

Ages 10-14

  • Tell Me No Lies
    Malorie Blackman
    4

  • Fields of Home
    Marita Conlon-McKenna
    4

  • Bumface
    Morris Gleitzman
    4

  • Gift of the Gab
    Morris Gleitzman
    4

  • The Moon King
    Siobhan Parkinson
    4

  • The School From Hell
    Yvonne Coppard
    4

  • Songquest
    Katherine Roberts
    4

  • The Eclipse of the Century
    Jan Mark
    4

  • Time; Weather
    Dr Mike Goldsmith
    3

  • Turning to Stone
    John Brindley
    3

  • Just in Time: Stories to Mark the Millennium
    3

  • The Brontes; Charles Dickens
    David Orme
    3

  • Buried Fire
    Jonathan Stroud
    3

  • Safe Harbour
    Marita Conlon-McKenna
    3

  • Ragga to Riches; The Big Diss
    Yinka Adebayo
    3

  • Fugitive
    Catherine MacPhail
    3

  • Missing
    Theresa Breslin
    3

  • The Thing that Came from Jason's Nose!; Animal Avengers
    Tony Bradman
    2

  • How to … Build a Rocket; How to … Build a Time Machine; How to … Split the Atom
    Hazel Richardson
    1

Ages 14+

  • The Guns of Easter; A Winter of Spies
    Gerard Whelan
    4

  • Stones in Water
    Donna Jo Napoli
    4

  • Censorship: Changing Attitudes 1900-2000; Poverty: Changing Attitudes 1900-2000
    Scarlett McGwire
    4

  • Leonardo
    Andrew Langley
    4

  • Virtual Sexual Reality
    Chloë Rayban
    3

  • Does Anyone Round Here Ever Listen?
    Rosie Rushton
    3

BfK News

DICKENS AND CHILDHOOD CONFERENCE

Dickens and Childhood Conference and Symposium Monday 18 June

It is not too late to book places on this special one-day conference on Dickens and Childhood, which will include walks, lectures, readings, and parallel sessions on topics that will appeal to students, teachers, Dickens experts, and the ‘interested reader’.

Marcia Williams Dickens

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Siobhan Dowd Trust launches competition to help encourage a love of reading

The Siobhan Dowd Trust launches competition to help encourage a love of reading

The Siobhan Dowd Trust is proud to announce that Michael Rosen, Poet and ex-Childrens’ Laureate will be on the judging panel of a schools campaign, which is asking teachers and librarians for their ideas about how they encourage a love of books in their schools. The Trust will use the entries to build up a database of ideas which can be shared and swapped… and the ten best or most innovative ideas will receive £1000 worth of books.

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Maurice Sendak June 1928 – May 2012

Maurice Sendak, who has died at the age of 83 was one of the most important illustrators of the twentieth century. Joanna Carey assesses his career for Books for Keeps

read more...
2012 Branford Boase Shortlist

Branford Boase Award logoSeven authors are on the shortlist for the 2012 Branford Boase Award, announced today, Monday 30 April.

The Branford Boase Award is given annually to the author of an outstanding debut novel for children. Uniquely, it also honours the editor of the winning title and highlights the importance of the editor in nurturing new talent.

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Riddell and Stewart Guest Speakers at IBBY UK AGM 2 May

Chris Riddell and Paul Stewart will be guest speakers at the IBBY UK AGM on Wednesday 2 May at Random House 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 2SA, London. The meeting is free and non-members are welcome. Refreshments will be available from 6.30pm with Chris and Paul speaking at 7pm. Book sales and a signing will take place after the meeting. To book a place email bicarrington@nasuwt.net

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2012 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medal Shortlists

2012 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medal Shortlists

The shortlists have been announced for the 2012 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals, the oldest and most prestigious of all the UK’s children’s book awards.

There are eight books on each shortlist, two more than has been usual: a sign perhaps of the difficulty the judges had in making their final choice.

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GUUS KUIJER TO RECEIVE THE ASTRID LINDGREN MEMORIAL AWARD 2012

The 2012 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is to be awarded to the Dutch author Guus Kuijer.

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FIRST BRITISH EXHIBITION OF CHINESE PICTURE BOOK ILLUSTRATION

In April, London hosts the first exhibitions in Britain of Chinese children’s and picture book illustration. The exhibitions feature eighty individual illustrations by China’s most celebrated children’s illustrators, and is organised by the Zhejiang Publishing Group, the Publishers’ Association of China, Propeller TV, and the Chinese Board on Books for Young People (CBBY); with the cooperation of the UK section of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY UK).

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NEW AWARD SHORTLISTS ANNOUNCED

As we wait for the announcement of the shortlists for this year’s CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals, two other interesting and unusual award shortlists have just been revealed.

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Transfer for Once Upon A Wartime exhibition

The Once Upon A Wartime exhibition is now at IWM North Manchester, until 2 September 2012

Based on five war-based children’s novels, the exhibition explores the history of real life conflicts from 1914 to the present day through the eyes of fictional children.

Read Kate Agnew’s Books for Keeps review of the exhibition here.

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