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Books for Keeps 140 - the children's book magazine online

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BfK No. 140 - May 2003

Cover Story
This issue's cover illustration is from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's A Squash and a Squeeze. Julia Donaldson is interviewed by Lindsey Fraser. Thanks to Macmillan Children's Books for their help with this May cover.

BfK No. 140 Articles

Editorial - May 2003

News and comment from the Editor.

Childbirth in Children’s Books

Sarah Hunt on how pregnancy and birth are depicted.

Hal’s Reading Diary - May 2003

Roger Mills on his son Hal at 26 months.

Picture Books with Something to Say

Joanna Carey finds titles of quality and originality.

Whose Dark Materials?

Gillian Cross on theology and Philip Pullman's trilogy.

Authorgraph No.140: Julia Donaldson

Julia Donaldson interviewed by Lindsey Fraser.

Survivors

John Rowe Townsend on the 'golden age' titles that are still in print.

BfK Briefing - May 2003

News * Awards * Events * Letters to the Editor * Obituary

Useful Organisations No.27: CustomEyes Books

Customised large print books for visually impaired children.

I Wish I’d Written... The Eclipse of the Century

Keith Gray chooses Jan Mark's The Eclipse of the Century.

Good Reads: Craigholme School

Reviews from pupils of Craigholme School, Glasgow.

Classics in Short No.39: Mr Gumpy's Outing

Brian Alderson on John Burningham's Mr Gumpy's Outing.

Editor's Choice

Hal the Highwayman

June Crebbin
(Walker Books Ltd)
5

If only more first reading books were written and illustrated with the dash and panache of this highly entertaining short tale in which the integration of text and illustration is seamless. Hal is a highwayman and at dead of night, in the Alfred...

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New Talent

A Gathering Light

Jennifer Donnelly
(Bloomsbury Publishing PLC)
5

Can you have love and books? For 17-year-old Mattie, growing up by Big Moose Lake on the edge of the Adirondack Mountains in the early 1900s, the only option appears to be marriage and life on a farm. Even her teacher, the stylish Miss Wilcox,...

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All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 140

  • Under 5s
  • Ages 5-8
  • Ages 8-10
  • Ages 10-14
  • Ages 14+
  • Books About Children's Books

Under 5s

  • The Swirling Hijaab

    Na'ima Bint Robert
    5
  • Little Rabbit Lost

    Harry Horse
    5
  • Lullaby Lion

    Vivian French
    5
  • The River

    Nik Pollard
    4
  • The Magic Paintbrush

    Julia Donaldson
    4
  • Full, Full, Full of LOVE

    Trish Cooke
    4
  • A Bit More Bert

    Allan Ahlberg
    4
  • Hello, Sailor

    André Sollie
    3
  • Sleepyhead

    Nicola Smee
    3
  • Hamish

    Moira Munro
    2
  • Number Chains

    2

Ages 5-8

  • Hal the Highwayman

    June Crebbin
    5
  • Everybody Poos; The Holes in Your Nose

    Taro Gomi
    5
  • Our Gracie Aunt

    Jacqueline Woodson
    5
  • Death; Divorce; Hospital; Moving

    Janine Amos
    4
  • Precious Potter

    Rose Impey
    4
  • Hidden Tales from Eastern Europe; The Clever Rat and other African Tales

    4
  • Lake of Shadows

    Malachy Doyle
    4
  • Riley, Kylie and Smiley

    Malachy Doyle
    3
  • Jabberwocky

    Lewis Carroll
    3
  • Atuk

    Mischa Damjan
    3
  • Jennifer Jones won't Leave Me Alone

    Frieda Wishinsky
    3
  • Pandora's Box

    3
  • You've Got Dragons

    Kathryn Cave
    3
  • The Usborne Internet-linked First Encyclopedia of Science

    Rachel Firth
    2

Ages 8-10

  • Atticus the Storyteller's 100 Greek Myths; Viking! Myths of Gods and Monsters

    Lucy Coats
    5
  • The Four Ugly Cats in Apartment 3D

    Marilyn Sachs
    5
  • How to Train Your Dragon

    Cressida Cowell
    4
  • Utterly Me, Clarice Bean

    Lauren Child
    4
  • Good Enough to Eat

    Roger McGough
    4
  • The Last Castaways

    Harry Horse
    4
  • Little King December

    Axel Hacke
    4
  • The Book of Books: The Bible Retold

    Trevor Dennis
    3
  • The Deadly Secret of Dorothy W.

    Jon Blake
    3
  • Pigface

    Catherine Robinson
    3
  • Way Home

    Libby Hathorn
    3
  • The Kingfisher Book of Living Worlds

    Clive Gifford
    Jerry Cadle
    2

Ages 10-14

  • A Life Like Mine

    5
  • The Merlin Conspiracy

    Diana Wynne Jones
    5
  • The Land

    Mildred D Taylor
    5
  • The Oracle

    Catherine Fisher
    5
  • Hoot

    Carl Hiaasen
    5
  • Bad Alice

    Jean Ure
    5
  • The Way the Universe Works

    Robin Kerrod
    Giles Sparrow
    4
  • Ada Lovelace

    Lucy Lethbridge
    4
  • Journey to the River Sea

    Eva Ibbotson
    4
  • The Wish List

    Eoin Colfer
    4
  • Happy

    Keith Gray
    4
  • Harvey Angell; Harvey Angell Beats Time

    Diana Hendry
    4
  • The Animal Garden

    William Mayne
    4
  • Locomotion

    Jacqueline Woodson
    4
  • Coraline

    Neil Gaiman
    3
  • The Dungeon

    Lynne Reid Banks
    3
  • Dog

    Daniel Pennac
    3
  • Dragon's Tear

    Sue Lawson
    3
  • The Magician of Samarkand

    Alan Temperley
    3
  • Wheels

    Catherine MacPhail
    2
  • Wolf Wing

    Tanith Lee
    1

Ages 14+

  • Palestine

    Joe Saccho
    5
  • Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast

    Robin McKinley
    5
  • A Gathering Light

    Jennifer Donnelly
    5
  • If You Come Softly

    Jacqueline Woodson
    5
  • Abortion; Love Stings; 4 Boys; Periods; 4 Girls; Pregnancy; Is Everybody Doing It?

    4
  • Catalyst

    Laurie Halse Anderson
    4
  • Bread and Sugar; Daisy Chain Dream

    Joan O'Neill
    4
  • Can You Keep a Secret?

    Sandra Glover
    4
  • Dreamland

    Sarah Dessen
    3
  • Who The Man

    Chris Lynch
    3
  • Last Chance

    Patrick Cave
    3
  • Lucas

    Kevin Brooks
    2
  • Doll

    Nicky Singer
    2

Books About Children's Books

  • Terry Pratchett: Guilty of Literature; Terry Pratchett

    4
  • Pinocchio Goes Postmodern: Perils of a Puppet in the United States

    Richard Wunderlich
    Thomas J Morrissey
    3

BfK News

DANIEL MORDEN WINS 2013 TIR NA N-OG ENGLISH AWARD

The Welsh Books Council has announced Daniel Morden as winner of the 2013 Tir na n-Og English Award for his collection of stories Tree of Leaf and Flame (Pont Books).

Morden’s first book, Weird Tales from the  Storyteller, was shortlisted for the Tir
na n-Og English-language award in 2004 and he won the award in 2007 for Dark Tales from the Woods.

read more...
ROYAL SOCIETY YOUNG PEOPLE’S BOOK PRIZE 2013 SHORTLIST

The Royal Society has announced the shortlist for their 2013 Young People’s Book Prize, naming the six books the judges consider best communicate science to young people.

Professor John Goodby FRS, Chair of the judges described the shortlist as eclectic, but enthralling.

The six books shortlisted by the judges are:

Build the Human Body by Richard Walker (Templar Publishing)

In the judges’ words: ‘A hands on, fun kit to help learn about the human body, accompanied by a well-illustrated, concise, clear book.’

read more...
SARAH GARLAND WINS INAUGURAL LITTLE REBELS CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD

Sarah Garland has won the first Little Rebels Children’s Book Award for Azzi in Between, which tells the story of a family forced to fell their homeland and settle in a strange and unfamiliar country. The book is based on the author’s own experience of working among refugee families and is endorsed by Amnesty International.

read more...
2013 BRANFORD BOASE AWARD: THE SHORTLIST

‘Seven outstanding debuts, eight really interesting authors, doing really interesting things’

The shortlist for the 2013 Branford Boase Award has been announced. 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.

read more...
2013 CLPE Poetry Award: Winner

CLPE AwardThe 2013 CLPE Poetry Award has been won by George Szirtes for  In the Land of the Giants, illustrated by Helen Szirtes (Salt Publishing). Szirtes was presented with the award by last year’s winner Rachel Rooney at a ceremony at CLPE on the evening of Tuesday 30 April.

read more...
THE 2013 CLPE POETRY AWARD SHORTLIST

Weight of WaterFour outstanding poetry books are shortlisted for the 2013 CLPE Poetry Award. Established in 2003, the annual Poetry Award encourages and celebrates outstanding new children’s poetry.

 

 

 

 

 

The four books on the shortlist are:

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2013 ENGLISH 4 – 11 PICTURE BOOK AWARDS: THE WINNERS

The winners of the 2013 English 4 – 11 Picture Book Awards have been announced. Established in 1995, the awards are presented annually to the best picture books of the previous year, in four categories, Fiction 4 – 7 and 7 – 11 years, and Non-Fiction 4 – 7 and 7 – 11 years.

From a 15 strong shortlist, the winners are:

Fiction 4 – 7 years

Hippospotamus by Jeanne Willis illustrated by Tony Ross (Andersen Press)

Fiction 7 – 11 years

read more...
IBBY Announces the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Award Nominees

The nominees for the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Award have been announced.

The Hans Christian Andersen Award is the highest international distinction given to authors and illustrators of children's books. Awarded every other year by IBBY, the award recognizes lifelong achievement and is given to an author and an illustrator whose complete works have made an important, lasting contribution to children's literature.

For the 2014 Awards 29 authors and 31 illustrators have been nominated from 34 countries. They are:

read more...
New Little Rebels Children’s Book Award: Shortlist Announced

The shortlist has been announced for The Little Rebels Children’s Book Award, a new award for radical children’s fiction.

The Little Rebels Children’s Book Award recognises fiction for ages 0-12 which promotes or celebrates social justice and equality. It is awarded by the Alliance of Radical Booksellers (ARB) and administered by Letterbox Library. Wendy Cooling, Bookstart co-founder & editor and author Elizabeth Laird are both judges.

The four books on the inaugural shortlist are:

read more...
School Library Association Information Book Award 2013 Short List Announcement

The School Library Association has announce the shortlist for the 2013 prize. The Information Book Award is an annual event, in its third year its aim is to reinforce the importance of non-fiction whilst highlighting the high standard of resources available.

The judges - a panel of experienced librarians, SLA board members and a member of Peters Bookselling Services - have produced what they describe as ‘a strong and very varied selection of titles for the shortlist’. These are

Under 7s

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