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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)
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

UKLA BOOK AWARD WINNERS 2018

UKLA logos

read more...
MITCH JOHNSON AND HIS EDITORS WIN 2018 BRANFORD BOASE AWARD

Mitch Johnson and M G Leonard

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HIP HOP ARTIST AND DEBUT POET KARL NOVA WINS CLIPPA 2018

Karl Nova at the CLiPPAPoet Karl Nova has been announced as the winner of CLiPPA 2018 (CLPE Poetry Award) for his debut collection, Rhythm and Poetry, published by Caboodle Books.

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McCaughrean and Smith winners 2018 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals

The winners of the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals, the UK’s oldest children’s book awards, are announced today, Monday 18thJune.

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LOLLIES 2018 SHORTLIST THE YEAR’S FUNNIEST CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Lollies logoMichael Rosen has announced the shortlist for the 2018 Laugh Out Loud Awards (The Lollies). This is the third year of The Lollies, created by Scholastic UK, to celebrate the funniest children’s books.

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ZANIB MIAN WINS 2018 LITTLE REBELS CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD

The Alliance of Radical Booksellers (ARB) has announced that the winner of this year’s Little Rebels Children’s Book Award for Radical Fiction is Zanib Mian for her book, The Muslims, (Sweet Apple Books).

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SHORTLIST FOR THE 2018 KLAUS FLUGGE PRIZE

The shortlist for the 2018 Klaus Flugge Prize has been revealed. Set up to honour publisher Klaus Flugge, founder of Andersen Press and a key figure in children’s picture books, this important new award, now in its third year, is for the most promising and exciting newcomer to children’s picture book illustration.

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THE 2018 LITTLE REBELS AWARD SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED

THE 2018 LITTLE REBELS AWARD SHORTLIST

Conflicts, Class and Youth Protest

Islamophobia, young people’s activism, the Syrian conflict, challenges to gendered occupations, the English class system and workers’ pay and conditions are just some of the subjects highlighted by the 8-strong shortlist for this year’s Little Rebels Award for Radical Children’s Fiction.

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DEBUT AUTHORS AND THEIR EDITORS ON 2018 BRANFORD BOASE AWARD SHORTLIST

The shortlist for the 2018 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.

BBA shortlist 2018

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CLiPPA 2018 SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED

The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) has announced the 2018 shortlist for the CLiPPA (Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award). Established in 2003, the CLiPPA encourages and celebrates outstanding poetry published for children and has done a huge amount to encourage the publishing of children’s poetry.

read more...
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