BfK News: March 1995

WANTED…

…A HOME FOR SIGNED BOOKS

On 18th January, Liz Attenborough, publisher at Penguin Children’s Books, and author Nina Bawden were delighted to present Malcolm Kelley of Rainbow’s Children’s Hospice with a set of every Penguin Children’s Book published in 1994, signed by the authors and illustrators.

Now for more good news… there’s another full set of 1994 Penguin Children’s Books, signed by the authors and illustrators, and Penguin would like to hear who you think should receive them. Have you a pet project, good cause or deserving establishment you’d like to nominate?

Please send your suggestion to Justin Somper, Penguin Children’s Books, 27 Wrights Lane, London W8 5TZ.

All nominations to be received by 28th April 1995.

Helping Youngsters to Beat the System

With a little help from popular computer games characters, the ‘Lemmings’, Birmingham Libraries have produced a lively new poster showing children how to locate information books, for study or pleasure, in libraries which use the Dewey Decimal System.

Ten specially commissioned photographs show girls and boys from diverse ethnic groups and children with disabilities in positive everyday situations. The new poster is A2 size, printed in full-colour with a durable, laminated finish. Strongly contrasting colours have been chosen for the text – making it easier for children with visual impairments to read.

How to Find an Information Book in the Library is available at £2.35 plus p&p (discounts for larger quantities) from Linda Saunders on 0121 235 2175.

Robert Westall Trail

‘Garmouth’, the location of so many early Robert Westall stories, can now be visited in fact as well as fiction. The North Tyneside Children and Young People’s Library Service have produced a full-colour leaflet, including a map of his North Shields/Tyneside home town plus book details and a brief biography, to commemorate their local author who died two years ago.

Here’s how the Service describe its Robert Westall trail:

… an attractive 3-mile walk along the River Tyne between North Shields and Tynemouth. It features many of the famous landmarks from Westall’s books. The trail is clearly defined on a map and visual keys link these landmarks with locations in Westall’s Tyneside novels, including The Machine Gunners, The Watch House and The Kingdom by the Sea. Places of historical interest such as the Watch House, Collingwood’s Monument, Tynemouth Priory and the Fish Quay are central to the books and take on a special significance for Westall fans.’

It’s a fetching initiative… not least in the way it will bring home to young readers how imaginative fiction can be rooted firmly in geographical and autobiographical facts.

For further information and copies of the Westall Trail leaflet (25p each plus sae), write to North Tyneside Children and Young People’s Library Service, St Edmund’s Building, Station Road, Backworth, Tyne and Wear NE27 ORU. (Bulk order discounts available – phone 0191 268 9999 for details.) Stamps in lieu of payment up to £1, cheques to be payable to North Tyneside Council.

CONFERENCES

SUSTAINING THE VISION

Worcester College of Higher Education

17th-21st July 1995

The 25th International Association of School Librarianship Conference combines the four themes of school librarianship, children’s literature, literacy and technology.

Keynote speakers are: Margaret Meek, Margaret Kinnell, Michael Rosen, Vida Conway and Kim Reynolds. Seminars, workshops and visits will be built into the proceedings, plus exhibitions, a Waterstones bookshop and an opening event sponsored by World Books. Between 130-200 overseas visitors are expected from 21-30 countries.

Further information from IASL Professional Development Office, Worcester College of HE, Henwick Grove, Worcester WR2 6AJ (tel: 01905 748089 or fax: 01905 748162).

BRIDGING THE GAP

National Policy and Individual Needs

School Libraries Group Weekend School – College of Ripon and York St John

21st-23rd April 1995

Speakers include Duncan Graham, Mike Jones, Janet Hill, Robert Swindells, Francis James and Judith Elkin. Optional lectures and work­shops on offer plus an exhibition of a wide variety of books and software.

Closing date for applications is 24th March 1995, so if you want more details contact Polly Smith, 25 Hale View Road, Helsby, Cheshire WA6 9PH.

HANDMADE READINGS

An Exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge 3rd April – 21st May 1995

On display will be the exquisite miniature items of reading material which Jane Johnson produced around 1738-48 as her Nursery Library. This collection forms part of the Elizabeth Ball Collection of Children’s Literature currently housed at the Lilly Library of Indiana University.

Opening times: Tues-Fri, 2.00-5.00 pm; Sat, 10.00 am-5.00 pm; Sun, 2.15-5.00

A CLASSIC HOWLER

Things seem to have gone a little quiet on the ‘Howler’ front so BfK was delighted to receive the following from Jeff Hynds of Jeff Hynds Books, Biggin Hill, Kent:

‘We were selling books at a big educational exhibition in London when a customer came up to one of our assistants with a copy of Peter Connolly’s Pompeii.

The customer held out the book and said to our assistant, “Do you also have a copy of Pompe the First, only I can’t find it?”

Our assistant swears that the customer was deadly serious and not trying to be funny!’

March BfK wiII bring you

Margaret Meek on what we can learn from Beatrix Potter

Philip Pullman on Graphic Novels

Tony Bradman on Books for Babies and Toddlers

Colin Harris on Current Atlases

Ted Percy’s Picture Book Round-up

Nick Butterworth in Authorgraph

plus reviews, reviews, reviews