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BfK No. 228 - January 2018

This issue’s cover illustration is from Sky Song by Abi Elphinstone. The illustrator is Daniela Terrazzini. Thanks to Simon and Schuster Children’s Books for their help with this January cover.
Digital Edition
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BfK No. 228 Articles

New Year predictions 2018

Where will 2018 take children’s books?

What to read in 2018: A (Abrams) to C (Child's Play)

The books to watch in the year ahead

What to read in 2018: C (Chronicle) to M (Macmillan)

More books to watch in the year ahead

What to read in 2018: N (Nosy Crow) to U (Usborne)

More books to watch in 2018

What to read in 2018: W (Wacky Bee) to Z (Zephyr Head of Zeus)

More books to watch in 2018

Authorgraph 228 Liz Kessler

Liz Kessler interviewed by Michelle Pauli

Ten of the Best Suffragette Stories

Suffragette stories
chosen by Nikki Gamble

Beyond the Secret Garden? Part One: The Fantasy of Story

Part one in a new series by Darren Chetty and Karen Sands O’Connor

Winnie-the-Pooh: a classic of collaboration

Curators of the V&A’s new exhibition discuss the interwoven genius of A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard

Windows into Illustration: Holly Sterling

Rising star Holly Sterling describes her illustration technique

‘The Dyslexic Novelist’ Sally Gardner

Sally Gardner introduces charity NUword

Two Children Tell: The Reality of Words

'You can't bottle words'

I Wish I’d Written: Piers Torday

Piers Torday is
lost in admiration for Skellig

Eleanor Farjeon ‘books for keeps’

A booklist by Brian Alderson

AN INTERVIEW WITH NEVERMOOR AUTHOR JESSICA TOWNSEND

Jessica Townsend talks about the fantasy adventure Nevermoor.

Classics in Short No. 127: Pauline Clarke's The Twelve and the Genii

Butter Crashey and the Young Men redivivus in Pauline Clarke's The Twelve and the Genii

AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS HIGGINS

Trouble Next Door: Chris Higgins on writing for young readers

A Q&A INTERVIEW WITH HAYLEY SCOTT

The author talks about her new series Teacup House.

Editor's Choice

Animals with Tiny Cat

Viviane Schwarz

(Walker Books)

‘To illustrate’ – to shine a light on; traditionally this has been taken to mean that there has to be a text that requires enlightening. But this is not necessarily so and increasingly illustrators are moving away to illustrate ideas, emotions,...

The Eye of the North

Sinéad O’Hart

(Stripes Publishing)

It is always a pleasure to meet characters who immediately demand attention. Enter Emmeline Widget, daughter of scientist parents who are almost always absent. Then there is Thing, a boy with no other name and a mysterious past. Emmeline is...

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

Under 5s

Animals with Tiny Cat

Viviane Schwarz

5
Mrs Noah’s Pockets

Jackie Morris

5
What’s Next Door?

Nicola O’Byrne

5
Grandad’s Secret Giant

David Litchfield

5
I Love You, Stick Insect

Chris Naylor-Ballesteros

4
The Stone Bird

Jenny McCartney

4
Look, there’s a TRACTOR!

4
The Grotlyn

Benji Davies

4

Ages 5-8

The Bad Mood and the Stick

Lemony Snicket

5
The Rainmaker Danced

John Agard

5
I Love You, Stick Insect

Chris Naylor-Ballesteros

4
The Great Race: the story of the Chinese Zodiac

Christopher Corr

4
The Chinese Emperor’s New Clothes

Ying Chang Compestine

4
The Grotlyn

Benji Davies

4
Trouble at School

Chris Higgins

4
Teacup House Meet the Twitches

Hayley Scott

4

Ages 8-10

Sky Song

Abi Elphinstone

5
The Story of Paintings A History of Art for Children

Mick Manning
Brita Granström

5
I’m Just No Good at Rhyming and Other Nonsense Verse for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown Ups

Chris Harris

5
The Rainmaker Danced

John Agard

5
The Light Jar

Lisa Thompson

4
Three Cheers For Women!

Marcia Williams

4
The Travels of Ermine: Trouble in New York

Jennifer Gray

4
Sky Chasers

Emma Carroll

4
Bee Boy: Clash of the Killer Queens

Tony De Saulles

4
I Swapped My Brother on the Internet

Jo Simmons

3

Ages 10-14

Norse Myths Tales of Odin, Thor and Loki

Kevin Crossley-Holland

5
The 1,000 Year Old Boy

Ross Welford

5
The Polar Bear Explorers’ Club

Alex Bell

4
The Eye of the North

Sinéad O’Hart

4
The Ice Garden

Guy Jones

4
Dog Andy Mulligan

Andy Mulligan

4
My Sweet Orange Tree

José Mauro de Vasconcelos

4
Outwalkers

Fiona Shaw

3

Ages 14+

Norse Myths Tales of Odin, Thor and Loki

Kevin Crossley-Holland

5
Star by Star

Sheena Wilkinson

5
I Am Thunder

Mohammad Khan

5
Long Way Down

Jason Reynolds

5
Goodbye, Perfect

Sara Barnard

5
Mike

Andrew Norriss

4
My Sweet Orange Tree

José Mauro de Vasconcelos

4
Love, Hate and Other Filters

Samira Ahmed

4
Landscape With Invisible Hand

M T Anderson

4
Ballad for a Mad Girl

Vikki Wakefield

4

BfK News

NATASHA FARRANT WINS 2020 COSTA CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD

Natasha Farrant

Writer and literary scout Natasha Farrant has won the 2020 Costa Children’s Book Award for Voyage of the Sparrowhawk, a book which the judges described as ‘pure heavenly escapism and a purely joyful read.’

The winner of the 2020 ALCS Educational Writers’ Award is Black History Matters: The Story of Black History, From African Kingdoms to Black Lives Matter. Written by acclaimed Black historian, Robin Walker, the 2020 judges praised this accessible, comprehensive and inspiring book which provides a timely introduction both to Black history and the Black Lives Matter movement.

IBBY UK has announced that Marcus Sedgwick and David McKee will be the UK nominations for the 2022 Hans Christian Andersen Award.

Debut authors Darren Charlton and Jenny Pearson join Natasha Farrant and Meg Rosoff on the shortlist for the 2020 Costa Children’s Book Award.

The shortlist for the 2020 Costa Children’s Book Award has been announced. No less than 146 books were submitted and from those the judges have chosen a shortlist of four. They are:

Wranglestone by Darren Charlton (Little Tiger)

CLPE Reflecting Realities Report 2020

The six books shortlisted for the 2021 Blue Peter Book Awards have been announced.

Blue Peter Book Award logo

Happy National Non-Fiction November 2020

It’s National Non-Fiction November! Organised by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups, National Non-Fiction November is an annual celebration of the power of non-fiction to inspire children and celebrate readers who have a passion for information and facts. 2020 is the 10th anniversary of National Non-Fiction November.

Jane Porter and Maisie Paradise Shearring have won the 2020 Little Rebels Award for their picture book The Boy who Loved Everyone. They will share the £2000 prize.

The Open University (OU) is launching Book Chat: Reading with your Child, a resource which comprises three short films and support materials to help parents, families and carers read books conversationally and creatively to children. Working with Macmillan Children’s Books, the films use a selection of their picture books and a poetry collection to support families with reading to different ages of children.

Tom Palmer

Books for Keeps 228 - the children's book magazine online

Digital version – browse, print or download

BfK Newsletter

BfK No. 228 Articles

Editor's Choice

Animals with Tiny Cat

New Talent

The Eye of the North

All Children's Book Reviews in BfK No. 228

Under 5s

Animals with Tiny Cat

Mrs Noah’s Pockets

What’s Next Door?

Grandad’s Secret Giant

I Love You, Stick Insect

The Stone Bird

Look, there’s a TRACTOR!

The Grotlyn

Ages 5-8

The Bad Mood and the Stick

The Rainmaker Danced

I Love You, Stick Insect

The Great Race: the story of the Chinese Zodiac

The Chinese Emperor’s New Clothes

The Grotlyn

Trouble at School

Teacup House Meet the Twitches

Ages 8-10

Sky Song

The Story of Paintings A History of Art for Children

I’m Just No Good at Rhyming and Other Nonsense Verse for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown Ups

The Rainmaker Danced

The Light Jar

Three Cheers For Women!

The Travels of Ermine: Trouble in New York

Sky Chasers

Bee Boy: Clash of the Killer Queens

I Swapped My Brother on the Internet

Ages 10-14

Norse Myths Tales of Odin, Thor and Loki

The 1,000 Year Old Boy

The Polar Bear Explorers’ Club

The Eye of the North

The Ice Garden

Dog Andy Mulligan

My Sweet Orange Tree

Outwalkers

Ages 14+

Norse Myths Tales of Odin, Thor and Loki

Star by Star

I Am Thunder

Long Way Down

Goodbye, Perfect

Mike

My Sweet Orange Tree

Love, Hate and Other Filters

Landscape With Invisible Hand

Ballad for a Mad Girl

BfK News