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The Federation of Children’s Book Groups Blog
The Inspiration behind Furthermoor by Darren Simpson
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogCrystal Buds The Inspiration Behind Furthermoor Car crashes! Mountains of landfill! Waterless seas! Industrial decay! All grand, dramatic things that helped inspire my previous books, Scavengers and The Memory Thieves. My latest novel, however, doesn’t boast such sensational inspiration. Furthermoor began as nothing more than an author’s greedy whim. Setting is often my starting […]
My Mum is a Lioness by Swapna Haddow
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogSwapna Haddow, author of ‘My Mum is a Lioness’ illustrated by Dapo Adeola, is convinced that she’s not the only one who thinks some of her family members are animals. She has turned the tables on a group of young readers and is asking them the important questions today. Here is Swapna’s interview: Swapna: ‘My […]
Children’s Book Award 2022
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogOn Monday we announced our TOP TEN books as voted on solely by children across the UK. Every vote counts and as they were tallied up, a shortlist of ten titles was created. We are so excited to share a bit more about each title throughout the month of March as we kick off our […]
The Inspiration behind Tales from The Foxes of Foxham by Matteo Sedazzari
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogAs a child, my parents encouraged me to read Wind in the Willows, 101 Dalmatians, and The Faraway Tree novels. These books, and more, fired my imagination. How I longed to stand with Toad and co as they fought to reclaim Toad Hall, help the dalmatian puppies escape the clutches of Cruella de Vil, or […]
Q&A with Jake Williams
/0 Comments/by Jane EtheridgeAuthor and illustrator, Jake Williams won the Business Design Centre’s New Designer of the Year 2017 for work which became his debut book, Remarkable Retiles, published in 2018. His passion – and talent – for creating informative, accessible and eye-catchingly illustrated non-fiction continued with Darwin’s Voyage of Discovery, charting the life of the famous explorer and naturalist. […]
Bedtime Little Mouse by Magali Mialaret
/0 Comments/by Jane EtheridgeParents around the world will tell you the importance of bedtime routine for everyone in the home! Bedtime Little Mouse is an adorable tale about bedtimes. Author Magali Mialaret shares some insights with us in her blog piece. Sleep is essential for the brain of your child to flourish, but there is so much weight […]
Nisha’s War by Dan Smith
/0 Comments/by Jane EtheridgeNisha’s War is Dan Smith’s latest novel and we are thrilled to share a blog post from Dan, sharing his inspiration for Nisha’s story. When I wrote Nisha’s War, I didn’t set out to write a World War Two story. I set out to write a book about a lonely girl struggling to find the treasures […]
Saving the Butterfly by Helen Cooper
/0 Comments/by Jane EtheridgeWalker Books have kindly shared a recent interview with author Helen Cooper about her book, Saving the Butterfly. Helen offers some gentle insights and tips for reading this book with children. Saving the Butterfly doesn’t shy away from themes of sadness and anxiety, so ideally it would be shared with children at a time when there […]
Speaking frankly about my inspiration by Jenny Pearson
/0 Comments/by Jane EtheridgeJenny Pearson’s latest book is as popular as her first two for the heartfelt humour and brilliant characters that appear in all her books. She has written a lovely blog for us about finding inspiration! I’m often asked about where I get my ideas for my stories and the answer is all sorts of places, […]
Publicist-Author Eve Wersocki Morris!
/0 Comments/by Jane EtheridgeWe have been working with Eve Wersocki Morris for several years and now we get to feature her and her debut book, The Bird Singers. Eve shares with us her new perspective on author visits! Publicist-Author Eve Wersocki Morris on doing her first school events – In my current job as Senior Publicity Manager at […]
We Are Family by Doodles and Scribbles
/0 Comments/by Jane EtheridgeJenna and Lucy have combined their talents and interests in creating a book that celebrates families in all shapes and styles! They have kindly put together a brilliant blog for us to share! How the animal kingdom inspired a story about the different families there are in the world: We Are Family celebrates the diverse […]
The More Monster by Hayley Wells
/0 Comments/by Jane EtheridgeHayley Wells is a debut author-illustrator who graduated from the prestigious Cambridge Art School MA programme. Their debut picture book, The More Monster, is a timely and thought-provoking tale; a topical modern fairy tale with a moral message that will encourage young readers to think and talk about power, consumption, greed and sharing. Hayley is interested […]
Q&A with Louie Stowell
/0 Comments/by Jane EtheridgeLoki is officially published and children are loving this trickster god being sent to Earth to live out his punishment as a weak human boy! We are so excited to share a recent Q&A with Louie Stowell, all about Loki! Loki’s journal writes back to him, often with hilarious and witty remarks and critiques of […]
My Inspiration for Circus Maximus by Annelise Gray
/0 Comments/by Jane EtheridgeThese books are being read and enjoyed by so many readers, both young and older, who rave about Dido’s story. We can imagine they are all as keen to learn more about the inspiration as we are!! Growing up, I loved reading adventures stories about horses. I borrowed them from libraries, mostly, although I had […]
Q&A with Maz Evans
/0 Comments/by Jane EtheridgeVi Spy is back for a second adventure and we recently had the chance to ask Maz Evans some questions about this series! The characters in Vi Spy are unique, funny and offer so much scope for accents. When you are writing, can you picture their accents and style of speech? How do you picture […]
Q&A with Gabriela Houston
/0 Comments/by Jane EtheridgeWe always love the opportunity to ask authors questions about their books, writing and inspirations. We are thrilled with the answers Gabriela wrote for us!! Where did the inspiration for this story come from? I wanted to explore the relationship that Mara had to her dual nature, and the journey that a child like her […]
Love your Library Month Recommendations
/0 Comments/by Jane EtheridgeIt is time to celebrate Love your Library Month and we have a brilliant list of books featuring books from librarian Olivia Edmonds! – Lulu Loves the Library by Anna McQuinn – Otto the Book Bear by Kate Cleminson – Books Always Everywhere by Jane Blatt – The Children Who Loved Books by Peter Carnavas […]
Favourite Superhero Sidekicks by Alex Falase-Koya
/0 Comments/by Jane EtheridgeWho are your favourite superhero sidekicks? We all have ones we like more than others! Check out the blog post below from author Alex Falase-Koya for his list of faves! Hi! I’m Alex, the Author of Marv and the Mega Robot and here’s a list of my favourite superhero sidekicks. Robin (Dick Grayson) Let’s start […]