[mc4wp_form id=”15852″]
The Federation of Children’s Book Groups Blog
Q&A with Empathy Lab Judges
On February 8, EmpathyLab announced its 2023 Read for Empathy Collection. Two lists of empathy laden books, one for primary and one for secondary. We wanted to learn more about how books get chosen and were thrilled to ask two judges a series of questions about the EmpathyLab collections. Thank you to Richard Charlesworth and […]
Let’s Save Okavango Delta by Catherine Barr
The Let’s Save series by Catherine Barr has highlighted some of the world’s most wondrous places and the need to protect and save them. The Okavango Delta is the newest in the series and Catherine has written an inspiring blog for us! Long ago, I balanced in a narrow canoe gliding across a patch of […]
The Time Tider by Sinéad O’Hart
We have a hugely inspiring guest blog from Sinéad O’Hart about how an idea for a story stuck with her until she could put the right time, setting and characters into place. Every book an author writes means something different to them, I think. Perhaps it’s their first published book (but maybe the tenth one […]
Q&A with Laura Ellen Anderson
We are so grateful to Laura Ellen Anderson for taking time during a very busy publication week to answer our questions about Rainbow Grey, Battle for the Skies! What can you tell us about Rainbow Grey, Battle for the Skies? Battle for the Skies is the third and final adventure in the Rainbow Grey series. […]
Amazing Mum by Alison Brown
As we head into Spring, it is inevitable that we begin to see books dedicated to love and those special people in our lives. Amazing Mum is a celebration of all the mums out there and all they do. Author and illustrator, Alison Brown has written a lovely piece about her book, Amazing Mum. […]
NNFN Competition Winners!!
National Non-Fiction November Competition Winners We were excited to see so much evidence of children enjoying reading, researching, writing and illustrating their own nonfiction in the 800 plus entries submitted by schools from all over the country. Because we received so many entries for the 8-10 category, our wonderful sponsors, Welbeck Children’s Publishing, agreed to […]
Cash is Queen by Davinia Tomlinson
In the current economic climate, teaching the next generation about money seems imperative. Managing money, preparing for the future and learning to save are all covered in this new book designed specifically for young girls and women. The idea for Cash is Queen came from my background as a rare woman, at least then, in […]
Female Friendship in The Headline Hoax by Hannah Peck
Female Friendship in The Headline Hoax by Hannah Peck The Headline Hoax is the third and final book in the Kate on the Case series for early readers. At its centre, The Headline Hoax is a mystery. Someone is tampering with famous newspaper The Lookout Post, ruining headlines, swapping letters and smearing bin-juice all […]
Emperor of the Ice by Nicola Davies
Nicola Davies needs little introduction to the world of children’s literature. She is well known for her beautiful books and for raising environmental awareness. Emperor of the Ice is a new book highlighting the harsh lives of penguins but there is hope to be found as well. Life is tough for breeding Emperor penguins. We’ve […]
Anthologies by Brian Moses
The name, Brian Moses, is synonymous with poetry for children and we are so thrilled to share a guest post from him about his career as a poet, spanning decades and anthologies. A fascinating insight into poetry! Anthologies: I was fortunate to have my first two poetry anthologies published by Blackie, and then […]
Robots, Gadgets and Artificial Intelligence by Tom Jackson
Oxford University Press has developed a new series called Very Short Introductions for Curious Young Minds. One of the authors, Tom Jackson, has written the book about robots, gadgets and artificial intelligence. He has written a brilliant guest blog for us about his book and inventions. ROBOTS, GADGETS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE…AND HOW THEY […]
Q&A with Patience Agbabi
The Circle Breakers is the third book in the series by Patience Agbabi with a fourth still to come. We were recently given the opportunity to ask Patience a bit about her books and plans for the series. Thank you to Patience for the superb answers. Can you tell us a bit about this series […]
Fritz and Kurt by Jeremy Dronfield
Fritz and Kurt author Jeremy Dronfield has written a moving piece about his book and the family who inspired it. His adult fiction novel was a bestseller and readers felt their children should also know this story so he wrote a version for them. My new book, Fritz and Kurt, tells the extraordinary true story […]
Poetry by Heart by Dr Julie Blake
Now in its tenth year, Poetry by Heart goes from strength to strength and schools can see the many benefits with joining in. Read on for a brilliant guest blog from Dr Julie Blake, co-founder of Poetry by Heart. An introduction to Poetry By Heart by co-founder and director, Dr Julie Blake ‘The poems […]
Q&A with Karl Newson and Duncan Beedie
The work of both author and illustrator is celebrated with this Q&A. We asked both Karl Newson and Duncan Beedie a few questions about their new book, I Really Really Love you So. Bush Baby is a fun character- one not often seen in picture books. In terms of developing her, how easy was it […]
Mental Health in Children’s Books by Sarah Ann Juckes
Sarah Ann Juckes has written a powerful guest blog for us today. Her novel shines a light on a young girl caring for her mum with PTSD and her guest blog shares some insight into the story. Mental Health in Children’s Books Books give us all magic powers. In their pages, we can step inside […]
The Future of Magic School by Dhonielle Clayton
Many readers will identify with Dhonielle Clayton’s guest blog- that awe and wonder of magic and the eager anticipation of being invited to attend a magical school. Tackling diversity and inclusion as well, this is a brilliant guest post. THE FUTURE OF MAGIC SCHOOL (A MAGIC SCHOOL FOR ALL) I’ve spent my whole life chasing […]
Monster Hunting: Monsters Bite Back by Ian Mark
Ian Mark is the author of two books featuring Jack, Nancy and Stoop. They are monster hunters and a funny trio that are sure to make readers laugh as they encounter various monsters and situations. Ian has written a superb blog for us about his stories. Folk tales can be read purely for […]