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The Federation of Children’s Book Groups Blog
Busy Spring by Sean Taylor and Alex Morss
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogBUSY SPRING, NATURE WAKES UP by Sean Taylor and Alex Morss, Published by Words and Pictures 16th March 2021 Has the promise of spring, with the sunlight, warmth and new life it brings, ever felt so welcome as it does this year? Spring sunshine is nature’s alarm clock, telling wildlife to wake up after winter. […]
Make ‘Em Laugh – or snigger at least The Importance of humour in books by Lindsay J Sedgwick
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogHairy eyebrows that look like wrestlers in a mudbath. An evil villain who dives under a chair and retrieves a dog toy in her mouth on public television. Kid’s books are meant to be full of humour of one sort of another, be it exaggerated similes that are fun to imagine for a moment, the […]
The Importance of Mental Health in Books for Children
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogGuest post by Joseph Elliott Now – as the pandemic drags on into 2021 and schools shut once again – it’s more important than ever for us to be discussing mental health, including that of children. According to a recent study by the NHS, the number of children experiencing a probable mental health disorder has increased […]
Meet the Oceans
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogGuest post by Caryl Hart Meet the Oceans is a fabulous first look at the wonders of the underwater world for young children. Illustrated by the amazingly talented Bethan Woollvin, it takes readers on an exciting submarine adventure to meet some of our planet’s oceans and seas. Each body of salty water has its own personality […]
Future Girl
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogGuest Post by Asphyxia My book, Future Girl, is the art journal of a Deaf sixteen-year-old, Piper, who lives in near-future Melbourne just as it lurches towards environmental catastrophe. It covers themes that I am extremely passionate about – the high risk we face of environmental disaster, art journaling for self-expression, and Deafness. For a long time I […]
Q&A with Megan Rix
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogLizzie and Lucky – The Mystery of the Missing Puppies Lizzie, being deaf, shows readers that she can do everything that other children can! How important was this message for you to convey? Terribly important – because it’s true! Lizzie and her family would consider themselves not deaf, but Deaf, with a capital D. This […]
Wobbly Friendships by Claire Barker
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogClaire Barker, author of the Picklewitch and Jack series on Wobbly Friendships One of the most telling moments in my author visits is when I ask the children to think about their best friends; about how great they are. Then I ask them if they ever… you know…get on their nerves? Straightaway a giggle races […]
National Share a Story Month 2021
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogWe are so excited to share this year’s theme with you! We have been very busy behind the scenes working with publishers, authors and illustrators to put together a month long celebration of stories! Our theme for 2021 is… We have competitions planned, blogs scheduled and giveaways organised! It would be wonderful to have your […]
The Ocean Squid Explorers’ Club Blog Tour
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogA Love of Mermaids When I was little, I thought that mermaids were the most wonderful, magical, exciting thing imaginable. The Little Mermaid was my favourite Disney film and I just worshipped Ariel. As a child I was convinced that if I concentrated really hard in the bath then I might be able to turn […]
Growing-Up with Richard Scarry
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogHuck Scarry, Gstaad, January 31, 2021 I am regularly asked what must it have been like to have children’s author Richard Scarry for a father ? Well, I am an only-child. So, for me, my father was oftentimes something of a fun and funny big brother. My father loved to do things with me! He played soccer […]
Shining a Torch on Sleep and Screens
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogBy Nicola Morgan, whose latest brilliant science-based title is The Awesome Power of Sleep: How Sleep Supercharges Your Teenage Brain. (Other brains are available and all my sleep advice is for anyone!) We keep being told to avoid screens before bed because of the light. But is this true? As it happens, this is another […]
Fighting Fantasy
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogBy Ian Livingstone Fighting Fantasy gamebooks first appeared in the 1980s with the publication of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, the first branching narrative book with a simple role-playing game system attached – hence the term ‘gamebook’. Usually set in worlds of monsters and magic, Fighting Fantasy gamebooks place the reader at the heart of […]
Benjamin Dean Writes…
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogA moving piece from author Benjamin Dean on his reading history and the reasons he writes today, “for the children of today who don’t have to feel invisible.” Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow is a spectacular and joyful novel, full of heart and humour. It is currently Waterstones Book of the […]
The Song for Everyone
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogGuest Post by author Lucy Morris My name is Lucy Morris and I am the writer and illustrator of The Song for Everyone. Originally I trained as a fine art painter but have always had a love of writing and drawing stories. After the arrival of my children I had the opportunity to revisit all […]
Proud of Me
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogGuest Post by Sarah Haggers Holt, author of Nothing Ever Happens Here (2020), and Proud of Me (2021) The first time I went to an LGBTQ youth group was a couple of years ago – I was 39 years old. Yes, I know, not exactly the target age range. I went because I was invited […]
Space Detectives Are Go- Mark Powers
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogSPACE DETECTIVES ARE GO! Mark Powers is the author of SPACE DETECTIVES, the first in a series of funny and exciting sci-fi mystery adventures for middle grade readers. (“Star Wars meets Sherlock Holmes”). Here, he chats to CHINWAG-500, the world’s most sophisticated robot interviewer, about his new book. *BOOTING UP* *BZZZT* GREETINGS, HUMAN. I AM […]
The Shark Caller by Zillah Bethell
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogZillah Bethell has penned a spell-binding new middle grade novel set against the beautifully-woven backdrop of her childhood home of New Ireland in Papua New Guinea. The Shark Caller is an astonishing story of friendship, forgiveness and bravery which fellow children’s author Sophie Anderson describes as “magnificent and beautiful.” Zillah writes exclusively for the FCBG blog […]
To celebrate the publication of their book, Weird, Wild & Wonderful (Otter-Barry Books) illustrator NEAL LAYTON and poet JAMES CARTER interview each other…
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogHi Neal! It’s been great fun working with you on our book. But as an author and illustrator in your own right, how do you feel about working with other writers and illustrating their words? Hello, James! I love working with writers because reading their words takes my imagination to new places. Like your weird world and […]