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The Federation of Children’s Book Groups Blog
Writing The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogGuest post by Jonathon Stroud It’s always odd holding a new book in your hands, and looking back at the process by which you came to write it. Very rarely is it a simple, clearly identifiable journey – a broad path curving back neatly to the original idea. More often it resembles an archaeological dig […]
Why I Love Horror
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogGuest post by Amy McCaw Although I think of Mina and the Undead as more of a murder mystery than pure horror, there are horror touches and references throughout the narrative. A combination of things got me into horror. The first was my dad’s video shop. I spent a lot of time there in the […]
What Happened to You? by James Catchpole and Karen George
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogWe were thrilled to be able to read What Happened to YOU? and then pose some questions to author James Catchpole. This is a wonderful book which features Joe, a young boy with one leg, who is happily playing and attempting to answer the inevitable question, What Happened to you? by those around him. Delving […]
Featherlight
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogGuest Post by Peter Bunzl The spark of inspiration for Featherlight came one day when I was flicking through one of my old notebooks. and a few lines of an unfinished poem caught my eye: ‘I am the lighthouse keeper’s daughter, And I keep the lighthouse by the water. Keep the oil lamps burning bright, […]
Reading Science for Pleasure
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogWritten by Hannah Groves, SLA While some associate ‘reading for pleasure’ with reading fiction, school library staff are well aware that many children also enjoy an array of non-fiction and eagerly engage with books about sport, celebrities, world records and more. But what about science? How many young people do you think read science books […]
Little Troopers, An Important Charity
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogBy Louise Fetigan, founder of Little Troopers, a charity supporting children with parents serving in the British Armed Forces My name is Louise Fetigan and I am the founder of Little Troopers, a charity dedicated to supporting the thousands of UK children who have parents serving in the British Armed Forces. I set up the […]
Kaleidoscope of Creatures
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogInsight into the incredible illustrations by Greer Stothers My name is Greer Stothers, and I am an illustrator who specializes in natural science illustration. This means I’ve worked for museums and paleontologists, but also work more creatively on projects introducing children to the natural world – like Kaleidoscope of Creatures, which explains animal colourations to […]
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
/1 Comment/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 […]