The Federation of Children’s Book Groups Blog
The Inspirations for The Castle of Tangled Magic
By Sophie Andersen I often find it is the interaction of several separate inspirations that can spark the idea for a story. The Castle of Tangled Magic was born out of three main inspirations: my fascination with Russia’s centuries-old wooden buildings, spirits from Slavic mythology, and a fairy-tale in verse written by Alexander Pushkin. The […]
The 12 Days of Christmas or Grandma is Overly Generous by Alex T. Smith
“Christmas is coming And Grandma’s lost the plot! She’s decked the dog in ribbons, and mince pies? She made A Lot…” If you had a large filing cabinet (one large enough to store people in) you would have found both of my grandmothers neatly organised into the section entitled “MAD AS A BOX OF FROGS”. […]
A Dancer’s Dream by Katherine Woodfine
A Dancer’s Dream Written by Katherine Woodfine, Illustrated by Lizzy Stewart, Published by Simon and Schuster As a child, one of my favourite Christmas traditions was a trip to the theatre or the ballet. Seeing a production of The Nutcracker at Christmastime was a special treat — the story of Clara and the Nutcracker doll […]
Launching Moon Dog virtually into the world
When I first began writing Moon Dog, I never dreamed how much it would hit the zeitgeist. My readers describe Moon Dog as a gripping adventure story that brings two lost children, Marcus and Delilah, together in their quest for a dog. It’s a story that warns against the dangers of puppy farming. We have […]
Wild Cities by Ben Lerwill and Harriet Hobday
When an opportunity comes along to chat with an author or illustrator about their work, we always say yes and their answers to our questions are amazing everytime. Ben Lerwill and Harriet Hobday have created an enticing book aptly named Wild Cities. Opening the book will take readers around the world, visiting the wildlife that […]
Loving Non-Fiction
Guest Post by Marcia Williams The final blog for this year’s National Non-Fiction November has been written by award- winning author/illustrator Marcia Williams, who looks back at the non-fiction books she loved as a child and considers the role of non-fiction for young readers in the future. I think my passion for writing non-fiction goes […]
123 Seriously Smart Things You Need to Know about the Climate
This new book from Thames & Hudson was originally written in Dutch by Belgian author Matilda Masters, translated by English translator Lorna Dale and illustrated by Louize Perdieus. In this blog Mathilda introduces herself, her writing and the inspiration behind her latest the book. Who am I? What kind of work do I do? How […]
7 Things I Learned from writing “Generation Hope”
by Kimberlie Hamilton I wrote Generation Hope (Scholastic) as a call to arms for young activists. It covers all sorts of timely issues – including climate change, mental health, animal welfare, pollution and homelessness – and features dozens of change-agents around the world, ranging in age from 7 to 19 years old. I learn a […]
Darwin’s Rival
NNFN coordinator, Chris Routh recently had the opportunity to interview non-fiction author Christiane Dorion about her latest book Darwin’s Rival: Alfred Russel Wallace and the Search for Evolution illustrated by Harry Tennant and published by Walker Books. Can you tell us about yourself and how you came to be a writer of books for children? […]
100 Things to Know About Saving the Planet
How could plastic-eating bacteria help reduce waste? Could we generate all the power we need from the sun and wind? Would building a giant sunshade in space stop the world from overheating? Don’t worry if you don’t know the answers, the Usborne Fact Force are the go-to people to ask for top tips on saving […]
Of Course, I’m Biased
by Steve Cole Here’s a confession. I rarely read contemporary fiction. As a professional novel editor as well as a writer, it’s an instinct to make changes in the margin as I go – which is as frustrating as it is pointless. So, my reading material tends to be nonfiction. Not a studying of dry facts, […]
The Tale of a Toothbrush
by M.G.Leonard One of this year’s National Non-Fiction November competitions is inspired by The Tale of a Toothbrush: A Story of Plastic in Our Oceans written by M G Leonard and illustrated by Daniel Rieley. NNFN’s coordinator, Chris Routh, was given the opportunity to ask the book’s creators a few questions about its inspiration, development […]
Judging the 2020 School Library Association Information Book Award
Charlotte Taylor-Smith is the senior librarian at Colston’s School in Bristol. This year she joined the panel of judges for the SLA Information Book Award and accepted our invitation to write about her experience to coincide with the announcement of the award winners. As I recommend books for all ages from 3 years old to […]
The Magic of Reality
Non-fiction author and publisher Christopher Lloyd explains why non-fiction matters today more than ever Over the last 15 years I must have given more than 1,000 lectures in different schools and I can’t tell you the number of times the librarian or teacher who has kindly invited me has told me, with gleeful smile, that […]
The Importance of Trees and Sustainable Publishing
In this bumper double-sized blog, we hear from author Jess French about her latest book and editor Georgia Amson-Bradshaw of Ivy Kids (The Quarto Group), which is due to be relaunched as a ‘sustainable imprint’ in 2021 Our world is entirely reliant on trees. Without trees, the systems that keep the world working as it […]
The Shark Life
Marine biologist, Jillian Morris, explains her passion for sharks and the work of Sharks4Kids, a nonprofit education company she runs with her husband Duncan Brake. Their book Shark Super Powers was published by UCLAN earlier this year. Jillian diving with great hammerhead sharks Credit Deano Cook The Shark Life “Do you ever get scared?” This […]
Last – Nicola Davies
Nicola Davies explains what inspired her to write Last: The Story of a White Rhino published by Tiny Owl earlier this year and why she decided that she had to illustrate the story herself. Late one night back in 2018 I watched a documentary about a rhino. He had been named Sudan when he was […]
Challenge yourself to reduce your waste and consumption
Our first fantastic blog for National Non-Fiction November 2020 features a trio of books published by Hachette. See below for information about how you can win copies of the books. Protect the planet we share and learn how to reduce your consumption and waste with the advice and tips in A Planet Full of Plastic, […]