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The Federation of Children’s Book Groups Blog
Land of the Last Wildcat by Lui Sit
Author Lui Sit shares her experiences and how they impacted her writing of Land of the Last Wildcat. If you told me, thirty odd years ago, when dressed as a koala doing acrobatics under the baking Australian sun, that the experience would culminate in my writing a children’s middle-grade book with underlying themes of conservation […]
Stories for Change Competition Winners
This year’s National Share–a–Story Month theme, “Changing the World, One Book at a Time”, celebrates the power of storytelling to inspire environmental awareness, hope, and action. In February, Guppy Books and the Federation of Children’s Book Groups launched Stories for Change – a short story writing competition for children aged 7-12, inspired by the themes […]
Imagine If….by Tamsin Rosewell
We have an enchanting blog post today from Tamsin Rosewell about being the illustrator for The Seamaiden’s Odyssey. Imagine if… Imagination is one of the most powerful forces on earth. As William Blake put it: ‘What is now known was once only imagined’. The human imagination is the driving force of huge things: it the […]
Q&A with Emily Gravett
Emily Gravett’s captivating books about Pete the Badger and his woodland friends introduce children to the importance of environmental issues in a gentle, hopeful, entertaining way. Tidy shows the need for wild spaces. Too Much Stuff looks at over-consumption. The latest in the series, Bothered By Bugs, explores the importance of insects to the ecosystems […]
Blue’s Planet Competition with Sweet Cherry Publishing
The Federation of Children’s Book Groups is excited to be partnering with Sweet Cherry Publishing to launch a special competition inspired by the environmental theme of National Share-a-Story Month 2025. Blue’s Planet by Lucy McRobert has been selected for our booklist partly because it’s a rollickingly good story with appealing illustrations. We also liked the […]
National Share-a-Story Month: ahead of its time by Louisa Farrow
National Share-a-Story Month: ahead of its time Great stories are the greater for sharing! Humans have known this since the birth of language although it’s easy to forget that in our global but fragmented world. The start of National Share-a-Story month Almost 50 years ago the Federation of Children’s Book Groups launched National Tell-A-Story week: […]
Dreamslinger by Graci Kim
Author, Graci Kim, writes a fascinating blog for us today about the power of dreams and her book, Dreamslinger! When I was a kid, I had this recurring dream where a ghost would fly through the glass wall of our house and take something from my gut. It didn’t hurt, but in the dream, my […]
We Are Family by Oliver Sykes, CLiPPA Shortlisted Poet
The CLiPPA Shortlist was recently announced and we are thrilled to welcome one of the shortlisted poets to the blog to share information about his experience with poetry! Poetry has been part of my life since I was very young. Shortly after our mum left, when I was eight, our dad became our primary […]
Higher Ground by Tull Suwannakit
We were recently given the opportunity to read Tull Suwannakit’s beautiful book, Higher Ground. We had a few questions to ask Tull, please see the answers below. How long did the book take you to create? The entire book has taken me around 7 years to create, the longest I have ever undertaken on any […]
Our World: England by Sumana Seeboruth
Board books are the first ones shared with our youngest readers and we have a blog today about the challenges and wonder of writing board books from author, Sumana Seeboruth. As a girl, I could sit for hours writing stories, imagining adventures for my characters to pursue. Back then, my protagonists were often older than […]
We Are All Animals by Ben Hoare
We Are All Animals is a fact filled non-fiction book comparing humans to animals in interesting ways. One of the authors, Ben Hoare, takes us on a journey of discovery in today’s blog. Sometimes as a writer, you get to work on a book that so completely takes you by surprise, it changes you in […]
Clem Fatale has been Betrayed by Eve Wersocki-Morris
We have a delightful interview with Eve Wersocki-Morris about her new character and story, Clem Fatale! Tell us about Clem Fatale Has Been Betrayed. It’s an adventure-comedy set in London 1951, starring twelve-year-old Clem Fatale – the youngest crook in the city – who uses her street-smarts and fast-talkin’ to find her missing dad; […]
Behind the Balloons: Dan & Jason Interview Each Other about Blue, Barry & Pancakes: Escape from Balloonia
In this special Q&A, Dan and Jason interview each other about the latest book in the Blue, Barry & Pancakes series, Escape from Balloonia. Behind the Balloons: Dan & Jason Interview Each Other about Blue, Barry & Pancakes: Escape from Balloonia About Dan & Jason: Dan Abdo and Jason Patterson are best pals who […]
The Story Inspiration behind Gargoyles by Tamsin Mori
We are delighted to welcome Tamsin Mori to the blog sharing her inspiration behind her series, Gargoyles. Story inspiration is everywhere, if you know how to look for it. Often, it’s right in front of you. When I was writing The Weather Weaver, I spent a lot of time sky-gazing. Every change in the […]
Wolf Siren by Beth O’Brien
We have author Beth O’Brien writing for us today about her book, Wolf Siren and it’s links to a well known fairytale. Beth speaks about her own visual impairment in relation to fairytales. Why does Little Red Riding Hood not immediately realise that her grandmother has been replaced by a wolf? This was something […]
The Old Forest Path by Jamie Catto
Author Jamie Catto describes how lessons learned from nature shaped his lyrical new picture book The Old Forest Path. Lessons from nature: The Old Forest Path As a child I would see vivid faces in the trees outside my bedroom window and had all kinds of encounters in nature that gave me a sure sense […]
Empathy Collection and Reflections from Anne Fine
Today’s blog is from our friends at Empathy Lab and Anne Fine, writing about empathy and the upcoming Empathy Festival. Read on and get involved! Jump into someone else’s story The 2025 Read for Empathy Collection and reflections from Anne Fine The Read for Empathy book collection created by EmpathyLab is an annual event which […]
Wild Magic Legend of the Black Lion by Abiola Bello
Abiola Bello shares some insightful information about Ethiopia, the country which features in the first book in her new series, Wild Magic! My first venture into younger fiction I wanted to write something fun and educational but also magical that had Black children at the centre of it. I wanted a book that showcased animals […]