My Friend the Octopus

Helen (@helenbyles) - Britain 1877, a place where aquariums were extremely popular,  especially with the upper class of society.  They marvelled at all the amazing sea creatures,  but there was one creature that stood out from all the rest. The beautiful Octopus.  An amazing creature that even today fascinates people around the world.  There is … Continue reading My Friend the Octopus

Writes of Passage – Words to Read before you turn 13

Pick any page inside this book and inspiration awaits. It is designed perfectly for the intended reader as each 'passage' is short in text length whilst being powerful in context, and this layout allows readers to pick at what they read, and adds to the enjoyment factor when recommending or gifting this book to young … Continue reading Writes of Passage – Words to Read before you turn 13

Brilliant Board Books for Babies from Nosy Crow

Look, it's Roar Roar Lion Written by Camilla ReidIllustrated by Clare Youngs I absolutely love the foil detailing to the illustrations throughout this book, which feature large mammals including a zebra, monkey, hippo, and of course lion, with the sentences revealing the sounds the animals make each time too. As little ones admire the stunning … Continue reading Brilliant Board Books for Babies from Nosy Crow

Non Fiction recommendations to Inspire and Engage

Girl power, Indian Women who took on the World Written by Neha J Hiranandani Published by Scholastic In 1998 the Indian government issued a stamp celebrating the life of Savitribal Phule. Savitribal was a rebel, married to a man when she was 9 years old, he helped her to read and write  it was her … Continue reading Non Fiction recommendations to Inspire and Engage

2022 Middle Grade Must Reads – June (Part One)

The shop of Impossible Ice Creams Written by Shane Hegarty Illustrations by Jeff Crowther Published by Hodder Children Books (on 9th June 2022) Imagine moving to a new town, well that doesn’t sound to bad. Imagine moving to a new town, and owning an ice cream shop - well that still sounds OK! But Imagine … Continue reading 2022 Middle Grade Must Reads – June (Part One)

All things The Adventure Club with author Jess Butterworth

I absolutely love escaping into the many worlds created by Jess Butterworth, which until recently were middle grade/chapter books for confident readers, and The Adventure Club series has joined my personal collection of Jess' books that I will cherish (many of which have been signed and dedicated to my daughter and myself when we were … Continue reading All things The Adventure Club with author Jess Butterworth