SHARED PRACTICE Public and school library partnerships—Joy Court talks to Ailsa Gormley I have always felt that if school librarians wanted to create readers for life, they had to engage their students with public libraries so that the reading habit could be sustained outside of the educational environment. I am also a passionate advocate of the inspiration […]
Read moreJoy Court shines the spotlight on children’s author Tamsin Cooke ! “Ever since she burst onto the scene in 2015 with The Scarlet Files: Cat Burglar , her electrifying debut novel that was shortlisted for many awards and went on to win the Stockton Children’s book of the year 2017—Tamsin Cooke has been an author to watch! An ex-primary teacher who learnt to […]
Read moreOn the Bookshelf Night Raiders by Ali Sparkes Adventure is a big feature in all the books we are featuring on the Bookshelf. Ali Sparkes on the cover guarantees a page turner in my opinion and, having loved Night Speakers, I was so delighted to meet Elena, Matt and Tima again in Night Raiders. These unlikely […]
Read more SHARED PRACTICE Greenaway Shadowing with SEN students—Joy Court talks to Caroline Fielding I would like to think that Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Shadowing will always feature in a Great School Library, but do you realise how flexible the scheme can be? Here Caroline Fielding, Librarian at Charlton Park Academy—a Special Academy for students with complex, low incidence […]
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HOT TOPIC Great School Libraries Joy Court discusses the new ‘Great School Libraries’ campaign and the ways in which your library can get involved with the movement for change! “June 6th saw the launch of the plan for the ‘Great School Libraries’ campaign, which should be dear to the hearts of everyone reading this! The […]
Read moreI had never stroked an elephant’s tongue until I started researching Thailand for my new book. That’s the wonderful thing about research – once you start, it can lead you to such exciting and unusual places. My second book in the Stunt Double series , Jungle Curse, is set in Thailand. I’m very lucky that I got to […]
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Magical Kingdom of Birds: The Sleepy Hummingbirds is the first book in an enchanting new series of children’s books celebrating the real-life beauty and wonder of the natural world. We speak to illustrator Rosie Butcher to find out what it’s like bringing this magical series to life! Rosie Butcher, illustrator of Magical Kingdom of Birds How did you approach illustrating the Magical Kingdom […]
Read moreRussia is ready for kick-off for this year’s World Cup! To celebrate the opening of the tournament in June, we’ve handpicked three of our favourite football-filled books! These books will make great summer reads and will inspire young football fans to cheer on their teams. Fantastic Football Poems , written by John Foster and illustrated by Korky Paul. This […]
Read moreLooking for children’s books with strong, brave and independent female characters to inspire your children? We’ve hand-picked our top ten characters to celebrate International Women’s Day. 1) Winnie the Witch , 2+ Written by Valerie Thomas, illustrated by Korky Paul Winnie has been inspiring children around the world since her first adventure was published over thirty years ago. […]
Read moreSHARED PRACTICE Highlighting the benefits of preparation, planning, and taking a little time to stop and evaluate – Joy Court talks to Alison Tarrant. In synergy with my latest Hot Topic (I’m a School Librarian, and I’m worth it!), I persuaded 2016 Honour List librarian Alison Tarrant (read her citation here ) from Cambourne Village College […]
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