Myra Barrs
We are very sad to announce that our patron, former colleague and friend,  Myra Barrs, died on 24 October 2023.

Myra was Director of what was then the Centre for Language in Primary Education, now Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), where all of the Love my books team worked during an extraordinary period of educational development in the area of children’s literacy learning. 

The Guardian obituary linked here is from Sue Ellis, who became Director of CLPE after Myra, and gives a full and moving account the life and work of this extraordinary woman.
We are deeply sad to lose our friend and colleague.

Michael Rosen
Former Children’s Laureate, writer, poet, broadcaster, Professor at Goldsmiths College, Michael’s books include picture books We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and This is our House, children’s novels including Uncle Gobb and the Dread Shed, poetry for example A Great Big Cuddle, one of Our top 10 poetry books and Michael Rosen’s A-Z of Poetry from Agard to Zephaniah, and a book for parents Good ideas, how to be your child’s best teacher www.michaelrosen.co.uk https://www.facebook.com/michael.rosen.5496

SF Said
Award winning children’s author, SF Said won the Smarties prize for Varjak Paw , the Blue Peter Award for The Outlaw Varjak Paw and was nominated for the 2014 Guardian prize for children’s fiction for his book Phoenix. In 2024 his latest book Tyger was voted Book of the Year.

Visit SF Said’s website http://www.sfsaid.com/

Click here for link to a trailer about Phoenix.
Read about the books which influenced SF Said as a child

David Almond
Award winning author for children and young people, winning the Carnegie and Whitbread prizes within the UK. International prizes include the Hans Andersen award in 2010, the most prestigious prize in children’s literature.

David’s books include: Skellig, The Boy who Climbed into the Moon , My Dad is a Birdman and The Boy who Swam with Piranhas

Visit David Almond on Facebook.

Mini Grey
An award winning illustrator and writer of very popular picture books, Mini has won the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Smarties Book Prize. Her picture books include Traction Man is Here! , Space Dog, Toys in Space, Biscuit Bear, Egg Drop, and The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon.

Visit Mini’s website http://minigrey.com/     Mini’s sketchblog is Sketching Weakly at http://minigrey-blog.com/

Julian Grenier
A Headteacher and National Leader of Education, Julian worked in early years education for the last two decades with a particular focus on young children’s communication and early literacy. Julian has a doctorate in education (EdD).
Julian is was Headteacher at Sheringham Nursery School; see the Teaching School Programme at www.sheringham-nur.org.uk
In 2023 Julian received a CBE and now works for Ofsted
You can follow him @juliangrenier

Jessica Souhami
Jessica Souhami’s books are  exquisitely illustrated and mainly retellings of traditional stories. She was formerly a puppeteer, making shadow puppets and bringing traditional stories to life.

 Her  first book was The Leopard’s Drum, a story from West Africa and one of Our top 10 folk and fairy tales. Her other books include Foxy! , No Dinner  and Sausages. Her new picture book, Honk, Honk! Hold Tight! is one of our Top 10 new picture books and tells the traditional and very funny folktale of the princess who will not laugh.

Marilyn Brocklehurst
Marilyn is the founder of the Norfolk Children’s Book Centre, a wonderful independent bookshop. She works with schools to develop library provision, provides support for National conferences, has judged National book awards and writes reviews for The Bookseller and other publications. In recognition of her work she has recently become a Fellow of the English Association.

Marilyn is passionate about Reading for Pleasure and this is central to  her work with schools and parents.

Chris Riddell
Chris Riddell is the current children’s laureate. He is a prolific illustrator with a distinctive detailed style. He  has collaborated with a number of writers for children including Neil Gaiman and another of our patrons, Michael Rosen illustrating A Great Big Cuddle: Poems for the Very Young. Chris is a renowned political cartoonist.

Chris is a highly successful, award winning writer in his own right and his solo work includes the Goth Girl and Ottoline series. The first Goth Girl novel won the Costa Children’s Book Award in 2013. Other awards include the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration which he has won three times; most recently in 2016 for The Sleeper and the Spindle with Neil Gaiman.

Follow Chris’s laureate log.
Visit his website

Chitra Soundar is a writer and storyteller who draws inspiration from the ancient epics and stories of India to write picture books and young fiction. Her Farmer Falgu titles were included in the TES list of “50 Books to diversify your class reading” list. Recently, A Jar of Pickles and a Pinch of Justice has been shortlisted for the Surrey Libraries Children’s Book Award.

Lovemybooks were delighted to include Pattan’s Pumpkin in our selection of stories about ‘Our World’ launched in March 2017. See our activity page here: http://www.lovemybooks.co.uk/pattans-pumpkin.  Pattan’s Pumpkin is now also part of the 2017 CLPE Power of Reading programme and the October 2017 book of the month for Read Across America.

Chitra’s new book with Poonam Mistry coming soon is You’re safe with me a stunning and beautifully written bedtime story published by Lantana books (in May 2018). Website: www.chitrasoundar.com

Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/ChitraSoundarAuthor
Twitter: @csoundar

Joseph Coelho
Joseph’s poems have been published in several Macmillan anthologies including Green Glass Beads edited by Jacqueline Wilson. Joseph has been a guest poet on Cbeebies Rhyme Rocket where he was beamed up from ‘The Rhyme Rock’ to perform his Bug Poem and has featured alongside Michael Rosen and Valerie Bloom on Radio 4’s Poetry Playtime. His debut children’s collection Werewolf Club Rules is published by Frances Lincoln and was the winner of the 2015 CLPE CLiPPA Poetry Award. His collection for older readers Overheard in a Tower Block was long-listed for the 2018 Carnegie Medal. He recently finished filming ‘Teach Poetry’ a 10 part BBC online series that aims to make the writing of poetry fun and accessible to all.

In addition, Joseph has written two wonderful picture books, Luna Loves Library Day with Fiona Lumbers and If All the World Were illustrated by Alison Colpoys included in our Top 10 picturebooks 2018.

In 2022 Joseph became Children’s Laureate.

Imogen Russell Williams.
Imogen is a children’s literature critic writing for the Guardian, the Metro and the Times Literary Supplement, and a co-presenter of Down the Rabbit Hole, a children’s book show broadcast monthly on Resonance FM. She has also written a non-fiction title for 5-8-year-olds, The Big Book of the UK, which is published by Ladybird.

Frank Cottrell Boyce
Frank is an award-winning screen writer and novelist. He won the Carnegie Medal for Millions and the Guardian fiction prize for The Unforgotten Coat. He was commissioned to write the sequel to Ian Fleming’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and collaborated with Danny Boyle to create the storyline for the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony in which children’s books had a central role. He is a strong advocate for the importance of children’s books and reading for pleasure.

Sonia Thompson
Sonia is Head Teacher at St Matthew’s CE Primary School, in Nechells, Birmingham: the first winner of the Open University/UK Literacy Association Whole School Reading for Pleasure School of the Year. She is passionate about evidence-based reading for pleasure practices, and places these at the heart of the school. 

Sonia has run an OU/UKLA Teachers’ Reading Group for two years and is an advisor for the OU/UKLA Research Rich Pedagogies website. She has spoken at various conferences about Reading for Pleasure, including Peters Love Literacy and ResearchED. Sonia is a co-opted member of the UKLA National Council, representing the OU Teacher Reading Groups.

Lovemybooks is for parents, carers, teachers, schools, and early years staff, created by literacy experts. Free and ad free with over 250 activity pages full of creative book-based ideas.
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NEW BOOKS AND ACTIVITY PAGES

OUR NEW FOCUS BOOK

Our new book in focus is Slug Life by Moesha Kellaway            
In this highly entertaining and informative picture book Stevie, aka the world’s grumpiest slug, is sent to self-esteem classes to find out reasons he should be proud to be a slug.
Visit our brand-new activity page Buy the book

OUR NEW POSTCARD AND POSTER

Download postcard front and back, download poster

Puppet: new book by David Almond

When Silvester the puppet maker stops performing and donates his puppets and materials to a museum he cannot resist making one last puppet; it is a labour of love. Amazingly the puppet shows signs of life – he learns to walk and even utters a word or two. He is just like the son Silvester never had. When Silvester meets Fleur, a little girl as passionate about puppet making as he is, he realises he has found someone to continue his legacy. Together they create one last magical puppet show.

This is a story brimming with warmth and wonder, celebrating the power of imagination, the magic of storytelling and the cycle of life. 
See our activity page
Buy the book

Watch David Almond talking about Puppet

MESSAGE TO PARENTS FROM SONIA THOMPSON, BIRMINGHAM HEADTEACHER

Sue McGonigle from Lovemybooks recently interviewed Sonia Thompson, Head Teacher of St Matthews C of E Primary School, Birmingham. See whole video
See Sonia’s message to parents below.

TYGER by SF SAID WINS CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR

Congratulations to TYGER by SF Said, illustrated by DaveMcKean, which is winner of Book of the Year: Children’s Fiction at the British Book Awards. All the judges agreed that the book already “felt like a classic”.

SF Said says ‘I put 9 long, hard years of my life into writing TYGER because I believe children’s books are the most important books of all. So it was beyond incredible to see it win Children’s Book Of The Year at the #BritishBookAwards. Thank you @thebookseller @theweekjunior & the judges!!!’
See our Tyger activity page

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR PATRONS 🧡 🧡 🧡

Award for Michael Rosen
Congratulations to Lovemybooks’ patron Michael Rosen on winning the prestigious Pen Pinter prize for his fearless body of work including his writing for children. Ruth Borthwick one of the judges said Rosen has “championed a way of writing for children which reflects their everyday worlds, using humour and wordplay to validate their imaginative ways of thinking and being”, said judge and chair of English PEN, Ruth Borthwick. Read more here: Author Michael Rosen wins 2023 PEN Pinter prize for ‘fearless’ body of work | Books | The Guardian

The Island of Brilliant
Interested in children’s books? Another of our wonderful patrons Frank Cottrell Boyce has launched a great podcast with author illustrator Nadia Shireen entitled The Island of Brilliant The Island of Brilliant! | a podcast by Frank Cottrell Boyce and Nadia Shireen (podbean.com)

SF SAID
SF was appointed writer in residence at Booktrust in March.
See Writer in Residence at BookTrust: SF Said | BookTrust

DAVID ALMOND
David received an OBE for services to Literature in April. He has also received two international prizes this year, the Nonino International prize one of Italy’s most prestigious literary prizes and the James Kruss prize awarded to a living author of children’s and YA books distinguished by linguistic brilliance originality imaginative storytelling and cosmopolitanism.

Visit our activity page for David Almond’s Tale of Angelino Brown and The Boy who Climbed into the Moon

JOSEPH COELHO
We are utterly delighted to announce that award-winning poet, playwright and author Joseph Coelho is the brand new Waterstones Children’s Laureate!

JULIAN GRENIER
Julian receives a CBE in the Jubilee Honours list. He is a Headteacher and National Leader of Education and one of our first patrons. Julian is a dedicated pioneer in early years education and has a particular focus on young children’s communication and early literacy. When choosing an online casino, Julian only chooses best aussie casinos, a list of which is provided by casinoau10. He has a doctorate in education (EdD).
Visit the website of Sheringham Nursery School where Julian is Headteacher and see the Teaching School Programme at www.sheringham-nur.org.uk

Julian blogs at www.juliangrenier.blogspot.co.uk You can follow him @juliangrenieR

WELCOME TO LOVE MY BOOKS

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Our specially chosen books are arranged in topics and themes that young children love, with ideas for ways to share the books and lots of exciting things to do Read more…

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Find books for children aged 0-3, 3- 5, 5-7, 7-11 Read more

* Our Top 10 book lists
Whether you want to find out about exciting new picture books, alphabet books, folk and fairy tales or story apps you’ll find them here in our Top 10 books sections Read more…

You can contact us using the form at the bottom of the page, by email at info@lovemybooks.co.uk, on our Facebook page or on Twitter @lovemybooksUK.

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Michael Rosen, Chris Riddell (illus)       
Walker Books
Age 0-5 years

This is a delightful and award winning book. Full of fun and language play, it’s a perfect entry to the world of poetry and rhyme. Very young children will want to hear, and repeat these contemporary rhymes again and again, just as they can with traditional nursery rhymes.

There’s lots which will resonate with young children and their parents as many of the poems tap into familiar feelings and experiences; being excited about a party in Party Time, feeling anxious in Lost, being told what to do in Are you Listening? or wanting to have a go at something in Let me do it.

This is an inspired collaboration between two of our Lovemybooks’ patrons; a great poet, Michael Rosen, and a great illustrator, Chris Riddell, with joyous results.

Share the book

You could read the poems in order or browse and dip into the book, stopping to share the pages that take your fancy. Children will develop their own favourites (and so will you!) and enjoy hearing you reading them again and again. Encourage children to join in with the words and actions and perhaps with completing the rhymes.

I don’t want, Oh Dear and Let Me Do It are just three of the poems with repeated lines or choruses which would be great fun for children to join in with.

The illustrations are absolutely delightful and children will enjoy looking at them and talking about them. Which are their favourite pages?

Watch Michael Rosen perform ‘I am Angry’ here:

Kids’ Poems and Stories With Michael Rosen

Visit Michael Rosen’s YouTube channel with more performances from A Great Big Cuddle

Things to do

• Recite The Button Bop  when you are buttoning up clothes.

• Dance to Tippy-Tappy and Music.

• After sharing Boing Boing children can try to roll up like a ball or pounce like a tiger. Wiggly Wiggly will encourage lots of delightful wiggling, jiggling and giggling.

• Finger story  will encourage finger play and thinking together what fingers can do.

• Practise counting down together with Party Time.

• At mealtime you can repeat the words of Lunchtime, crunching and munching.

• In I AM HUNGRY you can have fun together talking about all the things you’d eat if you were really hungry, or what makes you really angry in I AM ANGRY. Can children make a really angry face?

• With Once they can enjoy looking scary like a terrible ‘Berrible’ perhaps looking at their faces in a mirror! Children might like to draw their own picture of a terrible Berrible.

Find out more

See our top ten poetry books here

More about poetry and rhyme here

Walker and Booktrust have produced some downloadable activity sheets on this book.

Read more books by Michael Rosen. His books for the very young include:

We’re Going on a Bearhunt

This is Our House

Little Rabbit Foo Foo

Michael Rosen has also written a wide range of poetry and information books for older children and also the Uncle Gobb series of novels Uncle Gobb and the Dread Shed

Chris Riddell  has illustrated many children’s books and is author and illustrator of the Ottoline and Goth Girl series. See our activity ideas for Ottoline and the Yellow Cat here.

Step into an imaginary world Fantasy novels for children 7+
Ever increasing numbers of children’s novels are taking children into imaginary worlds where alongside the daring young protagonists they will experience vicariously adventure, danger and challenge.

You and your child may be very familiar with well-known classics such as the Chronicles of Narnia and the more recent His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman, but where should you start with the plethora of new titles?

Here are a few to look out for:

Sky Song by Abi Elphinstone is set in the frozen world of Elkenwald  where two children are on a quest to save the kingdom from the evil ice queen. Spellstone by Ross Montgomery is a story full of magic, danger and humour. Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell in which the barrier between our world and the Archipelago, home to an amazing menagerie of magical creatures is under threat.  For younger readers see The Dragon in the Library by Louie Stowell. Visit our Lovemybooks activity page https://www.lovemybooks.co.uk/the-dragon-in-the-library.

And there are many more to choose from. We asked a group of Lovemybooks supporters and patrons for their suggestions:

City of Stolen Magic by Nazneen Ahmad Pathak is recommended by Imogen Russell Williams, children’s literature critic and broadcaster and Lovemybooks patron,

Set in an alternate India – and England – of the 1850s, this is a magical fantasy of the most thrilling and thought-provoking kind, interweaving colonial history with a desperate and far-ranging quest. 

Luka and the Fire of Life  and Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie are recommended by Chitra Soundar author, storyteller and Lovemybooks patron

These two books are magical, funny and in the vein of The Phantom Tollbooth or Narnia – adventure filled stories, deeply rooted in South Asian culture without being specific about it. They are about stories, storytelling and the power of imagination. 

Chitra comments ‘I think all readers need a balanced mix of fantasy and contemporary stories. When they don’t get a rich mix of everything, then reading gets one-dimensional. And it’s important to read books from everywhere and writers of all backgrounds – because the fountain of imagination feeds off different sources and lived experiences.’ https://linktr.ee/csoundar

Zo and the Forest of Secrets by Alake Pilgrim is recommended by Jon Biddle Teacher and English lead:
A thrilling children’s sci-fi fantasy where the energy almost bursts from the page. Zo travels through what she thought was a familiar landscape but encounters a series of terrifying creatures and an extremely different version of the island she grew up on. Alake’s children’s debut is genuinely gripping as Zo battles for survival on her journey through the forest.
@jonnybid
https://childrenreadingforpleasure.blogspot.com/
https://padlet.com/Jon_Biddle/reading-for-pleasure-woam2an149vg

Glassborn by Peter Bunzl is recommended by Anne Thompson Librarian, book reviewer and blogger
Glassborn, the standalone sequel to Magicborn, is a treat of a read. A story in the best tradition of children’s literature, a magical, historical fantasy tale of riddles and curses, secrets, spells and excitement set in an icy world ruled by a wicked Fairy Queen and featuring four brave children. Glassborn is a captivating story with literary connections to Narnia and Bronte and containing much hope in its pages.

Anne also recommends The Griffin Gate by Vashti Hardy illustrated by Natalie Smillie and published by Barrington Stoke.  The steampunk fantasy style that this award-winning author has become known for is presented here in a shorter but equally exciting version. This will introduce even the most reluctant of readers to a whole new world of adventures with further stories to follow in the series.
Twitter @alibrarylady https://alibrarylady.blog/ 

Dr Mary Roche Author, Educator and co founder of the Network for Educational Action Research Ireland (NEARI) recommended several books, she writes:
‘I am a huge fan of Kieran Larwood’s work.The Legend of Podkin One-Ear (the first book in the series) won the Blue Peter Book Award in 2017. Larwood has created a wonderful series of adventures featuring a rabbit called Podkin One-Ear, his sister Paz and their baby brother, Pook. With superb illustrations by David Wyatt, this series will enchant children of 8 or older. See: https://kmlarwood.com/the-five-realms/

The Monsters of Rookhaven (Macmillan, 2021) won the 2021 KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Honour Award for Fiction.  A family of monsters lives in Rookhaven. The local villagers tolerate them, and they don’t intrude upon the villagers – usually. Padraig Kenny’s world building is amazing and Edward Bettison’s eerie illustrations are a perfect fit. (age 9+)

Toby Alone is the first of a 2-book series by Timothee de Fombelle and illustrated by François Place. Originally published in 2006, it was translated from French by Sarah Ardizzone. As a fan of Mary Norton’s ‘The Borrowers’ this book immediately appealed to me because the protagonist Toby Lolness is tiny. Like all the inhabitants of his world he is less than 2 millimetres tall. This book is a complete page turner, full of plot, politics, intrigue and suspense.

S.F Said created the highly unique character of a Mesopotamian Blue Kitten called Varjak Paw in 2003. When Varjak’s owner dies, a strange gentleman and his two black cats come to the high old house on the hill and begin to take over. Varjak is immediately on alert. Having inherited a martial arts skill called ‘The Way’ from his grandfather, he now uses it to survive. The sequel – The Outlaw Varjak Paw (published 2005) – continues the adventures. Illustrated sublimely by David McKean, the books are a delicious blend of spine-tingling suspense wrapped in gorgeous prose. Winners of many awards, the books are perfect for the 8-11 age group. See http://www.sfsaid.com/

SF’s books are firm favourites with the Lovemybooks team too and huge hits with young audiences.

Visit our activity pages for:
Varjak Paw https://www.lovemybooks.co.uk/varjak-paw
The Outlaw Varjak Paw https://www.lovemybooks.co.uk/outlaw-varjak-paw
Phoenix An exciting Sci Fi adventure  https://www.lovemybooks.co.uk/phoenix
Tyger   A mysterious mythical animal is discovered in an alternative London in which the Empire and slavery still exists. https://www.lovemybooks.co.uk/tyger

See also our Dragon Mountain activity page by Katie and Kevin Tsang An exciting fantasy adventure sprinkled with elements from Chinese folklore with themes of loyalty, bravery strength and teamwork. First in the Dragon Realm stories.
See our activity page

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