Sit down and Face the Tweets

Armadillo are doing it and it seems that everyone is at it these days - Twitter and Facebook of course. Reading is apparently no longer a solitary activity for those older people among us, we now have to share it which is wonderful news! We don't have a Facebook page but who knows. For now the Blog, an occasional Twitter @Armadillomagazine and the quarterly magazine are more than enough for us to be doing.

However if you want more from your books and you would like to be able to chat to the authors as well as other fans then why not pop along and see what Chicken House are tweeting at Chickenhsebooks, look for the latest news on their Chicken House UK Facebook pages or perhaps find out what Jonathan Stroud the author is up to @jonathanstroud on Twitter, or www.facebook.com/jonathanstroudauthor. His Bartimaeus website has recently been updated www.bartimaeusbooks.com and he is giving himself a wider online presence so pop along and see him for a chat one day.

Then as if that is not enough the Federation of Children's Book Groups are starting up a fortnightly Twitter book group, Sunday's between 8 and 9pm find them at @FCBGChair and why not join in?

This is a wonderful chance to see books, their authors and the stories in a whole new light, pick up some great hints and tips and even find out about new books to excite you as readers.

The to top it all off come back here for more latest news and take a quick peek at the inspired sketch Sarah McIntyre posted to her Blog ttp://jabberworks.livejournal.com/385463.html after a wonderful Armadillo interview in the current edition - thanks Sarah!

Make sure to remember however that there is still nothing better than sitting down with a real book and feeling the joy of turning those pages, heart in mouth as you wait for the story to unfold!

The Picture Book World of Polly Dunbar

An event report from Liz Bankes

This is a command: get yourself to Daunt Books on London's Marylebone High Road sometime before 24th of March! An utterly lovely experience awaits you. The Picturebook World of Polly Dunbar is an exhibition of over 60 original artworks from Polly Dunbar’s books, featuring all her much-loved characters – Ben and Penguin from Penguin, Tilly, Hector, Pru and the rest from the Tilly and Friends, Lizzie and her Dad from David Almond’s My Dad’s a Birdman, and many more. And if you haven’t been to Daunt Books (as I hadn’t) then you can have the double pleasure of seeing the exhibition and being in a proper ‘booky’ bookshop. Everything is wooden and there are galleries and staircases and books lining the walls – you will want to live there.

It’s also a lovely setting for Polly Dunbar’s illustrations. Her books already seem like classics. The illustration ‘You be saucer, I’ll be cup’ from Here’s a Little Poem is an example – it feels like a picture I’ve known since I was a child, even though I’ve actually only just seen it! Seeing the original artwork allows you to look at this picture in detail – and there is a lot to see. The picture is made up of different textures, with the stars, characters and background cut from different types of material, and the flowery tablecloth is made from what looks like pink glittery wallpaper. Her characters seem familiar, like old friends, even though we’ve actually only met quite recently. I think especially with the Tilly and Friends series, because each book follows one of the gang, the characters’ personalities just leap off the page. This was the same even seeing one page from a book as an artwork on its own. My particular favourite is Hector the pig, and it was fun to go through the exhibition finding him in different pictures. Each picture is a story in itself, and even if you haven’t read the book it’s from you can tell immediately what is going on, and how the characters feel about one another.

Polly Dunbar was at the exhibition herself on Thursday 17th of March, spending her St Patrick’s Day kindly signing books for keen exhibition goers (thanks Polly!). I would imagine there were many young Polly fans who were later thrilled to be presented with a book containing not only her signature, but a sketch of one of the characters. She also did a signing/family event on Saturday 19th March. So what are you waiting for? Get yourself to the Picturebook World of Polly Dunbar. Ben and Penguin are expecting you.

The Picture Book World of Polly Dunbar

18th - 24th March 2011

Daunt Bookshop

83 Marylebone High St

London W1U 4QW

Artwork Up for Grabs!

I am a great admirer of artists who can also turn their hand to writing and of course vice versa. So it is with great pleasure that I report the following opportunity to you, my readers.

Jackie Morris, acclaimed artists whose work can be found sumptously decorating a number of beautiful children's picture books, is auctioning her original watercolour picture of a tiger from Caroline Pitcher's Lord of the Forest. The auction is being held in aid of the 21st Century Tiger fundraising partnershhip.

Only 100 years agio there were 100,000 tigers in the wild, now there are only 3,200. Jackie Morris loves knowing that tigers are in the wild and wants to ensure that they continue to live in the wild for future generations. 21st Century Tiger give 100% of all money raised to carefully selected projects in Asia so you can be sure that your money will be well used to save these beautiful animals and, if you take part in the auction you could own a very beautiful and orignial piece of artwork.

The auction starts today on Ebay and lasts for 10 days, finishing on 31st March. For more information vsiit http://www.21stcenturytiger.org/ and if you have never seen Jackie's artwork then start ith Caroline Pitcher's Lord of the Forest and you will be hooked!

Loud Music!

My husband loves to play his cd's at a very high volume and I find myself sounding like my own parents when complaining about the voume so it was with a great deal of amusement that I read Kaye Umansky's Tales from Whitchway Wood: Crash 'n' Bang.

Umansky is on fine form and back in Witchway Wood not with Pongwiffy this time but a host of new characters. She has turned her storytelling skills to the tales of some of the others we always knew lived in the woods but who were always on the periphery of the action. They are now firmly in the centre of it and making a lot of noise too!

Witchway Wood may be a magical place but it is not always a favourable magic that befalls its residents as the Witchway Rhythm Boys are about to discover.

This band comprising a dragon, fiend and leprechaun, not forgetting the later addition of a Werewolf have their own share of problems, some of which seem to be the result of magic, some of which are the result of being in a not very well-known rock band! they are loud that much is certain and yes they do have some talent but there is one thing missing ... a singer ...

Become a groupie, follow the band as they set out to win the Battle of the Bands. Are they any good? Will they ever find a singer? Will they make it to the venue? Will magic, politics and romantic rivalry spoil the day or can the band win? Will Skulgooey's kitchen ever get cleaned and will they make it to the cake sale? Lots of questions, but if you read the story there are lots of answers.

Kaye Umansky is a talented writer of funny, unusual but above all warm books that will endear her to children of all ages. Funny books can be taken seriously as 'proper' reading books, just start with this one and you will soon see how.

Worlds of Books

Have you enjoyed a wonderful World Book Day? Found a book to enjoy or perhaps one that you are considering buying with your voucher? We have had a wonderful day, buzzing with books and ideas for stories as well as suggestions on how to use our vouchers. But all is not yet over for on Saturday the adults have World Book Night, this may have come under some criticism but it will be interesting to see how it goes. I don't think I will brave the cold and crowds in Trafalgar Square but I will be curled up at home with my next new book from the ever growing pile.

If you are looking for a book to read, having been inspired by World Book Day or in preparation for World Book Night then why not try Factotum by D M Cornish, published by David Fickling books? Reviewed here for you by Armadillo reviewer Simon Barrett it is the third in a brilliant trilogy that can actually be read on its own but why miss out on a great series?

Rossamund Bookchild: Founderling, Lamplighter and now Factorum or personal servant to Europe, the most feared monster-slayer in all the Half-Continent. Together they travel to her residence in the city of Branden-Brass, escaping the evils of Winstermill, only to find that scandals travel faster.

Here in the city Rossamund at last finds out his true identity. He is a rossamunderling: a manikin or monster in the form of a man. Rossamund however still needs to discover his true purpose in a life full of contradictions. He is a monster deeply loyal to a monster-slayer. Men call him a sedorner -- someone who sympathises with monsters – while monsters call him humbuggler, a hypocrite who acts the opposite of what he says. Somehow he must be himself in a world where men can be monsters too, such a man as Pater Maupin, who becomes Rossamund’s most deadly enemy.

Factotum continues the epic story of the half-continent in which men and monsters war and half-forgotten myths of monster-Lords come to life in the most unexpected places. The author, D M Cornish, continues to expand the horizons of the Half-Continent and the things that inhabit it, whilst delving deeper into its history and the origins of men and monsters through the footsteps of Rossamund. Along with the Branden Rose, Rossamund is joined by his once guardians and sea-salts, Craumpalin and Franistart. There is plenty of adventure and desperate to the death struggles as well as enjoyable sojourns in which Rossamund and his friends taste the delights of life. It all reaches a fierce and bloody end in which friends and foes lie dead or mortally wounded.

For young adult readers of fantasy the Monster Blood Tattoo series will continue to sate your appetitie and make you hungry for more.

Words and Letters

Having now fully recovered from the madness that was the last half term I am now back on an even keel and have been able to return to my reading habit, I try and get through at least four new children's books a week, not least becasue there are so many good ones to read but also because the children at school love to hear my latest recommendations and I now have a reputation to maintain!

So I have been busily reading away though I must confess that half term found me finally finishing Anna Karenina - a moving and powerful story and Emma Kennedy's hilarious 1970s holiday memoir The Tent, The Bucket and Me. It was lovely to indulge in some adult reading but I do miss my children's books. There is something very special about the way in which writers of chidren's book use words and language with such skill that they can be as entertaining and fulfiulling for an adult as a child. There is also something very special and priviledging about being able to read such books.

One book that stays with me and I find myself regularly recommending is Toon Tellegan's Letters to Anyone and Everyone. Tellegan has a magical way with words, making them powerful, touching, amusing and compelling. Not only does he prove that letter writing is not a lost art but that short stories can be built from the simplest of letters. Accompanied by the gentle and calming illustrations of Jessica Ahlbery, Tellegan has created one of a series of such books that Boxer Books, the small, indpendent publisher discovered and thankfully shared with us. So special is this particular book in fact that it recently won the Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation. This award is fully deserved and will, I hope, bring this wonderful author and his very special skill to a much bigger audience.

I can not recommend the book more highly and suggest that you all make an effort to find and read a copy, you will, I promise, be transfixed!

An Alternative Valentine

Well Valentine's Day comes but once a year and what a shame. For it is, in my opinion something that we should constantly remember - our love for one another. So because I am against the commercialism that has overtaken today I am instead offering an alternative - a book to love.

In actual fact I have a number of books to love and, trying to keep in the spirit of the day, I have chosen cute and sparkly books! Sorry boys but your turn will come…


For my cute one first of all, the most appropriate for today is I Spy Something Wonderful by David Conway (published by Red Fox). With its cut-out heart front cover this will have an instant appeal to all little girls, couples with the oh-so cute picture of the deer family who could fail to fall in love with this story? The perfect story for a cold wintery day or with a cuddle at bedtime this is an ‘I spy’ story with so many lovely things to spot, but there is one very special thing to spot right at the end and a lovely novelty fold out too.


Moving on and I find myself once again drawn through the magic mirror with Ellie and Emma into the fun place to meet – Sparkle Street. With four new adventures to enjoy young fans and readers will love helping the friends with the problems they encounter. One adventure, Spells and Showers, finds them helping Wizard Stargazer cast a happy spell resulting in a riot of colour and sun shades rather than umbrellas! They must avert a potential catastrophe and prevent Rosa Bloom from having disappointed customers in Daisy Disaster. The Missing Mice cause a bit of a stir so Ellie and Emma must turn detective and then when Fairy Pink’s wand gets out of hand once again there are quite a few bubbles to deal with in Bubble Trouble (all published by Macmillan). Great fun, very pink, very glittery and perfect for a Valentine’s Day.


Finally, continuing the theme, there is no doubt that at one time or another every little girl dreams of being a hairdresser so they would be advised to read The Fairytale Hairdresser (published by Random House) and find out just how Rapunzel got her prince. A very amusing and clever take on a very old folk and fairytale. Full of vibrant colour, a sprinkling of glitter, lots of hair and a great adventure this is in fact a book that could be read by boys and girls alike.

I hope that you enjoy this sparkly, glittery alternative to hearts and chocolates and I hope to see you back here later this week!

The Spirit of Adventure

It was with sadness that this week I read of the death of Brian Jacques. A quote on his website perhaps sums him up as a fearless writer with a brave heart. He was an avid reader and a brave adventurer. His work delivering milk to a primary school encouraged him to pick up his pen and write his now much loved Redwall series. without his passion, energy and enthusiasm we would not have had such a wonderful insight into the lives of his fantastic and fearless characters. Whilst we may no longer have Brian we can still have his books and we can continue to read and love them.

Being of an adventurous spirit is not something that comes naturally to me, I am rather a timid lover of my comforts but every now and again I like to surprise myself - even with books. Int he last two weeks I have read a large number from glossy girly books to funny magical and quite frightening thrillers. I have to admit that I have enjoyed them all and each has left me wanting to read more but also wishing I had the skill to be such a wonderful storyteller. Sadly I don't but I am an avid reader so it was with great interest that I delved into picture book territory, just for some light relief with the title 'It's a Book' by Lane Smith (Macmillan, 2011, 9780230753136) technically I don't think that I should be writing about it here in the Blog for as the back cover says

"Can it text? Blog? Scroll? Wi-fi? Tweet? No. . . it's a book."

However if I didn't tell you about it here then you perhaps wouldn't be able to share it with anyone and everyone or have the great big grin that I had plastered across my face after I had finsihed reading it!

I love it, it is simple, clever, enjoyable and it is a book! The premise is simple, an adult and a child, one reading a book the other with a computer unable to comprehend this new device. Soon something miraculous happens and whilst the detail of the actually far from detailed pictures reveals all there is much fun to be had. This is simply a simple story with simple pictures but one that is intensely clever, witty and as appealing to an adult as a child. I urge you to read it as soon as possible, perhaps even buy it and never ever part with it, or any other books in favour of a computer again!

Let's All Have a Reading Party!

Well I have survived, my Book Week and then post Book Week week of sorting have now passed and I think that I just about feel human again. Now I only have to plan for next year - a big one too as it will be the 10th anniversary and my 7th one!!

I was going to tell you a little about the enthusiasm generated and some of the activities we held but there is so much other news to impart that I will have to drip feed the information in over time. I do think it is quite relevant to tell you about how it all started this year though, with a Bedtime Reading Party....

Children & mummies came after school on the Friday before Book Week proper, armed with teddy bears and dressing gowns to enjoy cocoa, biscuits and of course some bedtime stories! Maverick Publishing very kindly came along with author Kimara Nye who read from her book 'The Four Little Pigs' and provided the children with some great colouring activities. We had a lovely party, were lucky enough to have a bedtime story from a real author. I also found that launching Book Week with something simple but charming was a real hit.

During Book Week there were so many activities my feet barely touched the ground, it did however mean that I missed the very wonderful Chicken House Big Breakfast - the perfect complement to my Bedtime Reading, however Armadillo reviewer Francesca Del Mese was able to attend and sent back this lovely report:

On Thursday 20th January I headed to London for the Chicken House Breakfast. Held at stylish cafe 'Le Pain Quotidien' on the Southbank, it was a gathering of authors, scouts, Chicken House staff and other professionals. An energetic and charismatic Barry Cunningham welcomed us and spoke about the successes of Chicken House this last year, mentioning it was their tenth anniversary!

Three authors gave readings from their forthcoming books: CJ Skuse, (also an employee of Chicken House and author of 'Pretty Bad Things') read from her new novel 'Rockaholic': a comedy about a girl who kidnaps a rock star (every girl's dream!).

Philip Webb read from his dystopian thriller 'Six Days', and Andrew Peters read from 'Ravenwood', a story about a world that exists in huge trees - Barry called this book a 'magnificent piece of sustained imagining.' A number of other published authors were present and / or mentioned: Lucy Christopher, Rod Gordon, Sarah Rubin, Rachel Ward (who has recently sold the film rights to her book 'Numbers'), Sophia Bennett, Di Toft and Erin Bow. It also looks like the gory trend of vampires and dead things hasn't yet left us; Barry mentioned another new author Kirsty McKay, whose book 'The Undead' about zombies has been taken on recently.

It sounds as though a feast of fun was had by all and that we can all look forward to some exciting titles from Chicken House in their 10th Year! Congratulations to them, thanks for the breakfast and thanks to Francesca for gallantly agreeing to go along.

Happy New Year - Getting Ahead of the Game

A Happy New Year to all my readers! Sorry its slightly late but I am quite sure that it will have now been a few days since anyone has uttered those words to you!

I have made a new year's resolution this afternoon, to try and stay ahead of the game. I am referring here to the postings on this blog. With a blog it is very easy to become complacent, to forget to log in and write an entry and so on. This afternoon I have decided that I will endeavour to log in at the very least once a week to provide updates. I truly hope that I will manage more than that but it is unwise to commit in writing otherwise you will all be able to hold me to my word!!

So to start the new year being 'ahead of the game' I have some new books to report on for you. Firstly there is a book which will be finding its way to my nephew for his 4th birthday later this week. I am also sending him some vouchers for the Early learning Centre so that he can stock his Fantasy Tower with more models but a book is always a hit and I am quite certain that this one will be. It is Delivery Man Stan by Diane and Christyan Fox and published by Macmillan. The story features Stan and his trusty dog Boxer. This fearless pair will deliver anything to anyone at anytime. What makes them special is not only the various forms of transport that they use from van to motorbike, train, plane and even spacecraft, but also their bravery and their down-to-earth attitude. For children it is the charmingly bright and simple illustration as well as the simple rhyming text and wonderful fold-out pages that will create the magic. For the adults who will most likely be sharing the book it is the wonderfully funny twist at the end. I am going to leave you guessing at to what that could possibly be! A wonderful and highly recommended book that may even beat the fantasy tower in my sister's household this week!

As well as this I have been reading books for the slightly older reader, and a few for me too but that is for another day!

Back to the children.

For those of you with children who like a challenge in their reading but who are still young

enough to want a simple story book with lots of pictures then look no further than the latest story featuring The Clumsies. In The Clumsies Make a Mess of the BIG Show Sorrel Anderson brings back Howard and his friends the Clumsies for a magical Christmas adventure at the wrong time of year! perfect for reading as an antidote to Christmas and pantos this is a very funny story with lots of brilliant illustration, strong characters and silly events. The words jump and dance around the pages, struggling to fit in with the wonderful illustrations of Nicola Slater and threatening to take over with a madness reminiscent of the talking trolley which makes a quite unique character! Adults this may not be a book for you but the kids will just love it. Published by Harper Collins this is the third book featuring the Clumsies and it is great!

If it is something completely new that you are after however you may have to wait a little longer and I am sorry to whet your appetites too far in advance but I must tell you about Magic Farm by Ashley Birch, published on 7th March (my brother's birthday) by Egmont. Enter into a whole new world of excitement, adventure and of course magic with Hannah and Oliver. This brother and sister have just moved to a new farm, Golden Valley Farm and whilst exploring and making new friends they make a very exciting discovery. So exciting is this discovery that when the children find themselves transported to a magical, parallel farm they are not quite sure they believe what has happened to them! Queue a wonderful adventure or two, some very big surprises, a few horrible villains and the scene is set for some great adventures and great fun. With a new world to explore, new friends to make, problems to solve and discoveries galore there is not a moment to be bored in a new and colourful world. I have only read a proof copy of the book so cannot comment on the final appearance but i do hope that it will be as bright and colourful as the story promises.

So there we have it: one book to look out for in the coming months and two to start off your new year reading journey. Remember to check back here regularly for more updates and news from the book world.

Oh and don't forget to visit the magazine too for some great reviews, interviews and more!