The book we sent our subscribers this month tells the hilarious and heartfelt story of Harriet whose hearing aid helps her understand aliens from across the universe. We were lucky enough to interview author Samantha Baines, who told us how her own experience of hearing loss inspired Harriet and which planet she’d most like to visit.
This month we sent our Parakeet subscribers the laugh-out-loud story of Daniel and his brother Fergus – who he accidentally turns into a guinea pig! We were thrilled to hear from author and illustrator Emily Snape about why she loves writing for children and how her own two sons inspired the book.
When Walker by Shoo Rayner landed on our desks a few months ago, there was no way we couldn’t choose it for our April boxes! This month our Parakeet subscribers have been getting to know the extensive cast of brilliant pooches in Shoo’s book. He kindly agreed to answer a few questions for us and, even better, recorded his answers in this video.
One of the highlights of our lockdown is listening to the wonderful Piers Torday reading The Last Wild on Instagram every afternoon. What a treat! If you haven’t been listening along (and haven’t already read the book), we would highly recommend getting hold of a copy – it’s a Parrot Street favourite! In between readings, Piers kindly agreed to answer a few questions for us.
We were thrilled when the Books.Ink team chose Pie in the Sky as their book of the month for March and asked us to set up an interview with author Remy Lai. They’ve kindly agreed that we can repost that interview here.
One of the things we love about reading with kids is the wider world it opens up for them and the book we sent our Parakeet subscribers last month is the perfect example. Too Small Tola is set in bustling Lagos, Nigeria, and stars Tola, a young girl who lives with her brother, sister and grandmother. Here we share 6 more books set in Africa which you might like to look out for.
A very wise publishing person once told me that, in the world of children’s publishing, ‘prizes don’t sell books’. It’s true that even the biggest children’s book prizes don’t get the same media coverage as, say, the Booker Prize, meaning that of course the winning books don’t get the same exposure as the equivalent adult prize-winners. And yet they are a fantastic way to identify some of the best new children’s books and authors and a great place to discover your next favourite read. We share our guide to the children’s book prizes worth following.
When asked which books you think a child should have read by the time they reach their teenage years, many parents would reel off a list of classics. But how accessible are they really to today’s young readers? Why do we spend so much energy trying to get our kids to read the classics, when there is such a wealth of fantastic (and high quality) children’s publishing happening right now? We share our thoughts on this thorny issue and three new adaptations of classic texts which have impressed us recently.
Not only do illustrated books make beautiful gifts, they can also be a great gateway to more challenging content for struggling or reluctant readers. They are inclusive and great for sharing – books for the whole family to enjoy, young and old. So we're sharing just a few of the highly illustrated chapter books worth looking out for.
The book we sent our Cockatoo subscribers this month tells the story of a young boy and his family who have immigrated to Australia. Between that and the current bushfire crisis, this amazing country is very much at the forefront of our minds at the moment. Here are five chapter books set in Australia which we think would make perfect reading for anyone who would like to explore more about life Down Under.
The Parrot Street Support Crew were lucky enough to unwrap loads of new books this Christmas and we thought it would be fun to share a few of the highlights.
Christmas is coming and that means it’s time to dig out our favourite Christmas reads! Reading for us is a social experience and a brilliant way to spend some precious family time. Here is our round up of our favourite Christmas books for kids.
