Listen to the prologue of Agnes and the Birdman, read by singer, Robin Dick. The book is speculative historical fiction about a thirteen-year-old girl with grit and determination, who dreams big and helps the ageing Leonardo Da Vinci to build a

Rosie Hedger - Book Translator

Aug 16th, 2020 17m 13s

Dozens of books that we know and love started off in another language. In this, the final episode of Season 1, I chat with Rosie Hedger who translates from Norwegian into English. Rosie's translations have gone on to win awards and have feature

Picture This

Aug 10th, 2020 14m 26s

First impressions are pretty important, and it's certainly true with books. The illustrator's book design can often make all the difference in helping us decide whether or not to open the pages and start reading. This week I talk about some of

Rhymes and Reasons

Aug 1st, 2020 14m 56s

This week I explore the tradition of telling children's tales in rhyme. From the Struwwelpeter to Hilaire Belloc, and a few in between. I even read one of my own, based on Hans Anderson's Ugly Duckling. Let me know which rhymes you grew up with

James Nicol - The Apprentice Witch

Jul 24th, 2020 14m 34s

In this week's episode I met with author, James Nicol. We chatted about his 'Apprentice Witch' series of books, and James signed a copy that I'll be sending out to a lucky listener. Let me know, using the message button on this podcast site, w

The Blue House Bookshop

Jul 17th, 2020 15m 12s

In this week's podcast I talk to Karen Walker who owns and runs the Blue House Children's Bookshop in York. Karen gives some great insights into how to get kids reading and the kinds of books she loves. There are also details at the end of the

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Let's Talk Children's Books

Jul 15th, 2020 56s

Are you a parent? Maybe you're a teacher, a librarian, or a bookseller. Or perhaps you're just someone on a mission to get children reading more good books.Whatever your reason for tuning in, I hope you will join us each Friday evening for ano

A Good Laugh

Jul 10th, 2020 14m 46s

Who doesn’t enjoy a good laugh? I know I do. In today’s episode I’ll be talking about funny books for children. I’ll be sharing what experts have to say on the matter. All of them are still at school so they know exactly what they’re talking ab

Master Storytellers

Jul 2nd, 2020 13m 7s

In this week’s episode I’ll be sharing some thoughts about people who have influenced me in the past. People with lots of experience telling tales and getting others to read good books.

The Night Seemed Long

Jun 29th, 2020 11m 45s

In this episode I’ll be talking about where my love of children’s books came from and why I’m a big believer that everyone at some time owes it to themselves to discover the magic of children’s books. A list of all the books mentioned can be fo

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