Resources
Helen Oxenbury: A Life in Illustration - video
Helen Oxenbury A fascinating, beautiful and definitive account of the life of esteemed artist Helen Oxenbury. Filled with insights that span Helen Oxenbury’s life, from her early childhood through a unique career in children’s books that began in 1964 and is still going strong today, here is an exquisitely designed and thoroughly entertaining celebration of one of the finest English illustrators of our time. Written by acclaimed author Leonard S. Marcus, Helen Oxenbury: A Life in...
The First Christmas Jumper by Ryan Tubridy - author reading
The First Christmas Jumper Ryan Tubridy loves Christmas jumpers. He loves them so much he wrote this book – the story of the very first Christmas jumper. It’s got sheep, jelly babies, tractors, Santa Claus, Christmas elves and a LOT of sheep puns… Ewe will love it! The story of the very first Christmas jumper and the multi-coloured sheep that started it all! There are two things you need to know about Hillary the sheep. One – Unlike her typical white or brown friends, Hillary’s wool is all...
Giraffe Problems by Jory John and Lane Smith - book trailer
Giraffe Problems Penguins aren’t the only animal out there with problems, oh no… From Jory John and Lane Smith, the winner of the 2017 Kate Greenaway Medal, comes a laugh-out-loud companion to the acclaimed Penguin Problems. Edward the giraffe can’t understand why his neck is as long and bendy and ridiculous as it is. No other animal has a neck this absurd. He’s tried disguising it, dressing it up, strategically hiding it behind bushes… anything he can think of. But just...
Julius Zebra Grapple with the Greeks by Gary Northfield - book trailer
Julius Zebra Grapple with the Greeks The fourth title in Gary Northfield’s exciting, action-packed and hysterically funny series brimming with entertaining Greek facts. In the much-anticipated fourth Julius Zebra book, Grapple with the Greeks!, demi-god Heracles promises Julius and his chums a great reward if they can help him to find the lost Golden Apple. On this madcap new adventure, our unlikely heroes will confront the Minotaur in the labyrinth, trick a one hundred-headed dragon at...
Debuts of 2018
Are you doing NaNoWriMo? If you need a bit of writing inspiration to get your big debut out, take a look at our favourite debuts of 2018: Mostyn Thomas and the Big Rave by Richard Williams Pieces of Me by Natalie Hart The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar Vox by Christina Dalcher Never Greener by Ruth Jones Only Child by Rhiannon Navin Suicide Club by Rachel Heng In Our Mad and Furious City by Guy Gunaratne Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi...
Running a Book Club Quick Guide to Chatterbooks
This handbook tells you what you need to know about setting up and running a successful Chatterbooks club
A Darkness of Dragons - Teacher resource and activity pack
A Darkness of Dragons In a world of dragons, song spells, pipers and battles… Patch Brightwater is a boy in disgrace. Thrown in jail for playing a forbidden spell, he is no one’s idea of a hero. But then he discovers a deadly truth – the evil Piper of Hamelyn is on the loose. With the help of Wren, a girl cursed to live as a rat, and Barver, a fire-breathing dracogriff, Patch must stop the Piper sparking the biggest battle of them all. Three accidental heroes versus one legendary...
A Society of Readers - executive summary
A new report that we commissioned from leading independent think tank Demos lays out the central role reading must play in helping to address many of the most pressing challenges British society will face over the next decade. Read the executive summary and share your thoughts on Twitter and Instagram using #PowerOfReading
A Society of Readers
A new report lays out the central role reading must play in helping to address many of the most pressing challenges British society will face over the next decade. Read the full report and share your thoughts on Twitter and Instagram using #PowerOfReading
Non-fiction November
It’s Non-fiction November and we’re celebrating with some of our favourite non-fiction books. Do you know why we sleep? Or about how Nike was built up by one man? Find out in some of our top picks, and let us know something interesting that you’ve learnt from a non-fiction book on Twitter and Instagram using #NonFictionNovember
Non-Fiction Info Challenge - Chatterbooks Activity Pack
November is Non-Fiction month so we have selected some of our favourite, recent non-fiction books to create an activity pack – perfect for your Chatterbooks sessions. Each of the six books has a discussion question and activity and there are plenty more ideas for you to pick from. We have also created a Non-Fiction booklist – check it out!
Children and Young People booklist - Non-Fiction
November is National Non-Fiction month so we have loved creating a list of some of our favourite Non-fiction books. We have picked some of the best books to help get children and young people interested or inspired to try new things, give them a fresh perspective or chosen books which will be helpful when they find things a little tricky at home or school. You can find out more about some of our picks on the Summer Reading Challenge news page. There is also a Chatterbooks pack based upon this...
Julius Zebra: Grapple with the Greeks by Gary Northfield - a video
Julius Zebra: Grapple with the Greeks The fourth title in Gary Northfield’s exciting, action-packed and hysterically funny series brimming with entertaining Greek facts. In the much-anticipated fourth Julius Zebra book, Grapple with the Greeks!, demi-god Heracles promises Julius and his chums a great reward if they can help him to find the lost Golden Apple. On this madcap new adventure, our unlikely heroes will confront the Minotaur in the labyrinth, trick a one hundred-headed dragon...
Get Coding 2! by David Whitney and Duncan Beedie - Event Poster
Are you ready to get coding? Want to take your coding further and learn how to programme popular games such as Snake and Endless Runners? Then join the Lucky Cat Club in Get Coding 2! by David Whitney and Duncan Beedie, a fun guide covering essential coding concepts and an ideal introduction to programming. To celebrate the launch of Get Coding 2!, Walker Books are delighted to offer downloadable free packs with everything you need to host your very own Get Coding! Club takeover with a...
Spooky Reads
The days are getting longer so here are some of our suggestions of books to read throughout October. With ghosts, crime and mystery, you won’t be able to sleep at night…
Roar by Cecelia Ahern - sample chapter
Have you ever imagined a different life? Have you ever stood at a crossroads, undecided? Have you ever had a moment when you wanted to roar? The women in these startlingly original stories are all of us: the women who befriend us, the women who encourage us, the women who make us brave. From The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared to The Woman Who Was Kept on the Shelf and The Woman Who Returned and Exchanged her Husband, discover thirty touching, often hilarious, stories and meet thirty very...
Roar by Cecelia Ahern - a Readers' Guide
Have you ever imagined a different life? Have you ever stood at a crossroads, undecided? Have you ever had a moment when you wanted to roar? The women in these startlingly original stories are all of us: the women who befriend us, the women who encourage us, the women who make us brave. From The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared to The Woman Who Was Kept on the Shelf and The Woman Who Returned and Exchanged her Husband, discover thirty touching, often hilarious, stories and meet thirty very...
Skycircus by Peter Bunzl - Activity sheets
Skycircus by Peter Bunzl Roll up roll up! Calamity and courage meet in this Victorian showstopper bursting with invention and adventure. Perfect for fans of The Greatest Showman and Mortal Engines. When a travelling skycircus arrives in Brackenbridge, Lily and Robert can’t wait to step aboard… But there’s something sinister about the hybrid children who appear as part of the act. And before Lily and Robert can do anything, they’re captured by shadowy figures and whisked off in the mysterious...
Children and Young People booklist - Spine-tinglers
Children and Young People booklist for October 2018 Spine-tinglers This month we have selected our favourite Spine-tinglers and Spooky Stories. What does ‘spine-tingling’ mean to you? Often we first of all think ‘scary’ – something that will make us shiver with fear – but something spine-tingling could equally give us shivers of laughter or thrills of pleasure! ‘Very special and exciting’ is another definition, and in this pack for your Chatterbooks reading group there are lots of different...
Spine-tinglers Chatterbooks Activity Pack
Here is our Spine-tinglers Chatterbooks pack. It is filled with activities based upon Spine-tinglers and Spooky Stories. What does ‘spine-tingling’ mean to you? Often we first of all think ‘scary’ – something that will make us shiver with fear – but something spine-tingling could equally give us shivers of laughter or thrills of pleasure! ‘Very special and exciting’ is another definition, and in this pack for your Chatterbooks reading group there are lots of different books with stories that...
Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison - Activity Pack and competition
Little Leaders Meet the Little Leaders. They’re brave. They’re bold. They changed the world! Author and Illustrator Vashti Harrison’s book Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History features 40 trailblazing black women in the world’s history. This book educates and inspires as it relates the true stories of both iconic and lesser-known female figures of black history. From nurse Mary Seacole to Politian Diane Abbot, readers will find heroes, role models and everyday women who have done...
Washington Black - themed booklist
The Man Booker Prize celebrates the finest works of fiction written in English. Washington Black by Esi Edugyan is one of the six shortlisted titles for 2018. All of the suggested books follow similar themes, styles or settings as Washington Black. You can download the supporting booklist by clicking below.
The Overstory - themed booklist
The Man Booker Prize celebrates the finest works of fiction written in English. The Overstory by Richard Powers is one of the six shortlisted titles for 2018. All of the suggested books follow similar themes, styles or settings as The Overstory. You can download the supporting booklist by clicking below.
The Mars Room - themed booklist
The Man Booker Prize celebrates the finest works of fiction written in English. The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner is one of the six shortlisted titles for 2018. All of the suggested books follow similar themes, styles or settings as The Mars Room. You can download the supporting booklist by clicking below.
The Long Take - themed booklist
The Man Booker Prize celebrates the finest works of fiction written in English. The Long Take by Robin Robertson is one of the six shortlisted titles for 2018. All of the suggested books follow similar themes, styles or settings as The Long Take. You can download the supporting booklist by clicking below.
Milkman - themed booklist
The Man Booker Prize celebrates the finest works of fiction written in English. Milkman by Anna Burns is one of the six shortlisted titles for 2018. All of the suggested books follow similar themes, styles or settings as Milkman. You can download the supporting booklist by clicking below.
Everything Under - themed booklist
The Man Booker Prize celebrates the finest works of fiction written in English. Everything Under by Daisy Johnson is one of the six shortlisted titles for 2018. All of the suggested books follow similar themes, styles or settings as Everything Under. You can download the supporting booklist by clicking below.
Night of the Living Ted by Barry Hutchison - Library Competition
Night of the Living Ted Competition Create-a-Ted! Draw your own Teddy at a Teddy Bear’s Picnic. When Lisa Marie and her step-brother Vernon pop into town to get their dad a birthday present, they discover the Create-a-Ted shop is offering free Halloween bears! Making two grisly bears for themselves and choosing an Elvis bear named Bearvis for Dad, they head home. That night the shopkeeper brings the bears to life for nefarious purposes … but Vernon’s bear, Grizz, doesn’t want to be a slave to...
We Are Together by Britta Teckentrup - Activity and Library Competition
We Are Together Competition Continuing with their commitment to publishing diverse and inclusive books for children of all ages, Little Tiger Group presents the latest peep-through, richly illustrated picture book from Britta Teckentrup, We Are Together. To support the book’s themes of strength in community, they have created an activity sheet that allows children to think about similarities and differences, and to draw themselves. The idea is that a gallery of individuals can be grouped...
Eve and The Mermaid’s Tears by Jess Black - Activity Pack
Eve and The Mermaid’s Tears Keeper of the Crystals is an adventure fantasy series full of secrets and mystery. Eve discovers she can harness the power of magic crystals she finds, giving her the ability to open portals to other worlds. Along with her best friend Oscar they find danger and difficulties await them on their quests, but also great fun and excitement. Each book in the series can be read as a stand-alone book. In Keeper of the Crystals 3: , Eve and Oscar find themselves in a...
