In children's mental health week we talk to Rachel Fuller about her picture book Bee which explores how it feels to be misunderstood and celebrates difference. We also talk to Tanya Goodin about The Teenage Guide to Digital Wellbeing which offers lots of useful advice and activities to help achieve a balance between being in the digital world and the real world (something not just teenagers could benefit from!).

Books in this episode:

Bee by Rachel Fuller, illustrated by Emilia Wharfe

More information about Bee the ballet can be found here

The Teenage Guide to Digital Wellbeing by Tanya Goodin

More information about Tanya's work can be found here

The other book mentioned in this episode is People Like Stars by Patrice Lawrence.

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We have an interview with Susan Brownrigg about her new book, Wrong Tracks, and with Publisher, Hazel Holmes from UCLan about the importance of regional voices and regional publishing.

Here are Susan's books:

Wrong Tracks

Gracie Fairshaw and the Mysterious Guest

Gracie Fairshaw and the Trouble at the Tower

Gracie Fairshaw and The Missing Reel

Kintana and the Captain's Curse

Website: https://www.susanbrownrigg.com/

BlueSky: @susanbrownrigg.bsky.social

Instagram: @susanbrownrigg

And UCLan can be found here:

Website: https://uclanpublishing.com/

BlueSky: @uclanpublishing.bsky.social

Instagram: @uclan_publishing

Other books mentioned:

The History of Information by Chris Haughton

Cane Warriors, by Alex Wheatle

Beyond the Secret Garden, Darren Chetty and Karen Sands-O'Connor

When the Sky Falls, by Phil Earle

Resist, by Tom Palmer

The Line They Drew Through Us by Hiba Noor Khan

Birdie by J P Rose

Yours from the Tower, by Sally Nicholls

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Join us for Episode 19 where we have an interview with Lucy Ann Unwin and talk about her new book How to be a Revolutionary. We also discuss our New Year’s reading resolutions and do some book reviews of our holiday reading.

Here are Lucy's books:

How to Be a Revolutionary by Lucy Ann Unwin

The Octopus, Dadu and Me by Lucy Ann Unwin, illustrated by Lucy Mulligan

Lucy can be found here:
Instagram @lucyannunwin
BlueSky @lucyannunwin.bsky.social

https://www.lucyannunwin.com

Here are the books we talked about:

Children's and YA

Darkly by Marisha Pessl

Reek by Alastair Chisholm, illustrated by George Caltsoudas

Little House by Katya Balen, illustrated by Richard Johnson

Pernickety Boo by Sally Gardner, illustrated by Chris Mould

Adults

The Switch by Lily Samson

The Burial Place by Stig Abell

I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron, with an introduction by Dolly Alderton

This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett

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A bumper middle grade episode. We talk to Dev Kothari about her debut Bringing Back Kay-Kay and to Louie Stowell about Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Making Enemies the fourth book in the bestselling Loki series.

Bringing Back Kay-Kay is a mystery and quest as Lena tries to find her brother Kay-Kay who has disappeared on his way back from summer camp. We talk to Dev about what it’s like writing a debut and how the children’s book market is different in India.

In Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Making Enemies one of Loki’s many enemies, Vinir the elf, turns up and challenges Loki to a magical duel. Loki hasn't got a clue why, but knows he has to get out of it somehow… Great fun and we talk to Louie about her long standing interest in Norse mythology and about the questions she gets asked about publishing.

Dev Kothari can be found online here:

https://devkothari.com/

BlueSky @devkothari.bsky.social
X @DevyaniNK
Instagram @devyani_NK

Her book can be found here:
Bringing Back Kay-Kay

Louie Stowell can be found online here:

https://louiestowell.com/

BlueSky @louiestowell.bsky.social
X @Louiestowell
Instagram @louiestowell

Louie's books can be found here:

Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Making Enemies

Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Being Good

Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Ruling the World

Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Taking the Blame

The Dragon in the Library

Otherland

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We talk to Rashmi Sirdeshpande about her latest book which is a beautifully illustrated by Jason Lyon. Amazing Asia is fully illustrated, large format encyclopaedia of Asia which looks at the history and diversity of the continent.

Other books by Rashmi Sirdeshpande include:

Never Show A T-Rex A Book!
Yes You Can, Cow!
Dadaji's Paintbrush
Cash: How to Earn It, Save It, Spend It, Grow It, Give It
How to Change the World

Rashmi's website is https://www.rashmisirdeshpande.com/
and she can be found on social media here
BlueSky @rashmiwriting.bsky.social
Instagram @rashmiwriting
X @RashmiWriting

Jason Lyon's website is https://www.jason-lyon.com/
and he can be found on social media here
BlueSky @jasonlyon.bsky.social
Instagram @jasonlyon_
X @jasonlyon_

Other book discussed in the episode are:

The Teenage Guide to Digital Wellbeing, by Tanya Goodin

The Amazing World of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler: Discover the wonderful worlds behind the nation's favourite picture-books, by Amanda Li, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

Art Shaped - Sustainable 3D Art Projects to Kickstart Children's Creativity, by Darrell Wakelam

Graphic Novel Builder: The Illustrated Guide to Making Your Own Comics, by Edward Ross

The History of Information, by Chris Haughton

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An interview with David Litchfield about his new book The Dinosaur Next Door and about the upcoming 10th Anniversary Edition of The Bear and the Piano.

David's other books include:

The Bear, The Piano, The Dog and the Fiddle

The Bear, the Piano and Little Bear's Concert

Grandad's Secret Giant

Lights on Cotton Rock

Kid Christmas: of the Claus Brothers Toy Shop


His website is https://www.davidlitchfieldillustration.com/

And he can be found on

Intstagram @david_c_litchfield
BlueSky @dc-litchfield.bsky.social

We also talk about the following books:

The Bed Book by Sylvia Plath, illustrated by Cindy Wume

The Bridges by Tom Percival

Who Ate Steve? by Susannah Lloyd , Illustrated by Kate Hindley

The Cafe at the Edge of the Woods by Mikey Please

Flood by Alvaro F. Villa

Ning and the Night Spirits by Adriena Fong

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Interviews with Naomi Jones and Rebecca Ashdown who won the Diverse Book Award Readers' Choice Award for Thunder Boots and with Erika Meza who won the Picture Book Category with To The Other Side.

Other books by Naomi Jones
The Perfect Fit
How to Make a Story
The Odd Fish

Other books by Rebecca Ashdown
My Granny is a Queen
The Whopper
How the Library (Not the Prince) Saved Rapunzel

Other books by Erika Meza
Stop that's not my Story
The Memory Book!
Seven Sisters

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Interviews with the winners of the Diverse Book Awards YA categories - Simon James Green, winner of the YA Readers' Choice Award for Boy Like Me; Sophie Cameron, runner up for the YA Category for Away with Words; and Jenny Ireland, winner of the YA Category with The First Move.

A full list of the books shortlisted for the YA Diverse Book Awards can be found here.

Simon James Green
Boy Like Me
The Big Ask
Llama Glamarama
A Year of Pride and Joy: 52 LGBTQ+ Voices Share Their Life Passions

Dance on My Grave: Summer of 1985, Aidan Chamber

Sophie Cameron
Away with Words
Our Sister Again
Last Bus to Everland
Out of the Blue

Jenny Ireland
The First Move
The Boy Next Door
Matched Up

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