In the Reading Corner

Catherine Rayner is well-known for her glorious animal picture stories, but now she turns her skills to illustrating nonfiction. IN this episode she talks to Nikki Gamble about her narrative nonfiction book about goldfish which has a few lessons for young readers to learn about caring for these popular pets - including setting them free when they outgrow the fish tank.

About My Pet Goldfish
A charming new Nature Storybook all about looking after goldfish - inspired by the author's own pet fish. My Pet Goldfish is a delightful picture book with facts by the Greenaway Medal-winning author-illustrator Catherine Rayner. The child narrating this story has been given their first ever pet: a tiny fish with shimmering scales and bright beady eyes...

Their very own goldfish! Sitting alongside the gentle narrative and dynamic illustrations, the subtext introduces facts about goldfish and their care - some gentle, some funny, some fascinating - making this a perfect choice for first-time owners

Support the show

Thank you for listening. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. and by purchasing books from our online bookshop, Bestbooksforschools.com

In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. 

Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1

For general news and updates: follow us on X @imaginecentre  Bluesky  https://bsky.app/profile/justimaginecentre.bsky.social  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/justimagine_books/

Full details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk

William Matthew Timothy Stephen Sieghart CBE is a British entrepreneur, publisher and philanthropist and the founder of the Forward Prizes for Poetry. He is the current chairman of the Somerset House Trust.

In this episode, he talks to Nikki Gamble about the place of poetry in our lives and talks about some of his favourite poems.

About Everyone Sang: a poem for every feeling
A magnificent anthology of poems themed around different moods, collected by the bestselling creator of The Poetry Pharmacy and illustrated by Emily Sutton. This exquisite gift-book contains over a hundred poems, chosen by creator of the bestselling The Poetry Pharmacy, William Sieghart, and illustrated in sensational style by picture-book star Emily Sutton. Divided into four thoughtfully-curated sections, including Poems to Make You Smile, Poems to Move You, Poems to Give You Hope and Poems to Calm and Connect You, the poems originate from an extraordinary and diverse range of sources, from Maya Angelou to Roger McGough, Lemn Sissay, Jackie Kay, Carol Ann Duffy, Joseph Coelho, Kae Tempest, W.B.

Yeats, Christina Rossetti and Emily Dickinson, among many others. Combining traditional favourites with recent gems, here are poems to delight, inspire, entertain, intrigue, console and uplift readers of all ages.

Support the show

Thank you for listening. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. and by purchasing books from our online bookshop, Bestbooksforschools.com

In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. 

Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1

For general news and updates: follow us on X @imaginecentre  Bluesky  https://bsky.app/profile/justimaginecentre.bsky.social  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/justimagine_books/

Full details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk

Paul Jennings was born in 1943 in Heston, Middlesex and emigrated to Australia with his family in 1943.

After graduating, he became a teacher and speech pathologist and then a lecturer in special education. In 1985 his first book of short stories, Unreal! was published. In 1989 he gave up teaching to write full-time. His stories were adapted for the TV series Round the Twist.

Paul's memoir untwisted was published in 2020 in Australia by Allen & Unwin and by Old Barn Books in the UK.

In this episode, Paul reflects on his writing life and the close relationship between art and life, referring to his three novellas A  Different Dog, A Different Boy and A Different Land.
 
About the 'Different' books

A Different Dog
The child narrator of A Different Dog can't speak - we assume it is from a disability or a reaction to a trauma in his past. He is teased by the other kids and is a loner. On a cold winter's day, when everyone is participating in a fun run on the mountain, our narrator finds himself alone at the scene of a car accident where the driver has died.

But there is a little dog in the car... What follows is a moving story of survival and redemption (and somehow humour in the midst of all that), all told in a 96-page novella.

A Different Boy
The ship was a towering fortress looming over the pier. Anton stared enviously at the emigrants lining up in front of the wide gangplank. Heading off on a voyage to a land of peace and plenty.

Leaving the land of broken buildings and crushed hopes behind. Looking forward to sunshine and steaks. How he wished that he was one of the lucky ones.'Loosely based on Paul Jennings' journey to Australia as a 'ten-pound Pom', the story of Anton, who escapes from an orphanage and successfully stows away on a boat headed for the land of 'sunshine and steaks' has a timeless reality of its own.

It is a tale of loss, guilt, mistaken identity and taking risks but also surprisingly heartwarming and heartbreaking. Perfect for reluctant readers in upper primary and lower secondary, it speaks of loss, migration, resilience and courage.

A Different Land
The final part of a series that started with 'A Different Dog', followed by 'A Different Boy', 

'A Different Land' continues to explore themes of family and displacement as our narrator seeks to find a home. Told with Paul Jennings empathy and gentle humour - and there is bound to be a twist in the tale!

Support the show

Thank you for listening. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. and by purchasing books from our online bookshop, Bestbooksforschools.com

In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. 

Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1

For general news and updates: follow us on X @imaginecentre  Bluesky  https://bsky.app/profile/justimaginecentre.bsky.social  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/justimagine_books/

Full details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk

Actress Tmazin Merchant recently published her second children's book, The Map Makers, a second adventure for the sparky heroine, Cordelia Hatmaker. Like her heroine, Tamzin is a creator, a lover of plant magic and adventure.

In this episode, Tamzin talks to Nikki Gamble about the ideas underpinning this fantastical and gripping adventure.

About The Mapmakers
Ever since Cordelia discovered the hidden map in her father's precious telescope, she's been searching the streets of London by starlight and trying to uncover its secrets. She's sure that her missing father is out there somewhere, and that if she follows his map, she'll finally discover the truth about his disappearance.

She never expects to stumble upon a secret society of Mapmakers - or to learn that magic isn't limited to the few Maker families, but is instead is all around, if you just know where to look . . .

But danger is lurking around every corner, and Cordelia must convince the rival Maker families to work together for once - not only to bring her father home but to save the very essence of magic itself . . .

Support the show

Thank you for listening. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. and by purchasing books from our online bookshop, Bestbooksforschools.com

In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. 

Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1

For general news and updates: follow us on X @imaginecentre  Bluesky  https://bsky.app/profile/justimaginecentre.bsky.social  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/justimagine_books/

Full details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk

Gill Lewis is a highly acclaimed author of children's books featuring animals, environmental concerns, wildlife protection with a strong sense of social justice.

In her recent novel, A Street Dog Named Pup, she writes about dogs' relationships with their closest companions, humans - both the good and the bad. The story is presented through a dog's eye view of the world and like Anna Sewell's classic, Black Beauty, it prompts readers to evaluate how humans treat and exploit animals.

Gill talked to Nikki Gamble about why she wrote this compelling and poignant story.

About A Street Dog Named Pup
Between dog and human there is a special bond. A bond that must never be broken...

Pup and his boy are inseparable. But both their worlds change forever when Pup is cruelly taken away and abandoned in Dead Dog Alley. With nowhere else to turn, Pup joins a pack of misfit Street Dogs, who help him learn to fight for survival on the streets.

Pup holds on to the hope of one day being reunited with his boy. But as that hope shrinks with every passing day, Pup begins to wonder if their bond is irreversibly broken... A thrilling and heart-warming novel by award-winning author Gill Lewis, celebrating the unique bond between humans and animals, and the power of unconditional love.

Support the show

Thank you for listening. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. and by purchasing books from our online bookshop, Bestbooksforschools.com

In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. 

Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1

For general news and updates: follow us on X @imaginecentre  Bluesky  https://bsky.app/profile/justimaginecentre.bsky.social  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/justimagine_books/

Full details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk

Former Children's Laureate, Anne Fine, is one of our finest novelists for children and teenagers. Characteristically her stories reveal acute observations of family life coupled with humour and a sense of fairness and a belief that people generally try to do the right thing, even though they may not always make wise decisions.

In this episode, Anne talks to Nikki Gamble about her recent book Shades of Scarlet

About Shades of Scarlet
When Mum gives her the notebook, Scarlet should be happy. It's beautiful, with its shiny scarlet cover and its blank pages full of promise. But Scarlet is absolutely not in the mood for a peace offering.

Does Mum really think she can tear their family apart and expect Scarlet to be happy about it? And it's Dad's fault too. Why didn't he fight to keep them all together? Now Scarlet has to start a new life, and none of it was her choice. Scarlet decides there's only one thing she can write in the notebook.

The truth, about everything...

Support the show

Thank you for listening. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. and by purchasing books from our online bookshop, Bestbooksforschools.com

In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. 

Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1

For general news and updates: follow us on X @imaginecentre  Bluesky  https://bsky.app/profile/justimaginecentre.bsky.social  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/justimagine_books/

Full details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk

Literary agent and former bookseller, Sam Copeland has risen quickly to the heights of bestselling author with his blend of humour and emotionally engaging characters. His debut Charlie Changes into a Chicken, addressed common childhood worries in a wonderfully reassuring, positive story. This was followed by two further Charlie stories and another book, Uma and the Answer to Absolutely Everything.

In this episode, Sam talks to Nikki Gamble about his latest story Greta and the Ghost Hunters, a story about home and belonging. It has an amazing cast of Addams family type characters and an immediately engaging and distinctive narrative voice.

About Greta and the Ghost Hunters

The hilarious tale of a family coming to terms with its ghosts - literally. Greta Woebegone did not believe in ghosts until the day she was knocked over by a car and almost died. Then everything changed...

Now Greta can not only see the spirits that haunt her ancestral home, she can talk to them too - from her grumpy Grandpa Woebegone and Percy the poo-pushing plague victim to the sinister spook in the cellar. Can Greta help the ghosts avoid being exorcised (a fate worse than undeath)? Can the ghosts help Greta stop her beloved Grandma being put in a home? And can they all help each other overcome the pain in their past that's holding them back from the future?

Support the show

Thank you for listening. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. and by purchasing books from our online bookshop, Bestbooksforschools.com

In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. 

Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1

For general news and updates: follow us on X @imaginecentre  Bluesky  https://bsky.app/profile/justimaginecentre.bsky.social  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/justimagine_books/

Full details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk

Sarah Ardizzone is an established and highly regarded literary translator of books from French into English. She has a particular interest in the translation of dialogue and in writers who have a social awareness and conscience.

Among the list of children's books that she has translated are:

• Daniel Pennac, Eye of the Wolf and The Rights of the Reader
• Timothee de Fombelle, Toby Alone, Vango, The Book of Pearl  and Saving Celeste
• Faiza Guene Just Like Tomorrow
• Barroux Line of Fire and Alpha

In this episode, Sarah talks to Nikki Gamble about the importance of translating children's books and giving due consideration to selecting books to recommend to publishers.

About Saving Celeste
In this incredibly moving and powerful story about climate change by one of France's greatest writers for children, the world is run by industry and the only thing that matters is to buy, buy, buy. People live in crowded cities where cars are stacked vertically and shopping centres run miles into the sky. On the day Celeste starts school on the 110th floor of a tower block, she meets a lonely, young boy.

The next day she doesn't return. Her blood has become as polluted as the seas and rivers. On a mission to save her, the boy battles the forces of industry and takes her far, far away.

Will the world realise the truth of Celeste's disease? Will there be time for her, and the planet, to recover?

Support the show

Thank you for listening. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. and by purchasing books from our online bookshop, Bestbooksforschools.com

In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. 

Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1

For general news and updates: follow us on X @imaginecentre  Bluesky  https://bsky.app/profile/justimaginecentre.bsky.social  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/justimagine_books/

Full details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk

Eoin McLaughlin is a writer of children's picturebooks.

His debut picture book The Hug (illustrated by Polly Dunbar) was named a ‘Book of the Year’ by The Guardian and shortlisted for The Children's Books Ireland Award. The sequel, While We Can't Hug was read by many families around the world during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

He has written two books that have been illustrated by Ross Collins: Secret Agent Elephant and Inspector Penguin,

A further book, The Case of the Missing Cake is illustrated by Marc Boutavant And now Eoin has paired up with Boutavant once again for another zany adventure, I am NOT an Octopus.

In this episode, he talks to Nikki Gamble about his varied approach to writing picturebooks.

About I Am NOT An Octopus

Terry is not an octopus. He's just a regular guy with a few extra arms.

Yes, he loves tuna and yes, he'd love to visit Super Octopus Fantasea Adventure World. But octopuses live in the sea. And Terry is afraid of water.

Maybe he should learn to swim?
 

Support the show

Thank you for listening. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. and by purchasing books from our online bookshop, Bestbooksforschools.com

In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. 

Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1

For general news and updates: follow us on X @imaginecentre  Bluesky  https://bsky.app/profile/justimaginecentre.bsky.social  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/justimagine_books/

Full details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk

Lisa Thompson is a children’s novelist born in Essex, UK. 

Her debut novel, The Goldfish Boy, was published in the UK and North America in 2017 and went on to become a bestseller.  The Goldfish Boy has been nominated for numerous awards including the Carnegie Medal, The Branford Boase Award and the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize.

Lisa has gone on to write more best-selling novels, including The Light Jar, The Day I Was Erased and The Boy Who Fooled The World.  Her novella, Owen and the Soldier, was shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards.

Lisa joined Nikki Gamble #InTheReadingCorner to talk about her latest novel, The Rollercoaster Boy.

About The Rollercoaster Boy
Todd and Laurie's dad is either on top of the world, taking them on fun adventures, or down in the depths and sleeping all the time. In the middle of the night, he bundles them into the car and drives them to the Paradise Hotel.

He paints a picture of a luxurious mansion by the sea, but the reality is a rundown dump and the disappointment means Dad takes to his bed. Todd and Laurie have the run of the place, and meet Scout, the daughter of the owner, who tells them about the night many years ago when a famous novelist vanished from her room on the top floor, which was locked from the inside... with clues to crack, a mystery to solve, and Dad to worry about, this holiday is full of twists and turns.

Support the show

Thank you for listening. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. and by purchasing books from our online bookshop, Bestbooksforschools.com

In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. 

Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1

For general news and updates: follow us on X @imaginecentre  Bluesky  https://bsky.app/profile/justimaginecentre.bsky.social  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/justimagine_books/

Full details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk