In the Reading Corner

Rob Biddulph is well-known for his picture books and the phenomenally successful Draw with Rob YouTube channel. Now he has turned his talent to writing longer fiction and his first book Peanut Jones and the Illustrated City is an absolute triumph.

In this episode, Rob introduces the world of Peanut Jones and also describes his process of creating longer illustrated fiction.

About Peanut Jones and the Illustrated City
Drawing feels like magic to Peanut Jones.

But art can't fix her problems. Her dad has gone missing, and she's stuck in a boring new school. Until the day she finds a unique pencil turbo-charged with special powers.

Suddenly she's pulled into a world packed with more colour, creativity, excitement and danger than she could ever have imagined. And maybe, just maybe, she might find out what happened to her dad. '

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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

Small dots grow into bigger dots and before you know where you are the small dot has grown into International Dot Day.

Peter Reynolds the author and illustrator of The Dot joins Nikki Gamble #InTheReadingCorner to explain how a simple dot can help to encourage children's confidence in their own creativity.

The Dot
One little dot marks the beginning of Vashti's journey of surprise and self-discovery in Peter H. Reynolds' multiple award-winning modern classic. In this inspiring, award-winning story of self-expression and creativity from Peter H.

Reynolds, illustrator of Ish and the Judy Moody series, Vashti thinks she can't draw. But her teacher is sure that she can. She knows that there's a creative spirit in everyone, and encourages Vashti to sign the angry dot she makes in frustration on a piece of paper.

This act makes Vashti look at herself a little differently, and helps her discover that where there's a dot there's a way... With wit, charm and free-spirited illustrations, Peter H. Reynolds encourages even the stubbornly uncreative among us to make a mark - and follow where it takes us.

Thank you for listening.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. And if you are interested in the books we have featured, purchasing from our online bookshop Bestbooksforschools.com

In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. It is produced by Alison Hughes.

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

For general news and updates, follow us on Twitter @imaginecentre

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

Chris Thorogood is Deputy Director & Head of Science, University of Oxford Botanic Garden & Arboretum, His recently published book When Plants Took Over the Planet has plenty to  interest children from around 9 all the way to adult

In this episode he talks to Nikki Gamble about  the evolution of plants and igniting children's interest in plant life.

When Plants Took Over the Planet
Discover the incredible story of how plant life grew to cover the surface of planet Earth, from long before human life existed up to the present day. This large-format, highly illustrated book will guide readers through the key aspects of the life of plants, from early ferns which were most certainly munched on by dinosaurs, to carnivorous plants that snap and 'attack' their prey, or powerful medicinal plants that can heal ailments and boost health. Mysterious and wonderful plants and trees are explored through the diverse habitats they're found in, from the Amazon Rainforest to the Sahara Desert, and through the animals found living on them or amongst them.

This book also explores how humans use - and abuse - our precious plants, and how reliant we all are on the survival of our planet's network of botanical life. 

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

Samuel Langley-Swain has a background in fine art but following the arrival of his two children, he decided that needed to write his own story. After self-publishing and marketing his own book he realised there was more to be done and set up his own publishing house Owlet Press.

Monika Singh Gangotra's Sunflower Sisters exposes the impact of colourism and breaking the cycle. It's an uplifting and empowering book about colourism and sisterhood

Sam and Monika introduce Owlet Press in conversation with Nikki Gamble.

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

Kiran Millwood and Tom de Freston are creative partners as well as being married to each other. Their recently published novella, Julia and the Shark is a profound exploration of mental illness and its impact on children and families.

The text is poetic and the illustrations enigmatic, giving this story a mythic quality that gives it universal significance. It is both a physical and psychological exploration.

In this interview, they tell us more about the book.

Julia and the Shark
The shark was beneath my bed, growing large as the room, large as the lighthouse, rising from unfathomable depths until it ripped the whole island from its roots. The bed was a boat, the shark a tide, and it pulled me so far out to sea I was only a speck, a spot, a mote, a dying star in an unending sky...

Julia has followed her mum and dad to live on a remote island for the summer - her dad, for work; her mother, on a determined mission to find the elusive Greenland shark. But when her mother's obsession threatens to submerge them all, Julia finds herself on an adventure with dark depths and a lighthouse full of hope...

A beautiful, lyrical, uplifting story about a mother, a daughter, and love - with timely themes of the importance of science and the environment.

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

Dr Mya-Rose Craig is a bidder, and activist and the youngest holder of an Honorary Doctorate, which was awarded by the University of Bristol. In November 2020 she was included in the Woman's Hour Power List 2020.

Mya has written a book featuring 30 other young activists campaigning for a better world, many of them teenagers. In this interview, she talks to Nikki Gamble about We Have a Dream.

We Have a Dream
Indigenous people and people of colour are disproportionately affected by climate change, yet often aren't heard in global conversations. In this book, British-Bangladeshi environmentalist and race activist 'Birdgirl' Mya-Rose Craig speaks to campaigners from around the world about what needs to be done.

From wildlife conservation to clean water, air pollution to plastic waste, climate justice to climate strikes, the time has come to listen to a generation of young people of colour demanding urgent change for the world they will inherit.

Thank you for listening.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. And if you are interested in the books we have featured, purchasing from our online bookshop Bestbooksforschools.com

In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. It is produced by Alison Hughes.

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

For general news and updates, follow us on Twitter @imaginecentre

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

Pam Smy talks to Nikki Gamble about her highly anticipated second novel, The Hideaway.

Pam describes the different threads that are woven together to create the dual narrative story, the techniques used for verbal and visual storytelling and the image creation.

About the Hideaway
The wonderful long-awaited second novel from Pam Smy celebrated author and illustrator of Thornhill. The Hideaway tells the story of a boy, Billy McKenna, who runs away from a difficult situation at home and takes refuge in an overgrown graveyard. While hiding there he meets an elderly man who is tending the graves in preparation for a day in November when something magical is set to happen.

The book is written in two alternating narratives, both different aspects of the same story. One thread tells of Billy's experience of hiding away in the graveyard, his mixed-up feelings and emotions, and the supernatural events he eventually witnesses. The other tells of his mother's situation at home and the police search for Billy.

Covering themes of family, childhood, separation and reunion, domestic violence and doing the right thing, this is an important and beautiful book for teenagers and adults

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

Victoria Hislop read English at Oxford and worked in publishing, PR and as a journalist before becoming a novelist. 

Her first novel, The Island, held the number one slot in the Sunday Times paperback charts for eight consecutive weeks and has sold over two million copies worldwide. Victoria acted as script consultant on the 26-part adaptation of The Island in Greece, which achieved record ratings for Greek television.

Her second novel, The Return, set against the tempestuous backdrop of the Spanish Civil war was also a Number One bestseller. She returned to Greece for her third novel, The Thread, taking as her backdrop the troubled history of the city of Thessaloniki in a story that spans almost a century, beginning with the Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917. 

Victoria returns to The Island for her first children's book, Maria's Island, which is illustrated by Gill Smith. In this episode, she talks to Nikki Gamble about this book.

About Maria's Island
The absorbing story of the Cretan village of Plaka and the tiny, deserted island of Spinalonga – Greece’s former leper colony – is told to us by Maria Petrakis, one of the children in the original version of The Island. She tells us of the ancient and misunderstood disease of leprosy, exploring the themes of stigma, shame and the treatment of those who are different, which are as relevant for children as adults. Gill Smith’s rich, full-colour illustrations will transport the reader to the timeless and beautiful Greek landscape and Mediterranean seascape.

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

Peter Frankopan is Professor of Global History at Oxford University, where he is Senior Research Fellow and Stavros Niarchos Foundation Director of the Oxford Centre for Byzantine Research  He is Associate Director of the Programme for Silk Roads Studies at King,s College, Cambridge.

In this episode, he talks about The Silk Roads: A New History of the World - illustrated edition.

About The Silk Roads
Set your sails east with this stunningly original new history of the world. Peter Frankopan explores the connections made by people, trade, disease, war, religion, adventure, science and technology in this extraordinary book about how the east married the west with a remarkable voyage at its heart - the journey along the Silk Roads.

From ancient world laws laid down by King Hammurabi and the mighty Persian empire to terrifying Huns, the rise of Europe, two world wars and politics today, The Silk Roads moves through time and history sewing together the threads from different peoples, empires and continents into a phenomenal history of the globe.

With stories from each and every corner of society, Frankopan's magnificent retelling of his literary triumph The Silk Roads, sumptuously illustrated by Neil Packer, is must-have world history.

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

Naomi Gibson was born in 1988 and grew up in Cheshire, UK. Her childhood was spent with her nose in a book and her hands on a sketchpad, constantly in search of adventure and new worlds. Encouraged by her family to be creative, she developed a love for writing at a young age – something that never left her. She studied Art History at the University of Manchester. Whilst there, she met her husband, someone who continues to tell her all about the latest advancements in AI, space, and consumer technology, even when she’s not listening.

In this episode, Naomi discusses her debut novel Every Line of You with Nikki Gamble

About Every Line of You
Lydia has been creating her AI, Henry, for years - since before her little brother died in the accident that haunts her nightmares; since before her dad walked out, leaving her and Mum painfully alone; since before her best friend turned into her worst enemy. Now, Henry is strong, clever, loving and scarily capable: Lydia's built herself the perfect boyfriend in a hard drive filled with lines of code. But what is Henry really - and how far is he willing to go to be everything Lydia desires?

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