Recently published books, and forthcoming events.


My Body Book. Published by Franklin Watts.
Published in both the UK and USA is full of surprises and visual delights with a clever flip the flap presentation of the human body and it's amazing biological mechanics. Aimed at 8's and under.

Review from Books for Keeps Magazine:
This is a beautifully coherent introduction to the parts and workings of the human body. Big concepts are established first: the brain is 'the boss' and nerves link the different parts of the body to the brain. Then the senses, bones, muscles, digestive and blood systems are explained using half-page flaps most effectively. Colourful, well labelled pictures and diagrams give a sense of the body as an ever-moving, ever-functioning machine with heart pulsating, tongue tasting and muscles working. If you are a teacher wanting to show children how science diagrams work, this book has copious good examples; the cross sections of the digestive and blood systems show how to use a key. Enormous effort has gone into presenting the information in a way young readers will find interesting and accessible. But there is nothing lightweight about the information and the witty written text introduces appropriate terminology – for example 'epiglottis', 'pancreas', 'dentine', and 'retina'.

This book will be an excellent resource for lessons on health and the body for under eights, but is exciting enough to be a welcome gift.
Margaret Mallett


The Viking Longship sets sail!
With words and drawings Mick and Brita take you on a voyage to visit the age of the Vikings. Taste Viking bread, choose your favourite Viking god, and draw a Viking longship. Free sketchbook activites included. See festival websites for futher details.

Venues:
York – Saturday 17th Feb, 11am
Jorvik Viking Festival
Tempest Anderson Hall Yorkshire Museum

Glasgow – Thursday 22nd Feb, 1.30pm
Aye Write Festival
Mitchell Library


Dino-Dinners. Published by Frances Lincoln in association with the Natural History Museum, London.
It's dino-dinnertime but who eats what – and who eats who? How do we know what dinosaurs ate? Who hunted as a team? Who ate with their head in the treetops – and who ate absolutely anything they could find? Linked to the Dino Jaws exhibition running from 30 June 2006 to 15 April 2007 at the Natural History Museum.

Visit www.nhm.ac.uk/publishing/det_dinodinners.html for more info.


Fly on the Wall: Viking Longship. Published by Frances Lincoln.
This third title in Mick and Brita’s exciting history series follows the adventures of respective owners of a Viking Longship called The Sea Dragon. Beginning with The Sea Dragon’s original owner, a Viking pirate, raiding, burning and looting she is then salvaged by a young Dane with his heart set on adventure and the invasion of England. Continuing the 'on the spot' sketchbook feel of the Fly on the Wall series this book, is printed on 'stolen parchment' with axe marks and wolf hairs and even burnt page edges.


Click to enlarge

But it isn't all battles and bloodshed, the book gives a great flavour of the life of
'ordinary' Scandinavian settlers in 9th century England, including the women's role –
"Viking women were very independent when compared to many other ancient
civilisations" comments Brita. Impressed by the first title in the series, Roman Fort,
Dr Richard Hall agreed to be their consultant (a consultant is an expert paid by the
publishers to check non-fiction books for accuracy). Dr Hall is a world authority on
Vikings. He directed the original Jorvik dig in York and helped create the Jorvik Centre.
He is now Director of Archaeology at York Archaeological Trust. Dr Hall has even added
his own 'tongue in cheek' comment on the back cover: "Vikings snatched highly
decorated books and then sold them back to their original owners – but you won't want
to let this one out of your hands!"


Fly on the Wall: Roman Fort. Published by Frances Lincoln.
This first title in Mick and Brita's exciting new history series was shortlisted for the
English Association Key stage 2 Non Fiction Award this year. Mick and Brita spent weeks
drawing around the forts of Hadrian's Wall in England. Several Roman historical experts
were involved in carefully checking the facts for accuracy. The result is a 'fly on the wall'
view of Roman frontier life – from cooking and dressing for dinner in the commandant's
house to battle tactics and toilet humour with the centurions.


Fly on the Wall: Pharaoh's Egypt. Published by Frances Lincoln.
Pharaoh's Egypt is the second book in the critically acclaimed Fly on the Wall series.
It is packed with up to date information provided by the book's consultant Dr Bill Manley.
Dr Manley is Subject Specialist in Archaeology at the University of Glasgow. He is also Research Associate of The National Museums of Scotland and a practising Egyptologist.

Mick says: "Bill Manley was often on location in Egypt when we needed to check a fact or illustration with him. We imagined this Indiana Jones type figure deep in a tomb some place, and dodging ancient booby traps while emailing us from his laptop!"

Brita has visited Egypt and her ticket to Luxor Temple – along with other things like papyrus stalks, squashed mosquitoes and even a dead locust or two are pasted into the book. It all adds to the atmosphere of Ancient Egypt!

Brita says: "Visiting Egypt was a fantastic experience, the temples, statues, and wall paintings were breathtaking. I had great fun putting down my feelings for Ancient Egypt
in this book. I think I enjoyed the street scenes and the 'Mummy Makers' page best and
Mick the Tomb Robbers... but best of all we enjoyed creating the peaceful ending as the Pharaoh gazes up at the starry night sky and thanks his gods for a good harvest."


Yuck!. Published by Frances Lincoln.
A funny picture book about different sorts of babies – and what they like to eat.
It was a Waterstones book of the month and got a 5 star review from Books for Keeps magazine. Visit BfK at www.booksforkeeps.co.uk for more info and to read an interview with Mick and Brita. Yuck was voted a category winner for the Highland Children’s Book Awards in 2006.


Voices of the Rainforest. Published by Watts.
This book was the winner of the English Association Key Stage 1 non fiction award this year. Featured in a recent issue of Books for Keeps, it looks at the world's rainforests
and their ecology and wildlife – through the eyes of the indigenous people that live there.


Brita Granstrom, New Works. University Gallery, Northumbria University.
Brita has a solo exhibition of her large paintings through August and September 2006 in
Newcastle. These are totally different from her book illustrations; and in her words:
'one feeds the other'. See Gallery page for details and art critic William Varley's review
of her work.