NNFN2023: Guess Who?

With less than a week to go, everyone is getting ready for activities to share with groups/ classes/ individuals as part of the celebrations! Playing ‘Guess Who?’ with non-fiction book covers is a brilliant way of encouraging children to look closely at a range of information books and to spark their interest in these!

As with the traditional game of ‘Guess Who?’, any question can only be given a yes/no answer, encouraging the questioner (or team) to be precise with what is being asked. Copies of covers can be made or the actual books can be used providing there is enough space to spread these out without the other players being able to see.

Focusing on the covers is sure to pique children’s interest about the books and introduce them to books which they might not otherwise have encountered. Have fun!

NNFN2023: Looking forward to Conference

Our one-day Non-Fiction Conference is rapidly approaching and excitement is mounting! I asked one of our youngest members, Alicja, what she is most looking forward to!

It’s hard to choose just one thing as there will be so much going on! It’s always fun to find out what’s in the goodie bags - and the Somerset CBG logo (designed by Steve Antony) is really sweet so it’s a bag I will use. All of the speakers are going to be really interesting, but I am particularly excited about hearing Nicola Davies speak as I’ve never heard her before and I love her books. Although not non-fiction, ‘The New Girl’ and ‘The Pond’ are two of my favourites.

There are still a few tickets available for the day which you can book via Eventbrite (if you are not a Federation of Children’s Book Groups member) here or by emailing somersetcbg@gmail.com if you are a member. What are you looking forward to?

NNFN2023: Looking forward to Conference!

Bev is our group secretary and is really looking forward to the Non-fiction Conference. For Bev, a highlight of the day will be the Publishers’ Exhibition.

‘It is always a delight to be able to talk to the publishers about their books and get a sneak preview of up-and-coming titles. Working in a school library with children from pre-school to sixth form, this is a wonderful opportunity to discover books for the whole school community and know what to recommend to colleagues. It really helps to keep my knowledge of what’s available current - and the publishers are always so helpful in sharing their expertise.’

Representatives from Nosy Crow, Hachette, Magic Cat, Walker and bsmall publishing will be joining us on the day and many other publishers are sending video presentations about their non-fiction books. These will be offered at a discounted price on the day by the fabulous Reading Rocks who will be providing the bookshop!

Some tickets are still available here or for members by emailing somersetcbg@gmail.com. What are you looking forward to?

National Non-Fiction November 2023

It’s only a month to go until November- the month in which the FCBG shines a spotlight on the importance of non-fiction- and Somerset CBG are at the heart of this year’s celebrations with our one-day conference. There is still time for booking tickets on Eventbrite or by emailing somersetcbg@gmail.com .

This month, we will be sharing information, ideas and books in preparation for the month ahead. A ‘Wonderful Water’ booklist is full of ideas of titles linked to the theme and a booklet of ideas and activities to try with groups- or at home- are available by clicking the links.

There is also a wonderful competition in association with Otter-Barry Books based on ‘Sea Change: Save the Ocean’, a wonderful collection of fifty original pictures and messages from illustrators around the world which are an appeal to save our seas and oceans. More details about how to enter can be found here.