Super Science Experiments for budding young scientists!

We have just had the advanced copies for our new Super Science Experiments books; Light & Sound, Air & Water, Electricity and Matter & Materials..and boy do they look good.

Its the summer holidays (sort of) the sun is shining occasionally, but with all this English weather throwing lots of rainy days, what do you do with your children to keep them entertained???? Well you pick up one of these wonderful new Super Science books of course

 

 

With 10 experiments each, these fantastic books introduce children to the basics of science in a fun, appealing way. Each experiment is accompanied by an introduction to a scientific concept, clear photographic step-by-step instructions, a list of materials needed, and a Q&A explanation to make children think. Specially designed graphics also indicate the level of difficulty, the time required and whether adult help is needed. At the end, children can test what they’ve learnt with Quiztime. Also includes a glossary, further website reading, notes for helpers and record your results pages. Children will have hours of practical fun – and learn something new. Ideal for Key Stage 2.

These books are so jam packed with fun experiments you might find your children praying for those rainy days!! All four books retail at £5.99 and will be hitting the shelves in the next month or so.

So if your looking for something to entertain your children yet keep their brains whirring over the summer holidays, pick up one (or all) of our Science Experiments.

Check out our website to see what else we have to offer you!!

Anyone for some Vampires?

We have just had some lovely advanced copies of a new 100 Facts books out this year: 100 Facts Vampires!!

So if you like Vampires (who doesn’t at the moment) and you want to know 100 different facts about them past and present, this is the book for you! Want to know how to spot a Vampire…we can tell you! Want to know the history of Vampires in other cultures..its all there. Plus we have some amazing artwork and pictures to finish the whole book off!

All for the princely price of £5.99….bargain

100 Facts Vampires

The fantastically successful 100 Facts series examines the myths and hype that surround the vampire phenomenon. Discover what makes vampires so fascinating, work out how to spot them, and most importantly, learn how to keep them at bay. Get to grips with different vampires around the world and read about the most infamous vampire of all time – Dracula. Exactly 100 numbered facts will challenge children, acting as an incentive as they make their way through the book. Packed with amazing artwork and photographs, and featuring fun panels containing activities, quizzes and cartoons, 100 Facts is an ideal introduction to this fascinating topic.

More NEW books: Fact Files

Never one to be complacent, we at Miles Kelly have more new books coming out this month. A new series of 128 page Fact Files, designed for children aged 7-10 and jam packed with information and illustrations.

Check them out below:

Amazing Birds

This brilliant new series is bursting with fantastic information, detailed illustrations and stunning photographs. The simple and engaging text is presented in bite-size paragraphs, whilst feature panels provide incredible facts, cartoons, quizzes and fun activities. Amazing Birds takes readers on a journey through the avian world, including flightless penguins and birds of prey, magnificent hunters of the sky. Find out why swans carry their young on their backs, what life is like in a penguin rookery, and what is being done to save the rare Philippine eagle.

 

Awesome Space

This brilliant new series is bursting with fantastic information, detailed illustrations and stunning photographs. The simple and engaging text is presented in bite-size paragraphs throughout, while feature panels provide amazing facts, cartoons, quizzes and fun activities. Awesome Space takes readers on a voyage through the universe, exploring the Solar System, stars and distant galaxies. Readers can find out how stars are born, what goes on at an observatory, and how spacecraft have explored the Moon, planets, asteroids and comets.

 

Brilliant British History

This brilliant new series is bursting with fantastic information, detailed illustrations and stunning photographs. The simple and engaging text is presented in bite-sized paragraphs throughout, while feature panels provide amazing facts, cartoons, quizzes and fun activities. Starting with an overview of British history from prehistory to the modern age, children can then read about monarchs across the ages and gain vital information on the Victorian Age.

 

Deadly Dinosaurs

This brilliant new series is bursting with fantastic information, detailed illustrations and stunning photographs. The simple and engaging text is presented in bite-sized paragraphs, whilst feature panels provide amazing facts, cartoons, quizzes and fun activities. Deadly Dinosaurs takes readers on a journey through prehistory and the amazing life forms that existed, from the terrifying T rex and plant-eating monsters to vicious sea-dwelling reptiles. Readers can find out which dinosaur was bigger and deadlier than T rex, when giant killer birds roamed the Earth, and what really caused the demise of the dinosaurs.

 

Endangered Earth

This brilliant new series is bursting with fantastic information, detailed illustrations and stunning photographs. The simple and engaging text is presented in bite-size paragraphs throughout, while feature panels provide amazing facts, cartoons, quizzes and fun activities. Endangered Earth takes a close look at some of the most threatened habitats and species in Endangered Animals, Extinct and Saving the Earth. Readers can find out how to help save vulnerable creatures, learn why the dinosaurs disappeared and discover what is causing climate change.

 

Wild Oceans

This brilliant new series is bursting with fantastic information, detailed illustrations and stunning photographs. The simple and engaging text is presented in bite-size paragraphs throughout, while feature panels provide amazing facts, cartoons, quizzes and fun activities. Wild Oceans takes readers on a journey beneath the waves through three incredible ocean habitats: Seashore, Coral Reefs and Deep Ocean. Readers can find out why some fish glow in the dark, explore rock pools and sand dunes, and learn how people can help to save endangered coral.

 

Each of these stunning books includes:

• Beautiful illustrations and photographs throughout
• Exciting text written and checked by experts
• Quizzes to show how much children have learnt
• Projects to make and do
• Brilliant cartoons

If that is not enough, ALL are available from Miles Kelly at a discounted price! Check out the images below and make sure you rush over and pick  yourself up one today

More books on the way next week….

New 512-page Fiction Books – Coming soon

We have recently received advanced copies of two of our new books for 2011 to add to an already massive series of 512-page fiction books. They are:

Classic Tales of Vampires and Shapeshifters

“For centuries, the myth of the vampire has intrigued mortal minds. A creature so loathsome, but at the same time so alluring, has inspired literature throughout the ages. The Victorians were great lovers of the macabre and storytelling in general and this luxuriously illustrated volume really does provide a splash of gothic richness. Including stories and extracts by authors such as M R James, Sheridan le Fanu, Guy de Maupassant and Bram Stoker, the book has been broken down into five sections, one of which is dedicated to shapeshifting creatures. A must for vampire enthusiasts everywhere.”

AND

Science Fiction Stories

“Over 30 intriguing stories from this rich and popular vein of fiction are collected here. The past, present and future all have important roles in stories from a galaxy of writers including Isaac Asimov, Arthur Conan Doyle and Jack London. Aliens, fantastical machines and parallel universes meet together in this remarkably diverse collection. Scifi lovers of all ages will be transported at light speed through time and space conjured up by the fantastical imaginations of the authors and the brilliantly inspired illustrations.” 

Check out the beautiful covers below….

These two wonderful books will be available from the Miles Kelly website at a discount from their RRP of £14.99 and of course available at many outlets.

Aimed at a slightly older audience and in line with the sci-fi and vampire craze going on, we believe these books will appeal to audiences as well as providing great value for money! 512 pages jammed full of stories and images for only £14.99…bargain!!

Keep an eye out for these if your kids are into vampires, also check out later in the year for 100 Facts Vampires

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEW Five-minute Stories

Miles Kelly has recently published a new collection of fictional story books called “Five-minute Stories”, beautiful books designed to be that perfect length for you and your child just before bed!

We have ten different titles making them a perfect little series; The Ogre’s Bride, The Princess and the Pea, Rosy’s Journey, The Ugly Duckling, Androcles and the Lion, The Girl who owned a Bear, Hansel and Gretel, Lazy Jack, The Hare and the Tortoise and Rapunzel.

“Simply retold and wonderfully illustrated, this series of ten books brings together charming tales that children will enjoy. With 6–7 stories per book, each taking about 5 minutes to read, this set is ideal for parents to read with young children who are starting to recognise words. The easy-to-read text also allows independent readers or older children to read aloud with confidence.”

 

For 6-9 years these books would make a perfect addition to any child’s book shelves, with classic stories that you’ll know and some that will surprise you!

On top of that, if you buy from the Miles Kelly website they will cost you only £3.59 per book!!!

Check them out, you won’t be disappointed.

Apple’s New ‘Read-Aloud’ feature

On Tuesday Apple pushed out an update for its iBooks application, with its major improvement being a new “read-aloud” feature for iBooks. This is quite an interesting improvement as it seems to combine parts of the book apps already available with iBooks.

As a children’s publisher we are now looking into the possibilities of read-aloud iBooks, this might be a great alternative to just the simple iBooks already available. Though i think one thing that must be taken into account is whether customers will want books that can “read-aloud” or is it just an extra gimmick for Apple?

One of the features of this new update is that children could use the read-aloud to voice certain words, not just whole sentences. This is a pretty good idea, as it allows children who may not be able to pronounce a certain word to hear it spoken out loud even when their parents are not around.

How many parents will want to take themselves out of the reading process? That i am not sure about currently, the beauty of iBooks and other forms of eBooks are that they let parents and children read books in a new format. For me this is an especially good thing, with children and technology going hand in hand, we move away from printed books but not from being able to read in general!

It will be interesting to see how Apple’s “read-aloud” feature pans out over the coming months, do publisher’s start adding books in this new format? I for one will be interested in seeing them.

You might even see a Miles Kelly narrated iBook in the near future. Keep you eyes peeled!

 

We currently have a promotion running with the iBookstore whereby five of our illustrated iBooks are currently free, just check out the promotion in itunes or the iBookstore and you’ll see us. Or better yet check out the UK children’s charts for 100 Facts World Wonders, The Girl who Owned a Bear, First Fun ABC, How to Draw Baby Animals and I Love Planes!

 

FREE eBooks from Miles Kelly Publishing

Miles Kelly Publishing has converted a number of our books into eBooks over the past year. We now have over 70 eBooks available on the iBookstore and other sites.

Because we pride ourselves on publishing only the highest quality illustrated books, we have taken the same approach to our eBooks. The Ipad lends itself perfectly to our eBooks, especially with its illustrated eBook format. It feels just as good as the real thing, if not better!

Some people might be sceptical of eBooks, especially for children. Should you fork out money? We understand this and so have made some of the very best eBook series we have on offer available for free!

So if you have an Ipad, Iphone or an Ipod Touch just click on the links below and get downloading!!! Once your done enjoying the free eBooks, leave us a review and maybe check out the rest in the series

100 Facts World Wonders

Discover everything you need to know about World Wonders with this brilliant book!

One hundred facts, fantastic illustrations and hilarious cartoons give you the inside story on the many wonders of the world, while fun quizzes test your knowledge. 

So what are you waiting for? Get reading!

• 100 numbered facts encourage children to read these books from start to finish

• Projects to make and do

• Hilarious facts and brilliantly drawn cartoons add an extra element of fun.

I Love Planes

This highly visual series provides younger children with first facts and pictures about their favourite subjects. Each spread presents a new topic and is accompanied by simple text and realistic, detailed illustrations. Simple captions and labels explain more complex topics, and on each spread there is a fun activity to try. Children who are beginning to read alone will love this series, which is also ideal for parent and child to share together.

• Simple text

• Large, detailed artworks

• Simple activities

• Promotes reading skills

• Popular subjects

How to Draw Baby Animals

The perfect books for aspiring young artists, the How to Draw series is a fantastic way to get kids drawing in seconds. With simple instructions and step-by-step illustrations children can learn to draw 15 different illustrations, from simple outlines to detailed, colourful drawings. Written and illustrated by experienced artists, these beautiful books contain a wealth of information about drawing techniques and feature galleries highlighting different styles, materials and ideas for extra inspiration.

• Simple step-by-step illustrations

• Learn to draw a variety of themes

• Zoom in boxes look at professional skills up-close

• Each spread features examples and ideas for different materials and mediums to use

• Technique pages give a masterclass in creating different effects

• Gallery of examples for extra inspiration

The Girl Who Owned a Bear and other Stories

Simply retold and wonderfully illustrated, this series brings together masses of delightful tales. Each title comprises a collection of stories based on a theme, such as Magic and Mystery. With each story taking about five minutes to read, these titles are ideal for parents to share with young children who are starting to recognise words. The simple text also allows independent readers to read aloud with confidence.

• 6–9 stories per book

• Each book is themed

• Each story takes about five minutes to read

First Fun ABC

Younger children will love this new series, which provides a first fun introduction to the alphabet, animals, nursery rhymes and stories. The cheerful design engages children as they follow and read along with parents.

• Engaging illustrations and photographs

• Bold, colourful design

 

(Note: If you are not GB based, fear not! These eBooks are also free on the US, Canadian and Australian iBookstore. Just search their names or Miles Kelly and you’ll find them!)

 

The Chasing Chickens

A light hearted post for all you people that take the time to read our blog posts

Over the past couple of weeks we have found ourselves with some new guests in our garden, next doors chickens! Now apart from the odd person in the office with a dislike of chickens (who knew!) we have all enjoyed the extra company.

Our neighbour has been finding it increasingly difficult to keep the chickens shut away in her garden, like a scene out of “Chicken Run”, no matter  how much chicken wire she puts up they find a way into our little lawn area! it might have something to do with the fact that many of the staff here feed them, who knows!

Well anyway this week they have started to become a bit too adventurous, there are four chickens. Now they know they can get food from us, they charge at anyone who wanders near our doors. One poor delivery man had to leg it after trying to stroke one yesterday – a lesson to all, never stroke a hungry chicken!

Last night when we all left one by one, we found we all had four little birds chasing us to our cars! (I must add, no one was hurt by the chasing chickens!!)

So if you decide to come down and say hello to us at Miles Kelly, beware of the chasing chickens!!

Pictures will be added soon, hopefully!

The importance of Children’s books

With printed book sales falling, where does that leave our children?

Children’s books are an important part of the learning process children undergo, not just for educational purposes but also for generally learning life skills. I am not saying children’s books teach children everything they need, or that all children’s books teach children anything at all, but reading is one of life’s great pleasures that should start when you are young.

Reading books permits the reader to explore many things.  Factual books provide a good grounding for introducing to children their likes and dislikes. Fiction books can provide moral debates in a manner that captivates children and gives them a sense of what is right and wrong.

The real worry today is not that the quality of books is any less than in the past, but that parents and children are just not buying as many. This is a worry, we already know that boys read a lot less than girls, that is a given. But what if girls were to reduce their reading also? Reading provides a staple learning for children of all ages, imagine learning to read and write, could you do it so effectively if books were not readily available? If you were not enthralled by a romantic novel, or a sci fi, or a biography?

We are also seeing a decline in the places people can get books, its a sad day that bookshops all over the country are having to close because they are not getting enough sales through the door. I feel this is partially an outdated stance by booksellers, but also the sticky introduction of internet sales. Amazon now has a monopoly, being able to charge upwards of 50% discounts to Publishers without the overheads of rented retail outlets has given Amazon a massive green light to swamp the book market. I am not saying i don’t like being able to get discounts from Amazon so easily, but it just hasn’t helped those bookshops in cities. I for one am the kind of person that likes to go into book shops and look, feel, scan through books before i purchase them. Having said that i sometimes will baulk at paying high prices for books, but doesn’t everyone?

Anyway, i digress. Ebooks have provided a new outlet potentially for children to recapture their interest in books, with a technological twist. It is not uncommon to think that technology has captivated the younger generations, so maybe Publishers should roll with those punches? eBooks, enhanced Apps and so on should be considered as future potential to captivate our younger audiences. Miles Kelly itself has a lovely selection of eBooks seen here.

To me, children reading is still of the upmost importance. That is why Miles Kelly has set about creating “The Reading Habit” bundles that we currently offer. These are designed to help parents, grand parents, aunts, uncles et cetera to get younger audiences reading. Beautiful bundles at discounted prices, what could be more helpful?

Even if Miles Kelly is not your destination of choice, get your children reading, for their own good

Coming soon: Spot 50…..

Some of our newest books to come out in the next couple of months are our Spot 50 books. We already have six already available that can be seen at Miles Kelly. They are Spot 50 Garden Birds, Spot 50 Dinosaurs, Spot 50 Trees, Spot 50 Insects, Spot 50 Wildflowers and Spot 50 Horses and Ponies. Each of them lovely books that normally retail at £3.99, they are currently on our website at £2.39. A bargain i hear you shout!!

If that were not enough, this year we are adding to our Spot 50 Series with four new titles that you won’t want to miss:

Spot 50 Dogs

Spot 50 Cats

Spot 50 Butterflies & Moths

Spot 50 Wild Animals

Continuing the successful Spot 50 series, this pocket-sized guide enables readers to recognize 50 breeds or species. Divided into clear sections, each breed or specie is accompanied by a beautiful colour artwork and important identification tips. There is also key information and a detailed fact file, including vital statistics.

Check out the beautiful covers below:

Aren’t they beautiful?

All of these will be on sale in the coming months, just in time for you and your children to enjoy the outdoors hopefully finding lots of different breeds of dogs and cats, species of wildflowers (Though we hope you don’t necessarily find any wild animals or dinosaurs!).