Books for Children
- Weird, Wild & Wonderful
- Zim Zam Zoom - Zappy Poems To Read Out Loud
- A Ticket To Kalamazoo!
- Once Upon a Raindrop
- Once Upon a Star
- BOING! a bouncy book of bugs
- The Big Beyond
- The Beasts Beneath Our Feet
- Out There In The Wild
- The Story of the Wolf
- The Story Of The Electric Guitar
Weird, Wild & Wonderful
Illustrated by Neal Layton
Otter-Barry Books January 2021
for 7-777s
Welcome to the weird, wild and wonderful world of James Carter. In this 'best of' collection - crammed with James' most requested, popular and anthologised poems - expect to meet a wolf or two, sing a lullaby to a woolly mammoth, have a conversation with a fly and even meet an alien in a library.
An excellent collection. Every KS2 classroom should have one.
Pie Corbett, Educationalist/Poet
..this smashing book of poems - there's something for all tastes therein: it most definitely hooked this reviewer.
Jill R Bennett Red Reading Hub
If you want your children to read quality books, you really need to buy this one, in which James displays his love of life, and embraces its mysteries in admirably crafted poems.
Amazon Review
A spectacular collection of old favourites and new classics from the pen of James Carter. Housed together in a new book, this collection of poems is perfect for classroom use or home reading. The superb use of vocabulary and varying styles of poetry will have teachers excited to share this collection. The illustrations by Neal Layton are perfectly suited to James Carter's poems; quirky, apt and stylish. This is one of those impressive, high-quality collections we need to share with our students. Brilliantly written and fun for all- this is one not to be missed.
Just Imagine
Zim Zam Zoom - Zappy Poems To Read Out Loud
Illustrated by Nicola Colton
Otter-Barry Books May 2016
Shortlisted for the CLiPPA Award 2018
Want to travel in a rocket? Search for a grumpy dragon? Make your very own monster? Visit a higgledy-piggledy farm? Well, hop into Zim Zam Zoom - for fun and adventures galore! Colours, animals, space, music, fairytales and fireworks...! Here is a collection of poems especially written for performance. With delightful illustrations by a talented new illustrator, this is a brilliant introduction to poetry for young children. This poetry collection is now widely used as a popular topic focus book in KS1/EYFS classrooms all over the UK.
There are few writers more sensitive to 'hooking' young children into poetry than James Carter. His vast experience of visiting and working with youngsters in schools enables him to pitch his writing for his audience perfectly...Carter does exuberance and humour really well, but he can also be quietly reflective. If you're not sure about teaching poetry, then look at his website and just dive into a collection like to enjoy with your children.
English 4-11
Beautiful book, wonderful words, lovely illustrations. This is definitely a poetry book, but it's a picture book, too. I tried reading it aloud with a young listener and it went down very well. We both really enjoyed it - every single poem. They made us laugh, they made us shiver and they made us ooh and aah. The alliteration and the onomatopoeia, the fun rhyme and the zappy rhythm are all ideal for joining in. James Carter really does understand how to grab the attention of younger children. And Nicola Colton provides some great illustrations. Buy it." Poetry Zone "There is Roger McGough, there is Michael Rosen and here is James Carter bringing bright, lively words to children. ... Against bold coloured backgrounds of ochre, red and green, Nicola Colton's childlike images add to the joyful action. .. This is a book that would be great fun to share with a class of enthusiastic children, or as a family at bedtime.
IBBY
Red Reading Hub
A Ticket To Kalamazoo! - Zippy Poems To Read Out Loud
Illustrated by Neal Layton
Published by Otter-Barry Books
All aboard for Kalamazoo! One ticket will let you... ride on an elephant, stay in a bug hotel, travel by train boat and plane, mingle with bears and minibeasts - and even meet an alien!
This is a fantastic and eagerly awaited poetry collection for young children, and is also the sister title to bestselling Zim Zam Zoom!, which was shortlisted for the CLiPPA Award, longlisted for the UKLA Award.
An absolutely delightful collection of poems. It's beautifully designed and illustrated and the fantastical subjects of each one will make children smile and laugh and join in with repeated refrains. This book is a clear winner for any infant library or classroom bookshelf.
ReadingZone
Bursting with energy and exuberance, 'A Ticket to Kalamazoo!'' is the perfect collection for encouraging and developing a love of poetry. Equally excellent for home or school, this is a must-have collection for inspiring poets of the future and kindling a life-long love of words and their playfulness.
Through The Bookshelf
Once Upon a Raindrop
The story of water
Illustrated by Nomoco
Caterpillar Books/Little Tiger Press April 2019
Nominated for the Kate Greenaway Award
Immerse yourself in the world of water and discover the story of H20 on this enchanting poetic journey. This creative, innovative and dazzlingly illustrated non-fiction poetry book is now widely used as part of water cycle topics in KS2 and KS1 classrooms across the UK.
Written by a poet who knows how to make words sing, this is nonfiction with a difference - an imaginatively immersive "experience with facts" that's every bit as refreshing as the clear blue water bubbling across each page. Pleasing aesthetics are a key feature of this lovely book. Every word, every blank space, every drop of ink has been carefully considered for maximum effect, and Nomoco's stylishly understated illustrations are a particular delight. Simply yet perfectly pitched for young readers, there's a depth and quality to this book that extends its appeal. Shared as an introduction to watery topics and creative activities it will engage and inspire children right through primary school.
Cast of Thousands Website
Exquisite. Beautiful book. Pleasure to read.
Amazon review.
Once Upon a Star
The story of the sun
Illustrated by Mar Hernandez
Caterpillar Books/Little Tiger Press March 2018
BooksforKeeps' Book of the Week March 2018
Discover the origins of the universe! The worlds of poetry and science collide to create a picture book about our Sun.
Here James Carter takes on the origin of our universe for an Early Years readership. He presents the information as a story told in an attractive rhyming text that speaks directly and imaginatively to its young audience. The text is presented in an attractive large font that on occasion swirls and bursts off the page adding to the underlying excitement of the science. An enjoyable, informative and affirmative addition to any child's bookshelf.
BooksforKeeps
An ode to the creation of the universe the book blends the words of science and poetry beautifully. With dynamic graphic illustrations you will learn about the Big Bang, planets, sun and stars as well as the beginning of life on Earth. This book is a beautiful collision of poetry and science!
BookBairn
There's been a real boom lately in non-fiction books imaginatively presented for young children and Once Upon A Star, exploring how our universe was created, by poet James Carter and illustrator Mar Hernandez, is a beautiful addition. Carter's verse bounces along, whlle Hernandez's images explode on the page.
The Observer
Also available
BOING! a bouncy book of bugs
A bouncy book of bugs
Illustrated by Neal Layton
Otter-Barry Books January 2025
Bestselling poet James Carter and illustrator Neal Layton love bugs and minibeasts and here they celebrate them all - from grasshoppers, ladybirds and dung beetles to moths, flies, wasps - and even bedbugs. Including the extraordinary tardigrades who can live in outer space. With 24 poems, including shape poems, riddles, rhyming poems and free verse, plus amazing and informative facts about each bug or minibeast on every page, the world of insects is brought buzzing to life, matched by Neal Layton’s utterly bugly colour illustrations.
The Big Beyond
The story of space travel
Illustrated by Aaron Cushley
Caterpillar Books/Little Tiger Press April 2019
Get ready for blast-off with this fast-paced poem that's all about space travel, from the early humans who dreamt of wings to the Moon landing and beyond.
We adore this book with it's stunning illustrations and gorgeous poetry that tells the story of how humans have always been interested in space and flying.
SEN Resources Blog
This is a lovely introduction to space travel for KS1 children, which helps them to share all the wonder through pacy verse that runs right through the book, really picking up on the excitement of space travel. The striking and superbly detailed illustrations by Aaron Cushley complement the verse perfectly and offer lots of opportunities for discussion.
Parents in Touch
A bold and imaginative picture book, takes space travel back to its very beginning though engaging and informative poetry, and imaginative illustrations which together bring to vivid life the story of our planet's cosmic curiosity.
Lancashire Evening Post
This beautiful rhyming picture book takes readers on a tour through the centuries.It is a beautiful introduction to physics and space travel and encourages readers to see themselves as future astronauts.
Book Murmuration
The Beasts Beneath Our Feet - A Prehistoric Poem
Illustrated by Alisa Kosareva
Published by Little Tiger Press
Beneath our feet way deep and down are beasts asleep in the cold, dark ground.
Dig down through the layers of the Earth and travel back in time. Meet the trilobites that scuttled and crawled; the munching, crunching dinosaurs; and a herd of roaming woolly mammoths. This rhyming read will take you on a prehistoric adventure!
The Beasts Beneath Our Feet is a wonderful fusion of verse by award-winning poet James Carter and vibrant, colourful artwork by Alisa Kosareva. This book is an excellent introduction to the world of dinosaurs and fossils, using attractive rhyming language and evocative illustrations. Here you can meet tiny trilobites, woolly mammoths and the fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex. Budding palaeontologists will be fascinated!
Bookwagon.co.uk
Out There In The Wild - Poems On Nature
Illustrated by With Nicola Davies & Dom Conlon
Published by Macmillan
A stunning poetry gift book celebrating the natural world and our place in nature. Illustrated by Diana Catchpole, it is packed with poems about everything that lives in the the sea and rivers, on land and in the sky. You will meet eagles and skylarks, tigers and elephants, foxes, rabbits and bats, bees and butterflies and many other natural wonders.
Sometimes a book comes along that stops you in your tracks. This arrived today. It is beautiful, intelligent, accessible, deeply moving. Fantastic writing, fantstic art. A book for everyone.
David Almond, author of Skellig
We could quote from this book all day. it is exceptional. We recommend Out There in the Wild: poems on Nature as a poetry book to read alone, to share aloud, to know and to gift. However, it’s a book to live. This is an outstanding title that we are proud to recommend and sell. Bookwagon is aflame with this poetry book. Every work is utterly divine, vital and beautiful.
Bookwagon.co.uk
The Story of the Wolf
Harper Collins Big Cat (Diamond level/Band 17), September 2017
Wolves are fascinating, beautiful - and often misunderstood. Find out how wolves are adapted to life in harsh climates, how they live and work together in packs, how humans have mistreated them in the past, and how humans and wolves might live alongside each other more peacefully in the future.
The Story Of The Electric Guitar
Harper Collins Big Cat (Diamond level/Band 17), September 2016
Electric guitars have made a massive contribution to music over the last century. It's hard to imagine today's music without them! But how were they invented, who were (and are) the greatest guitarists and what makes this amazing instrument so versatile and exciting? Read this book to find out! For 10/11 year olds.