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Dapo Adeola Books

speak up by nathan bryon dapo adeola

Speak Up! By Nathan Bryon & Dapo Adeola

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Picturebook

Join the brilliantly passionate and instantly loveable Rocket as she organises a peaceful protest to save her local library!

Bookworm Rocket loves to collect new books on her weekly visit to the library, and to read all about inspirational figures like Rosa Parks. She is heartbroken when she discovers the library will be closing down! Can she use what she’s learnt from Rosa and speak up to save the day?

This empowering, heartwarming picture book is a love letter to libraries and the power of reading. And it shows the incredible power we ALL have when we find our voice and speak up about the things that matter.

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hey you

Hey You!

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Picturebook

This groundbreaking picture book is a lyrical, inspirational exploration of growing up Black, written by award-winning illustrator Dapo Adeola, and brought to life by some of the most exciting Black illustration talents working today.

Remember to dream your own dreams
Love your beautiful skin
You always have a choice

This book addresses – honestly, yet hopefully – the experiences Black children face growing up with systemic racism, as well as providing hope for the future, delivering a powerful message to a new generation of dreamers. It’s a message that is both urgent and timeless – and offers a rich and rewarding reading experience for every child.

To mirror the rich variety of the Black diaspora, this book showcases artwork from Dapo and 18 incredible Black illustrators in one beautiful, powerful, and cohesive reading experience.

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joyful joyful

Joyful, Joyful

Short story collection

A hugely entertaining, fully colour-illustrated collection celebrating joy, perfect for children age 8 to 12 (and beyond!). Curated by Laugh Out Loud Awards winner Dapo Adeola, with a foreword by the acclaimed Patrice Lawrence. Joyful, Joyful is a book to sing about!

A large hardback packed full of colourful illustrations, Joyful, Joyful: Stories Celebrating Black Voices is the perfect gift to spread joy.

Featuring both exciting new talents and globally renowned creators – every poem and story is individually illustrated by an amazing artist.

With stories featuring a mythical whale, a message from the future, a Halloween dance competition, a talking book, a miraculous discovery in a moment of lost hope, the joy of jollof rice and so much more. The creators hail from around the world, from the UK and US, to Uganda, the Netherlands, Nigeria and more.

Colourful and beautifully illustrated, with artwork from an array of talented illustrators including Ken Wilson Max, Dapo Adeola, Dorcas Magbadelo, Odera Igbokwe and Denzell Dankwah, alongside stories and poems by the likes of Malorie Blackman, Alex Wheatle, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Dorothy Koomson.

Contributors include: Adejoké ‘Joké’ Bakare, Alex Wheatle, Arantza Peña Popo, Ashley Evans, Awuradwoa Afful, Camilla Sucre, Camryn Garrett, Charis JB, Dapo Adeola, Denzell Dankwah, Dorcas Magbadelo, Doreen Baingana, Dorothy Koomson, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Funmbi Omotayo, Hannah Lee, Jeffrey Boakye, Jess Nash, Kelechi Okafor, Ken Wilson-Max, Kofi Ofosu, Koleka Putuma, Maame Blue, Malorie Blackman, Matilda Feyisayo Ibini, Michael Kennedy, Nathan Bryon, Odera Igbokwe, Ojima Abalaka, Olu Oke, Patrice Lawrence, Rahana Dariah, Robyn Smith, Rosaline Tella, Sharna Jackson, Snalo Ngcaba, Terrence Adegbenle, Tomekah George, Tracey Baptiste, Trish Cooke, Yasmin Joseph and Zaïre Krieger.

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Look Up!

Look Up!

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Picturebook
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Look Up! is an entertaining and vibrant story book about a space-loving girl called Rocket. Rocket is excited about the chance to view an upcoming meteor shower, and she wants everyone she meets to be ready to look up and see it. Frustratingly, her much older brother would rather look down at his phone. With a little sibling compromise and a never-giving-in approach from Rocket, the pair have a wonderful time together and Rocket helps everyone to see how amazing the sky can be when you just look up.

This book is great fun and always a bit hit with Year 1. Many children at this age can relate to the frustration of seeing older family members immersed in their phones, but also know the feeling of being excited by the night’s sky and fascinated by stories about space.

The story includes space facts and references to significant figures in space history like Mae Jamison, who was the first black female astronaut to travel into space. The underlying values of the importance of community and family bonds give a real warmth to this super story book.

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We’re Going to Find the Monster

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Picturebook

A rip-roaring picture book adventure from superstar pairing Malorie Blackman and Dapo Adeola.

Over the shimmering ocean, up the huge, high mountain, through the deep, dark forest . . . WE’RE GOING TO FIND THE MONSTER!

Join two intrepid adventurers as their imaginations transform their house into a wild wonderland – and their big brother becomes a mighty monster. A joy to read-aloud with its cumulative refrain, and full of funny, relatable characters, this is a contemporary celebration of creativity, fantasy and family.

Written by bestselling author of Noughts & Crosses , Malorie Blackman, this story was originally published as Marty Monster . This new version has been stunningly brought to life by the award-winning illustrator of Look Up! , Dapo Adeola.

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My Dad is a Grizzly Bear

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Picturebook

This is a sweet story about one imaginative boy’s special bond with his father, whom he images as a loveable grizzly bear. It’s full of humour, from the exaggerated facial expressions and bear-like attributes captured in Dapo Adeola’s vibrant illustrations, to the humorous asides in the text about Dad’s wild habits.

This is a playful and heartwarming picture book that perfectly captures the way in which young children observe familiar adults with curiosity, wonder and imagination – but also with pure adoration. Filled with giggles and with the theme of family bonds at its heart, this is a bear-illiant choice for storytime.

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My Mum is a Lioness

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Picturebook
book-of-the-month

My Mum is a Lioness is the second family-based playful picture book from award-winning author Swapna Haddow and illustrator Dapo Adeola. Filled with giggles and with the theme of family bonds at the heart, this is a roar-some choice for storytime with children aged 3-7 and a well-timed release with Mother’s Day coming up next month.

The first book in the series – My Dad is a Grizzly Bear – won the ‘Best Classroom Read Aloud’ category for EYFS in our Books of the Year Awards. This new instalment matches the playfulness and fun of the first, with brightly coloured illustrations providing plenty of visual humour and a bouncy rhythm that makes it well-suited to being read aloud at storytime.

The mother in the story has all the qualities of a lioness – she pounces for cuddles, has the proudest roar and gives strong lioness hugs that make everything feel better. It’s a joyful ode to the bond between mums and their children, tapping into both humour and sentimentality to make a feel-good story that is sure to raise plenty of smiles on Mother’s Day and all year round.

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Space Detectives

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Chapter book

Dog lost in space? Grown an extra head and don’t know why? Pocket money stolen by a green blob? You need the Space Detectives!

Connor and Ethan are spending their summer holidays aboard the world’s first orbiting city, Starville (basically Beverley Hills in space!). The amazing space station is bursting with celebrities and the mega-rich. But Connor and Ethan are too busy selling ice cream to see the sights.

However, neither of our heroes can resist a mystery and when they discover the space station is hurtling on a collision course with the moon (eep!) they know they need to step in. This is a case for the SPACE DETECTIVES!

Can Connor and Ethan find the culprit and save Starville from its impending doom?

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Clean Up!

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Picturebook
resources-available

Clean Up! is the second picture book from Nathan Byron and Dapo Adeola, and acts as a sequel to their mightily popular debut book Look Up!. The story follows a young girl called Rocket, who goes to visit her Grammy and Grampy in Jamaica. However, when Rocket stumbles upon a baby turtle trapped in some plastic on the beach, she begins to realise how pollution is ruining this once perfect island. Determined to make a change, Rocket sets about on a mission to give the beach a thorough clean up!

This picture book was an absolute pleasure to read and delivered a delightful story with a powerful message to match. As a teacher, I believe this book is deserving of a spot in any school as it offers so much in terms of the themes which link to caring for the environment and encouraging children to take the lead from Rocket in being bringers of change. I love that even the youngest children will see the example Rocket sets and be inspired to act with the same passion and desire as Rocket does to change the world for the better.

The illustrations in this book are fantastic and Adeola does a superb job at making this book so visually enjoyable and bringing the protagonist of Rocket to life. Rocket is a character that will be seen as a role model for readers and her enthusiasm is infectious. I am certain this book will replicate the positive reception that its predecessor Look Up! had, and deservedly so.

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