Our Links

Here are some useful links - for language learning and children's books. The Horse, Dog and Cat sites are at the end of the list.

Achuka

An on-line magazine on children's books. News, reviews, and author profiles. Kept well up to date and very informative.

Bounce!

Our UK sales agent. Visit their site if you are a trade customer. They represent several brilliant children's book publishers so browse their site if you are looking for good children's books.

Camsoft

Camsoft develops and sells language learning computer software for teachers. They have developed several best-selling packages for teachers to create their own worksheets and teaching resources.

CILT

The Centre for Information on Language Teaching. This is an essential site for anyone interested in any aspect of language teaching and learning. Their HQ is in London and they have centres all round the UK, called Comenius Centres. All the centres have resources libraries, run training courses and publish information on all foreign languages, at all levels. They are in charge of the current government initiative on Early Language Learning, ELL, see the separate NACELL link below.

Clare Beaton

Clare is the leading illustrator of b small's range of language books. She has also written and illustrated many of our activity books. She is a talented craftsperson and has illustrated several very beautiful books for Barefoot Books by sewing the illustrations in felt and other materials.

Early Start Languages

Early Start specialise in developing and selling a range of language learning resources for primary schools. They have a wonderful set of videos in French, German and Spanish recorded in France, Germany and Spain. They have also developed ingenious CD-Roms for use with interactive whiteboards from several b small titles including the I Can Read series in French, German and Spanish and Lucy Cat in French and Spanish.

French Songs - Une Dizaine de Chansons

Ten original songs to support the teaching of French to young children. Written by Richard Winston, recently the Primary Foreign Languages Consultant for Lewisham and Greenwich.

Leighton Noyes

Leighton has illustrated the Science Around You series for b small and also I Can Read: George the Goldfish and Let's Read: Where's Toto? He has a really fun website, so check it out.

Lingoo

Lingoo website has language exchanges and paid stay holidays for children organised directly between families. They also offer extra information about language learning and language learning products.

Lingu@net

A virtual language centre. Contains a frequently updated listing of useful websites for languages learning and teaching.

Little Linguist

Little Linguist is one of the UK's leading supplier of children's language learning resources. They have a 100% secure online shopping site from which they sell books, games, CD-Roms, posters and puppets and other resources in a huge variety of languages from Albanian to Urdu (and including Baby Sign Language!)

Multilingual Matters

Publishers of books and magazines about bilingualism and language learning. The books are mainly academic but they include some of interest to bilingual parents and they also publish the excellent Bilingual Family Newsletter. If you are bringing up children bilingually, this is essential reading!

NACELL

This is the National Advisory Centre on Early Language Learning site under the auspices of CILT. It offers advice, teaching materials and multilingual resources. Linked to it is the Early Language Learning initiative (ELL) which promotes language learning in primary schools and part of this is the Good Practice Project which is a group of primary schools who are pooling information about their language teaching and learning.

Sing in French

Visit this site for fun French songs for the family car: rap the alphabet, rock the colours, yee-ha the seasons, do the cha cha cha, the rock n roll, the twist - and more - all in French!  Great fun for all ages and levels and a real boon for the school run. And you can listen to clips online too.

Steve Weatherill

Steve has written and illustrated several of our books as well as books for other publishers including picture books featuring his well-loved character, Baby Goz. He has a wonderful sense of humour (he trained as an animator and once created a cartoon strip for the FT) and he offers a 'road show' for schools and libraries. He also has a separate website for his favourite goose: www.lucygoose.co.uk. Not to be missed!

VFB

An award-winning specialist French holiday company. They offer a huge range of cottages, villas and gites in all regions of France.

Favourite Horse sites

The UK Pony Club

The US Pony Club

Personal site but very good for lovely pictures.

Tons of information for new riders

Includes pages specially for children - mainly text but tons of information.

Loads of information. It's also the site for The Horselover's Club (for US and Oz especially good too)

Favourite Dog sites

At Barking Buddies you can have a look at photos of other cyber surfers best friends, read about them and other interesting dog tails & poems.

The Kennel Club's primary objective is to promote in every way, the general improvement of dogs.

BBC site - great for other animals too, but tons on dogs.

Favourite Cat sites

This is the website of the Cats Protection League. It includes a Cool Cats Club (games puzzles etc.), kitten photos, how to care for cats, and tons of stuff for children.

This is a glossy magazine all about cats with fab photos of different breeds and useful articles. You can search the site for back issues of the mag on interesting topics or favourite breeds. Linking to other catty sites is in development.