Books with author Mary Duffy

Peri the Awesome COVID Fairy is a whimsical children's book about a friendly, blue fairy helping kids through the time of COVID-19. Peri helps kids cope and deal with the anxiety by singing helpful songs, dancing, writing letters and promoting other fun activities. This mother-daughter team have brought together a wonderful mix of simple storytelling, original artwork and a great message that helps kids through these uncertain times, and beyond.

A young girl, Flo, tries to be friendly with an old horse kept in the stables of her riding school. She learns that this horse, Augustus, was once a world champion show jumper but is now crippled and bitter. Is it Flo's imagination or is there always the same magpie somewhere near this horse? Little does she know that the two animals are lifelong friends who share a magical secret, and that she is trying to find her way into more than simply the story of a once-famous horse now nicknamed 'peg leg Gus'... Martin Duffy is an award-winning filmmaker and writer born in Dublin and now living in Berlin. Most of his output in film and writing has been for young people, ranging from his feature film The Boy from Mercury to episodes for RTÉ programmes such as Bosco, Wanderly Wagon and Fortycoats. Among his non-fiction work is a biography of his parents; Barney and Molly: A True Dublin Love Story.

Lola is back in a delightful new story. It's the first day of forest school and she's excited. On the short walk to school, she discovers an object that makes beautiful music when she uses her magic sticks. Follow Lola's adventure as she learns about this amazing instrument.Lola and The Magic Sticks introduces children ages 3 to 8 years old to the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago, the steel pan. Children will be fascinated as Ms. Gora the grasshopper and Mr. Bola the beetle teach the ladybugs about the steel pan and will be able to hum, sing, and dance along as Lola plays the alphabet song.

Lola wanted to go to the forest jazzy party, but needed to learn the snazzy-dazzy. Tap, count and dance along, as Lola’s ladybug friends teach her to dance so they could all attend the party.Physical expression through movement and rhythm, feelings and ideas, is known to positively influence memory, concentration, and classroom behaviour. By using Jazz, this book capitalizes on spontaneity and improvisation to let kids move at their own pace, in their own way. There’s no right or wrong, just some choices that are better than others.Educators know that speaking, reading, writing, and numeracy are among the most important skills children learn. Whether reading independently or through shared reading, children develop their imagination, enhance creativity, strengthen oral language development and communicate more effectively.Numeracy skills facilitate children’s understanding of mathematical information and allow them to solve problems in everyday life.Lola and the Dancing Ladybugs explores dance, literacy and numeracy, while incorporating jazz rhythms to get kids moving and having fun while they learn. Children will enjoy this book over and over again for many years. So have fun with the snazzy-dazzy and be sure to look out for more stories with Lola coming soon.

Peri the Awesome COVID Fairy is a whimsical children's book about a friendly, blue fairy helping kids through the time of COVID-19. Peri helps kids cope and deal with the anxiety by singing helpful songs, dancing, writing letters and promoting other fun activities. This mother-daughter team have brought together a wonderful mix of simple storytelling, original artwork and a great message that helps kids through these uncertain times, and beyond.

Mark, seventeen years old, has been hidden by his parents in the farthest reaches of the walled fortress community that is controlled by the Dreamists. When any youth shows the signs of being a Dreamist, he must go on a quest beyond the walls. If his gift is true, he will return. For almost two decades, no one has returned from a Dreamist quest.Dreamist monks, searching the land under the instruction of the Oracle, find Mark and force him to come to the Dreamist Temple. There, he is caught in the intrigues between two opposing factions of the Dreamist hierarchy. He is refusing to go on the quest when his widowed mother tells him that he had a brother - Phaedrus - who had gone on the quest and was the first to not return. When the grieving parents then discovered that they would have another child, they went into hiding to ensure that Mark would never be taken from them. Learning this, Mark agrees to go out - but with his own quest: to find his brother.What Mark ultimately finds on his quest is that his brother Phaedrus is preparing to launch a war against the Dreamists.Mark learns that he alone can bring peace between these warring factions.

Join Lola and learn to make your own cocoa cookie! The main ingredient is our very own cocoa from Trinidad and Tobago. You get to sing along with Lola while she mixes the batter and bakes the cookie, but don't get caught up in the rhythm and forget to put the cocoa in!Being in the kitchen is great for children because cooking helps them develop in several areas:Social-emotional: Hands-on cooking activities helps them develop confidence and skill.Physical: Fine-motor and eye-hand coordination skills are developed when children mix and stir.Cognitive: Children get the opportunity to apply the knowledge they have when they count, measure, follow a sequence, follow directions, and observe cause and effect while cooking.Language: Cooking presents an opportunity for children to develop language by linking it to other disciplines such as Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Art, and Literacy. When children talk about what they are doing, count as they measure, and watch ingredients change colour and texture, they learn to express themselves verbally.So get your mixing bowl and ingredients and Bake the Cocoa Cookie with Lola!

Peri the Awesome COVID Fairy is a whimsical children's book about a friendly, blue fairy helping kids through the time of COVID-19. Peri sings songs about staying safe and clean, dances, helps deliver messages to loved ones, and other fun activities. This mother and daughter team have brought together a wonderful mix of simple story telling and original artwork with a message that helps kids to learn, have fun, and relieve some anxiety through these uncertain times.

Peri the Awesome COVID Fairy is a whimsical children's book about a friendly, blue fairy helping kids through the time of COVID-19. Peri sings songs about staying safe and clean, dances, helps deliver messages to loved ones, and other fun activities. This mother and daughter team have brought together a wonderful mix of simple story telling and original artwork with a message that helps kids to learn, have fun, and relieve some anxiety through these uncertain times.