April 24:
LOVERS of the West Country and Devon in particular will delight in the photographic work of Jason Hawkes in 'South Devon Coast from the Air'.
He takes us on a wonderful journey starting at Plymouth in the west heading east for more than 115 miles and the Dorset border.
The author is one of the country's best known photographers specialising in aerial photography, travelling worldwide to produce images for books, advertising and design including for companies like Nike, HSBC, Ford, Rolex, Toyota and BP.
Sister publications by Halsgrove include Somerset, North Devon, North and South Cornwall and Dorset coast from the air and other titles will follow.
Devon is unique among English counties in that it has two separated coastlines, each as different as chalk from cheese - hence another book for the north coast is also available.
The photographs give us a bird's eye view, allowing us to look down on the landscape from a perspective we never normally see, so revealing things that are normally hidden from view
The first shot is of the Hoe in Plymouth, where Sir Francis Drake played a game of bowls before setting out to defeat the Spanish Armada. Moored yachts speckle the River Yealm at Newton Ferrers whole low tide shows a much different view.
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The famous Art Deco hotel on Burgh Island made famous by Noel Coward and Agatha Christie looks over the bay to Bigbury-on-Sea while sandy beaches at Thurlestone Sands offer tranquillity and seclusion.
Rugged cliffs at Hope Cove contrast with sandy coves at Salcombe while another magnificent view is given over Salcombe harbour. Historic ruins and shipwrecks lead us to a patchwork of fields at Langerstone Point near Prawle, and the brilliant white of Start Point lighthouse stands out against its rugged outcrop.
For the children: A Dangerous Game of Football
Views over Dartmouth and Brixham show their value to hobby mariners and Goodrington Sands and Paignton await the holidaymakers. Another magnificent view looks up the River Teign with Shaldon and Teignmouth jostling for prominence.
The Parson and Clerk rock formation close by show a giant cavern and a small folly atop giant cliffs.
Dawlish is familiar to thousands of train travellers as the track runs along the seafront there, with the Victorian properties behind, and a panoramic view of the Exe estuary leads us on to the red cliffs between Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton. There are more dramatic cliffs at popular Sandy Bay holiday park, with the Royal Marines firing range on the headland alongside.
The Victorian esplanade at Sidmouth leads us to the remaining section of the MSC Napoli looking like a floating pontoon near Branscombe. The red cliffs give way to chalk at dramatic Beer Head and we're given a close-up view of Fore Street, Beer, dominated by the church, and then its Seaton and the Rive Axe which forms the boundary with Dorset.
This collection of remarkable images is strikingly beautiful and at the same time very informative, showing us layouts of the land which are quite different to how we imagine them. Wonder in its splendour.
'South Devon Coast from the Air', by Jason Hawkes, published by Halsgrove, £14.99.
How can a game of football be dangerous? Jack Burnside is about to find out which just might prove rather difficult if your only ally is a cantankerous camel.
Somerset author Barbara Spencer follows the success of her first children's book Scruffy with A Dangerous Game of Football'.
Jack, who shares his name with the soccer superstar, Jack Burnside, is a keen footballer. When his best mate, Saleem, fails to return after a visit to his home, there is little Jack can do about it, until he receives a mysterious parcel in the post.
It takes him on a journey to a land ruled by sun and peopled with tyrants, sorcerers and giant crows. Now he must find Saleem, coach a team of boys for a football match - and stay alive!
Barbara Spencer enjoyed success with her children's book, Scruffy, a charming story about a dog, promoting the responsibilities of pet ownership through a funny yet heart-rending, tale of a puppy abandoned.
Schoolchildren, as young as five, created the illustrations for that book through a competition in which 600 children took part. Barbara Spencer lives in Somerset.
A dangerous Game of Football', by Barbara Spencer, published by Halsgrove. £7.99.
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