"Matthew Cuthbert, who's that?" she ejaculated. "Where is the boy?" Matthew had been to the train station to fetch the child they were to adopt, a boy. Marilla had insisted on a boy.

"There wasn't any boy," said Matthew wretchedly. "There was only "her.""

He nodded at the girl. He didn't know her name. He was embarrassed to realize that he had never even asked her name.

"No boy But there "must" have been a boy," insisted Marilla. "We sent word to Mrs. Spencer to bring a boy."

"Well, she didn't. She brought "her." I asked the station-master. And I had to bring her home. She couldn't be left there, no matter where the mistake had come in."

"Well, this is a pretty piece of business " ejaculated Marilla.

During this dialogue the child had remained silent, her eyes roving from one to the other, all the animation fading out of her face. Suddenly she seemed to grasp the full meaning of what had been said. Dropping her precious carpet-bag she sprang forward a step and clasped her hands.

"You don't want me " she cried. "You don't want me because I'm not a boy I might have expected it. Nobody ever did want me. I might have known it was all too beautiful to last. I might have known nobody really did want me. Oh, what shall I do? I'm going to burst into tears "

And burst into tears the little girl did. . . .

At her birth, Ella of Frell was the unfortunate recipient of a foolish fairy's gift--the "gift' of obedience. Ella must obey any order given to her, whether it's hopping on one foot for a day and a half, or chopping off her own head! But strong-willed Ella does not tamely accept her fate. Against a bold backdrop of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, Ella goes on a quest to break the curse--once and for all.

In this incredible debut novel comes the richly entertaining story of Ella of Frell, who at birth was given the gift of obedience by a fairy. Ella soon realizes that this gift is little better than a curse, for how can she truly be herself if at anytime anyone can order her to hop on one foot, or cut off her hand, or betray her kingdom'and she'll have to obey? Against a bold tapestry of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, Ella's quest to break the curse once and for all and discover who she really is is as sharply funny as Catherine, Called Birdy and as richly poignant as Beauty, and has all the marks of a classic in the making.

00 Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award, 99-00 Black-Eyed Susan Award (Gr 6-9 Cat), 00 CA Young Reader Medal (Mid. School/Jr. High Cat.), 01 Blue Spruce Award Masterlist (YA Cat.), and 00 Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award (Grades 6-8 Cat.)

2000 List of Popular Paperbacks for YA and 00 Judy Lopez Memorial Award Honor Book

There's nothing quite like "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". Described by "The Times" on its first publication in 1865 as 'an excellent piece of nonsense', this inspired tale of a young girl's adventures in a strange and magical world has gone on to become one of the most popular books ever written, translated into over 125 languages and said to be the most frequently quoted book after the Bible, Koran and Shakespeare. In Tove Jansson, the story of Alice finds an illustrator worthy of its enchantment and surreal beauty. Jansson is renowned worldwide for her hugely successful Moomin books. What is less well known is that in 1966 she devoted her unique gifts as an illustrator to recreating the remarkable world of this most famous of children's characters. Over forty years after she presented Lewis Carroll's masterpiece to a Scandinavian audience, Tove Jansson's beautifully illustrated edition of the original text of this classic work is finally made available to an English-speaking audience.

In a great green room, tucked away in bed, is a little bunny. "Goodnight room, goodnight moon." And to all the familiar things in the softly lit room -- to the picture of the three little bears sitting on chairs, to the clocks and his socks, to themittens and the kittens, toeverything one by one -- the little bunny says goodnight.

In this classic of children's literature, beloved by generations of readers and listeners, the quiet poetry of the words and the gentle, lulling illustrations combine to make a perfect book for the end of the day.

If you came down to harsh facts -- which, it must be confessed, Anne of Avonlea seldom did until she had to -- it did not seem likely that there was much promising material for celebrities in Avonlea school; but you could never tell what might happen if a teacher used her influence for good. Anne had certain rose-tinted ideals of what a teacher might accomplish if she only went the right way about it; and she was in the midst of a delightful scene, forty years hence, with a famous personage . . . just exactly what he was to be famous for was left in convenient haziness, but Anne thought it would be rather nice to have him a college president or a Canadian premier . . . bowing low over her wrinkled hand and assuring her that it was she who had first kindled his ambition, and that all his success in life was due to the lessons she had instilled so long ago in Avonlea school.

Patricia Gardiner is another of Montgomery's sweet-natured and agreeable heroines. She grows up in the beautiful house of Silver Bush, surrounded by a large family, whose true mother-figure is their Irish cook, Judy. She loves and clings to the house as the best and most constant source of happiness in her life. As she matures she becomes more accepting of the inevitability of change, despite her experiences of illness and loss. Montgomery said that there was more of herself in Pat than any of her other heroines, and this novel strongly echoes her own lovingly remembered childhood on Prince Edward Island, with Silver Bush standing in for her cousins' house, Park Corner.

A retelling of Disney Lady and the Tramp, accompanied by art from the original Studio artists. Collect the whole Disney Animated Classics series! A family favourite, Disney Lady and the Tramp is one of the best-loved films of all time. Relive the magic through this retelling of the classic animated film, accompanied by paintings, story sketches and concept art from the original Disney Studio artists. Turn to the back of the book to learn more about the artists who worked on this iconic animated film. This beautiful hardback features premium cloth binding, a ribbon marker to match the cover, foil stamping and illustrated endpapers, making this the perfect gift for all those who have been enchanted by the magic of Lady and the Tramp and a book to be treasured by all. Disney Lady and the Tramp is now available to view on Disney+ Also available in the Disney Animated Classics series: Aladdin Cinderella The Nightmare Before Christmas Dumbo Frozen Mulan Pinocchio Sleeping Beauty The Lion King Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs The Little Mermaid One Hundred and One Dalmatians Alice in Wonderland Beauty and the Beast

Hierdie reeks is spesiaal ontwerp om kinders met aanvangslees te ondersteun. Die bekende sprokies, oorspronklike kunswerke en eenvoudige teks sorg vir ’n suksesvolle eerste leeservaring. Die sinstrukture is eenvoudig en woorde herhaal om betekenis duidelik oor te dra en woordherkenning aan te moedig. Teks en beeld ondersteun mekaar sodat kinders sonder sukkel self kan lees. Die vars styl, prettige detail en interessante karakters maak van eerste boekies die mees geliefde boekies.

It's a warm summer's afternoon when young Alice first tumbles down the rabbit hole and into the adventures in Wonderland that have kept readers spellbound for more than 150 years. Part of the Macmillan Collector's Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is brought to life by Sir John Tenniel's legendary illustrations in black and white, and with an afterword by Anna South. Collected here are Lewis Carroll's two classics - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass - in which Alice encounters the laconic Cheshire Cat, the anxious White Rabbit and the terrifying Red Queen, as well as a host of other outlandish and charming characters.

When he had been at school for about three weeks, the boys called him Six-fingered Jack; but his real name was Willie, for his father and mother gave it him -- not William, but Willie, after a brother of his father, who died young, and had always been called Willie. His name in full was Willie Macmichael. It was generally pronounced Macmickle, which was, by a learned anthropologist, for certain reasons about to appear in this history, supposed to have been the original form of the name. . . . One evening in winter, when he had been putting coals on his grannie's fire, she told him to take a chair beside her, as she wanted a little talk with him. He obeyed her gladly.

"Well, Willie," she said, "what would you like to be?">P? Willie answered without a moment's hesitation --

A paperback edition of E.B. White's classic novel about one small mouse on a very big adventure! With black and white illustrations.

Stuart Little is no ordinary mouse. Born to a family of humans, he lives in New York City with his parents, his older brother George, and Snowbell the cat. Though he's shy and thoughtful, he's also a true lover of adventure.

Stuart's greatest adventure comes when his best friend, a beautiful little bird named Margalo, disappears from her nest. Determined to track her down, Stuart ventures away from home for the very first time in his life. He finds adventure aplenty. But will he find his friend?

Andrew Lang selects stories from Hungary, Russia, Rumania, Finland, Iceland, Japan, and Sicily for this volume of his long-running series of international children's fairy tales.

Fire up young readers' imagination and creativity with this classic story featuring added STEAM activities. Dorothy's adventure through Oz is retold with vivid and engaging new illustrations - and at the end of every chapter, there are exciting new science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics activities, themed around the events in the book. The activities range from simple puzzles to fun, dynamic experiments, so there's something for every enquiring mind. It's the ideal combination of enchanting story and stimulating science fun.

A full-colour short story taken from the world of the Magic Faraway Tree. Perfect for new readers. Discover the magic!

Beth, Joe, Frannie and Rick thought they had had quite enough of adventures, but soon go up the Faraway Tree again and find themselves in the Land of Dreams. The dastardly Sandman makes them fall asleep and Silky has to find a way to get them home in one piece! Along the way, they encounter muffins that turn into kittens, a bus that turns into a plane and a boat, and lots more...

The stories about the Magic Faraway Tree have been entertaining children for more than 80 years. Now these colour short stories offer a great way for young new readers to discover the adventures of Silky, Moon-Face, the Saucepan Man and all of their friends in the Enchanted Wood.

Anne of Green Gables is a literary classic written by Lucy Maud Montgomery. It is the story of a young orphan girl who was sent to a middle-aged brother and sister who are farmers and intended to adopt a boy to help them run the farm. The novel tells the story of how she gets on with them and in the community. This story has sold over 50 million copies since publication and Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote several other novels, telling Anne Shirley's life story. Six are all available here in a single volume, and in age order. Enjoy this classic tale of the orphan girl making her way through life.

Illustrated version of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Character portraits and scene location drawings help you visualise the play from the words on the page making the play easier to follow and study for that all important exam.