A lyrical biography of a Cuban slave who escaped to become a celebrated poet.
Born into the household of a wealthy slave owner in Cuba in 1797, Juan Francisco Manzano spent his early years by the side of a woman who made him call her Mama, even though he had a mama of his own. Denied an education, young Juan still showed an exceptional talent for poetry. His verses reflect the beauty of his world, but they also expose its hideous cruelty. Powerful, haunting poems and breathtaking illustrations create a portrait of a life in which even the pain of slavery could not extinguish the capacity for hope.
"The Poet Slave of Cuba" is the winner of the 2008 Pura Belpre Medal for Narrative and a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year. Latino Interest.

"What, my dear Lady Disdain Are you yet living?" These famous lines from Shakespeare's comedy Much Ado About Nothing delightfully show the verbal sparring between the reluctant lovers, Beatrice and Benedick who are happily brought together at the end by the schemes of their friends. And, no story is complete without at least one evil character, Don John, who unsuccessfully tries to tear apart the wedding plans of Hero and Claudio, the other lovers in this sparkling tale.

Written in rhyming couplets, Much Ado About Nothing, the eighth book in this successful series, captures all the exciting elements of the original story, and is truly a delightful read for both adult and child.

Lois Burdett has been a teacher at Hamlet Public School in Stratford, Ontario, for over twenty years and her expertise in bringing Shakespeare to life for children as young as seven is reflected in the children's clever insights and wonderful drawings which complement the play.

Her success has resulted in an ever-increasing demand for workshops as far afield as Europe and Australia where she instructs educators on how they too can familiarize young children with Shakespeare.

From the "Foreword" by Denzel Washington

" Lois Burdett's] delightfully entertaining text is complemented by her students' thoughtful interpretations and charming artwork which make "Much Ado About Nothing" come alive in a whole new way."

Exam Board: AQA Level & Subject: GCSE 9-1 English Language, GCSE 9-1 English Literature First teaching: September 2015 Next exams: June 2023 Develop your students' skills in English Literature and English Language as you study The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. This Student Book offers English Literature lessons to help your classes explore the set text in depth. In parallel, English Language lessons give students the opportunity to respond to fiction and non-fiction extracts that will deepen their understanding of the play's themes and contexts. This practical resource is designed for in-class study, as well as exam preparation. Give students a supportive route through the set text, with pre-reading, close reading and whole-text review chapters to help them understand the plot, characters, themes and contexts and analyse the writer's methods. Build writing stamina with the longer exam-style tasks at the end of each chapter. Support all learners with clear plot summaries and a 'Who's who' guide to the main characters. Prepare for examination success with a final chapter on the Literature exam, including exam-style questions, step-by-step guidance for writing an effective response, and sample answers at different levels. Practise all the AQA English Language Paper 1 and 2 question formats. Students will learn how to locate information, analyse language and structure, synthesise, critically evaluate and compare as they read texts about nineteenth-century London, Victorian 'freak shows', macabre scientific experiments and the ethics of artificial intelligence. They will also be given the opportunity to produce their own narrative, descriptive and argumentative writing.

One day Joffrey gets caught in a storm on the mountain and unexpectedly makes a new friend. This gentle story about friendship will help learners explore their own experiences of making friends.

The Gothic Tradition is a new title in the Cambridge Contexts in Literature series. It is designed to support the needs of advanced level students of English literature. Each title in the series has the quality, content and level endorsed by the OCR examination board. However, the texts provide the background and focus suitable for any examination board at advanced level.The series explores the contextual study of texts by concentrating on key periods, topics and comparisons in literature. Each book adopts an interactive approach and provides the background for understanding the significance of literary, historical and social contexts. Students are encouraged to investigate different interpretations that may be applied to literary texts by different readers, through a variety of activities and questions, the use of study aids, such as chronologies and glossaries, and the inclusion of anthology sections to exemplify issues.

Easy to use in the classroom or as a tool for revision, Oxford Literature Companion Workbooks provide student-friendly support for a range of popular GCSE set texts. Each write-in workbook offers a range of varied and in-depth activities to deepen understanding and encourage close work with the text, covering characters, themes, language and contexts. Each workbook also includes a comprehensive Skills and Practice section, which provides advice on assessment and sample student exam answers. This workbook covers Lord of the Flies by William Golding, is suitable for all exam boards and for the most recent GCSEspecifications.

Full comprehension of the plays is gained from the line-by-line modern English translation given on facing pages. Understanding of the plays is increased as pupils take part in the variety of related activities included in each book. The significance of the plays is reinforced by sections discussing Shakespeare's life, works and theatre. Pupils are encouraged to understand the language, characters, structure and themes of the plays by completion of practical exercises.

Easy to use in the classroom or as a tool for revision, Oxford Literature Companion Workbooks provide student-friendly support for a range of popular GCSE set texts. Each write-in workbook offers a range of varied and in-depth activities to deepen understanding and encourage close work with the text, covering characters, themes, language and contexts. Each workbook also includes a comprehensive Skills and Practice section, which provides advice on assessment and sample student exam answers. This workbook covers Animal Farm by George Orwell, is suitable for all exam boards and for the most recent GCSEspecifications.

This is one a series of original stories designed for the 12 to 16 age-group. All the stories have a strong African flavour.

This is one a series of original stories designed for the 12 to 16 age-group. All the stories have a strong African flavour.

Easy to use in the classroom or as a tool for revision, Oxford Literature Companions provide student-friendly analysis of a range of popular GCSE set texts. Each book offers a lively, engaging approach to the text, covering characters, themes, language and contexts, whilst also providing a range of varied and in-depth activities to deepen understanding and encourage close work with the text. Each book also includes a comprehensive Skills and Practice section, which provides detailed advice on assessment and a bank of exam-style questions and annotated sample student answers. This guide covers The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, is suitable for all exam boards and for the most recent GCSEspecifications.

This is one a series of original stories designed for the 12 to 16 age-group. All the stories have a strong African flavour.