This new edition of Sasol First Field Guide to Butterflies & Moths of Southern Africa has been fully updated and revised, bringing it in line with the most recent developments in field. It also features new images of all the species and families covered, facilitating quick, easy and accurate identification.

With the help of the full-colour photo graphs and easy-to-read text, the young adult and budding naturalist will be able to identify the more common butterfl ies and moth groups found in southern Africa, discover where they live, and learn about their unique behaviour and unusual features.

SASOL First Field Guide to Common Birds of Southern Africa provides fascinating insight into the birdlife of the region.

With the help of full-colour photo graphs and distribution maps, and easy-to-read text, the young adult and budding naturalist will be able to identify the more common bird species found in southern Africa, discover where they live, and learn about their unique feeding and nesting habits.

Newbery Award-winning author Marguerite Henry's beloved novel about a boy who would do anything to paint is now available in a refreshed paperback edition.
Benjamin West was born with an extraordinary gift--the gift of creating paintings of people, animals, and landscapes so true to life they "took one's breath away." But Benjamin is part of a deeply religious Quaker family, and Quaker beliefs forbid the creation of images.
Because Benjamin's family didn't approve of his art, he had to make his own painting supplies. The local Native Americans taught him how to mix paints from earth, clay, and plants. And his cat, Grimalkin, sacrificed hair from his tail for Ben's brushes.
This classic story from Newbery Award-winning author Marguerite Henry features the original text with gorgeous new cover art.

These natural history guides have been developed to encourage young people and anyone with a budding interest in natural history to learn about the wonders of southern Africa's fascinating fauna and flora. They are an invaluable resource for the beginner, providing information at a glance: each of the species presented is described in easy-to-read text, with a photograph and distribution map. A short introduction gives context to the topic.

Sasol First Field Guide to Insects of Southern Africa provides fascinating insight into the insects of the region.

Full-colour photographs , distribution maps and easy-to-read text will help the budding naturalist to identify the more common insect groups that occur in southern Africa, discover where they occur, and learn about their behaviour and unusual features.

Sasol First Field Guide to Birds of Prey of Southern Africa provides fascinating insight into the birdlife of the region. With the help of full-colour photo graphs and distribution maps, and easy-to-read text, the young adult and budding naturalist will be able to identify the more common birds of prey in southern Africa, discover where they live, and learn about their unique feeding and nesting habits.

Sasol First Field Guide to Aloes of Southern Africa provides fascinating insight into the aloes of the region.

Full-colour photographs , distribution maps and easy-to-read text will help the budding naturalist to identify the more common aloes found in southern African gardens and landscapes, discover where they occur, and learn about their unique features.

This series of natural history field guides has been developed in the hope that young people and anyone with a budding interest in natural history will take up the challenge to learn the secrets of southern Africa's fascinating fauna and flora. These little guides are an invaluable resource for the beginner, providing information at a glance through superb photographs, maps, and easy-to-read text.

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. '...when the Green Dragon tore shrieking out of the mouth of its dark lair, which was the tunnel, all three children stood on the railing and waved their pocket-handkerchiefs without stopping to think whether they were clean handkerchiefs or the reverse.' When their father is mysteriously sent away, Roberta, Peter and Phyllis have to leave London with their mother to live in a cottage in the countryside. Finding comfort in the nearby railway station and friendship in Perks the Porter and the Station Master, the children watch every day for the passing London train. Every day they wave at the same old Gentleman on the train, not knowing that he may hold the key to their father's whereabouts.

From master storyteller Padriac Colum, winner of a Newbery Honor for The Golden Fleece, comes a collection of fifteen timeless stories inspired by classic Greek literature. Travel back to a mythical time when Achilles, aided by the gods, waged war against the Trojans. And join Odysseus on his journey through murky waters, facing obstacles like the terrifying Scylla and whirring Charybdis, the beautiful enchantress Circe, and the land of the raging Cyclopes. Using narrative threads from The Iliad and The Odyssey, Padraic Colum weaves a stunning adventure with all the drama and power that Homer intended.

"For any child fortunate enough to have this  generous book...the kings and heroes of ancient  legend will remain forever matter-of-fact; the  pictures interpret the text literally and are full of  detail and witty observation."--Horn  Book.

"The drawings...are excellent  and excitingly evocative."--The New  York Times.


From the Hardcover edition.

Walter de la Mare -- famous as a fantasist and as a poet -- was a lot of things. Brilliant, well spoken, and just plain cool. But you know? In the end, his own poems speak better of this collection of poetry than we ever could. And so we let him have his say --

The Truants

Ere my heart beats too coldly and faintly
To remember sad things, yet be gay, Magic hath stolen away.

The primroses scattered by April,
The stars of the wide Milky Way,
Cannot outnumber the hosts of the children
Magic hath stolen away.

The buttercup green of the meadows,
The snow of the blossoming may,
Lovelier are not than the legions of children
Magic hath stolen away.

The waves tossing surf in the moonbeam,
The albatross lone on the spray,
Alone know the tears wept in vain for the children
Magic hath stolen away.

In vain: for at hush of the evening,
When the stars twinkle into the grey,
Seems to echo the faraway calling of children
Magic hath stolen away.

Book I in The Story of the World series, by M. B. Synge, "On the Shores of the Great Sea" focuses on the civilizations surrounding the Mediterranean Sea from the time of Abraham to the birth of Christ. Brief histories of the Ancient Israelites, Phoenicians, Egyptians, Scythians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans are given, concluding with the conquest of the entire Mediterranean area by Rome. Important myths and legends that preceded recorded history are also related. Suitable for children ages 9 and up to read to themselves and for children as young as 6 as a read-aloud. The Story of the World series, by M. B. Synge, comprises a set of five volumes, written at a middle school reading level, that cover all major events in the history of Western Civilization, from earliest recorded history to the close of the nineteenth century. With fifty or so short chapters in each volume, the series links the great eras in time and place together by a chain of stories of individuals who played principal parts in the events related. While statesmen and military commanders figure heavily in the narrative, stories of explorers, scientists, artists, authors, and religious figures are also presented. The author writes in an engaging fashion, using dialog frequently to bring scenes to life. She juxtaposes events happening at the same time in different parts of the world in a style reminiscent of the books of Genevieve Foster. This series is an excellent introduction to world history for adult readers as well as for children.

Frederic Chopin, celebrated pianist and probably the greatest composer for the piano the world has ever known, was born in a little cottage in Poland on the estate of Count Skarbek, whose children were tutored by his father, Nicolas Chopin.The child loved music from babyhood and when the family moved to Warsaw a few years after his birth, he was placed under the tutelage of the best masters of music in Poland. His astounding performance in playing the solo part of a difficult concerto with the full Warsaw orchestra when only nine years of age marked little Frederic as the genius he was. Through the early years to that momentous day in Vienna when his playing at the theater of Count Gallenberg actually launched his career as a major figure in the world of music, Frederic Chopin's childhood and boyhood are dramatically presented. Frederic Chopin, Son of Poland, Later Years completes the great man's life story.

A matchless handbook for decades, this classic work has been the natural history bible for countless teachers and others who seek information about their environment. Written originally for those elementary school teachers who knew little of common plants and animals, and even less about the earth beneath their feet and the skies overhead, this book is for the most part as valid and helpful today as it was when first written in 1911 and revised in the spirit of its authors by a group of naturalists in 1939. After all, dandelions, toads, robins, and constellations have changed little since then And modern society's concern with the quality of life and the impact of people on soil, water, and wildlife makes this book even more relevant. Nature-study, as used in this handbook, encompasses all living things except humans, as well as all nonliving things such as rocks and minerals, the heavens, and weather. Of the living things described, most are common in the northeastern states, and many, such as the dandelion, milkweed, and mullein, and the house mouse, muskrat, and red fox, are so widespread that people living outside the United States will recognize them easily.

Anna Botsford Comstock very appropriately took the view that we should know first and best the things closest to us. Only then, when we have an intimate knowledge of our neighbors, should we, journey farther afield to learn about more distant things. Teachers and children will find the material in this book invaluable in that regard. Details of the most common, but in some ways the most interesting, things are brought out, first by careful, nontechnical descriptions of the things themselves and later by thoughtful questions and study units. Because the most common things are treated in greatest detail, materials for study are easy to find. Whether the reader lives in the inner city or in the rural outback, the handbook is a treasure trove of information. A teacher does not need to know much about nature to use this handbook. The information is there for the novice and the expert alike. All that is needed is an inquiring mind, senses to observe, and a willingness to think about nature on a personal level. To enter this book in search of information about any common organism, stone, or object in the sky is to open the door to a fresh and lively acquaintance with one's environment."