A humorous and lively African folktale, specially adapted for children just beginning to read. With colour illustrations on every page, this is another addition to Usborne's hugely popular First Reading series. Find out what happens when trickster Tortoise joins the birds at the Great Feast in the sky, and then gobbles ALL of the food. Perhaps it's time for Tortoise to be tricked too?

Read William Shakespeare's best-loved plays like never before - a perfect mix of comedy, tragedy, magic and romance, retold for younger readers. Terry Deary's Best Ever Shakespeare Tales tells you more than just what happens in everyone's favourite Shakespeare plays - it tells you the stories behind them.From how the plays were originally staged to what Shakespeare himself might have thought of his work being taught in schools - there's so much to find out. Discover more out about: A Midsummer Night's Dream King Lear Twelfth Night The Tempest The Merchant of Venice Romeo and Juliet Julius Caesar The Taming of the Shrew Macbeth Hamlet An engaging, easy-to-use and informative collection of Shakespeare's tales with humorous illustrations.

Philosophy ask questions such as: What does it mean to be human? What is truth? What is good? These are all very BIG questions that need exploring and the sooner children start to think about the answers, the better our world will be. Content includes the following questions and our attempt to answer them: What is philosophy?What is life?What does it mean to be human?What makes us happy?What is good?What is love?What is truth?What is knowledge?What is time?What are ideas?What is beauty?What should I say?What should I do?This delightful series builds foundations for life-long learning by explaining big ideas to little people.Using simple language to explain complicated ideas, each book takes the core questions that relate to each subject and provides answers that make sense to young children. Stunning illustrations support the non-fiction narrative ensuring our picture book approach feels fresh and different.

Phizzwhizzing new cover look and branding for the World's NUMBER ONE Storyteller!BOY, Roald Dahl's bestselling autobiography, is full of hilarious anecdotes about his childhood and school days, illustrated by Quentin Blake.As a boy, all sorts of unusual things happened to Roald Dahl. There was the time he and four school friends got their revenge on beastly Mrs Prachett in her sweet shop.There are stories of holidays in fishing boats, African adventures and the days of tasting chocolate for Cadbury's.You'll hear tales of horrible school bullies and the motor-car accident when Roald's nose was nearly sliced clean off . . .Roald Dahl vividly shares his memories; some are funny. Some are painful. Some are unpleasant. All are true.You can listen to all of Roald Dahl's stories on Puffin Audiobooks, read by some very famous voices, including Kate Winslet, David Walliams and Steven Fry - plus there are added squelchy sound effects from Pinewood Studios! Also look out for new Roald Dahl apps in the App store and Google Play- including the disgusting TWIT OR MISS! and HOUSE OF TWITS inspired by the revolting Twits.

Imagine someone told you that your dream could never come true. What would you do?

Meet Marie Curie. Shy and reserved, she loved science more than anything else in the world. But she lived at a time when women couldn't be scientists. Marie followed her passion and is now remembered for her game-changing discoveries. But while she tinkered away with test tubes and experimented with a glow-in-the-dark chemical elements, Marie became a mother. Irene and Eve grew up to be fiercely independent and determined women just like their mother, and had many adventures of their own.

Join these three incredible women in this gorgeously illustrated book as they save lives during WWI and WWII, win Nobel Prizes, overcome tragedies, travel all around the world and change the history of science forever. This uplifting and touching tale of strength, science and sisterhood, written and illustrated by two remarkable sisters Imogen and Isabel Greenberg, is a triumph of female empowerment.

With more than 35 million books sold, the My Weird School series really gets kids reading! A.J. must figure out how to write the best poem to win a contest in this My Weird School Special from New York Times bestselling author Dan Gutman and veteran illustrator Jim Paillot. To celebrate National Poetry Month, Ella Mentry School will have a schoolwide poem-writing contest, and all the students have to enter. There's just one problem: A.J. has no time for rhymes! But when an amazing secret prize is revealed, will A.J. be inspired to write a winning poem? And can he beat Little Miss Know-It-All Andrea--the best poet in school? Dan Gutman's signature kid-friendly sense of humor and Jim Paillot's fun illustrations are perfectly blended in this weird poetry special you won't want to miss--featuring bonus poetry writing tips from A.J. and Andrea, games, puzzles, and more!

An inspirational look at a diverse group of popular sports figures and how they found success in sports and life. Young athletes all dream of what they might become. They might see themselves as a soccer player racing through defenses at the World Cup, as a hockey player scoring the winning goal in the Stanley Cup Final, or as a figure skater in the Winter Olympics. But to get there takes hard work, dedication, and passion. In The Reason We Play: American Sports Figures and What Inspires Them, Marc Bona profiles some of the nation's top athletes and sports personalities from the past several decades to reveal what it takes to make it in the world of professional sports. Along with fascinating accounts of the sports figures' lives and careers, Bona includes, in their own words, what motivated them, what obstacles they overcame, and even what books they loved to read when they were young. Featuring athletes such as soccer icon Kristine Lilly, basketball star Victor Oladipo, and softball phenom Cat Osterman, The Reason We Play has something for everyone. From football to rodeo, baseball to racing, the front office to coaching, the subjects all share a common trait of excellence on and off the field.

A heartbreaking story about finding yourself and your people, from the bestselling author of If I Stay, a major film starring Chloë Grace Moretz. For fans of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, John Green and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.

'I got this whole-body feeling . . . it was like a message from future me to present me, telling me that in some way we weren’t just bound to happen, that we had, in some sense, already happened. It felt . . . inevitable.'

So far, the inevitable hasn’t worked out so well for Aaron Stein.

While his friends have gone to college and moved on with their lives, Aaron’s been left behind in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State, running a failing bookshop with his dad, Ira. What he needs is a lucky break, the good kind of inevitable.

And then he meets Hannah. Incredible Hannah – magical, musical, brave and clever. Could she be the answer? And could they – their relationship, their meeting – possibly be the inevitable Aaron’s been waiting for?

"Few anthologies for this age group include such a fi ne selection of works, introduce the poets so vividly, or provide such a rich collection of haunting illustrations." -- Booklist
Poetry provides the best introduction to the marvels of the English language. This volume, collected by award-winning author Michael Rosen, presents a glorious selection of classic poetry, chronologically arranged from the seventeenth century to modern day--poems by such celebrated poets as William Shakespeare, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Emily Dickinson, Carl Sandburg, and Langston Hughes-- complete with biographical sketches of the poets, information on individual poems, and notes on poetic forms. Paul Howard's full-color illustrations illuminate some of the most brilliant poems of the English-speaking world with stunning breadth and beauty. A book to be treasured, Classic Poetry belongs on every shelf--every child should know these poems and keep this book with them as they grow.

A beautiful collection of 100 pieces of writing - poems, prose, letters, speeches, song lyrics, quotations, and more - from Shakespeare to Dr Seuss and from Oliver Jeffers to Rosa Parks, which are in turn powerful, funny, moving, wise, and thought-provoking - a perfect way to inspire a life-long love of reads, expertly curated and with accessible, thoughtful commentary by Nicolette Jones, children's book critic for The Sunday Times.

Go behind the scenes with the March sisters in this in-world guide to Little Women, as adapted and directed by Greta Gerwig Greta Gerwig's 2019 adaption of Little Women is bringing new fans to Louisa May Alcott's beloved classic, and this comprehensive, in-world guide follows the making of this highly anticipated film, starring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Timothee Chalamet, Laura Dern, Meryl Streep, Bob Odenkirk, and Chris Cooper. Readers will see the character sketches and costumes that brought these cherished characters to life; the real-life locations that were transformed into iconic sets for the film, how storyboards took key scenes from page to screen, and more!

National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi illuminates the young life of the visionary storyteller Octavia E. Butler in poems and prose. Born into the Space Race, the Red Scare, and the dawning Civil Rights Movement, Butler experienced an American childhood that shaped her into the groundbreaking science-fiction storyteller whose novels continue to challenge and delight readers fifteen years after her death. An acclaimed and bestselling author Zoboi's work is familiar on both bestseller and awards lists. Her novel in verse Punching the Air was an instant bestseller and was honored with a Walter Award and the LA Times Book Prize. Zoboi has a unique connection with Butler. They share a birthday and she studied with Butler at Clarion Workshop near the end of Butler's life. Features Butler's own words and photos of documents from her childhood. Zoboi spent a week with Butler's papers at the Huntington Library in Los Angeles. Octavia Butler is more relevant than ever. Butler's work is ascendent in the popular imagination. Adaptations are in the works, including an FX series based on Kindred slated for 2022. Her most famous novels have been adapted into bestselling graphic novels.

When Frankie McGee insists on borrowing yet another book about tractors, his mum crumbles. She begs him to read a book about something else - cars, planes, cranes, trains - anything! Frankie launches into all of the various, glorious factors that make up the love that he has for all tractors - but will he be able to bring his mum around? With irresistible rhyming text by award-winning author Davina Bell and unforgettable illustrations by Jenny Lovlie, Illustrator of award-winning The Girls, this story is sure to charm and amuse the whole family.

A master storyteller, John Marsden is Australia's best known writer for young adults. Marsden first found success with the publication of So Much To Tell You. Since then he has gone on to publish many popular and well-recognized titles, including those in the Tomorrow Series and The Ellie Chronicles. In his books, Marsden explores adolescents caught in a world of opposites, of innocence and guilt, idealism and realism, and joy and despair. Marsden's world view and his faith in adolescents serve as the backdrop for John Noell Moore's critical readings of Marsden's major novels. In John Marsden: Darkness, Shadow, and Light, Moore investigates the full spectrum of Marsden's work, beginning with the author's life as a teacher and writer. Throughout the book, Moore weaves together Marsden's recurring themes, chief among them writing and storytelling as ways of constructing identity in the transition from childhood to adulthood and the ability of young adults to endure hardships and overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. The book is a valuable addition to the current scholarship on young adult literature and will be welcomed by middle and high school English teachers and students alike.

One in every five Americans lives with at least one disability or disorder, including both the obvious, such as those requiring the use of a wheelchair, and the less evident ones, such as eating disorders or Asperger's syndrome. Those responsible for teaching disabled students and providing services and support for them need ready access to reliable and up-to-date resources. Disabilities and Disorders in Literature for Youth: A Selective Annotated Bibliography for K-12 identifies almost 1,000 resources to help educators, professionals, parents, siblings, guardians, and students understand the various disabilities and disorders faced by children today. This bibliography consists of four major headings-Emotional, Learning, Physical, and Multiple Disabilities-which are further categorized into works of fiction and nonfiction. Annotations provide a complete bibliographical description of the entries, and each entry is identified with the grade levels for which it is best suited and resources are matched with appropriate audiences. Reviews from recognized publications are also included wherever possible. Anyone interested in identifying helpful resources regarding disabilities and disorders will find much of value in this essential tool.

Chris Crutcher is a literary icon in the field of young adult literature. With his first book, Running Loose published in 1983, Crutcher established a reputation for giving young adults a voice in realistic fiction. Since then, Crutcher has written a number of books with spot-on depictions of young adults growing through hard times, including Ironman, Whale Talk, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, and Stotan! In Chris Crutcher: A Stotan for Young Adults, Bryan Gillis and Pam B. Cole examine the life, career, and works of this young adult advocate. This volume opens with a never-before-published comprehensive portrait of the author's life, gleaned from numerous conversations with Crutcher. The authors explore Crutcher's childhood, his adolescent years, his life as an adult, and his career as a family counselor and examine how those experiences became fodder for his stories. The authors also discuss Crutcher's encounters with censorship and his philosophical stance. Gillis and Cole also analyze Crutcher's novels, short stories, and novellas, examining his literary craft and such social themes as bigotry, identity, sexuality, relationships, and loss-themes almost always positioned within a sports story. The most comprehensive study of Crutcher's life and work to date, this book benefits tremendously from the cooperation of Crutcher himself. Generally reserved about private matters, Crutcher talks candidly about his life and how his experiences helped shape his character and his stories. His cooperative spirit gives voice to a book that will appeal not only to teachers and librarians but to students who have been enthralled by the works of this generous writer.

The colorful boyhood of a popular author comes to life in this personal account

Imagine learning from a nosy classmate that your mother is having yet another baby. To Ralph's classmates, news of one more Fletcher baby is just "scuttlebutt." But for Ralph, the oldest of nine, being part of a large family means more kids to join in the fun--from making tripods in the woods and "snicking" up the rug to raising chicks and even discovering a meteor (well, maybe). It doesn't feel like there's life beyond Marshfield, Massachusetts. Then one day Dad's new job moves the family to Chicago, and there's so much Ralph has to leave behind. In this humorous and captivating memoir, Ralph Fletcher traces the roots of his storytelling.

Find out about the world with these fun, interactive first non-fiction books Learn about the life of the world's most famous writer, William Shakespeare, and his work writing plays and acting in them. The book has photos and simple text suitable for young children. For children following Book Bands, it is suitable for those reading at Band 9, Gold. The Info Buzz series, for age 5+, helps children develop their knowledge and understanding of the world by covering a wide range of topics in a fun, colourful and interactive way. The books have a lively design, engaging text and photos, questions to get children thinking and talking and teaching notes. Each title is written in conjunction with a literacy consultant and features book band guidance and downloadable activity sheets online.

One of the most popular series ever published for young Americans, these classics have been praised alike by parents, teachers, and librarians. With these lively, inspiring, fictionalized biographies -- easily read by children of eight and up -- today's youngster is swept right into history.