A lyrical and moving tale of a young boy growing up in Africa, and his lifelong friendship with a white lion, from a master storyteller ‘Will touch all hearts – both young and old’ Virginia McKenna, Born Free Foundation When Bertie rescues an orphaned white lion cub from the African veld, the pair are inseparable – until Bertie is sent to boarding school far away in England and the lion is sold to a circus. Bertie swears that one day they will see one another again, but it is the butterfly lion which ensures that their friendship will never be forgotten.

“Ek sal my lewe lank aan jou dink, ek belowe ek sal. Ek sal jou nooit vergeet nie.” Bertie red 'n wit leeuwelpie uit die veld in Afrika. Hulle is onafskeidbaar, maar dan word Bertie ver weg na 'n kosskool in Engeland gestuur en die leeu word aan 'n sirkus verkoop. Bertie sweer hulle sal mekaar eendag weer sien, maar die skoenlapperleeu maak seker dat hulle vriendskap nooit vergeet sal word nie. “Die skoenlapperleeu is uniek onder diere en boeke en sal almal se harte raak – jonk sowel as oud.” Virginia McKenna, born free-stigting.

The glorious publication of Clement C Moore's timeless verse sees it brought to new life by the beautiful illustrations of Christian Birmingham. Every Christmas Eve brings with it hushed anticipation and wonder. Here is the story of this magical night, when children around the world await the arrival of the gifts that symbolise all the warmth and love of Christmas.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has enchanted readers for generations and now will delight younger children as a picture book. Brought to life through Christian Birmingham's stunning illustrations, this is a magical winter story for all the family. When Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are sent to stay with a kind professor who lives in the country, they can hardly imagine the extraordinary adventure that awaits them. It all begins when the children explore the professor's rambling old house. When they come across a room with an old wardrobe in the corner, Lucy opens the door and gets inside. To her amazement, she suddenly finds herself standing in a wood, with snowflakes falling through the air. Lucy has found Narnia, a magical land of fauns and centaurs, nymphs and talking animals and the magnificent lion, Aslan. They are joined by the beautiful but evil White Witch, who has held the country in eternal winter for a hundred years. Christian Birmingham's exquisite illustrations bring the world of Narnia alive and provide the perfect setting for the carefully abridged story. It is a classic in its own right and a magical doorway to all the stories within the Narnia Chronicles.

Celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the stunning, classic story of an unforgettable friendship with a glorious colour gift edition, fully illustrated by Christian Birmingham. "All my life I'll think of you, I promise I will. I won't ever forget you." Bertie rescues an orphaned white lion cub from the African veld. They are inseparable until Bertie is sent to boarding school far away in England and the lion is sold to a circus. Bertie swears that one day they will see one another again, but it is the butterfly lion which ensures that their friendship will never be forgotten. From master storyteller Michael Morpurgo, this extraordinary tale of friendship, loyalty and overcoming adversity has spoken to readers the world over since it was first published twenty-five years ago. This stunning colour gift book, with new illustrations from Christian Birmingham, will be treasured by a new generation of children.

'Matt wouldn't look at her as he spoke. I'm going to be a clown, Olly. I mean a real clown. And now I know where I'm going to do it. I'm going where my swallows go. I'm going to Africa.'

As Olly waits for her brother's letters, she watches the swallows preparing to leave for the winter. Hero the swallow starts his long journey to Africa, not knowing the terrible dangers he will meet on the way. And when Matt sees the children in the African orphanage – sick, injured and lonely – he knows he's made the right decisions, but he never could have dreamt of what was going to happen to him there…

A story in three movements, told in three voices – a lyrical tale of family, love and determination.

"…a great and satisfying novel that is never afraid to face the truth."
THE HERALD

"My daughter got to Michael Morpurgo's 'Dear Olly' before me. 'This is excellent,' she informed me gravely. And it is… We both cried buckets…"
THE TIMES

Two orphaned brothers, Prosper and Bo, have run away to Venice, where crumbling canals and misty alleyways shelter a secret community of street urchins. Leader of this motley crew of lost children is a clever, charming boy with a dark history of his own: He calls himself the Thief Lord.

Propser and Bo relish their new "family" and life of petty crime. But their cruel aunt and a bumbling detective are on their trail. And posing an even greater threat to the boys' freedom is something from a forgotten past: a beautiful magical treasure with the power to spin time itself.

THE THIEF LORD was the first of internationally acclaimed author CORNELIA FUNKE's novels to be translated from her native German into English, and was awarded the prestigious Batchelder award when it was originally published in hardcover in 2003.

New York Times Bestseller and Notable Book

USA Today Bestseller

Winner of the 2003 Mildred L. Batchelder Award for Outstanding Translated Book

Book Sense Book of the Year Award

School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Child Magazine Best Book of the Year

ALA Notable Children's Book

NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Art

"A radiant novel...Today's young readers will probably love this book as they love the Harry Potter series, for its zany plot and well-defined characters. Splendid."--The New York Times Book Review

"An exquisitely told tale of adventure and intrigue...displays the kind of zest that makes you inhale a book in as few sittings as possible."--USA Today

"A darn good yarn--the charming tale of a band of urchin-thieves, a magical carousel, and two orphaned brothers."--Newsweek

"Funke's deft exploration of a timeless theme--the longing of kids to grow up and of grown-ups to relive their youth--should engage both yound and old."--People

* "Funke delineates her characters...with masterful subtlety, as well as sometimes-puckish humor. It's a compelling tale, rich in in

Running Press is proud to be the publisher of the best-selling edition among all the available versions of Clement C. Moore's classic Christmas Eve poem. With appearances at the top of the "New York Times" bestseller list over the past ten years, illustrator Christian Birmingham's stunning interpretation of this holiday favorite has been clearly embraced by the market. Now, for the second year in row, we are thrilled to have Birmingham's gorgeous illustrations available in a board book edition. These two unbelievably priced treasures have become as much a tradition for booksellers as the classic tale itself.

A fictional account of the day a whale swam up the Thames, in which the whale makes an environmental plea to the boy who first sees him. At sunrise, young Michael spots a whale on the shores of the Thames and thinks he must be dreaming. But the creature is real and it has a message for him - one that only an open-minded child can deliver to the rest of the world. The whale warns that the earth's days are numbered and that humans must put right the damage they are doing, but how can Michael fulfil his promise to tell others when neither his teacher nor his classmates will believe his story? Within hours, the city and the wider world have learned of London's remarkable visitor, and all eyes are on the whale's struggle against the receding tide. Michael must now join his new friend in a race against time to reach the ocean, and hold fast to his promise in the race to save the world itself.

A mini deluxe box set that brings back 3 of our classic Christmas mini books that have been out of print with new handsome POB covers for this special slipcase edition: The Night Before Christmas, by Clement C. Moore, illustrated by Christian BirminghamThe Nutcracker, from the story by E.T.A. Hoffmann, illustrated by Don DailyA Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Christian Birmingham

'A swan came to my loch one day. A silver swan.'

A thrilling and compassionate tale of a boy's friendship with a swan, exquisitively complemented by dramatic, luminous artwork by Christian Birmingham.

'A truly wonderful book' Guardian

'A masterpiece to be treasured by young and old alike' Carousel

'An awe-inspiring and poignant glimpse of nature's inner workings' Publishers Weekly

Leading up to the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing, the excitement of this momentous event is captured through the eyes of a child in this glorious picture book, reformatted with a new cover design. Mark Haddon is the prize-winning, highly-acclaimed author of the best-selling novel 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time'.

Years ago there was a little boy who dreamed of rocketing to the moon, of landing on the crumbly rock and walking across the Sea of Tranquility.

He borrowed library books and read how astronauts had orbited the earth and walked in space. And every night he hoped that they would find a way to land on the moon and walk where he had dreamed of walking. And eventually, one cloudless night, they did…

All my life I'll think of you, I promise I will. I won't ever forget you. A lyrical and moving tale of a young boy growing up in Africa and his lifelong friendship with a white lion. Bertie rescues an orphaned lion cub from the African veld. They are inseparable until Bertie is sent to boarding school far away in England and the lion is sold to a circus. Bertie swears that one day they will see one another again, but it is the butterfly lion which ensures that their friendship will never be forgotten.

ILLUSTRATED BY CHRISTIAN BIRMINGHAM.

A lyrical and moving tale of a young boy growing up in Africa, and his lifelong friendship with a white lion.

“All my life I’ll think of you, I promise I will. I won’t ever forget you.”

Bertie rescues an orphaned white lion cub from the African veld. They are inseparable until Bertie is sent to boarding school far away in England and the lion is sold to a circus. Bertie swears that one day they will see one another again, but it is the butterfly lion which ensures that their friendship will never be forgotten.