At the start of the March 2020 lockdown, Ian Beck would walk his greyhound Gracie through the early morning streets of Isleworth in west London, revelling in the light and the silence that the restrictions had brought. The familiar became charged with new meaning, inspiring Ian to paint the scenes around him for their own sake, something that he hadn't done since his student days in the sixties. Suburban streets, trees, fences, shrubs and overgrown alleyways - all are transformed in the quiet intensity of Ian's lockdown paintings. He painted interiors too: the moon shining through a bedroom window, objects on mantelpieces, the eeriness of back gardens at dusk. As the year progressed, the crisp light of spring gave way to the haze of summer and the gloom of autumn fogs. The Light in Suburbia collects sixty of Ian's paintings from this period: a remarkable record of his year spent trying to capture the beauty of the unprepossessing everyday.

Build your child's reading confidence at home with books at the right level Locked away inside a cold, stone tower for many years, the beautiful Rapunzel is desperate to escape. But is there any way out? Created to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Grimm brother's first book, this fabulous retelling by Ian Beck breathes new life into this well-known tale. Topaz/Band 13 books offer longer and more demanding reads for children to investigate and evaluate. Text type: A retelling of a traditional tale Curriculum links: Citizenship. This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Everything on the Island of Ashes is grey, from the weather to the castle, the grass and the flowers. But then the red boat arrives, and with it a young man who believes he is cursed - everything he touches turns to colour. Princess Opal and the people of the island are enchanted, but the King is suspicious and imprisons Wendell. Opal must find a way to escape to a life filled with love and colour. High quality cream paper and a special easy to read font ensure a smooth read for all.

When a newly - qualified fairy loses the third wish of three she must deliver to a woodcutter, young Dickon finds it. There is no limit to the number of times a lost wish may be used, and soon there are sparkly cats and magic lemonade bottles all over the place! Can fairy Cobweb find the wish and put a stop to Dickon's magic? A joyous and whimsical read by a much - loved author and illustrator. High quality cream paper and a special easy to read font ensure a smooth read for all.

A simple and exquisitely illustrated first Nativity book.
High above the stables the night sky was filled with angels who gave thanks to God and welcomed the new baby with their beautiful music.

"From the Hardcover edition."

The wonderfully funny tale of the giant who steals children's teddy bears because he lost his own.
Someone is stealing Teddies. But who is the Teddy Robber? Tom is going to find out. A friendly, warmhearted and cheerful story that makes the perfect bedtime storybook for young children, teddies (and Giants!).

One long, hot summer Lily and Rose are playing out amongst the garden of a large country house, when they spot a strange light. It must be fairies! They are determined to catch the fairies and sneak out at sunset to find them. However, things aren't always what they seem - will Lily and Rose be disappointed? Or perhaps what they find is magical in its own way? Based on the world-famous John Singer Sargent painting, Carnation, Lily, Lily Rose, Ian Beck brings the subjects to life and reveals an inspirational world behind the painting.

Paul du Pain's bakery is a very special place. Each day, Paul bakes the bread while Marie serves customers in the shop. Everyone who walks in the door walks back out feeling happier than before. But when Marie goes away, Paul's days become sad and grey. Without her, the bakery's magic is gone. Will Paul ever be able to win her back? A charming, heartfelt and timeless tale from an award-winning author-illustrator.

Boys like Peter aren’t afraid of Wolves!

A magnificent new interpretation of Prokofiev's classic tale.

This work provides a colourful Scottish Gaelic translation of Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairytale the Ugly Duckling.

Published to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, this beautiful anthology collects favourite extracts, poems and images from some of the UK's leading cultural, political and literary figures. Poems, short stories, personal letters, newspaper articles, scripts, photographs and paintings are just some of the elements of this astonishing collection, with cover and artwork by renowned illustrator, Ian Beck. Among the many contributors are Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall, Sir Andrew Motion, Miranda Hart, Dame Jacqueline Wilson, Anthony Horowitz, Eoin Colfer, Antony Beevor, Emma Thompson, David Almond, Dr Rowan Williams, Richard Curtis, Joanna Lumley, Raymond Briggs, Shami Chakrabarti and Sir Tony Robinson. Royalties from the publication will be spilt between the Royal British Legion and projects for soldiers' children and families at SSAFA.

The peaceful town of Hamelin is overrun with rats: they are raiding larders, hiding in cupboards, sneaking into bed linen and driving the locals to despair. Desperate for help, they turn to the mysterious Pied Piper who promises a solution. But when the Piper falls out with the mayor, he takes away more than the townspeople ever expected. A wonderfully vivid interpretation of the story, which tackles trust, pride and revenge. TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

The adventures of Mowgli, the young man raised by wolves in the jungles of Central India, and his friends Baloo the bear, Bagheera the panther and Kaa the python, as they face the arch villain Shere Khan the tiger, have become so popular that they have achieved an almost mythical status throughout the world. They were collected by Kipling in The Jungle Book and its sequel, The Second Jungle Book, which also contain other stories set in India and prominently featuring animals, such as the well-known 'Rikki-Tikki-Tavi', which describes the struggles of a mongoose against venomous cobras.Here presented with brand-new illustrations by Ian Beck, these hugely popular tales, inspired by ancient fables and Kipling's own experiences in India, form a vivid account of the relationship between humans and nature, and will continue to inspire readers young and old.

ABOUT THE SERIES: Alma Junior Classics series of illustrated classics includes some of the greatest books ever written for younger readers and new translations of unjustly neglected international works. Our aim is to give our list an international feel and offer young readers to opportunity to connect with other cultures and literatures – this applies not only to the titles we chose but also to the illustrators we commission – so that we can bring a bit of novelty into the canon of British children's literature. All children's classics contain extra material for young readers, including a profile of the author, a section on the book, a list of characters, a glossary and a test-yourself quiz.

Sail away for a year and a day. . .

To the land where the money tree grows!

A magical new edition of Edward Lear's much-loved rhyme,

dreamily illustrated by award-winning artist Ian Beck.

"Part wolf, part dog, White Fang learns to survive in the freezing wilderness. As well as being forced to confront the harsh realities of nature, the young cub experiences the cruelties of humans - but when his fortunes change, will love and civilization set him on the path to happiness? Set in the Yukon territory of Canada during the gold rush of the 1890s, White Fang is a rollicking tale of adventure which has enchanted generations of readers since its first appearance in 1906 and become a timeless children's classic." Contains extra material for young readers.

Imagine how Jacques feels when he learns that his older brothers have inherited the mill and the donkey, and all he's got is the CAT!

Well, he's not fed up for long, because he soon discovers that Puss is no ordinary cat... Not only can he talk (which is pretty unusual for a cat), but he's also got brains. And he's got a plan - a plan that involves Jacques, a Royal Princess and a very large fortune!

However, there are some things that Puss hasn't included in his plan, such as a very hungry Ogre, some sleepless Ghouls and more than a touch of magic . . .

Kimball O'Hara, the orphaned son of an Irish soldier, spends his childhood on the bustling streets of Lahore, begging and running errands in order to survive. One day he meets an old Tibetan lama, and he decides to accompany him on his travels across the Indian subcontinent. After falling into the hands of his father's old regiment, however, Kim is separated from the lama and sent away to school. There, his natural flair for espionage is spotted, and he is soon catapulted among the majestic peaks of the Himalayas to play his part in the secret service's confrontation with Russia, the so-called "Great Game". With its peerless evocation of the teeming cities, breathtaking landscapes and diverse cultures of late-nineteenth-century India, Kim is widely considered to be Kipling's masterpiece and one of the greatest novels written in the English language. This edition contains extra material for young readers.

When Buck is smuggled from his beloved home in the Santa Clara Valley and forced to work as a sled-dog in the frozen wilderness of the Yukon, he must forget the long, lazy Californian days and face a life of constant toil and danger under the whip of cruel or inept masters, where survival itself must be fought for. But with his primal instincts stirred, how long can Buck resist the call of the wild? Set at the time of the Klondike Gold Rush, The Call of the Wild is one of the greatest evocations of the natural world, and perhaps the best example of London's famously urgent and vivid style. This edition also includes 'Brown Wolf', 'That Spot' and 'To Build a Fire' - three Yukon tales that demonstrate London's mastery of the short-story genre.

TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening. This pack contains 36 books, six of each of the following titles: The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Fabulous Fables, Sleeping Beauty, Thumbelina, The Swallow and the Nightingale and Rip Van Winkle.

TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening. This pack contains six books, one of each of the following titles: The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Fabulous Fables, Sleeping Beauty, Thumbelina, The Swallow and the Nightingale and Rip Van Winkle.