One dark night, the music and singing wake a monster from a swamp ... Warrior after warrior comes to slay the monster, but no one can outwit Grendel. Only the great hero Beowulf stands a chance - but even he is not prepared for the horror that lies in wait. A stunning prose retelling of a Beowulf tale from an author-illustrator dream-team. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 8+

The Book Of Upside Down Thinking, by the famed Liverpool poet Brian Patten, is a magical collection of verse written in Morocco and inspired by traditional folk-tales and stories from the Near and Middle East, many dating back as far as the eleventh century. This beautifully designed collection features colourful hand-drawn tile illustrations alongside Brian's original poems, which show the world from a different, and unexpected, perspective. The Book Of Upside Down Thinking is published fifty years after the anniversary of the publication in 1967 of `The Mersey Sound', the ground-breaking poetry collection co-written with fellow-Liverpudlians, Roger McGough and the late Adrian Henri. Witty, contemporary and written in accessible language, the collection transformed the landscape of British poetry. With many award-winning poetry and children's books published since, Brian is set to turn our thinking on its head once more in The Book of Upside Down Thinking.

Based on poems from the author's book, Gargling With Jelly. Sadly, everything in Jimmy's world is grey and boring, because of the evil Doctor Sensible and her terrible medicine which inoculates people against fun. The doctor is poised to sell her medicine worldwide, with only one condition: she must get Jimmy, the last child in Britian to resist her, to take it within four days. He refuses, and as the deadline approaches Dr Sensible becomes more and more cunning...11 women or men

Of all the poets writing today, Brian Patten is perhaps the most accessible and popular. Now his love poems, old and new, are collected together in his single volume. Widely acknowledged as one of Europe's foremost writers, Brian Patten's love poems have earned him recognition far and wide. Truthful and tender, profoundly aware of the possibility of magic and the miraculous, these poems are beautiful, informed and, even at their darkest moments, filled with courage and hope. Alongside old favourites, this edition will contain a selection of new and hitherto unpublished poems. A must for lovers and poetry lovers everywhere this February.

This Native American folk tale tells how a little mouse had the courage to leave his family's warm nest in the roots of a giant tree, and go in search of the Sacred Mountains. He has many adventures on the way and finds his true name of Jumping Mouse. He makes friends with a racoon, frog, buffalo and wolf, whilst taking care not to be caught by the Spots circling watchfully above in the sky.

This book features selections of quirky and fun poems by two of our best-loved children poets. Part of the Bug Club reading series used in over 3500 schools Helps your child develop reading fluency and confidence Suitable for children age 6-7 (Year 2) Book band: Lime A Phonics phase: 6

The Puffin Book of Utterly Brilliant Poetry is an amazing celebration - a wonderful collection of poems by ten outstanding poets. There is something here for all the family to share and enjoy, time after time.

There are ten sections in the book, all illustrated in glorious full colour by a different illustrator, each as varied in their style as the poets. And an interview with the relevant poet begins each section, so you can find out a little more about them.

The mix of vibrant colours and highly individual voices make this unique poetry collection truly and utterly brilliant!

'I wanted your soft verges But you gave me the hard shoulder' The Mersey Sound brought poetry down from the shelf and on to the street, capturing the mood of the Sixties and speaking to real lives with its irreverent, wry, freewheeling verses of young love, petrol-pump attendants, CND leaflets and bus journey capers. Bringing together the hugely influential work of Adrian Henri, Roger McGough and Brian Patten - the 'Liverpool Poets' - this perennially beloved volume is the bestselling poetry anthology of all time. Now, for its fiftieth anniversary, this edition restores the original text of the book as it first appeared in 1967: energetic, raw and a true record of its era.

Welcome to the seriously silly world of one of Britain's leading poets. In this superb new collection, mysterious smirkles, vampire ducks, batty grannies and gerbil-juggling jugglers jostle for supremacy with lyrical poems. In Brian Patten's latest book, the reflective side of childhood collides with the anarchic to create a generous helping of mayhem and magic.

Bringing together fiction from some of the city's most celebrated writers, The Book of Liverpool traces the unique contours that decades of social and economic change can impress on a city. Set against key historical moments from the Second World War to the Capital of Culture year, these stories question what 'belonging' and 'home' mean in the Liverpudlian context, from the regenerated city centre to satellite suburbs, from the sparring cathedrals to the no-go concrete housing estates. Liverpool emerges in these short stories as a city in constant flux: haunted by ghosts, buoyed up by myths, and shifting with an ebb and flow like the Mersey itself.

Gargling with Jelly by Brian Patten, one of our best-loved poets. Hilarious, lyrical, outrageous and serious poems all rub shoulders in this collection. Naughty children with nasty habits, cartoon heroes that come to life, lonely caretakers, unhappy ghosts, fantastical creatures with crazy names, giants, goblins, vampires, mermaids ... there's never a dull moment in this marvellously quirky and refreshing jelly pot!