A Little Bit Different is a light and fun story depicting the journey from ignorance to acceptance and celebration. Meet the ploofers. The ploofers have been practicing something special which they all want to do at the exact same time - but wait! What's that? One of them does something different! When one little ploofer goes against the usual flow of things, the rest of them turn their backs on him. But all it takes is for one person to recognise the beauty in being different to spark a change in attitude of everyone. With simple, yet striking, illustrations and a cutaway cover design that adds tactile interest, A Little Bit Different is a joyful reading experience for both you and your child, providing the opportunity to spark more meaningful discussions about people's differences and how we accept and value them.

In this follow-up to the A Little Bit Different and A Little Bit of Courage, the Ploofers are back for a heartwarming exploration of self-awareness and respect. The Ploofers are visiting a new island and are excited to meet the residents. But when one islander singles out Little One as an adorable cutie pie, Little One isn't happy and becomes frustrated with the way he is being treated. Will Little One learn to be assertive and stand up for himself? With simple, striking illustrations and a cutaway cover design that adds tactile interest, A Little Bit of Respect picks up right where A Little Bit of Courage left off. With a subtle yet powerful message about the importance of self-respect and respecting others, this book will resonate with children and adults alike.

In this follow-up to the beloved picture book A Little Bit Different, the Ploofers are back for a heartwarming exploration of fear and finding courage. The Ploofers have just learnt a valuable lesson in celebrating differences and trying new things. They've been practising something very special again and this time it requires extra teamwork... But Little One is too scared to go on this new adventure. Will some kind and encouraging words from Toasty help him find a little bit of courage? With simple, striking illustrations and a cutaway cover design that adds tactile interest, A Little Bit of Courage picks up right where A Little Bit Different left off. With a subtle yet powerful message on overcoming anxiety and finding the courage to live life to its fullest, this book will resonate with children and adults alike.

It is impossible to overestimate the importance of Stuart Hall's work in shaping the field of racial and ethnic studies for nearly five decades. From his groundbreaking work Policing the Crisis through to his paradigm shattering 'New Ethnicities', Hall's writing has redefined how race research is thought and done, while Hall himself stands as an exemplar of the public and politically engaged intellectual. This collection of essays, from established and emerging scholars, critically engages with Hall's legacy across this body of work, from the foundations of cultural studies as a field of enquiry, through his work on race and articulation, to his insights into 'the politics of difference' and diaspora identities. These essays both reflect back on Hall's interventions and locate them within some of the key spaces and questions of our time - from the 'political theology' of race in South Africa to the terrain of the contemporary city, from reflections on memory, nationhood and belonging to new ethnicities online and the formation of postcolonial subjectivities. The collection includes an in-depth conversation between Les Back and Stuart Hall, in which Hall reflects on his career and explores the challenges facing contemporary multicultural, multifaith societies in a globalised world. This book was published as a special issue of Cultural Studies.

This collection of original pieces brings together critical perspectives on the intersection of ethnic and gender identities as spatialized forms of embodied social practice, tackling important recent themes such as whiteness, masculinity, the body, sexuality, diaspora and globalization. Designed to bring these debates to students in a way that bridges contemporary theory with vivid case material, this is a lively and wide-ranging text of relevance to a range of social sciences.

In recent years the British mass media have 'discovered' a new and urgent social problem - the Asian 'gang'. Images of urban deprivation and 'the Underclass' have combined with fears of growing youth militancy and masculinities-in-crisis to position Asian, and especially Muslim, young men as the new folk devil. This reimagination of Asian young men has focused on violence, drug abuse and crime, set against a backdrop of cultural conflict, generational confusion and religious fundamentalism. The Asian 'gang', it seems, is the inevitable product of these social forces. But what is the reality? Based on three years' fieldwork with a group of Bangladeshi young men in inner-city London, this book attempts to explore the complex mythologies and realities of contemporary Asian youth experience. Taking the 'gang' as its starting point, the study examines the interaction of representation and reality, ethnicity and masculinity in a textured, in-depth and personal perspective that challenges traditional views on Asian communities and identities.

When Humperdink the baby elephant joins the children's playgroup, he seems friendly enough, but it soon becomes clear that he's not very good at the usual games the children play, like dressing up or hide-and-seek. When he breaks the children's favourite slide, everyone feels sad. But with a little patience and understanding the children soon discover that Humperdink is good at some things - especially if they use their imaginations - leading to a riotously fun conclusion. A delightful picture book with endearing artwork and a humorous story to engage young readers and help them gain an understanding about those different from themselves. This title helps children learn the key skill of playing with and accepting new friends, whatever their size, shape... or species! Exploring themes of empathy and imaginative play, this title is a must-have for young readers seeking to understand the world around them.

Sometimes all you need is your imagination… It’s a rainy day, and Anna and Kiki are stuck indoors, wondering what to play next. Suddenly, Kiki has an idea for a new game. “All you have to do,” she explains, “is think up a Think-Up and it will appear!” And she thinks up … BUNNIES! Then they conjure up the most marvellous, magnificent MOOSE! And octopi! And nine HUNGRY koalas! Hmm … is it possible to UN-think a Think-Up? With half-cut pages that make for funny surprises at every turn, this is a fresh celebration of imaginary play for the youngest of children.

Issues of identity, culture and difference remain central to the politics, policies and encounters of global societies in the 21st century. Changes in the speed, scale, scope and form of international and internal migration, new and resurgent religious and ethnic solidarities, the emergence of 'new' multicultural societies, and the fusions and fissures of 'old' multicultural societies, have challenged and redrawn our understandings of nation and community, citizenship and belonging, exclusion and equality. This landmark collection, which marks the relaunch of the ground-breaking journal Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power, brings together some of the leading international scholars in the field of race, ethnicity, migration and transnationalism to reflect on the changing landscape of research, theorisation and politics in this challenging contemporary context. The collection includes a powerful and typically provocative article by renowned race scholar Paul Gilroy, along with short 'state of the field' articles, critical interventions and think-pieces, each of which explores different geographical regions, emerging areas of research and new ways of 'thinking' identity in 'uncertain times'. This book was originally published as a special issue of Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power.

Issues of identity, culture and difference remain central to the politics, policies and encounters of global societies in the 21st century. Changes in the speed, scale, scope and form of international and internal migration, new and resurgent religious and ethnic solidarities, the emergence of 'new' multicultural societies, and the fusions and fissures of 'old' multicultural societies, have challenged and redrawn our understandings of nation and community, citizenship and belonging, exclusion and equality. This landmark collection, which marks the relaunch of the ground-breaking journal Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power, brings together some of the leading international scholars in the field of race, ethnicity, migration and transnationalism to reflect on the changing landscape of research, theorisation and politics in this challenging contemporary context. The collection includes a powerful and typically provocative article by renowned race scholar Paul Gilroy, along with short 'state of the field' articles, critical interventions and think-pieces, each of which explores different geographical regions, emerging areas of research and new ways of 'thinking' identity in 'uncertain times'. This book was originally published as a special issue of Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power.

50 years after the establishment of the Runnymede Trust and the Race Relations Act of 1968 which sought to end discrimination in public life, this accessible book provides commentary by some of the UK’s foremost scholars of race and ethnicity on data relating to a wide range of sectors of society, including employment, health, education, criminal justice, housing and representation in the arts and media.

India's partition in 1947 and the creation of Bangladesh in 1971 saw the displacement and resettling of millions of Muslims and Hindus, resulting in profound transformations across the region. A third of the region's population sought shelter across new borders, almost all of them resettling in the Bengal delta itself. A similar number were internally displaced, while others moved to the Middle East, North America and Europe. Using a creative interdisciplinary approach combining historical, sociological and anthropological approaches to migration and diaspora this book explores the experiences of Bengali Muslim migrants through this period of upheaval and transformation. It draws on over 200 interviews conducted in Britain, India, and Bangladesh, tracing migration and settlement within, and from, the Bengal delta region in the period after 1947. Focussing on migration and diaspora 'from below', it teases out fascinating 'hidden' migrant stories, including those of women, refugees, and displaced people. It reveals surprising similarities, and important differences, in the experience of Muslim migrants in widely different contexts and places, whether in the towns and hamlets of Bengal delta, or in the cities of Britain. Counter-posing accounts of the structures that frame migration with the textures of how migrants shape their own movement, it examines what it means to make new homes in a context of diaspora. The book is also unique in its focus on the experiences of those who stayed behind, and in its analysis of ruptures in the migration process. Importantly, the book seeks to challenge crude attitudes to 'Muslim' migrants, which assume their cultural and religious homogeneity, and to humanize contemporary discourses around global migration. This ground-breaking new research offers an essential contribution to the field of South Asian Studies, Diaspora Studies, and Society and Culture Studies.

In her groundbreaking ethnography The Asian Gang, published in 2000, Claire Alexander explored the creation of Asian Muslim masculinities in South London. Set against the backdrop of the moral panic over ‘Asian gangs’ in the mid-1990s, and based on 5 years of ethnographic fieldwork, the book explored the idea of ‘the gang’, friendships, and the role of ‘brothers’ in the formation, performance and negotiation of ethnic, religious and gendered identities. The Asian Gang Revisited picks up the story of ‘the Asian gang’ over the subsequent two decades, examining the changing identities of the original participants as they transition into adulthood in the context of increased public and political concerns over Muslim masculinities, spanning the War on Terror, ‘grooming gangs’ and knife crime. Building on her ongoing relationships with the men over 25 years, the book explores education, employment, friendship, marriage and fatherhood, and religious identity, and examines both the changes and the continuities that have shaped this group. The book is based on two sets of interviews (in 1996 and 2012) and over 25 years of friendship. It traces the lives of its participants from their teenage years through to their early-mid 40s. A unique longitudinal study of this small, diverse but still close cohort of men, the book offers an intimate, rich and textured account of what it means to be a Muslim man in contemporary Britain.

India's partition in 1947 and the creation of Bangladesh in 1971 saw the displacement and resettling of millions of Muslims and Hindus, resulting in profound transformations across the region. A third of the region's population sought shelter across new borders, almost all of them resettling in the Bengal delta itself. A similar number were internally displaced, while others moved to the Middle East, North America and Europe. Using a creative interdisciplinary approach combining historical, sociological and anthropological approaches to migration and diaspora this book explores the experiences of Bengali Muslim migrants through this period of upheaval and transformation. It draws on over 200 interviews conducted in Britain, India, and Bangladesh, tracing migration and settlement within, and from, the Bengal delta region in the period after 1947. Focussing on migration and diaspora 'from below', it teases out fascinating 'hidden' migrant stories, including those of women, refugees, and displaced people. It reveals surprising similarities, and important differences, in the experience of Muslim migrants in widely different contexts and places, whether in the towns and hamlets of Bengal delta, or in the cities of Britain. Counter-posing accounts of the structures that frame migration with the textures of how migrants shape their own movement, it examines what it means to make new homes in a context of diaspora. The book is also unique in its focus on the experiences of those who stayed behind, and in its analysis of ruptures in the migration process. Importantly, the book seeks to challenge crude attitudes to 'Muslim' migrants, which assume their cultural and religious homogeneity, and to humanize contemporary discourses around global migration. This ground-breaking new research offers an essential contribution to the field of South Asian Studies, Diaspora Studies, and Society and Culture Studies.

For anyone who has lost hope, Meredith will help you find it . . . Pre-order the most uplifting and unforgettable debut of the summer NAMED 'ONE TO WATCH' IN GRAZIA, CULTUREFLY, THE BOOKSELLER AND BY THE BBC 'Gorgeous. I shed tears. Very, very touching, sweet and hopeful' MARIAN KEYES 'Beautiful, moving and unexpectedly timely. It's such a pleasure to spend time in Meredith's world' DAISY BUCHANAN 'Touching and funny and sad and hopeful. I loved Meredith, Alone so much!' JANE FALLON ________ Meredith Maggs hasn't left her house in 1,214 days. But she insists she isn't alone. She has her cat, Fred. Her friend Sadie visits when she can. There's her online support group, StrengthInNumbers. She has her jigsaws, favourite recipes, her beloved Emily Dickinson, the internet, the Tesco delivery man and her treacherous memories for company. But something's about to change. First, new friends Tom and Celeste burst into her life, followed by an estranged sister she hasn't spoken to in years, and suddenly her carefully curated home is no longer a safe place to hide. Whether Meredith likes it or not, the world is coming to her door... ________ 'Absolutely gorgeous. If you like a book that makes you feel all the feels, this is the one to go for' Miranda Dickinson 'I laughed, I cried, and I bowed down to the brilliant author of this brilliant book' Gillian McAllister, bestselling author of That Night 'Thought provoking, relatable and hopeful. Ultimately this is a very human novel with a huge amount of heart' Culturefly, 'Books To Look Forward To' 'A gorgeous, charming novel . . . Sweet, moving, funny and hopeful, with a courageous heroine who sweeps you up in her story' Jennifer Saint, Sunday Times bestselling author of Ariadne 'This will be big' The Bookseller Editor's Choice

Sometimes all you need is your imagination... It's a rainy day, and Anna and Kiki are stuck indoors, wondering what to play next. Suddenly, Kiki has an idea for a new game. "All you have to do," she explains, "is think up a Think-Up and it will appear!" And she thinks up ... BUNNIES! Then they conjure up the most marvellous, magnificent MOOSE! And octopi! And nine HUNGRY koalas! Hmm ... is it possible to UN-think a Think-Up? With half-cut pages that make for funny surprises at every turn, this is a fresh celebration of imaginary play for the youngest of children.

Clouds gather, skies darken, rain drops, puddles appear... Let's go puddling! Pull on your wellies and button up your coats for this playful, interactive story all about children delighting in the joy of splish-splash-sploshing in muddy puddles with their friends, and cherishing snuggles on the sofa afterwards. Emma Perry's debut on the Walker list encapsulates the joy of being outside whatever the weather, and is paired perfectly with Claire Alexander's watercolour artwork to recreate splashing puddles and raindrops!

It's the principal Mr. Slipper's birthday, and while the rest of the class gets busy writing cards for the occasion, Stan becomes frustrated when his letters come out all in a muddle. Stan is afraid to ask for help, until a friend assures him that nobody's good at everything. And after lots and lots of practice, Stan's letters come out the right way round and the right way up.This delightful book deals with a common childhood frustration and will remind readers that practice pays off and that everyone has to ask for help sometimes.Watch the trailer:

In recent years the British mass media have 'discovered' a new and urgent social problem - the Asian 'gang'. Images of urban deprivation and 'the Underclass' have combined with fears of growing youth militancy and masculinities-in-crisis to position Asian, and especially Muslim, young men as the new folk devil. This reimagination of Asian young men has focused on violence, drug abuse and crime, set against a backdrop of cultural conflict, generational confusion and religious fundamentalism. The Asian 'gang', it seems, is the inevitable product of these social forces. But what is the reality? Based on three years' fieldwork with a group of Bangladeshi young men in inner-city London, this book attempts to explore the complex mythologies and realities of contemporary Asian youth experience. Taking the 'gang' as its starting point, the study examines the interaction of representation and reality, ethnicity and masculinity in a textured, in-depth and personal perspective that challenges traditional views on Asian communities and identities.

In her groundbreaking ethnography The Asian Gang, published in 2000, Claire Alexander explored the creation of Asian Muslim masculinities in South London. Set against the backdrop of the moral panic over ‘Asian gangs’ in the mid-1990s, and based on 5 years of ethnographic fieldwork, the book explored the idea of ‘the gang’, friendships, and the role of ‘brothers’ in the formation, performance and negotiation of ethnic, religious and gendered identities. The Asian Gang Revisited picks up the story of ‘the Asian gang’ over the subsequent two decades, examining the changing identities of the original participants as they transition into adulthood in the context of increased public and political concerns over Muslim masculinities, spanning the War on Terror, ‘grooming gangs’ and knife crime. Building on her ongoing relationships with the men over 25 years, the book explores education, employment, friendship, marriage and fatherhood, and religious identity, and examines both the changes and the continuities that have shaped this group. The book is based on two sets of interviews (in 1996 and 2012) and over 25 years of friendship. It traces the lives of its participants from their teenage years through to their early-mid 40s. A unique longitudinal study of this small, diverse but still close cohort of men, the book offers an intimate, rich and textured account of what it means to be a Muslim man in contemporary Britain.