The Mice and the Flying Basket


Book Description

To enter the Flying Circus and win the prize that will make their fortunes, the little mice need a flying machine. So they build a wonderful flying basket --- but will they win the prize?




The Mice on the Moon


Book Description

The mice who live in a shoe decide to build a spaceship and fly to the moon. But will wicked D. Rat try to spoil their plans? Rodney Peppe's loveable mice will delight all children, especially those who have enjoyed their previous adventures in The Mice and the Clockwork Bus.




The Mice and the Travel Machine


Book Description

The mice who live in a shoe decide they need a holiday. With an old bowler hat found in D. Rat's junk yard, they build an amazing travel machine and set off on a round-the-world trip. But D.Rat is not far behind and is determined that the travel machine will be his!




Using Picture Storybooks to Teach Literary Devices


Book Description

The third volume of Using Picture Storybooks to Teach Literary Devices joins volumes 1 and 2 of this best-selling series to give teachers and librarians the perfect tool to teach literary devices to students in grades K-12. In this volume, 120 well-reviewed picture storybooks, published mainly in the last few years, are listed (sometimes more than once) under 41 literary devices. All-ages picture storybooks, which can be enjoyed by adults, as well as children, are included. For each device, a definition is given, and descriptions of appropriate storybooks, with information on how to use them, the art style used in the book, and a curriculum tie-in, are provided. Among the literary devices included are alliteration, analogy, flashback, irony, metaphor, paradox, tone, and 34 more. Indexes by author, title, art style, and curriculum tie-in add to this outstanding book's great value. Grades 4-12.




Ticket to Read!


Book Description




You Can Take the Cat out of Slough . . .


Book Description

You can take a cat to water but you can't make it think. Last summer, Chris Pascoe decided to do something monumentally stupid. He decided to stay at home with his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Maya and disaster-prone tabby Birmingham, Brum for short. And also with Brum's rather vicious live-in-partner-girl-cat Sammy, who he intended mainly not to wake. Let biting cats lie. Why he believed time with Brum would, with all the years of contrary evidence, be quality he's not at all sure . . . The result is a series of tales of death-defying feats. Paddling pools, gazebos, small birds and kitchens - all aspects of normal life can take a dangerous turn with the presence of Brum. Pascoe tries to train the tabby, restrain the tabby and even researches the stories of other danger cats in a bid to keep Brum alive a bit longer. And amazingly, despite the efforts of his exuberant two-year-old with a plastic mallet, he still is.




Serpent Daughter


Book Description

DRAGON AWARD–NOMINATED SERIES. New entry in the Witchy War series, blending alternate history, Appalachian Folklore, and epic fantasy. Sarah Calhoun has taken her father’s throne and ascended into her goddess’s presence in Unfallen Eden as her father never did. And Sarah Calhoun is dying. Her uncle Thomas Penn isn’t done with her. Armed with new powers conferred upon him by the Necromancer and with new allies won via his impending marriage, Penn aims to remove Sarah from her throne—and from the world of the living. In the meantime, Sarah has fallen out with one of her best allies. Against Sarah’s advice, her brother Nathaniel heads into Imperial Philadelphia with the reckless and likely impossible aim of healing the Emperor Thomas. On the shores of the northern seas, agents of Franklin’s Conventicle with an unlikely connection to the Emperor struggle to win allies among the pole-dwelling giants, who are torn between seizing land covertly from the Firstborn of the Ohio and entering the war openly on the side of Simon Sword. In the west, the Heron King rides an explosive storm into war, crushing the mortal kingdoms in his path and bearing down on Sarah’s Cahokia. To survive—and to gain the strength she needs to fight this impossible war—Sarah must unite the Moundbuilder kings to enact an ancient rite that will propel her beyond mortality. To do so, she must not only win over doubters among the Firstborn kings, but she must also beat back a rebellion among the Handmaids of her goddess—for there are some of the goddess’s priestesses who long for the dark days of human sacrifice, and who are willing to throw Sarah herself upon the altar. Praise for Witchy Winter: “Butler follows Witchy Eye with a satisfying second tale of a magic-filled early America. . . . Deep and old magic influences both places and characters, and the story is tightly focused on the determined Sarah . . . Fans of epic and alternate historical fantasy will savor this tale of witchery and intrigue.”—Publishers Weekly "For readers who love history-based fantasy, steampunk, or urban fantasy . . . this series that gives the genre a new twist."—Booklist Praise for Witchy Eye and D.J. Butler: “ . . . you can’t stop yourself from taking another bite . . . and another . . . and another . . . I didn’t want to stop reading . . . Kudos!”—R.A. Salvatore “Excellent book. I am impressed by the creativity and the depth of the world building. Dave Butler is a great storyteller.”—Larry Correia “Witchy Eye is an intricate and imaginative alternate history with a cast of characters and quirky situations that would make a Dickens novel proud.” —Kevin J. Anderson "Butler’s fantasy is by turns sardonic and lighthearted; ghoulish shadows claw into the most remote areas and heroism bursts out of the most unlikely people. Sarah is the epitome of the downtrodden hero who refuses to give up until she gets what she needs, and her story will appeal to fantasy readers of all stripes."—Publishers Weekly "David's a pro storyteller, and you're in for a great ride."—Larry Dixon " . . . a fascinating, grittily-flavored world of living legends. Hurry up and write the next one, Dave."—Cat Rambo "This is enchanting! I'd love to see more."—Mercedes Lackey “Goblin Market meets Magical Musketpunk . . . A great ride that also manages to cover some serious cultural terrain.” —Charles E. Gannon "Witchy Eye is a brilliant blend of historical acumen and imagination, a tour-de-force that is at once full of surprises and ultimately heart-warming. This is your chance to discover one of the finest new stars writing today!"—David Farland “A gritty, engrossing mash-up of history, fantasy, and magic. Desperate characters careen from plot twist to plot twist until few are left standing.”—Mario Acevedo "Captivating characters. Superb world-building. Awesome magic. Butler fuses fantasy and history effortlessly, creating a fascinating new American epic. Not to be missed!"—Christopher Husberg "[A] unique alternative-history that is heavily influence by urban and traditional fantasy and steeped in the folklore of the Appalachians. . . . Fans of urban fantasy looking to take a chance on something with a twist on a historical setting may find this novel worth their time."—Booklist




American Bookseller


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The Junior Bookshelf


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Seeing Things


Book Description

Oliver Postgate is widely regarded as the greatest children's storyteller of the modern era. His work, which included The Clangers, Ivor the Engine, The Pogles, Noggin the Nog and, most famously, Bagpuss, is beloved by generations. In this delicious memoir Oliver Postgate describes how he came to create his stories and characters, developing innovative techniques of animation and puppetry alongside his friend and co-producer Peter Firmin. Amazingly, almost all of Oliver's films were made in a cowshed in Kent on a budget of next to nothing. The story of Oliver Postgate's extraordinary and adventurous life, and the wonderful characters who populated it - both real and imagined - is witty, charming, beautifully remembered and exquisitely told.