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Julia Sarda spins an enthralling and evocative tale rich with layers of meaning to be unearthed. One night, Franca has a dream about a marvellous queen. And now she feels intrigued... Eager to know more about this mystical figure, Franca shares her dream with her two younger sisters. Together, they set out on an enchanting adventure to discover the kingdom of the queen in the cave. This is a riveting and atmospheric picture book that will surprise and enthral young readers and dreamers.
Follow the journey from the very beginning of our planet to the arrival of humans, in an energetic and engaging picture book. In the beginning there was nothing, and then - BANG! - the universe was born. Discover the incredible story of billions of years of life on Earth, from the first tiny cells, through the age of dinosaurs and prehistoric beasts, all the way to the first humans. With playful text and stylish illustrations, this awe-inspiring history is perfect for curious young minds.
A stunning non-fiction book illuminating the secrets of animal camouflage with a search-and-find twist. Now you see them, now you don't. Cloaked in a riot of colour, pattern and texture are a dozen creatures - from chameleons and polar bears to Gaboon vipers and mimic octopuses - that have unique and impressive techniques for staying out of sight. As we travel around the planet, fact-packed pages for each of these twelve animals are interspersed with clever and beautifully illustrated search-and-find spreads that put readers' newfound knowledge of each elusive creature and its ecosystem to the test.
A gorgeously illustrated and engaging guide to the world of art. Immerse yourself in the amazing world of art in this beautiful book with text by Helena Hunt, stylishly illustrated by the inimitable print-maker James Brown. What is art, and how have we used it to express ourselves throughout history? From cave painting right up to pop art; the Renaissance to twentieth-century sculpture, discover the stories behind great movements, processes and artists - both the household names and the perhaps not-so-familiar. Covering thirty topics, including printing, pigment, ceramics and pattern and photography, as well as Impressionism, Romanticism and Surrealism, this is a thoughtful and easily digestible approach to a huge subject.
A Story About Sorting and Classifying | A large and colourful book which beautifully communicates fascinating information, from types of cloud formations, to varieties of apples, names of tools, and constructions of family trees. All designed and illustrated in a playful and engaging way. Part art book part encyclopaedia – a book to lose yourself in. ~ Lauren Child Find out more about Lauren Child, her books, characters and inspirations in our Guest Editor feature.
A beautiful picture-book adaptation of Thomas Harding's Costa-shortlisted biography for adults, exquisitely illustrated by Britta Teckentrup. On the outskirts of Berlin, a wooden cottage stands on the shore of a lake. Over the course of a century, this little house played host to a loving Jewish family, a renowned Nazi composer, wartime refugees and a Stasi informant; in that time, a world war came and went, and the Berlin Wall was built a stone's throw from the cottage's back door. Thomas Harding first shared this remarkable story in his Costa-shortlisted biography The House by the Lake - now he has rendered it into a deeply moving picture-book for young readers. With words that read like a haunting fairy-tale, and magnificent artwork by Britta Teckentrup, this is the astonishing true story of the house by the lake. PRAISE FOR THE ORIGINAL BIOGRAPHY OF THE HOUSE BY THE LAKE: A Radio 4 Book of the Week Named a Best Book of the Year by: The Times >> New Statesman >> Daily Express >> Commonweal magazine Shortlisted for the Costa Biography Award 2015 Longlisted for the Orwell Prize 2016 Over 50 five-star reviews on Amazon A passionate memoir. - Neil MacGregor A superb portrait of twentieth century Germany seen through the prism of a house which was lived in, and lost, by five different families. A remarkable book. - Tom Holland A book that will stay with me for a very long time. - Rachel Joyce A superb work of social history. - The Sunday Times Diamond brilliant ... an extraordinary book. - Sunday Express A deft history of a cabin containing many secrets. - Independent A fascinating window on a tumultuous period - Financial Times Original, personal, moving and uplifting - Literary Review This is a history that is often poignant, sometimes heartening, and never other than intimate. - Spectator An extraordinary book.... Harding has extracted the past from the dust that collects between floorboards and from layers of peeling wallpaper. - Washington Post SEE ALSO THOMAS HARDING'S NEW BIOGRAPHY, LEGACY: I was riveted: this is a fascinating social history. - Nigella Lawson Written with love and imagination ... a masterclass in historical empathy. - TLS Nobody quite stirs the soup of historical detail like Harding. - Express
The extraordinary companion title to the critically-acclaimed Norse Myths: Tales of Odin, Thor and Loki, from a Carnegie Medal-winning author. Enter an ancient world of green glades and glaciers, where gods and goddesses spread their magic whilst rock-giants and mountain-trolls roam. This astonishing new collection of Norse tales from the award-winning Kevin Crossley-Holland - with Jeffrey Alan Love's arresting illustrations - will enthral readers of all ages.
Follow Victorian naturalist and explorer Alfred Russel Wallace on his intrepid journeys across the globe and find out how he developed his own theory of evolution in this beautiful illustrated gift hardback. In 1858, Alfred Russel Wallace's travels in the Amazon Basin and Malay Archipelago led him to discover natural selection independently of Charles Darwin. Darwin's Rival traces Wallace's life from his childhood in the Welsh countryside to his rise to prominence among the scientific community, via dense tropical jungles and perilous journeys - and shines a light on one of the most important contributors to the theory of evolution. With evocative illustrations by Harry Tennant, this stunning gift book will appeal to children and adults alike, and is the perfect introduction to the man so often eclipsed by his contemporary and friend Charles Darwin.
A stunningly illustrated guide to the fascinating world of plants and botanical history. Discover incredible facts and marvel at what plants can do in this beautiful book from conservation biologist and award-winning author Martin Jenkins, stylishly illustrated by print-maker James Brown. Covering over twenty-five topics, learn all about the different types of plant - from carnivorous, to climbing, to tropical; explore the world of trees; discover how plants have evolved and continue to survive in extreme environments and most importantly, how crucial they are to our life on Planet Earth. From the domestic to the international, there is something for the whole family here. Whether you want to learn the basics of photosynthesis, or explore the hidden world of Victorian plant hunters, this is a lively, engaging and visually stunning look at the world of plants.
Take a journey into the fantastical worlds of the imagination in this breath-taking, stunningly illustrated gift book. From King Arthur's Round Table at Camelot to the majestic hall of slain heroes in Asgard, visit incredible lands from myth, legend and fairy tale in this beautiful gift book. Follow the story of Dawn Gable, a scientist who shuns the world of stories in favour of dry facts, as she is taken on an unbelievable voyage to open her eyes to the power of imagination. With incredible, intricate art from David Wyatt, explore a city of robots, the ancient city of Kor, the miniature world of Lilliput and flying island of Laputa, a mountainous home of mythical beasts, the primeval island of Buyan and more. An absorbing and breath-taking gift for everyone who believes in the transformative power of stories.
A fascinating collection of labyrinths and puzzles set in Ancient Greece. Find your way out of a maze on each page in this stunningly intricate book from the creators of Maps. Discover the legendary labyrinths of Ancient Greece, as well as the myths and stories that have captured readers for thousands of years, in this beautifully illustrated collection of puzzles and facts. From an Ancient Greek theatre, to the Trojan horse and the Minotaur, the book is packed full of history and mythology, and will astound readers of all ages.
An emotionally truthful and visually stunning graphic novel about solace and redemption. A superb, masterful piece of work. Financial Times A graphic novel so well drawn and beautifully told I'm certain it will speak to adults too Observer Helene is not free to hide from the taunts of her former friends in the corridors at school. She can't be invisible in the playground or in the stairways leading to art class. Insults are even scribbled on the walls of the toilet cubicles. Helene smells, Helene's fat, Helene has no friends ... now. When Helene's heart hammers in her chest as Genevieve snickers at the back of the bus, inventing nasty things to say about her, Helene dives into the pages of her book Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. And, in the solace she finds there, Helene's own world becomes a little brighter. But how will the story end? Is there any hope for the wise, strange, plain Jane Eyre? How could Mr Rochester ever love her? On nature camp, arranged by the school as a treat, Helene finds herself in the tent of other outcasts. Again, her inner and outer worlds become entangled as she reads on - this time putting herself into Jane Eyre's shoes. It would be impossible for Mr Rochester to marry a sausage in a swimsuit, even if he loved her. Wouldn't it? But, while deeply lost in self-doubt, Helene's world is unexpectedly shaken up by a fresh new friendship. Geraldine snorts with laughter at her jokes! They love being together! Helene begins to worry less about what the cruel girls think - and more about how happy she can be (and make others)... Perhaps Jane Eyre's story will end well after all, too.
Longlisted for the UKLA Book Awards 2020 | This is the story of life on earth from its earliest beginnings. With remarkable illustrations and a clear and concise text, this is a fascinating and thought-provoking discourse on the huge variety of life that had come and gone before humans ever appeared on earth.
Dad cries, particularly when he is drinking, which is most of the time. When mum knows it is best to leave, Louis must try to understand his new life and help his younger brother. Before he can do these things, Louis needs to start to like himself. This is a profound and beautiful book in which text and pictures come together perfectly.
A stunning collection of the world's most important discoveries for all the family to enjoy. In the stylish miscellany, print-maker James Brown travels through the past and present, showing the amazing breakthroughs in science and technology that have changed our lives for ever. Discover fascinating facts and figures about space travel, the human body, time, the computer and much more with Brown's bold, bright colours and beautiful contemporary designs. Each illustration is presented alongside an engaging fact-filled explanation by celebrated author Richard Platt. Covering more than 30 diverse and fascinating topics, this is the perfect book for the whole family to enjoy.
Winner of the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2020 | In this mind-blowingly beautiful book comprising twenty-five tales, visionary artist and writer Shaun Tan turns his attention to the relationship between humans and animals in varied urban contexts. A rhino on a motorway. An owl at the side of a hospital patient. An eagle spied at multiple international airports. Giant snails declared “indecent” by the public. Dreamlike, mysterious and poignant, this is a book to pore over. Both words and illustrations lend themselves to multiple readings, each experience unearthing alternate interpretations, new discoveries, fresh ways of seeing the world. What a sublimely strange feat this is.
Discover animals under threat all over the world in this beautiful gift book from conservation biologist and award-winning author Martin Jenkins. From the mighty Asian elephant to the tiny rosalia longicorn beetle, creatures all over the world are under threat like never before in human history. In this timely book, conservation biologist and award-winning author Martin Jenkins introduces just a few of the species under threat, exploring why they are in danger and how we can help them. With striking graphic stamps from printmaker Tom Frost, this is a beautiful and illuminating journey through the world of endangered animals.
This limited gift box edition includes an exclusive signed and numbered print. A stunningly presented collection of twenty-five illustrated short stories exploring the relationship between humans and animals, from award-winning visual storyteller Shaun Tan. Where can we live if not in each other's shadow? World-renowned artist Shaun Tan applies his extraordinary talent to a reflection on the nature of humans and animals, and our urban co-existence. From crocodile to frog; tiger to bee, this is a dark and surreal exploration of the perennial love and destruction we feel and inflict - of how animals can save us, and how we are entwined, for better or for worse. Tales from the Inner City is a truly masterly work, bearing all of Shaun Tan's trademark wit and poignancy in both its prose and exquisite illustrations. This limited gift box edition includes an exclusive signed and numbered print.
See all the famous sights of London in this stylish big picture book from Ingela P. Arrhenius. Red buses, black cabs and Buckingham Palace - there's so much to see in London! Visit the Beefeaters at the Tower, soar high on the London Eye and travel down the Thames in this gorgeous first book of London from Ingela P. Arrhenius. With striking illustrations of everything from iconic landmarks to the traditional full English breakfast, this is a stylish gift for any visitor to this famous city.
A lyrical, captivating and beautiful picture book by Carnegie Medal-winner David Almond, illustrated by Kate Greenaway Medal-winner Levi Pinfold. When a great dam was built by the Kielder Water in Northumberland, the valley below slowly filled with water. But just before this, when the villagers had been moved out, two musicians went back to the abandoned valley. They tore down the boards over the houses, stepped inside and started to play - for this would be the last time that music would be heard in this place. In this astonishing picture book that combines themes of loss, hope and music David Almond pays homage to all musicians, showing the ancient and unstoppable power of creativity.
Explore 32 sights in a town illustrated in striking graphic style by Ingela P Arrhenius. There's so much to see in town! Take a walk and discover all the sights in this colourful picture dictionary. Can you spot the people who are wandering from page to page? A stylish book for little explorers illustrated in striking graphic style by Ingela P Arrhenius.
Learn your opposites in this stylish lift-the-flap book. Spotty dogs, bendy dogs and really, really long dogs - find the opposites in this fun lift-the-flap book with the help of some hilarious and colourful dogs.
Explore the wonders of our planet through poetry and art in this stunning picture book from award-winning illustrator William Grill. From the hidden wonders of fossilization, rocks and the water cycle, to awe-inspiring spectacles like volcanoes, thunderstorms and glaciers, discover the magnificent ways the world works in this unique and beautiful approach to earth science. Vivid illustrations by William Grill, the Kate Greenaway medal-winning creator of Shackleton's Journey, and illuminating haikus from Sally M. Walker reveal the extraordinary processes that happen all around us. A book to treasure for art- and science-lovers alike.
Learn your colours in this stylish lift-the-flap book. A red wing, an orange beak or a vibrant tail - all of these birds have a surprise in store. Lift the flaps and have fun learning colours with the help of some unusual birds.
UKLA Longlist Book Awards - 2019 | Francesca Simon, Guest Editor February 2021: "I adore Norse mythology and this superb book with its eerie illustrations by Jeffrey Alan Love bring these myths to life in all their enthralling wildness and humour and power. A fantastic introduction to these brilliant stories." ........................................... Ancient magic abounds, great gods and goddesses grimace, and timeless truths teem in this enthralling reimagining of Norse mythology. In his foreword, Carnegie Medal-winning author Kevin Crossley-Holland explains that “Norse myths are brilliant, fast-moving, ice-bright stories”, and the tales contained herein certainly live up to that description. Beginning with an excellent illustrated overview of the gods and goddesses, dwarfs and giants, and a diagram of the Norse world itself, each dramatic retelling is prefaced by a pithy line summarising the wisdom it bears, with such gems as “Fair words often conceal weaselly thinking”, and “Be generous, be spirited, and you’ll lead a happy life” among them. The stories themselves will enchant the mind and quicken the pulse. One-eyed Odin, trickster Loki, and many more are brought to life with shard-sharp verve. The writing is crisp and lively, and the illustrations sublime: foreboding, cleverly scaled and incisively expressive. As well as providing exhilarating entertainment when curled up in a favourite armchair, this is also ideal for reading aloud. These tales, after all, were created to be told, and this collection is destined to become a classic.
It isn't often that a non-fiction picture book has been so admired here in the Lovereading office. The stunning, stylish lino-cut prints capture the beauty and the drama of a whole host ofwinged creatures but in the writing the reader will discover the background to these incredible birds - from the andean flamingo and the bald eagle to the toco toucan and the wandering albatross - did you know the latter spends the first 5-10 years of its life at sea soaring over the waves with barely a flap of its wings? This really is a book like no other, to share amongst the family and for grown-ups as a lavish coffee table book to be admired. Magnificent...
In this large format picture book 30 famous cities around the globe are brought to life through beautiful illustrations and a vast miscellany of intiguing facts. Every spread is devoted to a city and within that spread are facts which will astound and surprise. Did you know for example that San Francisco had a population of less than a million whilst Shanghai had a gargantuan 24 million? It's a book that will be equally at home as a book to share with youngsters at bedtime as it is to brighten up a coffee table in the living room.
Shortlisted for the 2018 Klaus Flugge Prize | Motum is definitely an illustrator to watch. Though this is an information book, you feel there is a story being told, with pace and animation. His work reminded the Klaus Flugge judges of iconic Czech illustrator M Sasek.
Longlisted for the 2017 Klaus Flugge Prize | December 2016 Fascintating Facts Book of the Month A visually stunning collection of facts and figures for all the family to enjoy. Do you know how many bones there are in the human body or how clouds form? Or about different types of knots or how Morse code works? Each illustration by James Brown is both beautiful and enlightening, and is accompanied by an engaging fact-filled explanation by celebrated author Richard Platt. Covering more than 30 diverse and fascinating topics, there is a world of information at your fingertips in this book which is a real delight to browse through.
This stunning, beautifully produced book is from Walker Studio whose aim is to produce “books for book lovers” and this will surely spark an interest in those from the very young to the very old. Very much a visual book, the illustrations that accompany each letter are inspired not just by the phonic quality of the letter but also the shape. For example A is illustrated with an acrobat standing astride a horse’s back. Each poster sized page is a work of art with stunning drawings by Norman Messenger that have a surreal quality and are simply fascinating to look at. This will be a book for lovers of art, encouraging us to look at words, language and letters in a slightly different way.
A gloriously enticing and shiver-inducing read, where sculpture sits as a window into the soul of the fairytales of the Brothers Grimm. I saw this book at a distance and it immediately beckoned to me, the cover ensured I just had to pick it up and open it. You know when there is a foreword by Neil Gaiman that it’s going to be something rather special. Each double page consists of a snippet from a Grimm’s fairy tale, followed by a photo of a sculpture depicting that tale by Shaun Tan. It sounds so simple, it is simple, yet he invokes such a deluge of feelings, even now, some days after opening it for the first time, I’ve developed goose bumps. Some sculptures made me shiver, sorrowful, others smile in delight, every single one spoke to me and I wanted to reach into the page and touch them. The sculptures feel old, as though they just came into being rather than being made, as such I felt as though the stories could have been written about the sculptures rather than the other way round. If you truly know your Grimms, then this book will sing to you, if you don’t then it will make you want to discover the true heart of them. ‘The Singing Bones’ is knowing, evocative, and a truly wonderful read, it’s a book to keep close at hand and dip into again and again. ~ Liz Robinson
This stunning, beautifully produced book is from Walker Studio whose aim is to produce “books for book lovers” and with Ingela Arrhenius' bright illustrations this will surely spark an interest from the very young to the very old. Very much a visual book, the images are created in striking graphic style that are a joy to look at. The book features 32 animals from the tiniest mouse and grasshopper to the largest Bear and Elephant. Each poster sized page is a work of art and will be enjoyed equally by both lovers of art and books.
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