Children's

A beautifully written, incredibly original and wickedly funny novel for readers of 10 and older - BLOOM is for everyone who has ever (read more)

A beautifully written, incredibly original and wickedly funny novel for readers of 10 and older - BLOOM is for everyone who has ever felt like they didn't fit in, and for anyone who has ever wanted a little more colour and wildness in their lives... Sorrel Fallowfield is growing up - in a REALLY surprising way . .

. Sorrel Fallowfield is so good at being good that teachers come to her when they need help remembering the school rules - and there are LOTS. Luckily, Sorrel doesn't have any trouble following them, until the day she discovers a faded packet of Surprising Seeds buried under a tree in her backyard. (hide)

The history of boats is intertwined with our own - since the earliest times, humans have found ways to cross the bodies of water (read more)

The history of boats is intertwined with our own - since the earliest times, humans have found ways to cross the bodies of water that cut them off from further exploration and expansion. From the woven rafts of ancient Mesopotamia, to Native American log canoes, through to Dutch merchant ships and onwards to today's modern sailing hydrofoils, trace the fascinating story of boats and their place in ourculture. (hide)

Flo, a little penguin, arrives at nursery with her packed lunch: a new pink bucket of shiny fish. Bob is fascinated by Flo's bucket (read more)

Flo, a little penguin, arrives at nursery with her packed lunch: a new pink bucket of shiny fish. Bob is fascinated by Flo's bucket and he puts it on his head! Then he uses it to make sandcastles, to reach the top of his block tower, as a drum-kit. In fact he's so creative in how he uses Flo's bucket that it takes her some time to track it down.
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When Bob arrives at nursery, half hidden under his umbrella, it gives his friends Flo and Sam an idea. They should all play a game (read more)

When Bob arrives at nursery, half hidden under his umbrella, it gives his friends Flo and Sam an idea. They should all play a game of hide and seek! Bob is first to hide but his hiding skills need a little bit of practice and he needs some help in understanding how to play the game. Flo and Sam decide to do some pretend baking to give Bob enough time to find a really good place to hide.

And it works! The game finishes when Bob emerges from his hiding place just in time for the three friends to tuck into their pretend slices of cake. A beautifully-illustrated story from new talent Rebecca Ashdown, presenting a toddler's-eye-view of the world to help young children everywhere to steer a course through their first friendships. Lots of visual humour to really engage a young audience. (hide)

12-year-old twins Matt and Emily Calder are Animare: they can bring art to life and enter paintings at will. They must do everything (read more)

12-year-old twins Matt and Emily Calder are Animare: they can bring art to life and enter paintings at will. They must do everything in their power to prevent a breach in Hollow Earth: a supernatural place that holds all the demons, devils and creatures ever imagined. The Hollow Earth Society are getting closer to finding the key that will release the beasts: an ancient bone quill whose powers can be only be used by a powerful Animare.

The quill has been lost for centuries, but important clues to its whereabouts lie somewhere on the island of Era Mina - as does the entrance to Hollow Earth itself. Matt and Em must find the quill and protect it through their drawings, through certain famous paintings and, ultimately, deep into the mists of time itself. But their lives in the relative safety of Auchinmurn Abbey are thrown into confusion with the arrival of a newcomer who threatens to ruin everything they have worked for. (hide)

Pub Date:05/02/2015 - The call of the wild is powerfully realised in this thrillingly evocative modern-day fable. A girl raised in (read more)

Pub Date:05/02/2015 - The call of the wild is powerfully realised in this thrillingly evocative modern-day fable. A girl raised in the wild, a desperate race for freedom and a boy with a fiercely guarded secret...When Nona's guardian kills himself, she is immediately suspected of murdering him. In a world where nature and darkness are feared, where wild animals are held captive and cities are illuminated by permanent light, who will believe her innocence? Nona must flee with her only friend - a bear who is strangely human. In their desperate attempt to escape capture, Nona and her bear encounter two strange boys, Caius and Jay.

Together, the four of them will hide, and fight, and make the deadliest of enemies in their desperate race to a forbidden place called The Edge - where nature is unrestrained, where there is light and shade, forest and mountain, and where there are no shackles or boundaries. A poetic, haunting and unforgettable modern fable about nature, society, and what it is that makes us human. (hide)

35 fascinating step-by-step science experiments with bubbles and balloons for children aged 7-12. Calling all budding scientists (read more)

35 fascinating step-by-step science experiments with bubbles and balloons for children aged 7-12. Calling all budding scientists - it's time to have fun with bubbles and balloons! Most children, and even some adults, are fascinated by bubbles and love playing with balloons. In Bubbles & Balloons Susan Akass has created 35 fascinating experiments to show children how having fun with bubbles and balloons can go well beyond playtime.

Projects include making rainbow bubbles, creating square bubbles, and playing bubble tennis with bubbles that bounce rather than burst, as well as putting a skewer through a balloon without bursting it, making a balloon rocket and balancing helium balloons. There is a clear explanation of the science behind each experiment as well an 'investigate' feature to encourage children to develop their science skills further. Susan Akass takes science out of the confines of the classroom and makes it an exciting activity for children to enjoy safely at home - satisfying their curiosity, keeping them entertained and helping them to learn in a fun and relaxed way.
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Packed full of fun and exciting projects which use its pages in different ways, this book will have you tearing, folding, cutting, (read more)

Packed full of fun and exciting projects which use its pages in different ways, this book will have you tearing, folding, cutting, experimenting and scribbling as you find out how our bodies work. Discover the secret to life, make your own dancing skeleton, and make an ear trumpet to listen in on conversations! Can you become a fingerprint detective? Can you paint with food? Can you make a moving robot hand? Plus many more inventive and exciting activities about the human body. Are you ready to Build Your Own Body? Put your skills to the test and let's find out! (hide)

`How slow's a sloth?' (very s-l-o-w ... the three-toed sloth hangs around in trees and hardly moves); why do elephants have big ears? (read more)

`How slow's a sloth?' (very s-l-o-w ... the three-toed sloth hangs around in trees and hardly moves); why do elephants have big ears? and who lays eggs as big as a football? Find out the answers to the questions that have fascinated children (and adults!) for generations with this unusual and amusing question-and-answer book! A fun first introduction to the world of exotic animals, their behaviour and their characteristics. With hilarious, imaginative questions answered by know-it-all animal characters and funny cartoon-style illustrations accompanying scientific facts, this book introduces children to facts about the planet in a fun, enjoyable way.

Published:10 Jan 2018 (hide)

Maisie Hitchins longs to be a detective. She's sure there are lots of adventures to be had on the streets of Victorian London. And, (read more)

Maisie Hitchins longs to be a detective. She's sure there are lots of adventures to be had on the streets of Victorian London. And, together with her faithful puppy, Eddie, she is determined to follow even the slightest scent of a mystery - no matter what! On a visit to the British Museum, Maisie meets Professor Tobin's old university acquaintance Lord Dacre, who's devastated about the recent theft of one of his most prized possessions - an Egyptian scarab beetle made of gold and encrusted with jewels.

It's not long before the lost artefact turns up on the muddy bank of the river Thames, but its missing its precious ruby eyes. When the wrong man is convicted of the robbery, it's up to Maisie to find out who the real scarab stealer is. (hide)