In "Matchless", Maguire adds a different dimension to the story, intertwining the match girl's tale with that of a young boy, Frederik, whose own yearnings are the catalyst for a better future for himself and his family. Maguire uses his storytelling magic to rekindle Andersen's original intentions, and to suggest transcendence, the permanence of spirit, and the continuity that links the living and the dead.

     The Stone Marshall Studio is developing a new series: Legends & Heroes A hybrid of comic-book style illustrations and short stories. Each issue is fun, challenging, and engaging. These interrelated stories follow a series of characters on a journey through life in Minecraft. Relatable characters, thrilling action, and colorful illustrations will suck in readers and leave them excited to read the next adventure! Secrets await! Solve the puzzle, uncover secrets! The Blacksmith and The Apprentice: Issue 1 The ancient art of blacksmithing is a thing of beauty. A lot of hard work goes into the process. It’s very complicated, really. Stoking the flames to many small, contained fires—making lumps of metal into differently shaped items of metal—hitting said lumps of metal with hammers to turn them into different weapons. You can shape metals into whatever item you want. Okay, it might not be a very interesting job, but apprenticing with the best blacksmith in the kingdom is a huge opportunity. Blacksmiths make the tools everyone needs to get about in their day-to-day lives. It’s a very prestigious and impressive position, although this honor is lost when the position is held by Dane, a youthful boy who dreams of greater adventure! Luckily, Dane has a skilled master to reign in his daydreaming. Viegar has quite an interesting past. From his years on the Royal Guard to his close relationship with the previous king, he’s quite a friend to have on your side. There is one other apprentice, Snip, who is much more passionate about his duties than Dane. Between the three of them, they churn out powerful weapons and protective armor, usually with no thanks to Dane. Of course, no cast of characters would be complete without the big man in charge—in this case, a king. By almost anyone’s account, he’s a good and fair ruler, but there is no one in power without enemies. Though Viegar and his workers only want to help their wonderful king, there are still plenty who wish to do him harm. But Dane can only imagine such things. It’s not as if he’d ever be in the position to really make any sort of difference or be in any place of power. Right? And though his apprenticeship is mundane and boring, the young man gets a few moments of excitement. Every once in a while, his master Viegar lets him venture out past the village to visit the caravan, where he can trade and buy supplies. It’s the most excitement Dane ever gets in his line of work. Sometimes, he gets to meet interesting people. Sometimes, he hears interesting things. And maybe, just maybe, he sometimes hears of a new opportunity for himself. But who would want to give up such a life as an esteemed apprentice? But of course, destiny and desire are not always what you expect . . .

    Stephen Cartwright's colourful illustrations enhance the tales, giving clues to the words and their meanings. An excellent gift book, featuring stories from Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty to the Three Little Pigs.

    She gets her chance after making a deal with an evil sea witch, but something’s fishy! Can Flounder, Sebastian, and Scuttle help make the little mermaid’s dream come true? Find out in this full-color retelling of Disney’s classic film, The Little Mermaid.

    All magical children's classics.When their new nanny, Mary Poppins, arrives on a gust of the East Wind, greets their mother, and slides up the banister, Jane and Michael's lives are turned magically upside down. Familiar to anyone who has seen the film or the West End adaptation, you can now read all six of these wonderfully original tales about Jane and Michael's adventures with the magical Mary Poppins. Mary takes the children on the most extraordinary outings: to a fun fair inside a pavement picture; to visit Uncle Andrew who floats up to the ceiling when he laughs; on a spectacular trip to see the Man-in-the-Moon! With her strict but fair, no-nonsense attitude, combined with amazing magical powers, things are never straightforward with Mary Poppins! But she has only promised to stay until the wind changes!

    How could everyone in a castle - even the flies on the walls - sleep for a century and then wake up? This magical, beautifully illustrated tale begins when the king excludes the most difficult fairy of the kingdom from a feast celebrating the birth of his beautiful daughter Briar Rose. Furious, the fairy storms in and curses the baby, pronouncing that on her fifteenth birthday she will be pricked by a distaff (from a spinning wheel) and fall down dead. The youngest fairy softens the curse to a century-long sleep. Despite the fact that the king burns all the spinning wheels in the kingdom, 15-year-old Briar Rose finds herself in the tower where the evil fairy and her fate await her. The drama of the spell unfurls as she and the other inhabitants of the castle fall instantly asleep, from courtiers to kitchen maids. Thorny briars - moodily captured by Trina Schart Hyman's masterful paintbrush - grow up around the castle. Hyman depicts those who died attempting to break through the maze of thorns to reach the legendary sleeping beauty in a nightmarish illustration. But goodness and true love prevail when the perfect prince does finally find his way through the thick vines.Hyman won a Caldecott Medal for her work in Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges, and her version of The Sleeping Beauty makes us believe in the magic of the spell. The scenes inside the castle are alive with color and movement and rich with details that children will devour eagerly. Moods and expressions are rendered exquisitely, especially those of the wild, red-haired beauty Briar Rose. This wonderful read-aloud classic is one of Hyman's best.

    But will the prince find Cinderella after her ball gown turns back into rags? This classic tale is retold by Ruth Sanderson with the very youngest of readers in mind.

    With the help of her fairy godmother, a kitchen maid mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters, attends the palace ball where she meets the prince of her dreams.

    

    Full color.

    Through songs, puppets, and frank conversations, Mister Rogers instilled the values of kindness, patience, and self-esteem in his viewers, and most of all, taught children how loved they were, just by being themselves. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood reimagines the songs from the show as poetry, ranging from the iconic "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" to the forgotten gems. The poems deal with topics such as difficult feelings, new siblings, everyday routines, imagination, and more.

    They may all live apart, but they will always love each other. And they all make their owners very, very happy! This title is one of eight Clifford classics being reformatted for Summer 2005!

    Snow. Rapunzel Rose.Four friends who wait for no prince.Includes Book One: If the Shoe Fits Book Two: Who's the Fairest? Book Three: Let Down Your Hair

    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

    They are looking for the letter "a”. It has disappeared. Can you find it? In this colorful book, your child will learn to write, read, and, above all, see letters visually by omission and repetition. With easy-to-understand illustrations, this is a new and fun way to learn. How to use this book: 1. Two pictures of an object are given with its spelled out word. The first picture has all letters included while the second picture omits the key letter of the book. 2. Showing the child the first picture and the complete word, turn the page to see the missing letter or letters. Have the child write in the letter, checking the prior page to see what is missing. 3. Reiterate the picture and the word so he or she can correlate the picture to the word in his or her mind. 4. When seeing the book’s letter in other writings, point it out to the child for reinforcement. Play a game searching for the letter in other formats. Scroll up and grab a copy today