It teaches children the ins-and-outs of his finishing moves, his nicknames, signature taunts and manager, as well as helping them become more comfortable with reading.

    He’s also a former professor of American Studies who writes in-depth profiles about film and music legends who changed our culture.Few film actors had the lasting popularity of John Wayne, especially in westerns. During his lifetime, Wayne was a top-ten box office star for twenty-four years. Three decades after his death, a 2012 Harris poll continued to place him among the top 5 most-liked film actors. In this comprehensive essay, award-winner David Morrell analyzes Wayne’s career in westerns and explores his fascinating personality, including his Latin studies in high school and his skills as a chess player. Even Wayne’s most knowledgeable fans will be surprised by this insightful study.Morrell’s fascination with Wayne motivated him to use this iconic actor as the inspiration for the main character of a historical novel LAST REVEILLE, which dramatizes America’s 1916 invasion of Mexico, supposedly to pursue the Mexican bandit, Pancho Villa, but actually to practice military exercises for America’s entry into World War I.Critical reaction:“John Wayne: the name still conjures political reaction and cinematic fascination. In this excellent e-essay, author David Morrell (First Blood) presents a thorough and evenhanded consideration of Wayne and his Westerns, from THE BIG TRAIL (1930) to THE SHOOTIST (1976). He’s precise about the narrative problems in THE SEARCHERS, insightful regarding the remarkable emotional range Wayne demonstrates in THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, and mystified at the meaning critics find in RIO BRAVO. While also examining Wayne’s drinking (16 martinis before a Thanksgiving dinner), smoking (five packs a day on THE ALAMO) and expertise as a chess player, Morrell allows us to appreciate and understand how Wayne, ‘an undeniable phenomenon,’ helped create that unique film category: John Wayne Westerns.”—Tom Clagett, ROUNDUP MAGAZINE (WESTERN WRITERS OF AMERICA)David Morrell is the award-winning author of First Blood, the novel in which Rambo was created. A former professor of American literature at the University of Iowa, he has written numerous New York Times bestsellers, including the classic Brotherhood of the Rose spy trilogy. The main character in Morrell’s western novel, Last Reveille, was inspired by Wayne’s career. “David Morrell is, to me, the finest thriller writer living today, bar none.”—Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Columbus Affair“Morrell, an absolute master of the thriller, plays by his on rules and leaves you dazzled.”—Dean Koontz, New York Times bestselling author of 77 Shadow Street

    Can you find the apple, arrow, and armor in the letter A? Or the bear, banjo, and bike buried in the letter B? Read along in this unique alphabet board book that asks audiences to A B See beyond the ABCs.

    . . to zebra and then back again, Animalphabet is an entertaining puzzle as well as a gorgeous alphabet book to treasure.Who can slither better than a rabbit? A snake! Who can growl better than a snake? A tiger! There are clever hints and peekaboo holes within the artwork that will amaze and delight young children as they learn to use the alphabet. This is a preschool must-have.

    Take a journey around the Earth in 26 letters with this special book.

    Familiar scenes and images from the original A.A. Milne and Ernest H. Shepard classics adorn this bright and cheerful ABC book. Accompanying each entry is an illustration, provided by Gallaudet University Press, of the American Sign Language sign both for the letter and for its corresponding word. With Winnie-the-Pooh as a guide, learning the written and manual alphabets is as easy as A B C!

    On 3rd August 2012, Tia Sharp, a 12-year-old school girl, was reported missing from her grandmotherOCOs house in New Addington, south London. A call by her mother alerted the police to TiaOCOs disappearance and a massive search operation began. A nationwide appeal was launched to find Tia and her family, including her step-grandfather, 37-year-old Stuart Hazell, made a public appeal to find her. It was reported that Tia had disappeared after being dropped off at a train station to go shopping, but in the days that followed a very different story emerged. Only seven days after Tia was reported missing the terrible news came that her body had been found; wrapped in bin bags and hidden in her grandmotherOCOs attic. The truth that unfolded over the course of the day horrified the public; not only had the police searched the house on three separate occasions before discovering TiaOCOs body, late the following evening, Stuart HazellOCothe man who Tia trusted, the man who appealed for her returnOCoas change with murder. Nigel Cawthorne examines the appalling case of an evil step-grandfather who betrayed his familyOCOs trust, deceived friends and neighbors, and cut short the life of a young, well-loved girl."

    This bundle contains the first three novels of Kingdoms of Sand, a fantasy series from a USA Today bestselling author. That's over 1,000 pages of battles, intrigue, and magic.Sweeping from snowy forests to cruel deserts, from bazaars of wonder to fields of war, here is a tale of legionaries and lepers, priests and paupers, kings and crows. Here a girl travels across endless dunes, seeking magic; a cruel prince struggles to claim a bloodstained throne; and a young soldier fights to hold back an overwhelming host. The fate of all civilization stands upon a knife's edge, for under the storm of war, even the greatest nations are but kingdoms of sand.

    A terrifying Halloween treat perfect for Stephen King fans... BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOONWhen Dylan O'Conner pulls into a motel, all he wants is sleep. But he soon finds himself bound, gagged and being injected with a mysterious fluid by a lunatic doctor, who claims Dylan will be the carrier of his 'life's work'. He warns Dylan and fellow victim Jillian that he's being pursued and that they too are now targets. They're sceptical. But soon they realise he isn't so mad after all. . .ONE DOOR AWAY FROM HEAVEN Leilani Maddoc's tenth birthday is nine months away. Micky Bellsong is convinced that in nine months and one day, the girl will be dead. Micky's decision to save the child's life - and pit herself against an adversary as fearsome as he is cunning - takes her on a journey of incredible peril and stunning discoveries, a journey that will change her for ever...SEIZE THE NIGHTOne by one, the children of Moonlight Bay are disappearing. No one knows if they are dead or alive. Christopher Snow has glimpsed the dark and torrid secrets of the small-town community where he has spent his life. And only he has the key to the truth - a truth that could only exist in the genetic chaos of Moonlight Bay.

    Now they’re back with all of their signature jaunty and joyful perfect-for-preschoolers energy in this sequel to LMNO Peas. Like the first book, this one is filled with unique jobs, activities, roles, and hobbies. But this time the peas are bouncing through the lowercase alphabet! With an exuberant rhyming text and playful pea-packed illustrations, learning the alphabet has never been so much fun.

    With touch and feel pages, fun photographs, and cute rhymes for babies and parents to enjoy together, this brilliant book of first words is sure to become a family favorite. Each colorful page will stimulate your child's senses and encourage their imagination - from Apple to Zebra!

    but not in this wacky alphabet book! In author/artist Mike Lester's slightly warped world, A is for salad, B is for Viking, and C is for hot dog. What's that all about, you may ask? It's a fun way for kids to learn as they figure out what each alphabet letter actually stands for. A is for alligator, shown on the page eating a healthy salad. B is for beaver, wearing a very handsome Viking helmet. C is for cat, pictured munching on a foot-long hot dog.

    It tells the story of how Orbis Rex, Young Matt and his Circle of Friends, Queen Dido and the blind Dom'nic did battle with 'a wet and withered bat' from Wuhan.

    He puts on a blonde curly wig, and pretends to be "Melody", a new little girl who lives on Sesame Street. But when Big Bird sees "Melody", he invites everyone to meet their new neighbor, and Oscar gives up the charade.Frustrated, Oscar hides in a pyramid of trash cans, but he can still be seen. He then transforms his can into a "superduper grouch rocket balloon", which floats him high up into the sky. A bird pops the balloon, and he falls back to the ground.At the end of the book, Oscar realizes that the reader is going to go away, and he won't have anybody to yell at and complain to anymore. He tells the reader to come back: "You really make me mad!"

    Join them as they plan the best surprise birthday party ever!