will stay with me for a long time.’ Elizabeth LairdMore than a hundred years ago, a boy named Samkad thinks he knows everything about the world. He knows the mountains he lives in. He knows his people. He knows his blood enemy, the Mangili. And he wants to become a man, to be given his own shield, spear and axe to fight with. His best friend, Luki, wants all the same things – but she is a girl, and no girl has ever become a warrior.But everything changes when a new boy arrives in the village. He calls himself Samkad’s brother, yet he knows nothing of the ways of the mountain. And he brings news of a people called ‘Americans’, who are bringing war and destruction right to his home . . .

    As he flees dressed in his red pajamas, his captors are hot on his heels. But soon he realizes that he is not alone. The whole land of Zapada has joined forces to help him, each person dressing in red to confound and confuse his enemies. This exciting tale of adventure and escape is brought to life by the illustrator of Wall.

    . .Here are six magical stories to thrill and enchant you. Watch Blackberry Blue rise from the bramble patch; follow Emeka the pathfinder on his mission to save a lost king; join Princess Desire as she gallops across the Milky Way on her jet-black horse.These beautifully written and original stories will delight readers of all ages, and the stunning illustrations by Richard Collingridge will take your breath away.

    Cartwheel has moved to a place that is so strange to her, she no longer feels like herself.This is a story about new ways of speaking, new ways of living, new ways of being.

    Rob Ryan has collaborated with Paul Smith, Liberty, Fortnum and Mason and Tatty Devine, amongst others.This is a story about a prince. He lived in a palace that seemed to have been specially designed to make someone who already felt small feel even smaller. He rarely saw his parents, who were always busy being the King and Queen; and, unlike other children, the Prince never spent time dreaming about what he would be when he grew up because he knew that when his father died, he would become King. It was his destiny.The only person who treated the Prince like a normal child was the Bootman. Understanding that everyone needs something to call their own, the Bootman gave the Prince a pen with invisible ink and a special torch that allowed him to create a world that only he could see.One night, as the Prince was drawing on the curtains that surrounded his bed, he noticed a small hole and beyond that a trapdoor, which led to the attic. And in the attic he found a window and a way to sneak out of the palace and experience the real world.THE INVISIBLE KINGDOM is about a small boy, a big imagination and learning to be your own person.

    They settle down on her big, old story blanket and listen to her imaginative tales.One day, Babba Zarrah notices that Nikolai needs new socks, but she has no yarn. "Every question has an answer," Babba Zarrah tells herself, "I just have to find it." So after the children leave, she unravels part of her story blanket and knits him some nice warm socks.As villagers start receiving mysterious gifts to keep them warm, the story blanket gets smaller and smaller until the children have nothing to sit on at story time. When the villagers finally discover Babba Zarrah's secret, they decide to give her a surprise of her own.This heartwarming story from Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz is a wonderful read-aloud experience, rich with themes of community, sharing, generosity, and kindness--with a touch of upcycling. Paired with Elena Odriozola's folk-tinged illustrations, this tale is one to read while cuddled up with the ones you love.Awards: Best Children's Books of the Year ―Bank Street College of EducationParents' Choice Silver Honor ―Parents' Choice Foundation

    She knows the name of every animal and every plant on the way and helps everyone in need. One particular Sunday she meets a little cat, Leo, who would like to join her on her journey. This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship and many more walks up the mountain. What will happen when Mrs Badger is too old to join Leo? A heartwarming story about friendship and generosity, that will inspire you to explore the outdoors

    Rauf, the award-winning and best-selling author of The Boy at the Back of the Class, comes another incredible story, told with humour and heart. Told from the perspective of a bully, this book explores themes of homelessness, while celebrating kindness, friendship and the potential everyone has to change for the good. Inspired by Onjali's own childhood experiences of growing up in London and seeing the impact of homelessness on those around her, The Night Bus Hero follows an unlikely friendship between our narrator and Thomas - who lives in the park. Can they get to the bottom of some unusual thefts taking place across the city, and discover what it takes to be a real hero?

    They like doing all the same things, and they always eat lunch together. Lily eats peanut butter and Salma eats hummus--but what's that between friends? It turns out, a lot. Before they know it, a food fight breaks out. Can Lily and Salma put aside their differences? Or will a sandwich come between them?The smallest things can pull us apart — until we learn that friendship is far more powerful than difference. In a glorious three-page gatefold at the end of the book, Salma, Lily, and all their classmates come together in the true spirit of tolerance and acceptance.

    during WWII—the only enemy ever to do so—and comes back 20 years later to apologize. The devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, drew the United States into World War II in 1941. But few are aware that several months later, the Japanese pilot Nobuo Fujita dropped bombs in the woods outside a small town in coastal Oregon. This is the story of those bombings, and what came after, when Fujita returned to Oregon twenty years later, this time to apologize.      This remarkable true story, beautifully illustrated in watercolor, is an important and moving account of reconciliation after war.

    So she never went out,night or day.One day a strange thing flies in through the window and lands at her feet. And then there comes a knock at the door. Elise has a visitor who will change everything.This is a gentle, sympathetic story about a child who unwittingly bringslight and colour—literally—into a lonely person’s life.

    They loved all other creatures - but each set wanted to exterminate the elephants that were not the same as themselves. Peace-loving individuals ran and hid in the deepest jungle, and battle commenced. The war-mongers all succeeded. For a long time it seemed that there were no elephants in the world at all, not of any colour. But then the descendants of the peace-loving ones emerged from the jungle, and by now they were all grey.

    A story of Hope and Sadness is written by Nicola Davies.

    The language is unfamiliar. Food, habits, games, and gestures are puzzling. They boy clings tightly to his special keepsake from home and wonders how he will find his way. How will he once again become the happy, confident kid he used to be? Walk in his shoes as he takes the first tentative steps toward discovering joy in his new world. A poignant and affirming view of the immigrant experience.

    And, just like that, a beguiling red fish leaps into her life. But is friendship a sea these two can navigate together? From debut Argentinian author-illustrator Cynthia Alonso comes a wordless picture book about the timeless beauty of nature, the transcendent power of connection, and the importance of letting go.