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Picturebook

Discover the world’s most famous ballets, including Swan Lake, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, Spartacus, and The Firebird accompanied by 10 sound clips of child-friendly pieces.

Learn about the music and stories of ballet in the second book of The Very Young Person’s Guide To… series.

Pull on your pointe shoes and follow our heroes as they explore beautiful scenes inspired by some of ballet’s most loved music, including Swan Lake, Giselle, The Nutcracker, Spartacus, and The Firebird. Young readers can discover iconic moments including Swan Lake’s Dance of the Cygnets, The Clog Dance from La Fille Mal Gardée, and Don Quixote’s Dance of the Matadors. Original illustrations capture the beautiful story of the ballet, while the sound button brings the composer’s dazzling pieces to life. Every spread features fascinating facts about the ballet, performers, the composer, and the music.

Ideal for young children starting music and dance lessons, The Very Young Person’s Guide to Ballet Music is guaranteed to delight and inspire.

Picturebook

A celebratory, inclusive and educational exploration of Lunar New Year for both children that celebrate and children who want to understand and appreciate their peers who do.

Lunar New Year captures the magic of the celebration by exploring how Ling and her family enjoy the biggest Chinese festival of the year. The new year festival lasts for 15 days full of preparation, celebration and symbolism. Join Ling, her sister Mei and granny Po Po as they clean the house from top to bottom, pick fresh flowers from the garden, visit friends and family, and carry red lanterns through their neighbourhood. Ling invites the reader into her home and family, allowing the reader to experience this special celebration first-hand through an authentic narrative non-fiction story.

A fun 16-page ‘factivity’ section follows the story and delves into more detail about how the festival is celebrated in China and beyond. Enriching activities are also included, such as guess the riddle, make your own red envelope and a recipe to make delicious Lunar New Year ‘pot sticker’ dumplings.

Learn all about the magic of Lunar New Year, by exploring:
The preparations in the lead-up to the festival
The Reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve
New Year’s day fireworks
Dragon dancing and the New Year Monster
The lantern festival
… and more!

In the Celebrations & Festivals series, you are invited into a family’s celebrations as you explore the magic and excitement of religious and cultural festivals around the world. The heart-warming story is followed by a fun ‘factivity’ section packed with information on the festival in more detail along with activities, recipes and craft projects to enjoy.

Non-fictionPicturebook

Unfold a world of discovery.

Small, Speckled Egg takes young readers from the small and familiar to new areas of knowledge where they really have to think big!

It starts with an egg that hatches into one of the most impressive birds on the planet – an Arctic tern. Watch her grow, learn to fly, and start her long migration from the Arctic to Antarctica and back again. A journey she does every year of her life.

Her lifecycle is turned into this easy-to-read story and the beautiful illustrations transport you to chilly polar landscapes. Additional captions are packed with information for able readers to expand on new areas of knowledge. The book touches on KS1 primary science topics: the lifecycle of a bird, food chains, migration, seasons and polar regions.

At the back of the book there is a giant fold-out map that includes a fun I-Spy game to take children back into the book to find the polar animals.

A brilliant addition to any home or school library with lots of detail that will be returned to again and again.

Look out for more science-based picture books in the Start Small, Think Big series including Little, Brown Nut.

Picturebook

Lift-the-Flap Fairy Tales: The Three Billy Goats Gruff is a fresh, modern and wonderfully witty take on the much-loved story, retold in a playful rhyme and accompanied by bright and funny illustrations.

Flaps to lift on every page bring to life the classic story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff and their perilous journey across the river. Take a peek under the bridge to see who’s hiding there, see the troll jump out at the goats, and watch him go tumbling down into the river – SPLASH!

Featuring a free audio reading, complete with music and sound effects! Just scan the QR code on the book with your smart device to hear the story. With this bonus audio feature, you can listen to the story wherever you are, and follow along with the book by turning the pages when you hear the chime.

Picturebook

An uplifting picture book about loving your name, finding your voice and standing up for yourself.

Mirha is so excited for her first day of school! She can’t wait to learn, play and make new friends. But when her classmates keep mispronouncing her name, she goes home wondering if she should find a new one.

When Mama helps Mirha see just how special her name is, she returns to school the next day determined to help her classmates say it correctly.

Featuring beautiful, vibrant illustrations and with an empowering message at its core, this heartwarming picture book from author-illustrator Anoosha Syed reminds us all just how important our names are!

Picturebook

JoJo and Gran Gran are off to the hairdresser’s! Featuring favourite characters from the hit CBeebies show, this book is perfect for sharing with little JoJo & Gran Gran fans.

JoJo goes to the hairdresser for the first time ever with Gran Gran, and learns all about how much fun it can be to help out. She even has her hair done, too!

About the show
JoJo & Gran Gran is the first British-made animated show to feature a black family at its centre. It is based on characters created by Laura Henry Allain, whose own grandmother inspired the character of Gran Gran. Each episode shows a loving relationship a grandmother has with her granddaughter, a celebration of their shared world heritage and wonderful introduction to key preschool first experiences.

JoJo adores her grandma, Gran Gran, and they love to spend time together while JoJo’s Mummy and Daddy are at work. Gran Gran always has something exciting planned when JoJo comes to visit.

Each picture book will retell the story of a well-loved TV episode, followed by a picture glossary and activity spread to encourage readers to take the themes from the book into their everyday lives.

Picturebook

JoJo and Gran Gran are off to find a dinosaur! Featuring favourite characters from the hit CBeebies show, this book is perfect for sharing with little JoJo & Gran Gran fans.

JoJo loves to play with her toy dinosaurs in Gran Gran’s garden. Today, JoJo and Gran Gran go the museum to find a T Rex skeleton and learn more about dinosaurs, but the museum is very big and they get lost! It’s time for a Gran Gran Plan . . .

About the show
JoJo & Gran Gran is the first British-made animated show to feature a black family at its centre. It is based on characters created by Laura Henry Allain MBE, whose own grandmother inspired the character of Gran Gran. Each episode shows a loving relationship a grandmother has with her granddaughter, a celebration of their shared world heritage and wonderful introduction to key preschool first experiences.

JoJo adores her grandma, Gran Gran, and they love to spend time together while JoJo’s Mummy and Daddy are at work. Gran Gran always has something exciting planned when JoJo comes to visit.

Each picture book will retell the story of a well-loved TV episode, followed by a picture glossary and activity spread to encourage readers to take the themes from the book into their everyday lives.

Picturebook

After a busy day, it’s time for Zeki to slow down… One by one, his senses get ready to sleep. The room is hushed, the lights low – and after a dozy story, he’s already beginning to nod off. A gentle companion to Zeki Rise & Shine, this is a perfect way to end the day.

Picturebook

After a big sleep, it’s time for Zeki to wake up! His eyes, ears, mouth & nose, head, shoulders, knees & toes shimmy, shake and bounce into action. By the last spread, he’s ready for anything! An energetic companion to Zeki Sleep Tight, this is a perfect way to start the day.

Picturebook

A bedtime lullaby for the special baby in your life.

Baby, sleepy baby, I’ll sing down the stars
Till they dance right into your room.

A beautiful and lyrical book that celebrates the warmth and tenderness of wrapping baby in night-time’s embrace. Based on a Nigerian lullaby sung to Atinuke by her father, this story delights in the magical moments shared with a whole family and their baby at bedtime.

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