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Publisher: Otter-Barry Books Ltd

Poetry

Wild Town is a place…
“where nothing’s locked inside a cage
where danger leaps from off the page
where wild is a fact of life
and words are sharpened like a knife”

Do you dare to come to Wild Town?

You’ll find zebras dancing in Herbivoreville, or if you feel like a change, book into the Chrysalis Hotel in Fluttertown – no room service. Watch out for the tigers of Bengal Street in the Carnivore Quarter and maybe avoid the fish tank in number 3, Danger Close – it’s stocked with piranhas and electric eels. In Wolf Park you may come across a silent, stalking wolf and at the Wild Town Rec polar bears are pushing on the slide and orcas are in the paddling pool. While at the quiet end of town dormice are sleeping and grumpy Bertha the Bear is slumbering.

One thing is certain – you will never be the same after a visit to Wild Town, and when you leave, the wild will go with you….

An exciting poetry adventure, a journey of wild encounters in streets, houses and parks – this is an astonishing and brilliant poetry collection by two of the UK’s most admired poets. Illustrated with verve and wit by the internationally bestselling illustrator Korky Paul.

Non-fiction

From Aud the Deep-Minded, an early voyager to Iceland, and Sacagawea who guided the Lewis and Clark expedition across the USA, to Mae Jemison, the first black woman in space and Arunima Sinha, the first woman amputee to climb Mount Everest, this book shows the incredible courage, determination and power of women explorers over the last 1200 years.

These women have led the way exploring lands, oceans, mountains, skies and space, but have also made pioneering discoveries in the fields of science, nature, archaeology, ecology and more.

The lives of these women, told as personal stories, are an inspiration to us all.

Graphic Novel

Peter is just an ordinary boy, who loves playing football with his friends and eating cake – until war comes to his city and the whole family have to go into hiding.

This powerful graphic novel is based on a true story.

Short story collection

Stories and poems from a galaxy of authors and poets, highlighting a range of children’s rights from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, including:

The right to life, survival and development
The right to protection from violence, abuse and neglect
The right to education, to reach full potential
The right to be raised by or have a relationship with parents
The right to express opinions and be listened to
Jake Hope, a leading authority on contemporary children’s literature, has chosen stories from Cathy Cassidy, Maisie Chan, Joseph Coelho, AM Dassu, Anne Fine, Paul Jennings, Chitra Soundar and Elizabeth Laird; and poems from Valerie Bloom, Sita Brahmachari, Dom Conlon, Nicola Davies, Jamila Gavin, Maurice Gleitzman, CG Moore, Jackie Morris, Beverley Naidoo, RR O’Neill, Rashmi Sirdeshpande, Jordan Stephens and Benjamin Zephaniah.

The illustrators are Ruthine Burton, Chih-An Chen and Habiba Nabisubi, who have just graduated from the Pop-Up Pathways project, a national initiative sponsored by the Arts Council, that develops emerging illustrators from under-represented groups.

Picturebook

Make fir cones into little owls and paper plates into animal masks. Turn a cardboard box into a fantastic castle and odd socks into fun puppets. You can even use an old sink to make a wonderful wildlife pond, with water lilies and even frogs.

Follow Dragonfly Nursery as they get creative and discover the fun of ‘upcycling’. Simple Make-It instructions are included.

Rubbish? Not any more!

Picturebook

Small Stanley wants to be BRAVE and FEARLESS like the superheroes in his books, but Stanley’s world seems to be stuffed with scary things like … earwigs and DOGS and the DARK and getting lost and even Santa…

Then Grandad comes to the rescue. “Write a list,” he says, and Stanley does! As Stanley’s list grows bigger and bigger, find out how Grandad, a wild wind and Stanley’s friends all help Small Stanley to conquer his fears.

A funny, reassuring story about how to deal with worries – perfect for sharing.

Picturebook

Tom and Mot are best friends. On their birthday, Tom gives Mot a feather – but could it be a feather from the most spectacular bird in the world? Mot gives Tom a marble – or is it the smallest planet in the universe?

Tom would like to give a whale, a dolphin, a sea monster, an elephant, while Mot would give rivers, mountains, forests and even the sun!

But after a joyful day playing together, what is the best present of all? This beautiful story of imagination and friendship is perfect for sharing.

Picturebook

What can we do
when Mother Earth needs our help?
From one to ten we’re counting green
to keep our planet safe and clean.

From one new tree and two breezy bicycle wheels to seven beach pick-ups, nine wild flowers and ten friendly neighbours, follow a group of children as they discover how every small action can make a big difference and help to save our Earth.

Illustrated with the simplicity, warmth and charm which Barroux is famous for, Counting in Green is an inspirational picture book, encouraging young children and their families to push for change and keep our planet safe and secure for all living things.

Picturebook

“When Papa lifts me onto his shoulders I can see the whole world.”

One little boy in South Africa has just started school. When Mama takes him, they hurry along – but there’s always time for a kiss at the school gate. When Gogo takes him they go slow and feed the hungry cat on the way. When it’s Tata’s turn they walk through the park and splash in puddles. But the best days of all are when Papa takes him to school, lifts him high on his shoulders and tells him, “I love you.”

A heart-warming celebration of family and fathers, with beautiful, atmospheric paintings portraying the everyday life of a loving extended family.

Chapter book

In these four interlinked stories about Nikhil and Jay and their family, there’s always fun and mischief. Grandad and Granny come to visit from India and show the boys that the best way to eat mangoes is in the bath! There’s a Star Birthday for Nikhil, with a special Indian Feast. Another day the family all go for a banana picnic in the park. Everyone is sad when it’s time for Granny and Grandad to go back to India, but Nikhil and Jay promise to send letters and pictures.

The Nikhil and Jay stories are perfect for children moving on from picture books to longer stories, helped by Soofiya’s lively and characterful illustrations.

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