Descriptosaurus is the first book for creative writing that is a thematic expansion of a dictionary & a thesaurus. It provides children with a comprehensive resource with which to expand their descriptive vocabulary experiment with language & sentence structure & build up narratives based around the following areas: Settings
- landscapes settlements & atmosphers Characters
- appearance emotions & personality Creatures
- appearance abilities & habitats. This model was created as a result of feedback from children as to the resources they required to inspire & assist them with their writing. For reluctant writers or those faced with blank page syndrome Descriptosaurus provides useful starting points to encourage putting pen to paper. Using Descriptosaurus will not only inspire children it will build their confidence & dramatically improve the content of their writing.


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Reviews of the first edition This book is a treasure trove of descriptive language... Highly recommended for both teachers & parents. I wish I'd had a copy of this book when I was a full time English teacher! Invest in a copy today; you'll be glad you did." Sue Cowley bestselling author teacher & teacher trainer " Help to banish 'blank page syndrome' for ever with this innovative book... Created by teacher Alison Wilcox this inspirational book will build children's confidence in their writing ability." Literacy Times Plus "A real 'godsend' to hard-pressed teachers parents & pupils." Denis Hayes author of Foundations of Primary Teaching Reviews of the second edition '...the addition of the CD is perfect for the modern day classroom...fantastic!' Emma Palastanga primary deputy head ' The...book/CD will be so helpful to teachers who are struggling to think of different ways to say things & will enhance their planning & teaching. As a classroom resource it will be invaluable.' Elaine Smitheman primary school teacher Now available with a CD-ROM for classroom use Descriptosaurus is the first book for creative writing that is a thematic expansion of a dictionary & a thesaurus. It provides children with a comprehensive resource with which to expand their descriptive vocabulary experiment with language & sentence structure & build up narratives based around the following areas: Settings
- landscapes settlements & atmosphere Characters
- appearance emotions & personality & Creatures
- appearance abilities & habitats. New features for the second edition include: IWB compatible CD-ROM containing all the main elements of the book New VCOP coverage Expanded coverage of adverbs & connectives New planning sheets to help children organise & structure descriptions Character cards games & mountain pyramid vocabulary builders The Descriptosaurus model was created & refined over a number of years as a result of feedback from children inside & outside the classroom as to the resources they required to inspire & assist them with their writing. For reluctant writers or those faced with blank page syndrome it provides essential starting points to encourage putting pen to paper. Using Descriptosaurus will not only inspire children it will build their confidence & dramatically improve the content of their writing. This is an ideal resource for all KS2 primary & KS3 secondary English teachers literacy coordinators & parents keen to support their childrens' creative writing. It would also make an excellent classroom book for PGCE students particularly Primary PGCE with English specialism."


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Hyper Arid is the first comprehensive photographic book on all of the worlds extreme deserts (defined for the purposes of this book as those that receive no ore than 4 inches of precipitation per year) the most remote & inhospitable places on earth. It is also a visual adventure story by one of the worlds top expedition photographers who has spent the last 15 years on this epic body of work. The stunning & surreally beautiful photographs are enriched with stories from his adventures in the worlds most difficult places: smuggling his aircraft into Libya getting arrested fro spying in Iran crashing into a tree in Western China & into the ocean off the coast of Mexico. The book is a comprehensive exploration of virtually every dune field & patch of barren ground that add up to the last great class of wilderness left on our planet. To visualize these remote places in a unique way Steinmetz learned how to fly the worlds lightest & slowest aircraft a motorized paraglider. This experimental foot launched aircraft consists of a backpack motor & a parachute style wing that lets him fly low & slow to take pictures of places that have never been seen before. Together these extraordinary places are like a disparate family of co evolved landscapes each similar but uniquely beautiful. ...

He is waiting... He is watching... He will hunt her down. Angel is on the run. Her mother is dead her body buried in a shallow grave by her latest boyfriend Scotty a ruthless illegal hunter who is prone to violence & who now wants Angel dead before she can talk to the police. Angel has lived through more than a young girl should have but shes determined to stay alive. But in the scorching heat of the open desert where can she hide? ...

Money was tight in rural Fellburn in the 1880s & this perhaps explained why Hector Stewart only two years after the death of his wife announced to his children that he was to marry Moira Conelly a wealthy distant relative from Irel&. But Moira had not been entirely honest about her background or her finances & had convinced herself she would be marrying into landed gentry complete with a lifestyle to which she felt entitled. It was with surprise therefore that she first saw the run down farm that would be her new home.. . ...

Sultan Gadaffi has escaped from Libya with a fistful of dangerous secrets. The British Government want ex-Special Forces operative Steve Range the go-to man for any Black-Ops missions to lead an ultra-covert mercenary group to seize him from his near-impregnable desert stronghold. Saed is defended by Tuareg warriors armed to the teeth with stolen NATO hardware. If Range's team can somehow overcome them then they will earn themselves gold bullion worth $500 million. But as the bullets begin to fly & the body count rises Range realises that he's been double-crossed. Unwilling to lose the gold he begins to contemplate cutting a deal with the devil. ...

Waris Dirie (the name means desert flower) lives a double life
- by day she is a famous model & UN spokeswoman on women's rights
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For seventy years now " Desert Island Discs" has managed that rare feat
- to be both enduring & relevant. By casting away the biggest
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Flotsam & Jetsam" is the ultimate trivia book for fans of the popular BBC Radio 4 programme " Desert Island Discs" & a fascinating introduction for all those who have yet to discover its delights. Taking the reader through seven decades of wonderful entertainment here is an absorbing range of facts figures & miscellany
- including who chose what & why. It also reveals much about the castaways drives & motivations their influences & of course their lives. Spanning the early years with the original presenter Roy Plomley & the present day the " Desert Island Discs" programme has brought its own unique surprises to listeners some very personal some humorous such as Eric Morecambes choice of a deckchair as his luxury & Ernie Wises of a deckchair ticket machine. From Beethoven to the Beatles from chessboards & chocolate to Jane Austen & Zola " Flotsam & Jetsam" is the perfect companion guide to the national treasure that is " Desert Island Discs"."
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With the heart-stopping speed of a whirling dervish this thrilling critically acclaimed debut novel from new talent Howard Andrew Jones sweeps into the glittering tradition of sword-&-sorcery. In 8th century Baghdad the scholar Dabir realizes that a jewelled tablet may unlock secrets hidden within the lost city of Ubar a desert Atlantis. But when the tablet is stolen Dabir & Captain Asim go after it
- a life-or-death adventure of a lifetime...
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