When I Were A Meerkat is an extension of the 100 000 selling Portico title When I Were A Lad. Already it has generated spin-offs: When I Were A School Lad & When I Were A Nipper. In Meerkat instead of raggedtrousered children scrabbling around the streets getting put in perilous positions
- the stock in trade of the previous books
- the north of England is populated with a small number of meerkats. They do their best to escape the grinding poverty & poor schooling to make a better life for themselves. Meerkats get put to work down the mines go to Blackpool for their holidays & mess about on trams. The meerkat world & the human world easily intermingle in a reworking of many of the photos first used in When I Were A Lad.

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The follow-up title to the soar-away success of When I Were A Lad... (9781906032845
- sales approaching 100 000) & When I Were
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When In Rome is a riotous hilarious gift book that highlights the varying differences between foreign etiquettes when you travel abroad. The book illustrates various nations cultural social etiquettes & customs & how funny confusing & downright ridiculous they are when compared to each other. The book is a rip-roaring guide to 50+ nations opposing gestures manners & ways of expressing themselves physically when their is a communication breakdown in the language barrier. For example never put your hands on your hips next to a Mexican (youre asking for a fight) & never give & Iranian a thumbs up (its rude). Trouble will ensue if you do! So your government urges you: take this amazing travel guide with you with you when abroad read it learn from it & if you happen to meet a foreign traveller (which will be inevitable) remember what youve learnt & please please please be on your best behaviour. Word count: 20 000 ...

Rome in the 1950s theres nowhere quite like it. The narrow stone streets the fountains & piazzas full of life in the heat of the day the cafes & bars full of music & desire by night... This is where Serafina calls home. Having grown-up with her sisters in a tiny apartment tucked in the top of a tumbledown building she has watched her mother get by on next to nothing & turn herself beautiful with a sweep of eyeliner & a h&-sewn dress. When her mother goes out Serafina & her sisters go singing in the nearest piazza busking for spare change & cinema tickets. The girls long to meet their matinee idols & Serafina daydreams of Mario Lanza & his spellbinding voice. But the sisters will grow up quickly & for Serafina a choice opens between the world she knows & the life she dreams of. A captivating tale of love & music food & passion let Nicky Pellegrino take you on a journey to a city of beauty & heartbreak at one of the most glamorous points in its magical history. ...

Rome in the 1950s there's nowhere quite like it. The narrow stone streets the fountains & piazzas full of life in the heat of the day the cafes & bars full of music & desire by night... This is where Serafina calls home. Having grown-up with her sisters in a tiny apartment tucked in the top of a tumbledown building she has watched her mother get by on next to nothing & turn herself beautiful with a sweep of eyeliner & a h&-sewn dress. When her mother goes out Serafina & her sisters go singing in the nearest piazza busking for spare change & cinema tickets. The girls long to meet their matinee idols & Serafina daydreams of Mario Lanza & his spellbinding voice. But the sisters will grow up quickly & for Serafina a choice opens between the world she knows & the life she dreams of. A captivating tale of love & music food & passion let Nicky Pellegrino take you on a journey to a city of beauty & heartbreak at one of the most glamorous points in its magical history. ...

When everything grinds to a halt because of the snow one small boy & his teddy bear refuse to allow the weather to spoil their fun. They embark on an amazing journey in which they ride a polar bear & meet huge snowmen an ice queen fairies elves a giant reindeer & Father Christmas. & at the very end of the story in a wonderfully cosy & festive fireside scene theres a clever twist
- he has simply become immersed in the magical scenes of his favourite book.
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One of four charming board books by the best-selling creator of Percy the Park Keeper featuring toddler Sam & his six toy animal friends. Perfect books for babies & toddlers. When it is time for bed there is lots to do
- & not just for Sam
- its a busy time of day for his toys as well! Hippo has to use the potty & Millie the elephant needs a good bath. Whitey the bear is fun to hug when it is time to get dry & Wilson the giraffe likes a drink & a story. Croc is very good about cleaning his teeth
- & he has so many! Then it is time for everyone to snuggle into bed
- if they will all fit that is...



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Set at the turn of the 19th century this is the story of a young girls adventure. Voyaging across the sea to a new life in America Jessie leaves behind her village home & her beloved Grandmother to whom she entrusts a precious keepsake hoping that one day they will be reunited. ...

Jonathan Paul goes behind the sensationalist headlines of 'child killers' to investigate why these crimes happen. He examines child homicide in today's violent confusing world & contextualises it against the cruel unforgiving retribution of yesterday. Children are increasingly experimenting with drugs & committing offences but there are those who commit the worst possible crimes: to end another person's life before their own could properly have begun. The cases are shocking but sometimes the path towards them is even more so. This is a fascinating exploration of disturbing events aimed at discovering what happens when childhood is trodden underfoot & when & why kids kill. ...

The greatest mass extinction in Earths history happened some 251 million years ago. In this cataclysm at least 90 percent of life was killed both on land & in the sea almost bringing evolution to a halt. What caused destruction on such an unimaginable scale? Was it the impact of a huge meteorite or prolonged volcanic eruption in Siberia? In this acclaimed book newly available in paperback Michael Benton assembles all the evidence & gives his verdict. ...