The exceptional talents behind some of the nation's best-loved books - from The Gruffalo to The BFG, We're Going on a Bear Hunt to the Charlie and Lola series - the Children's Laureates are the perfect ambassadors for children's literature.
It's been twenty wonderful years of the Laureateship and now all ten former honourees have banded together to celebrate the only way they know how: through stories, poems and pictures . Among others, Quentin Blake tells the stories behind his pictures of weird and wonderful beasts, Michael Morpurgo draws on childhood memories for a moving wartime tale and Michael Rosen plays with language and shapes in his witty, read-aloud poems. Each contribution is designed to inspire children to create their own work and is accompanied by a note from the authors - rare insights from the finest talent in the world of children's books.
Above all else, Flights of Fancy celebrates the Laureateship's most important achievement: encouraging children to let their imagination soar.
The Kingdom of Thrynne is a place where fairy tales don't behave, and magic can be found in unexpected places. But magic brings danger to Zam, Phoebe and Bathsheba, because it is forbidden. Now, the future of magic itself is under threat from powerful enemies: those who fear it and, worse, those who want to use it for their own ends. What can three ordinary children do to protect it?
In Guardians of Magic the award-winning, 2015-2017 UK Children's Laureate Chris Riddell weaves together a quest in which three ordinary children, with extraordinary gifts, come together to defeat the enemies who threaten the mysterious cloud horses. This is the first title in The Cloud Horse Chronicles series.
Little Green Raincape is on her way to Rapunzel's party, deep in the wild woods. The way is long and dark, but Green is a smart girl. Smart enough to turn down apples offered by kindly old ladies, smart enough to turn down travel advice from helpful wolves, and above all, smart enough to solve a wealth of classic fairy tale problems - not least mend a lovelorn beast's broken heart.
Once Upon a Wild Wood is a richly imagined story packed full of familiar fairy tale characters as you've never seen them before. Including Red Riding Hood, Thumbelina, Rapunzel, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, the three bears, the seven dwarfs and many more!
If he didn't get out of the city now, he was as good as dead.
Cade has never met his uncle, the infamous 'descender' Nate Quarter, who years ago committed heresy by lowering himself over the cliff-face of the Edge. But Nate has returned, and the Academy of Flight are looking for revenge against all of his supporters - including Cade. So now he has to run.
With no money and nowhere else to go, Cade's only option is to stow away aboard the Xanth Filatine - a mighty sky-ship bound for the city of Hive. But getting onto the ship is only the beginning of his troubles as he runs afoul of thieving goblins, brutal skymarshals, and the unpleasant-sounding threat of 'skyfiring' . . .
Stewart and Riddell return to the world of the Edge Chronicles with the first in a brand new series of adventures starring Cade Quarter.
Welcome to a world like no other. Welcome to the Edge.
Cade Quarter is building a new life for himself in the wild of the Farrow Ridges, miles away from civilization - and from the enemies who are seeking him. His lakeside home is idyllic, and he lives a peaceful existence with his prowlgrin, Rumblix and Tug, the nameless one.
But when his new home is threatened by villainous mire-pearlers, Cade and his friends must find a way to defend the land they love. The arrival of the ship Doombringer means Cade must leave the Farrow Ridges and compete in an ultimate challenge to bring aid to the Lakes.
The second book of the Cade Saga, part of the Edge Chronicles.
Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Descenders written by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, read by Dominic Thorburn.
Celebrate twenty years of The Edge Chronicles with this thrilling conclusion to Stewart and Riddell’s multi-bestselling epic fantasy series!
Cade Quarter has spent the last few years of his life running from an enemy he’s never even met – the ruthless and power-hungry High Professor of Flight, Quove Lentis. But Quove’s deadly agenda has finally caught up with Cade, and now he must leave his home and flee once more, this time to the legendary floating city of New Sanctaphrax. But even reuniting with his uncle, Nate Quarter, isn’t the end of Cade’s troubles – and now, more than ever, he must find the courage to defy his enemies, unite his friends, and unlock the secrets of descending.
The Descenders is the third and final book in the Cade trilogy - the fifth and final saga in Stewart and Riddell’s internationally bestselling series, The Edge Chronicles, which has featured on the Times and New York Times bestseller lists, and sold more than 3 million copies. 2018 marks twenty years of the series, now complete with thirteen titles across five separate but interlinking sagas.
Lord Goth is throwing a music festival at Ghastly-Gorm Hall, with performances from the finest composers in the land. Ada can't wait, but it's quite distracting when her grandmother is trying to find her father a fashionable new wife, there's a faun living in her wardrobe and Maltravers is up to his old tricks. Ada must make sure everything goes to plan... and luckily help is at hand from a very interesting house guest.
Ottoline is back in Ottoline and the Purple Fox, a brand new adventure from Children's Laureate, Chris Riddell.
Ottoline and Mr Munroe love puzzles, clues and mysteries. One day, they meet an enigmatic purple fox, who offers to take them on a night-time urban safari. The fox shows them all the hidden animals of the city and Ottoline makes notes on them in her field notebook. Mr Munroe is making notes too - on the anonymous poems he finds stuck to lampposts on their journey. Who is the secretive poet, and how can he and Ottoline help them mend their broken heart?
Includes a free fold-up-and-keep fortune teller!
People are flocking to Ghastly-Gorm Hall to compete in Lord Goth's Literary Dog Show. The judges are in place and the contestants are all ready to win. But there's something strange going on at Ghastly-Gorm - mysterious footprints, howls in the night and some suspiciously chewed shoes. Can Ada, the Attic Club and their new friends the Vicarage sisters work out what's going on before the next full moon?'
If his inventions go wrong, Wendel just throws them away and starts again. So when Clunk, his robot assistant, fills the sock drawer with cups and saucers and makes tea in a Wellington boot, Wendel throws him on the scrapheap and makes himself a new assistant: the Wendelbot. But he gets more than he bargained for, and soon Wendel finds himself on the scrapheap. Can he win back his workshop from the mighty Wendelbot? Let the robot battle commence!
Wendel and the Robots is a very funny adventure full of crazy inventions and magnificent robots from award-winning author and illustrator Chris Riddell - with a subtle environmental message. Available in mini hardback edition, it's a perfect gift and an ideal stocking filler.
Also available as a mini hardback: The Emperor of Absurdia.
Wer möchte nicht in einem Schloss leben, wo opulente Gärten zum Lustwandeln einladen und köstliches Essen unter silbernen Servierglocken wartet? Auf Schloss Gormengraus sind die Gärten allerdings verwildert, und die Köchin serviert Speisen wie Pinguinzungen-Sorbet und Nashornfußsülze. Daran hat sich Ada, die Tochter des reichen Lord von Goth, längst gewöhnt - doch sie ist einsam. Eines Tages erscheint Ishmael, die Geistermaus, in ihrem Zimmer. Durch sie findet Ada neue Freunde und kommt unheimlichen Machenschaften auf die Schliche...
Introducing Miss Ottoline Brown, an exceptionally inquisitive Mistress of Disguise, and her partner in crime, Mr. Munroe. No puzzle is ever too tricky for the two of them to solve . . .
Ottoline lives in a stylish apartment in Big City with a small hairy creature called Mr. Munroe. Together they look after the Brown family's eclectic collections - and dabble in a spot of detective work. So they are the first to the scene of the crime when a string of high-society dog-nappings and jewel thefts hits Big City. Ottoline (who luckily has a diploma from the Who-R-U Academy of Disguise) and Mr. Munroe go undercover - and expose an ingenious scam masterminded by furry feline crook, the Yellow Cat.
Ottoline and the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell is a quirky mystery-adventure read aloud by actress Ronni Ancona.
