‘Why do they call him Black Jake? Is it because of his hair?’ Titty asked. ‘Because of his heart’ said Peter Duck The Swallows and Amazons, as well as Captain Flint and the ancient able seaman Peter Duck, set sail on the Wild Cat bound for the Channel. But they are shadowed by the Viper, manned by none other than...

The story of Robin Hood, said Roger Lancelyn Green can never die, nor cease to fire the imagination. Like the old fairy tales it must be told and told again, for it is touched with enchantment. Placing his hero's legendary history in the reign of Richard I of England. Roger Lancelyn Green has used as his sources the ballads, romances...

First published in 1842, Robert Browning's poetic version of the legend about the lost children of Hamelin is sub-titled 'A Child's Story' and was originally intended only for the private enjoyment of Willie Macready, young son of the famous actor. Once in print, it became a perennial favourite with generations of children (and compilers of poetry anthologies for children!) Kate...

Described on the title-page of the first edition as 'the autobiography of her horse, translated from the original equine', BLACK BEAUTY was Anna Sewell's only book, written when she fatally ill but determined to record her passopnate indignation at the insensitive behaviour of people towards animals. It has been loved by children ever since its first publication in 1877, just...

This classic of the English countryside, . first published in 1908, is a favourite with readers of all ages. As the late Margery Fisher wrote, 'Adults are sadly aware of the figure of Grahame himself, languishing in a city office and longing for the river: children respond to the fun, the anarchy of Toad and the entrancing detail as Grahame's...

'There's something in the sky... something terrible!' On the night of the great storm, a mysterious new planet suddently appears in the sky. Orbiting the sun between Mercury and Venus, the huge blue-grey sphere has scientists baffled as probes reveal its surface to be flat and bare and its interior liquid. Eleven-year-old Orville, absorbed in witing for his favourite pigeon...

When their father's business fails, the six Bastable children decide to restore the family fortunes. But although they think of many ingenious ways to do so, their well meant efforts are either more fun than profitable, or lead to trouble... ...

The five original fairy tales included in this volume were first published by Davis Nutt in 1888. Although it is said that Wilde wrote them for his two young sons, the author himself claimed they were '. . . . not for children, but for childlike people from eighteen to eighty'. Since then the stories have been constantly reprinted and,...

A lively, humorous retelling for children of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, by award-winning author Geraldine McCaughrean. ...

A reissue of TALKING TURKEYS by street poet Benjamin Zephaniah. Talking Turkeys is an unconventional collection of straight-talking poems about heroes, revolutions, racism, love and animal rights, among other subjects, that will entice many new readers to poetry. It is his very first ground-breaking children's poetry collection - playful, clever and provocative - this is performance poetry on the page...