The Last Wolf
Michael Morpurgo

Michael Morpurgo has created a sweeping and dramatic story in the time of Bonnie Prince Charlie. This spellbinding tale is complemented perfectly by Michael Foreman's illustrations.

Robbie McLeod and a wolf cub, both orphaned, venture far from their birthplace, a land of rebellious fighters and vicious redcoats. There is little constancy in Robbie's adventurous life, save for the companionship of his wolf. But when at last Robbie finds a place where he can peacefully make his home, he knows in his heart that the wolf must find his own natural home too . . .

Cat In The Manger
Michael Foreman

Long ago, in a faraway land, a cat lived in a barn. Of course, he had to share it with all the other animals: cows and chickens - and mice! Then, one wintry night, the door flew open and in came a man and a woman on a donkey...

Hair In Funny Places
Babette Cole

Girls and boys are always curious and sometimes even alarmed by the behaviour of their bodies as they grow up. Puberty being a particularly unsettling time, Babette Cole has made this the subject of the fifth title in her bestselling series of 'family dilemmas'. Who else but Babette would have the temerity to tackle this subject in a picture book and the genius to carry it off! In Hair in Funny Places her artwork is without exaggeration some of the best she has ever done: it is brilliant. The text takes the form of a conversation between a small girl and her teddy bear, and is ingenious and funny. It is the behaviour of Mr and Mrs Hormone (wonderfully depicted) which is responsible for and plays havoc with the physical and emotional states of girls and boys throughout puberty. This book is bound to be controversial but Babette has never taken the conventional path and her readers love her for her outrageous approach to little mentioned topics.

Ug : Boy Genius Of The Stone Age And His Search For Soft Trousers
Raymond Briggs

Ug and his parents are living in the Stone Age. And that means stone blankets, stone cold food, an even colder cave and, worst of all, hard stone trousers! Being an inquisitive and intelligent child, Ug suggests a series of modifications to improve the quality of family life. His ideas about heating, cooking, boats, and balls that actually bounce are met with a hostile reaction by his parents who don't know what he's going on about. Even Ug himself is occasionally unsure of the purpose of his inventions - his round stone that rolls down the hill is great, but what is it actually for? With the help of his father, who is slowly coming round to his son's way of thinking, Ug comes tantalisingly close to his ultimate garment goal, only to find that there are some obstacles even a boy genius can't overcome.

Elmer And The Stranger
David McKee

One day Elmer and his friends meet a stranger, called Kangaroo, and he's got a problem. He can bounce, but he can't jump. He's been practising secretly for the jumping competition but he just keeps falling over. Lion is confused - is there a difference between a bounce and a jump? Elmer explains that Kangaroo thinks there is, he thinks a jump is much more difficult and that's why he can't do it. But with a little encouragement from Elmer, Kangaroo wins the jumping competition and turns himself from a stranger into a friend.

Fantastic Daisy Artichoke
Quentin Blake

Postcards From No Man's Land
Aidan Chambers

What happens to Jacob Todd when he visits his grandfather's grave at the annual commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem is paralleled in time by the events of the dramatic day in World War Two when retreating troops were sheltered by the family of Geertrui Van Riet. Geertrui, now an old lady, reveals secrets to Jacob in contemporary Amsterdam which completely overturn his view of himself and his country, and lead him to question his very place in the world.

Malorie Blackman Biography
Verna Wilkins

Malorie Blackman is a highly successful children’s author with over fifty books to her name.
She began by studying business before moving on to computing. By her early thirties she had realised her dream of being a full time writer of both books and TV dramas.

Benjamin Zephaniah Biography
Verna Wilkins

Growing up poor and on the move, Benjamin Zephaniah didn’t tap into his true potential until he had sunk into the depths of despair.

His way with words, his mother’s love and his strong sense of community helped him to overcome the obstacles in his path.

The moving story of a man who informs and amuses people all over the world with his love of life and his rapping rhythms.