An utterly special anniversary edition of the very first Clarice Bean novel.

Clarice Bean, aspiring actress and author, emulates her favorite book heroine, detective and spy Ruby Redfort, when someone steals a trophy for a school project and to help a friend in need, and worries when her best friend plans to move away.

Meet the fabulously feisty Clarice Bean! In this hilarious picture book from Children's Laureate, Lauren Child. All Clarice Bean wants is a bit of peace and quiet. But that can be hard to find in a house where your little brother is being utterly annoying, your big brother is in the dark tunnel of adolescence and your grandad's pouring soup on his cornflakes . . . A true picture book classic, this is the book that launched the award-winning, bestselling Clarice Bean series! Packed with quirky details and humour, this is perfect for children who are ready to start making the transition from younger picture books to independent reading, "A fresh, playful, wonderfully chaotic look at family life that will make you laugh out loud" Independent Winner of the Smarties Book Prize

Clarice Bean, aspiring actress and author, unsuccessfully tries to avoid getting into trouble as she attempts to help a friend in need by following the rules of the fictional, "exceptionordinarily" spy, Ruby Redfort.

When her best friend announces that she is moving away, Clarice Bean has a new entry for her "Worry" journal and hopes that something will happen to change things back to the way they were.

Children will love to mimic the actions in this first concept board book - featuring the brilliantly funny Charlie and Lola. Ages 3+.

When Lola is worried about starting school, her older brother Charlie reassures her.

The last thirty years have witnessed one of the most fertile periods in the history of children's books: the flowering of imaginative illustration and writing, the Harry Potter phenomenon, the rise of young adult and crossover fiction, and books that tackle extraordinarily difficult subjects. The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature provides an indispensable and fascinating reference guide to the world of children's literature. Its 3,500 entries cover every genre from fairy tales to chapbooks; school stories to science fiction; comics to children's hymns. Originally published in 1983, the Companion has been comprehensively revised and updated by Daniel Hahn. Over 900 new entries bring the book right up to date. A whole generation of new authors and illustrators are showcased, with books like Dogger, The Hunger Games, and Twilight making their first appearance. There are articles on developments such as manga, fan fiction, and non-print publishing, and there is additional information on prizes and prizewinners. This accessible A to Z is the first place to look for information about the authors, illustrators, printers, publishers, educationalists, and others who have influenced the development of children's literature, as well as the stories and characters at their centre. Written both to entertain and to instruct, the highly acclaimed Oxford Companion to Children's Literature is a reference work that no one interested in the world of children's books should be without.

Over the past 15 years, there has been a pronounced trend toward a particular type of picturebook that many would label "postmodern." Postmodern picturebooks have stretched our conventional notion of what constitutes a picturebook, as well as what it means to be an engaged reader of these texts. The international researchers and scholars included in this compelling collection of work critically examine and discuss postmodern picturebooks, and reflect upon their unique contributions to both the field of children’s literature and to the development of new literacies for child, adolescent, and adult readers.

Foreword by William Sutcliffe, author of Are you Experienced?, New Boy and We See Everything The indispensable guide to writing for children and young adults, this Yearbook provides inspirational articles from successful writers and illustrators, as well as practical advice on who to contact across the media and how to get published. New articles for the 2020 edition include: - Davinia Andrew-Lynch A message for under-represented writers: We Want You - Clémentine Beauvais Writing and translating children's fiction - Holly Bourne Dealing with tough issues in YA fiction - Natasha Farrant Writing about love and loss for children - Kiran Millwood Hargrave Writing magic into fiction - Salvatore Rubbino The craft of the illustrator - Deirdre Sullivan Reinventing old stories for new readers

A beautifully produced and exquisitely designed slipcase anniversary edition of the award-winning and classic first ever Charlie and Lola picture book. Linen bound with never-seen-before sketches of these enduring characters and a note from the author, this is an edition to be treasured.

In this new book, Julie Cross examines the intricacies of textual humor in contemporary junior literature, using the tools of literary criticism and humor theory. Cross investigates the dialectical paradoxes of humor and debunks the common belief in oppositional binaries of ‘simple’ versus ‘complex’ humor. The varied combinations of so-called high and low forms of humor within junior texts for young readers, who are at such a crucial stage of their reading and social development, provide a valuable commentary upon the culture and values of contemporary western society, making the book of considerable interest to scholars of both children’s literature and childhood studies. Cross explores the ways in which the changing content, forms and functions of the many varied combinations of humor in junior texts, including the Lemony Snickett series, reveal societal attitudes towards young children and childhood. The new compounds of seemingly paradoxical high and low forms of humor, in texts for developing readers from the 1960s onwards, reflect and contribute to contemporary society’s hesitant and uneven acceptance of the emergent paradigm of children’s rights, abilities, participation and empowerment. Cross identifies four types of potentially subversive/transgressive humor which have emerged since the 1960s which, coupled with the three main theories of humor – relief, superiority and incongruity theories – enables a long-overdue charting of developments in humor within junior texts. Cross also argues that the gradual increase in the compounding of the simple and the complex provide opportunities for young readers to play with ambiguous, complicated ideas, helping them embrace the complexities and contradictions of contemporary life.

Presents librarians and teachers with information on more than 1,200 fiction series for children in kindergarten through sixth grade, providing annotations, a listing of titles, important characters, genre, author biography, grade level, and major themes.

Ruby Redfort: Undercover agent, code-cracker and thirteen-year-old genius – there’s nothing average about her. Only this time it’s an adventure in the wild, and it’ll take all Ruby’s got just to survive...

Keep children on the edge of their seats with this guide to captivating read-alouds for grades K through 6. Tips on presentation and references to related titles help you plan effective programs and instill a love of books and reading.