MERRY CHRISTMAS SPLAT
Win one of 3 copies of Merry Christmas Splat!
For details of how to enter, look out for the Christmas edition of Cheshire
Mums, out December 2nd
Published 1st October 2009
Paperback by Rob Scotton
£5.99
Merry Christmas Splat is the third hilarious story about Splat the Cat, the irresistible character from Rob Scotton, bestselling author of Russell the Sheep.
Splat the cat can’t wait for Christmas and is SURE he’s been good enough for Santa to bring him all the presents on his Christmas list. But just in case Santa needs reminding of what an exceptionally good cat he is, Splat makes himself EXTRA helpful around the house. It’s tiring work being helpful, but when Splat goes to bed on Christmas Eve he’s kept awake by a worrying thought... Just how good do you need to be for Santa to visit?
Merry Christmas Splat is a charming Christmas story purrrfect for any eager child awaiting Santa’s arrival. Splat, has captured the hearts of feline lovers round the country selling over 65,000 books since August 2008. Love Splat, the second Splat book gained huge critical acclaim, The Daily Mail said, “This heart-warming story should melt even the flintiest cynic. Scotton’s frenetic illustrations are spot on and vivid enough to stroke. Buy this book for anyone you ‘like more than fish fingers and ice-cream’...”
Rob Scotton, the creator of this furry feline, studied at Leicester Polytechnic and published his first children’s book, Russell the Sheep in 2005. In the same year it was shortlisted for the Best New Illustrator category of the Booktrust Early Years Awards and sold over 128,000 copies in the UK- an outstanding achievement for a debut Children’s author.
If I Were You
By Richard Hamilton , Babette Cole
Format: Paperback, 32 pages, 245x274mm
Published: August 2009
RRP: £5.99
A witty and wonderful parent-child role reversal, with hilarious consequences
When Dad puts Daisy to bed, he suggests, ‘If I were you . . . I’d go to sleep.’ So cheeky Daisy starts thinking about what things would REALLY be like if she and Dad swapped around. She could feed Dad porridge while she ate chocolate fromage frais and would wheel him past the neighbours all dressed in pink! Dad thinks it would be great not to have to do any cleaning or cooking but to visit the zoo and play in the park instead!
The Betrayal
By Mary Hooper
Format: Paperback, 288 pages, 198x129mm
Published: September 2009
RRP: £6.99
The concluding volume to the two popular novels by Mary Hooper, At the House
of the Magician and By Royal Command
In this final volume, Lucy is asked to continue her work on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth I. And her romance with Tomas, the queen’s fool, seems to be flourishing – or it is until Mistress Juliette, the new lady-in-waiting, arrives and Tomas pays her far too much attention for Lucy’s liking. But then Lucy realises that Juliette is telling lies and is not what she appears to be. Lucy fears for the safety of the queen as there are always supporters of Mary, Queen of Scots who are willing to risk all. How will Lucy convince Tomas of her fears when he just teases her and tells her that she is simply jealous? Desperate times call for desperate measures ...
A thrilling and romantic historical novel that will give all teenage readers an accurate sense of the Elizabethan period.
Madame Pamplemousse and Her Incredible Edibles
By Rupert Kingfisher , Sue Hellard
Format: Hardback, 144 pages, 178x111mm
Published: September 2008
RRP: £6.99
An exquisite fairy tale with shades of Angela Carter that will intrigue both
adults and children alike
Madame Pamplemousse is the story of Madeleine, forced to work in her unpleasant uncle’s horrible restaurant, The Squealing Pig. By chance she comes across the most marvellous shop, run by Madame Pamplemousse, which is quiet, discreet, yet full of delicious and otherworldly ‘edibles’ – Pterodactyl Bacon, Scorpion Tails in Smoked Garlic Oil, and Great Squid Tentacle in Jasmine-Scented Jelly. A quiet comradeship develops between Madeleine, Madame Pamplemousse, and Madame’s cat, Camembert. And together they create some wonderful culinary magic. Exquisite, beautifully formed prose that has echoes of Angela Carter belies a narrative that is full of pace. A wonderful fairy tale that will appeal to both adults and children.
Madame Pamplemousse and the Time-Travelling Café
By Rupert Kingfisher , Sue Hellard
Format: Hardback, 160 pages, 178x111mm
Published: September 2009
RRP: £6.99
The sequel to the delectable and irresistible Madame Pamplemousse and Her Incredible Edibles
In Paris there is a café, elegantly furnished with polished wooden
tables and an awning of striped gold and green, whose walls are filled with
drinks such as Green Fairy Liqueur, Mermaid Madeira and Red Devil Lemonade.
And sitting on the bar is a large, silver, steam-powered espresso coffee machine.The
café is owned by Monsieur Moutarde, and Monsieur Moutarde has made the
most extraordinary discovery. With the help of his friend, Madame Pamplemousse,
he has created a time travel machine (for that is what the expresso coffee machine
is). Very special, highly flavoured, intense ingredients are fed into the machine
where they are subatomically blended with quantum froth and space-time foam.
The resulting liquid looks like a small black coffee – but in fact transports
the drinker through time and space.
But this is a dangerous invention. For who knows what would happen if it
fell into the wrong hands? Before long Monsieur Moutarde, Madame Pamplemousse,
her cat, Camembert, and her friend, Madeleine, are on the run through time and
space to capture a T. rex’s freshly caught drool and rare sphinx’s
tears, the vital ingredients for a tonic that will both save them and revive
the ailing spirit of Paris.
A magical romp that will charm and delight.
THE SELFISH CROCODILE BOOK OF NURSERY RHYMES
By Faustin Charles
Illustrated by Michael Terry
Publication Date: 7th September 2008
Paperback Price: £6.99
Little Miss Zebra
Sat by the river,
Chewing her curds and hay;
Along came an alligator,
Who sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Zebra away!
Faustin Charles and Michael Terry have combined the much loved Selfish Crocodile with over forty traditional nursery rhymes. The result is a wonderful collection of new, yet strangely familiar animal rhymes. Parents and children will enjoy dipping into this superb collection of rhymes with an animal twist. Faustin Charles narrates the accompanying audio CD which showcases his fantastic storytelling skills. An ideal gift for a special occasion.
THE TROUBLE WITH DRAGONS
By Debi Gliori
Publication Date: 6th July 2009
Paperback, £4.49
Respect the earth and cherish the land. Recycle, reuse and reduce your demand.
Award winning author and illustrator Debi Gliori has used the tools of her trade to tackle an issue close to her heart. Her picture book, The Trouble With Dragons looks at the ecological problems facing the earth. Debi hopes it will stimulate conversation about conservation and help children to start thinking green from an early age.
The world is populated by thoughtless, wasteful dragons that care nothing for how much they pollute the seas, chop down the trees and eat up all the food. Only when they realise that they are destroying the world they were born into and face an existence without wildlife do they start to have a care.
This cautionary tale is an ideal way to introduce young children to the ways in which the planet is being mistreated and the possible consequences. Debi strips back seemingly complex issues, which surround todays young people, and makes them easy to understand in a fun and accessible way. Her adorable illustrations and utterly charming rhyming text will appeal to every generation.
The book itself has been produced with the environment in mind. It has been printed using vegetable inks on FSC certified paper, incorporating recycled material.