Awards and honors for "Not So True Stories and Unreasonable Rhymes: Bank Street College, Best Books of the Year.

Big Book of Just So Stories is a delightful compendium for children aged 3+, presenting four of Rudyard Kipling's brilliantly funny Just So Stories across large format pages of full-bled artwork scenes. Every page showcases beautiful illustrations packed with charm and detail that will enthrall younger children. Stories included are How the Leopard got his Spots, How the Camel got his Hump, How the Rhinoceros got his Skin, and How the Whale got his Throat. They have been carefully retold to appeal to younger readers, and the book has been produced on thicker paper to help little hands turn each page more easily.

The "Simple" stories, Langston Hughes's satirical pieces featuring Harlem's Jesse B. Semple, have been lauded as Hughes's greatest contribution to American fiction. In Not So Simple, Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper provides the first full historical analysis of the Simple stories. Harper traces the evolution and development of Simple from his 1943 appearance in Hughes's weekly Chicago Defender column through his 1965 farewell in the New York Post. Drawing on correspondence and manuscripts of the stories, Harper explores the development of the Simple collections, from Simple Speaks His Mind (1950) to Simple's Uncle Sam (1965), providing fresh and provocative perspectives on both Hughes and the characters who populate his stories. Harper discusses the nature of Simple, Harlem's "everyman", and the way in which Hughes used his character both to teach fellow Harlem residents about their connection to world events and to give black literature a hero whose "day-after-day heroism" would exemplify greatness. She explores the psychological, sociological, and literary meanings behind the Simple stories, and suggests ways in which the stories illustrate lessons of American history and political science. She also examines the roles played by women in these humorously ironic fictions. Ultimately, Hughes's attitudes as an author are measured against the views of other prominent African American writers. Demonstrating the richness and complexity of this Langston Hughes character and the Harlem he inhabited. Not So Simple makes an important contribution to the study of American literature.

Explains how self-delusion is part of a person's psychological defense system, identifying common misconceptions people have on topics such as caffeine withdrawal, hindsight, and brand loyalty.

Relates how the leopard got his spotted coat in order to hunt the animals in the dappled shadows of the forest.

Delightfully retold in humorous rhyming verse, with stunning illustrations throughout, this is a beautiful reworked edition of Rudyard Kipling's children's classic, Just So Stories. In this highly illustrated collection meet the cat who walked by himself, discover how the lazy camel got his hump, how the elephant got his long trunk, find out why the rhino has such wrinkly skin, and how the whale got his teeny tiny throat. These well known, richly imagined stories tell of how the world came to be as it is. This is a smart, funny and younger approach to Kipling's work, as you've never seen before. Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories are one of the enduring classics of children's literature and these witty, inventive tales have delighted generations of children. Combining the brilliant rhyming talent of Elli Woollard and beautiful illustrations from the award-winning Marta Altés, this is an enchanting retelling of a much-loved classic for a new generation. A book to truly treasure and one you will want to share. Stories include: How the Whale got his Throat, How the Camel got his Hump, How the Rhinoceros got his Skin, The Elephant's Child, and The Cat that Walked by Himself.

The prize-winning, New York Times bestselling short story collection from the internationally bestselling author of Lincoln in the Bardo 'The best book you'll read this year' New York Times 'Dazzlingly surreal stories about a failing America' Sunday Times WINNER OF THE 2014 FOLIO PRIZE AND SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD 2013 George Saunders's most wryly hilarious and disturbing collection yet, Tenth of December illuminates human experience and explores figures lost in a labyrinth of troubling preoccupations. A family member recollects a backyard pole dressed for all occasions; Jeff faces horrifying ultimatums and the prospect of Darkenfloxx(TM) in some unusual drug trials; and Al Roosten hides his own internal monologue behind a winning smile that he hopes will make him popular. With dark visions of the future riffing against ghosts of the past and the ever-settling present, this collection sings with astonishing charm and intensity.

22 short short stories; 22 not so perfect lives, where bird watchers come out at night, couples perform love surgery, and a woman is throwing up animals. The extraordinary is everywhere, but an unsettling familiarity pervades. Nik Perring's brilliant debut collection demonstrates the underestimated powers of brevity. Intricately crafted and filled with dark humour, his 22 stories examine the conundrums and contradictions of human relationships, and ask us what it is to be human at all.