Get acquainted with Shakespeare’s classic tale of greed and revenge, in this light-hearted and amusing retelling. Bassanio is overjoyed when he finally gets to marry Portia. But, his happiness is short-lived when he is forced to defend his dear friend Antonio, who’s in trouble with an old merchant – intent on getting his pound of flesh.

When Alice follows a white rabbit down a hole she discovers the extraordinary world of Wonderland, where a magical adventure begins. It's not long before Alice finds herself attending a very unconvential tea party and taking part in a peculiar game of croquet, all in the company of such mysterious and unforgettable characters as the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat and the Mock Turtle. Lewis Carroll's classic story is brought alive for a new generation of readers in this exquisite picture book.

Rudyard Kipling's much-loved classic story for children, retold here by Narinder Dhami. Follow Mowgli's adventures with Bagheera, Baloo, and the wolf packs which he calls family, as he tries to escape the claws of vicious tiger Shere Khan. Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically.

Three folk tales from around the world retold by the wonderful storyteller Gervase Phinn. In the first, a golden turtle offers a kindly fisherman riches beyond his wildest dreams. In the secod, Amparo's daughter looks sweet, but when she's determined to do something nothing gets in her way. In the third, a naughty leprechaun gets a big shock! - Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. - A 'wanted' poster on pages 54 and 55 for the leprechaun in the last story helps children to recap all the naughty things he did. - Text type: Three stories from other cultures. - This book is paired with The Ultimate World Quiz, a non-fiction information book full of facts about our planet. - Curriculum links: Geography: Passport to the world; Citizenship: Choices, Living in a diverse world. - This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader

When Rosalind is banished to the forest by her uncle it goes without saying that her cousin Celia will go with her. But their new life gets slightly complicated, when, disguised as boys, they meet real boys, who they'd quite like to live happily ever after with! How to reveal who they really are, without losing the people they love? Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. Text type: Fiction from our literary heritage Curriculum links: English: fiction from the English literary heritage

Antislavery campaigner, author, diplomat and political statesmen, Frederick Douglass was one of the greatest men of his age. A former slave himself, Frederick fought publicly against slavery and was an inspiration in the fight for social and political change. Written by Amanda Mitchison, find out about this life-long battle to fight for equality. * Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. * Text type: A biography * Curriculum links: History, Citizenship

High in the Arabian mountains, Ali and Sameer gaze in wonder at a leopard. When the leopard roars with pain after being shot Sameer and Ali flee, terrified that they will fall victim to the leopard poachers. Readers follow Ali and Sameer as they escape in this action-filled adventure story.

What was the Big Bang? What was the universe like just after the Big Bang? Who discovered the Big Bang? Stunning photographs and detailed information help to explain the answers to these and many other questions.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

Where can you see rockets blast into space? Which is the driest place on Earth? Which is the world's highest mountain? Find out the answers and many more facts in this amazing book about the planet we live on. - Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. - A world map with all the places mentioned in the text highlighted on pages 54 and 55 helps children to recap the different places they've learnt about and where they all are in the world. - Text type: An information book. - The book is paired with The Golden Turlte and Other Tales, a selection of short stories from other cultures. - Curriculum links: Geography: Passport to the world.