In this fantastical novel, the acclaimed author of Longbourn brings us the magical story of a young girl in search of her mother...who just might be a mermaid. Malin has always been different, and when her father dies, leaving her alone, her choice is clear: stay, and remain an outsider forever, or leave in search of the mythical inheritance she is certain awaits her. Apprenticed to a series of strange and wonderful characters, Malin embarks on a grueling journey that crosses oceans and continents—from the high seas to desert plains—and leads to a discovery that she could never have expected. Beautifully written and hauntingly strange, The Mermaid’s Child is a remarkable piece of storytelling, and an utterly unique work of fantasy from literary star Jo Baker.

Growing up motherless in an isolated community, Malin Reed has always been made to feel different from everybody else. The fact that, according to Malin's father, the absent mother was actually a mermaid only makes matters worse. When Malin's father dies, leaving behind nothing but his stories, Malin's choice at last becomes clear: stay, and never feel at home, or leave and go in search of mermaids and the fantastical inheritance that, up to now, has always seemed completely out of reach. Apprenticed to a series of strange and wonderful characters, Malin embarks on a picaresque journey that crosses oceans and continents - from the high seas to desert plains, from a time of slavery to life in a circus - until it finally leads to a discovery that is the very last thing Malin would ever have expected... Beautifully written and hauntingly strange, set in an unspecified historical past, The Mermaid's Child is a remarkable piece of storytelling, weaving together the fantastical and the inevitable through the power of the imagination.

Teodora has always longed to visit Venice, and at last she has her chance. But strange and sinister things are afoot in the beautiful floating city. Teo is quickly subsumed into a secret world in which salty-tongued mermaids run subversive printing presses, ghosts good and bad patrol the streets, statues speak, rats read, and librarians fluidly turn into cats. And where a book, The Key to the Secret City, leads Teo straight into the heart of the danger that threatens to destroy the city to which she feels she belongs. An ancient proverb seems to unite Teo with a Venetian boy, Renzo, and with the Traitor who has returned from the dark past to wreak revenge. . . . But who is the Undrowned Child destined to save Venice?

This book traces the historical roots of Western culture's stories of childhood in which the child is subjugated to the adult. Going back 400 years, it looks again at Hamlet, fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, and Walt Disney cartoons. Inventing the Child is a highly entertaining, humorous, and at times acerbic account of what it means to be a child (and a parent) in America at the dawn of the new millennium. John Zornado explores the history and development of the concept of childhood, starting with the works of Calvin, Freud, and Rousseau and culminating with the modern "consumer" childhood of Dr. Spock and television. The volume discusses major media depictions of childhood and examines the ways in which parents use different forms of media to swaddle, educate, and entertain their children. Zornado argues that the stories we tell our children contain the ideologies of the dominant culture--which, more often than not, promote "happiness" at all costs, materialism as the way to happiness, and above all, obedience to the dominant order.

*Includes "The Little Mermaid," now a major motion picture from Disney starring Halle Bailey and directed by Rob Marshall* Dive into centuries of mermaid lore with these captivating tales from around the world. A Penguin Classic Among the oldest and most popular mythical beings, mermaids and other merfolk have captured the imagination since long before Ariel sold her voice to a sea witch in the beloved Disney film adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid." As far back as the eighth century B.C., sailors in Homer's Odyssey stuffed wax in their ears to resist the Sirens, who lured men to their watery deaths with song. More than two thousand years later, the gullible New York public lined up to witness a mummified "mermaid" specimen that the enterprising showman P. T. Barnum swore was real. The Penguin Book of Mermaids is a treasury of such tales about merfolk and water spirits from different cultures, ranging from Scottish selkies to Hindu water-serpents to Chilean sea fairies. A third of the selections are published here in English for the first time, and all are accompanied by commentary that explores their undercurrents, showing us how public perceptions of this popular mythical hybrid--at once a human and a fish--illuminate issues of gender, spirituality, ecology, and sexuality. For more than seventy-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 2,000 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Share the joy of reading to your little ones and take them into the magical land of dragons, fairies, elves and fantasies with this meticulously edited collection: Dragon Tales: My Father's Dragon The Reluctant Dragon The Book of Dragons Animal Tales & Fables: The Tale of Peter Rabbit The Tale of Benjamin Bunny… Mother West Wind Series The Burgess Bird Book for Children The Burgess Animal Book for Children The Velveteen Rabbit Uncle Wiggily's Adventures & Other Tales Little Bun Rabbit Mother Goose in Prose Lulu's Library The Jungle Book… White Fang Black Beauty The Story of Doctor Dolittle… Aesop Fables The Panchatantra Russian Picture Fables for the Little Ones The Russian Garland Fairy tales & Fantasies: Complete Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen Complete Fairy Tales of Brothers Grimm Complete Fairy Books of Andrew Lang Peter Pan Five Children and It… Alice in Wonderland Through the Looking Glass The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Collection At the Back of the North Wind The Princess and the Goblin Tanglewood Tales The Happy Prince and Other Tales All the Way to Fairyland Friendly Fairies… Old Peter's Russian Tales Childhood Adventures: Robin Hood Pinocchio Gingerbread Man Little Women The Secret Garden A Little Princess The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Journey to the Centre of the Earth Treasure Island… Anne of Green Gables Collection… The Wind in the Willows The Box-Car Children The Railway Children Oliver Twist David Copperfield… Classics Retold The Iliad of Homer Odysseus The Arabian Nights Entertainments Viking Tales Tales of King Arthur and the Round Table Chaucer for Children Tales from Shakespeare Don Quixote The Pilgrim's Progress Robinson Crusoe Voyage to Lilliput Little Goody Two-Shoes & Mrs Margery Two-Shoes Charles Dickens' Children Stories The Story of Hiawatha Uncle Tom's Cabin Pocahontas

Share the joy of reading to your little ones and take them into the magical land of dragons, fairies, elves and fantasies with this meticulously edited collection:_x000D_ Dragon Tales:_x000D_ My Father's Dragon_x000D_ The Reluctant Dragon_x000D_ The Book of Dragons_x000D_ Animal Tales & Fables:_x000D_ The Tale of Peter Rabbit_x000D_ The Tale of Benjamin Bunny..._x000D_ Mother West Wind Series_x000D_ The Burgess Bird Book for Children_x000D_ The Burgess Animal Book for Children_x000D_ The Velveteen Rabbit_x000D_ Uncle Wiggily's Adventures & Other Tales_x000D_ Little Bun Rabbit_x000D_ Mother Goose in Prose_x000D_ Lulu's Library_x000D_ The Jungle Book..._x000D_ White Fang_x000D_ Black Beauty_x000D_ The Story of Doctor Dolittle..._x000D_ Aesop Fables_x000D_ The Panchatantra_x000D_ Russian Picture Fables for the Little Ones_x000D_ The Russian Garland_x000D_ Fairy tales & Fantasies:_x000D_ Complete Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen_x000D_ Complete Fairy Tales of Brothers Grimm_x000D_ Complete Fairy Books of Andrew Lang_x000D_ Peter Pan_x000D_ Five Children and It..._x000D_ Alice in Wonderland_x000D_ Through the Looking Glass_x000D_ The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Collection_x000D_ At the Back of the North Wind_x000D_ The Princess and the Goblin_x000D_ Tanglewood Tales_x000D_ The Happy Prince and Other Tales_x000D_ All the Way to Fairyland_x000D_ Friendly Fairies..._x000D_ Old Peter's Russian Tales_x000D_ Childhood Adventures:_x000D_ Robin Hood_x000D_ Pinocchio_x000D_ Gingerbread Man_x000D_ Little Women_x000D_ The Secret Garden_x000D_ A Little Princess_x000D_ The Adventures of Tom Sawyer_x000D_ Journey to the Centre of the Earth_x000D_ Treasure Island..._x000D_ Anne of Green Gables Collection..._x000D_ The Wind in the Willows_x000D_ The Box-Car Children_x000D_ The Railway Children_x000D_ Oliver Twist_x000D_ David Copperfield..._x000D_ Classics Retold_x000D_ The Iliad of Homer _x000D_ Odysseus_x000D_ The Arabian Nights Entertainments_x000D_ Viking Tales_x000D_ Tales of King Arthur and the Round Table_x000D_ Chaucer for Children_x000D_ Tales from Shakespeare_x000D_ Don Quixote_x000D_ The Pilgrim's Progress_x000D_ Robinson Crusoe_x000D_ Voyage to Lilliput_x000D_ Little Goody Two-Shoes & Mrs Margery Two-Shoes_x000D_ Charles Dickens' Children Stories_x000D_ The Story of Hiawatha_x000D_ Uncle Tom's Cabin_x000D_ Pocahontas

Foreword by Alice Oseman, creator of the million-copy bestselling Heartstopper books. 'This is not a book, it is a sky filled with possibility, so let its wisdom lift you and soar!' Joseph Coelho, Children's Laureate Celebrating its 21st edition, this indispensable Children's Writers' & Artists' Yearbook provides everything you need to know to get your work noticed. With thousands of up-to-date contacts and inspiring articles from dozens of successful writers, illustrators and industry insiders, it is the ultimate resource on writing and publishing for children of all ages. Packed with insights and practical tips, it provides expert advice on: - submitting to agents and publishers - writing non-fiction and fiction across genres and formats - poetry, plays, broadcast media and illustration - self-publishing - copyright, finances and contracts - marketing, prizes and festivals - and much, much more ... New content in this edition include articles on Your Author Brand by Tom Palmer, Getting Published by Hannah Gold, Writing with empathy by Camilla Chester, What an indie bookshop can offer authors by Carrie & Tim Morris. 'Between the covers of this book is everything you need to know to get published.' Julia Donaldson

'A one-stop welcome to the world of publishing ... worth its weight in gold.' Smriti Halls Over the last two decades the Children's Writers' & Artists' Yearbook has become the indispensable guide to writing for children of all ages from pre-school to young adults. It is an essential item for any bookshelf, it includes advice, tips and inspiration for authors and illustrators working across all forms: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, screen, audio and theatre and magazines. It also covers the financial, contractual, and legal aspects of being a writer and illustrator. Its directory of 1,200 listings with contacts are updated yearly to provide the most up-to-date information across the media and publishing industry. It also includes over 50 articles by award-winning writers and illustrators covering all stages of the writing and illustration process from getting started, writing for different markets and genres, and preparing an illustration portfolio, through to submission to literary agents and publishers. Additional articles, free advice, events information and editorial services at www.writersandartists.co.uk

Foreword by bestselling and award-winning author Smriti Halls. The indispensable guide to writing for children of all ages from pre-school to young adults, this Yearbook provides inspirational articles from dozens of successful writers and illustrators on how to get your work published. It includes a directory of over a thousand up-to-date listings with contacts from across the media and publishing industry. This bestselling Yearbook is full of practical advice on all stages of the writing and illustration process from getting started, writing for different markets and genres, and preparing an illustration portfolio, through to submission to literary agents and publishers. It also covers the financial, contractual and legal aspects of being a writer and illustrator. Widely recognised as the essential support for authors and illustrators working across all forms: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, screen, audio and theatre, it is equally relevant to those wishing to self-publish as well as those seeking a traditional publisher-agent deal. It includes advice from bestselling writers, such as Sarah Crossan, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Tom Palmer, David Wood and many more. Additional articles, free advice, events information and editorial services at www.writersandartists.co.uk