Boris is often too big, kissy and tickly to get along well with others, but when a scary dog jumps over the fence into the park, being, big, kissy and tickly is just what's needed.

"Boris is a very lovable monster. If only he didn't get so carried away..."--from cover.

It's Doris's first day at school, and unlike her big-mouthed big brother, she's quiet and a bit shy. 'Turn it up, Doris ' Boris tells her. But nothing can make her speak up until Boris falls down a hole on the way home. Then Doris surprises everyone when she saves the day by shouting for help.

"You're in charge of Dudley's day. What will he do? What will he say"--Cover.

The father of Nick Vujicic, one of the world's most beloved persons with a disability, shares candidly the mistakes and successes in raising a child with unique challenges - from birth to an independent and satisfying adulthood. Nick Vujicic acknowledges that overcoming his physical challenges would have been impossible without the wise and effective efforts of his parents and family. Nick's father, Boris, tells the story of what it took to parent such a unique child. And he offers insight and practical advice to any parent raising a child with special needs.

Boris Kastel was born in Zagreb, Croatia in 1914. A few months later the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated some 300 kilometers away in Sarajevo, an act which touched off "The Great War." That catastrophic event presages Boris' tumultuous life, during which he traveled to five continents and mastered at least ten languages. Throughout the violent war years following the Nazi invasion of his country, he never lost sight of his great dream-a quest for peace. That quest had to wait through the long years of World War II, when duty called him first to the mountains of Northern Italy with the Italian Underground, and then to Tito's Partisans and life in nascent Yugoslavia. That quest was realized in a most unexpectedly beautiful way. His story takes us from war-torn Zagreb to post-revolution China, to Ghandi's India, through the birth of kibbutzim in Palestine, summer and winter Olympics in 1936, the resistance movements in Italy and Yugoslavia, Nazi hunting in Argentina and Uruguay, and ultimately to New York, where he met Eva, and the peace for which he yearned.

Santa Claus needs help delivering the little monsters' presents ! Can Big... kissy... tickly... Santa-Boris save the day ?

On die-cut pages to accommodate the attached hand puppet.

In Special Assignments, Erast Fandorin, nineteenth-century Russia’s suavest sleuth, faces two formidable new foes: One steals outrageous sums of money, the other takes lives. “The Jack of Spades” is a civilized swindler who has conned thousands of rubles from Moscow’s residents–including Fandorin’s own boss, Prince Dolgorukoi. To catch him, Fandorin and his new assistant, timid young policeman Anisii Tulipov, must don almost as many disguises as the grifter does himself. “The Decorator” is a different case altogether: A savage serial killer who believes he “cleans” the women he mutilates and takes his orders from on high, he must be given Fandorin’s most serious attentions. Peopled by a rich cast of eccentric characters, and with plots that are as surprising as they are inventive, Special Assignments will delight Akunin’s many fans, while challenging the gentleman sleuth’s brilliant powers of detection. Praise from England: “Boris Akunin’s wit and invention are a source of constant wonder.” –Evening Standard “[Fandorin is] a debonair combo of Sherlock Holmes, D’Artagnan and most of the soulful heroes of Russian literature. . . . This pair of perfectly balanced stories permit the character of Fandorin to grow.” –The Sunday Telegraph “Agatha Christie meets James Bond: [Akunin’s] plots are intricate and tantalizing. . . . [These stories] are unputdownable and great fun.” –Sunday Express “The beguiling, super-brainy, sexy, unpredictable Fandorin is a creation like no other in crime fiction.” –The Times