When two small sisters go fishing to the magic pond, they find something much better than a frog or a newt. They find a bog baby. Small and blue with wings like a dragon, the girls decide to make him their secret. I won't tell if you won't. But the bog baby is a wild thing, and when he becomes poorly, the girls decide they must tell their mum. And she tells them the greatest lesson, if you really love something, you have to let it go.

Digging for peat in the mountain with his Uncle Tally, Fergus finds the body of a child, and it looks like she's been murdered. As Fergus tries to make sense of the mad world around him - his brother on hunger-strike in prison, his growing feelings for Cora, his parents arguing over the Troubles, and him in it up to the neck, blackmailed into acting as courier to God knows what, a little voice comes to him in his dreams, and the mystery of the bog child unfurls. Bog Child is an astonishing novel exploring the sacrifices made in the name of peace, and the unflinching strength of the human spirit.

DIGGING FOR PEAT in the mountain with his Uncle Tally, Fergus finds the body of a child, and it looks like she’s been murdered. As Fergus tries to make sense of the mad world around him—his brother on hunger-strike in prison, his growing feelings for Cora, his parents arguing over the Troubles, and him in it up to the neck, blackmailed into acting as courier to God knows what—a little voice comes to him in his dreams, and the mystery of the bog child unfurls. Bog Child is an astonishing novel exploring the sacrifices made in the name of peace, and the unflinching strength of the human spirit.

The stories that shape our children's lives are too important to be left to chance. With The Story Cure, bibliotherapists Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin have put together the perfect manual for grown-ups who want to initiate young readers into one of life's greatest pleasures. There's a remedy for every hiccup and heartache, whether it's between the covers of a picture book, a pop-up book, or a YA novel. You'll find old favourites like The Borrowers and The Secret Garden alongside modern soon-to-be classics by Michael Morpurgo, Malorie Blackman and Frank Cottrell-Boyce, as well as helpful lists of the right reads to fuel any obsession - from dogs or dinosaurs, space or spies. Wise and witty, The Story Cure will help any small person you know through the trials and tribulations of growing up, and help you fill their bookshelves with adventure, insight and a lifetime of fun.

The stories featured in this book come from all over the world. The Practice Guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage sets out the requirement that children be provided with 'positive images that challenge children's thinking and help them embrace differences in gender, ethnicity, language, religion, culture...' Stories are powerful medium that engage and envelop young children, helping them to enter unfamiliar worlds and begin to empathise with characters from different backgrounds. This book provides a range of stories through which young children can explore and learn about other cultures. Each activity page will include: * The story * Adult-led and independent activity ideas to follow up the story * Related songs, poems and rhymes * A list of additional stories, information books and websites * Relevant links with the EYFS Areas of Learning and Development

The last thirty years have witnessed one of the most fertile periods in the history of children's books: the flowering of imaginative illustration and writing, the Harry Potter phenomenon, the rise of young adult and crossover fiction, and books that tackle extraordinarily difficult subjects. The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature provides an indispensable and fascinating reference guide to the world of children's literature. Its 3,500 entries cover every genre from fairy tales to chapbooks; school stories to science fiction; comics to children's hymns. Originally published in 1983, the Companion has been comprehensively revised and updated by Daniel Hahn. Over 900 new entries bring the book right up to date. A whole generation of new authors and illustrators are showcased, with books like Dogger, The Hunger Games, and Twilight making their first appearance. There are articles on developments such as manga, fan fiction, and non-print publishing, and there is additional information on prizes and prizewinners. This accessible A to Z is the first place to look for information about the authors, illustrators, printers, publishers, educationalists, and others who have influenced the development of children's literature, as well as the stories and characters at their centre. Written both to entertain and to instruct, the highly acclaimed Oxford Companion to Children's Literature is a reference work that no one interested in the world of children's books should be without.

Throughout the ages, histories and folk tales pop up to tell us about children, even infants, who grow up without the care and supervision of human adults. These lost ones, so it goes, must have been nurtured by wolves or other miraculous caregivers, and whether actual or fabricated, these stories with their possibilities of totally fantastical outcomes, intrigue us deeply. We wonder: Exactly how did such children survive? What conditions or circumstances might be required? What would they do if their humans found them? Could or would they eventually grow up to lead "normal" lives? WILDERNESS CHILD is an imagined story inspired by a true incident from the Bubonic Plague of 1350.

Rowdy rednecks. Shifty shapeshifters. Deadly demon hunters. THIS TOWN'S GOING STRAIGHT TO HELL. With its cross-cultural mix of good ol' boys, big bad wolves, and otherworldly beings, Behr County is the last place you'd want to be a cop. But for Sheriff Dev Whitsun, it's Sweet Home Alabama--and he plans to keep it that way. Famous last words. When a gruesome shifter massacre rocks the community, the sexy sheriff needs more than a badge and a few silver bullets. He needs the help of an immortal demon hunter. Her name is Arta, High Huntress of the Kirvahni. Whatever that means. Dev is no position to be picky about partners right now. But when Arta turns out to be the one female he could really fall for, Dev knows he's in for one hell of a ride. God help them all . . .

"A lush, beautifully written novel about trying to be a person in our strange world . . . Pick this one up for its exquisite characterization, decaying settings and a dash of Southern gothic horror." —Kiersten White, The New York Times Book Review A “haunting, brilliant” Appalachian folktale evoking the Southern gothic suspense of Sharp Objects and the eco spine-tinglers of Jeff Vandermeer (Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts) Five siblings in West Virginia unearth long-buried secrets when the supernatural bargain entwining their fate with their ancestral land is suddenly ruptured Since time immemorial, the Haddesley family has tended the cranberry bog. In exchange, the bog sustains them. The staunch seasons of their lives are governed by a strict covenant that is renewed each generation with the ritual sacrifice of their patriarch, and in return, the bog produces a “bog-wife.” Brought to life from vegetation, this woman is meant to carry on the family line. But when the bog fails—or refuses—to honor the bargain, the Haddesleys, a group of discordant siblings still grieving the mother who mysteriously disappeared years earlier, face an unknown future. Middle child Wenna, summoned back to the dilapidated family manor just as her marriage is collapsing, believes the Haddesleys must abandon their patrimony. Her siblings are not so easily persuaded. Eldest daughter Eda, de facto head of the household, seeks to salvage the compact by desecrating it. Younger son Percy retreats into the wilderness in a dangerous bid to summon his own bog-wife. And as youngest daughter Nora takes desperate measures to keep her warring siblings together, fledgling patriarch Charlie uncovers a disturbing secret that casts doubt over everything the family has ever believed about itself. At once a gothic eco-horror, a psychological drama, and a family saga, The Bog Wife is a propulsive read for fans of Shirley Jackson, Karen Russell, and Matt Bell that speaks to what is knowable and unknowable within a family history and how to know when it is time to move forward.

To master the teaching of writing at greater depth, teachers first need to know: *What makes writing ′greater depth′? *What does it looks like? *How do I support children to develop the skills and creativity to be able to write at ′greater depth′? Official guidance lacks the substance and clarity that is needed so where do teachers go for support? This book provides teachers with support, guidance, background theory, examples and practical advice for the teaching of writing at greater depth. The text highlights the need to take writing beyond transcription into creative composition - and not only shows how this is possible, but also explores why it matters. The second edition is updated with new questions for discussion supporting teacher professional learning and links to the ITT Core Content Framework for trainee teachers.