New Releases by Chris Riddell

A flurry of festive verse, We Wish You A Merry Christmas and Other Festive Poems is a collection selected and intricately, beautifully illustrated by Chris Riddell, the beloved author and illustrator behind Goth Girl, Ottoline and the Cloud Horse Chronicles. Christmas has long been a source of inspiration and a moment of reflection for poets, from traditional verse to modern works. This is the perfect collection for readers young and old, as gorgeous illustrations throughout bring new life to classics, including The Night Before Christmas, The Twelve Days of Christmas, Deck the Halls, We Wish You a Merry Christmas and We Three Kings. Elsewhere, Chris has selected and responded to work from poets including Neil Gaiman, Sylvia Plath, William Wordsworth, Thomas Hardy, Hollie McNish, Sue Hardy Dawson, Roger Stevens, Benjamin Zephaniah, Clare Bevan, Sara Teasdale, A.F. Harrold, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Ogden Nash, Robert Burns and Jackie Kay. This is a book to treasure, and to return to year after year. ''A touching book for getting into the spirit, with poems familiar and less so about the meaning of Christmas, and each page graced with Riddell’s pencil scenes'' – Sunday Times

This uplifting anthology contains classic and modern poems to galvanize and inspire you which are brought to life with exquisite, intricate artwork. Chosen and illustrated by Chris Riddell, Poems to Save the World With –the follow-up to Poems to Live Your Life By and Poems to Fall in Love With - will ignite your inner activist and provide comfort and inspiration. These poems speak of hope, happiness, rebellion and living in interesting times. This wonderful book features famous poems, old and new, and a few surprises. Classic verses sit alongside the modern to create the ultimate collection. Includes poems from Neil Gaiman, Nikita Gill, Maggie Smith, Brian Bilston, Raymond Antrobus, Fiona Benson, Lewis Carroll and many more.

Guardians of Magic is an exciting, magical adventure from the Costa Award-winning creator of Goth Girl and Ottoline, Chris Riddell. This fantastic quest is fully illustrated in black and white in Chris''s trademark intricate style. Meet the Guardians of Magic: Zam, Phoebe and Bathsheba, three children who don’t yet know how powerful they are . . . In a place where fairy tales don’t behave, and magic brings danger, enemies of magic are working together to destroy it. Unless the three brave Guardians fight back and believe in the impossible, soon magic and the mysterious cloud horses will be gone . . . The Cloud Horse Chronicles continue in Tiggy Thistle and the Lost Guardians.

A stunning and timely creative call-to-arms combining four extraordinary written pieces by Neil Gaiman illustrated with the striking four-color artwork of Chris Riddell. “The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before.”—Neil Gaiman Drawn from Gaiman’s trove of published speeches, poems, and creative manifestos, Art Matters is an embodiment of this remarkable multi-media artist’s vision—an exploration of how reading, imagining, and creating can transform the world and our lives. Art Matters bring together four of Gaiman’s most beloved writings on creativity and artistry: “Credo,” his remarkably concise and relevant manifesto on free expression, first delivered in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo shootings “Make Good Art,” his famous 2012 commencement address delivered at the Philadelphia University of the Arts “Making a Chair,” a poem about the joys of creating something, even when words won’t come “On Libraries,” an impassioned argument for libraries that illuminates their importance to our future and celebrates how they foster readers and daydreamers Featuring original illustrations by Gaiman’s longtime illustrator, Chris Riddell, Art Matters is a stirring testament to the freedom of ideas that inspires us to make art in the face of adversity, and dares us to choose to be bold.

In Poems to Live Your Life By, Chris Riddell, political cartoonist for the Observer, has selected his very favourite classic and modern poems about life, death and everything in between. This gorgeously illustrated collection includes forty-six poems and is divided into sections covering: musings, youth, family, love, imaginings, nature, war and endings. Chris Riddell brings them to life with his exquisite, intricate artwork in this beautiful anthology. Perfect as a gift, it features famous poems, classics old and new, and a few surprises, Poems to Live Your Life By includes poems from William Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, Carol Ann Duffy and Christina Rossetti sitting alongside Neil Gaiman, Roger McGough and W. B. Yeats.

A beautiful fresh cover for the fourth title in Chris Riddell''s Costa Award-winning Goth Girl series: Goth Girl and the Sinister Symphony. This spooky mystery adventure is packed full of beautiful black-and-white illustrations and is perfect for children aged 8 - 11! Lord Goth is throwing a music festival at Ghastly-Gorm Hall, with performances from the finest composers in the land. Ada can''t wait, but it''s quite distracting when her grandmother is trying to find her father a fashionable new wife, there''s a faun living in her wardrobe and Maltravers is up to his old tricks. Ada must make sure everything goes to plan, and luckily help is at hand from a very interesting house guest . . . For more in the deliciously funny dark series, check out the first book and winner of the Costa Children''s Book Award, Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse, followed by Goth Girl and the Fete Worse Than Death and Goth Girl and the Wuthering Fright. This ebook has been optimised for tablets and smart devices to best display the stunning illustrations. This means changing the size and format of the text is not possible. For the best experience, please download a sample to your device before purchase.

Full of sketches, doodles and journal entries, Travels with My Sketchbook gives a fascinating glimpse of the incredible journey of Chris Riddell''s time as Children''s Laureate. After two years travelling the length and breadth of the country, visiting schools, libraries and festivals, and meeting thousands of children, Chris Riddell has wrapped up his experiences into one beautiful edition. Gorgeously presented, the book is full of his train doodles and early sketches from books written during the period – including Goth Girl and the Wuthering Fright and The Hunting of the Snark – alongside handwritten manuscripts and cover roughs. Also included political sketches created for the Observer, and his Laureate Log: reflections on key events and prizes in the world of children''s books, providing a time capsule into the years of his time as Laureate. Plus, there are birthday sketches, impromptu portraits, posters and Christmas cards, sketches for poems and song lyrics. This is a book to treasure – and an incredible insight for fans of this beloved author and illustrator.

From 2015–2017 Children''s Laureate and beloved author and illustrator Chris Riddell, 100 Hugs is a beautiful collection of illustrated hugs – from the owl embracing the pussycat, to two cuddling otters. This is the perfect gift for a loved one, or to cheer yourself up on a dark day when all you need is a hug. The one hundred beautiful and intricate illustrations from the three-times winner of the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal includes a hug for every emotion and occasion, sprinkled with quotes on the beauty of love and friendship. As you look through these drawings, each one is sure to touch your heart. 100 Hugs is certain to comfort and raise a smile. From the author of many treasured books, including Ottoline, Goth Girl and Once Upon a Wild Wood.

The Hunting of the Snark is Lewis Carroll''s nonsense poem which uses characters, setting and vocabulary from the Jabberwocky, a poem which appears in Through the Looking Glass. It was first published by Macmillan in 1876. This irresistible version is illustrated, and has an introduction by, Chris Riddell, author of the Goth Girl and Ottoline books.

Welcome to a strange and wonderful land, where nothing is quite what it seems! The Emperor of Absurdia is a gloriously rich and beautiful picture book from Chris Riddell, the award-winning creator of Once Upon a Wild Wood. This is Absurdia: trees are birds, umbrellas are trees, and the sky is thick with snoring fish. Join one small boy as he tumbles out of bed into a crazy dreamland of wardrobe monsters, dragons and amazing adventures! The Emperor of Absurdia is a brilliantly imaginative and original story from the bestselling picture book creator, Chris Riddell. With a story to enchant even the youngest reader and wonderfully rich and detailed illustrations, it will delight parents and children alike.

A beautiful fresh cover for the third title in Chris Riddell''s Costa Award-winning Goth Girl series: Goth Girl and the Wuthering Fright. This funny adventure, featuring Ada Goth and her friends, is packed with gorgeous black-and-white illustrations throughout, and is perfect for girls and boys aged 8 to 11! People are flocking to Ghastly-Gorm Hall from far and wide to compete in Lord Goth''s literary dog show. The esteemed judges are in place and the contestants are all ready to win. Sir Walter Splott is preparing his Lanarkshire Lurcher, Plain Austen is preening her Hampshire Blue Bloodhound and Homily Dickinson and her Yankee Doodle Poodle are raring to go. But there''s something strange going on at Ghastly-Gorm - mysterious footprints, howls in the night and some suspiciously chewed shoes. Can Ada, the Attic Club and their new friends the Vicarage sisters (Charlotte, Emily and Anne) work out what''s going on before the next full moon? Enjoy Ada''s other adventures in Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse, Goth Girl and the Fete Worse Than Death and Goth Girl and the Sinister Symphony! This ebook has been optimised for tablets and smart devices to best display the stunning illustrations. This means changing the size and format of the text is not possible. For the best experience, please download a sample to your device before purchase.

The second title in Chris Riddell''s excellent Ottoline series. Packed with gorgeous black-and-white illustrations throughout, Ottoline Goes to School is perfect for kids aged 7+! Ottoline is off to the Alice B. Smith School for the Differently Gifted, but she is rather worried that she doesn''t have a special gift. Meanwhile, Mr Munroe is more worried about the ghost who is said to haunt the school halls at night. As the school semester continues, will Ottoline discover her hidden talent? And can she and Mr Munroe expose the spook? Full of gorgeous, intricate black-and-white illustrations, the Ottoline series is perfect for young and reluctant readers. Join Ottoline and Mr Monroe for more adventures in Ottoline and the Yellow Cat.

Packed with gorgeous black-and-white illustrations, Goth Girl and the Pirate Queen is a World Book Day book from Chris Riddell, award-winning author of the Ottoline series. When Ada travels to the seaside resort of Brighton on holiday, she is very excited to meet leading followers of fashion Lady Vivienne Dashwood and her rival, the fashionable shepherd, Beau Peeps. They are there preparing for World Frock Night - a lavish ball where everyone dresses up in their finest costumes to compete for the grand prize. Ada has been given money by her father to buy a spectacular outfit for the ball, and she''s excited to be in with a chance of winning the prize. But nothing goes to plan, and becoming the belle of the ball will prove to be Ada''s biggest challenge yet . . . Enjoy this mini adventure into the life of Ada Goth, and continue the fun with the Costa Children''s Book Award-winning first book in the series, Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse.

Doodle every day with Children''s Laureate Chris Riddell

A beautiful fresh cover look for the second title in Chris Riddell''s Costa Award-winning Goth Girl series: Goth Girl and the Fete Worse Than Death. This funny sequel to Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse is packed with gorgeous black-and-white illustrations throughout, and is perfect for girls and boys aged 8 to 11! Preparations for the Ghastly-Gorm garden party and bake off are under way. Celebrity cooks are arriving at the hall for the big event and, true to form, Maltravers, the indoor gamekeeper, is acting suspiciously. Elsewhere at Ghastly-Gorm Ada''s wardrobe-dwelling lady''s maid Marylebone has received a marriage proposal. Ada vows to aid the course of true love and find out what Maltravers is up to but, amidst all this activity, everyone, including her father, appears to have forgotten her birthday! Continue this deliciously dark series with Goth Girl and the Wurthering Fright and Goth Girl and the Sinister Symphony. This ebook has been optimised for tablets and smart devices to best display the stunning illustrations. This means changing the size and format of the text is not possible. For the best experience, please download a sample to your device before purchase.

Twig Verginix has gained a formidable reputation as the young sky pirate captain who dared to sail over the Edge. But far out in open sky a storm is brewing. In its path lies Sanctaphrax – the great floating city tethered to the land by a massive chain. Twig has learned of the approaching danger, but a perilous voyage destroys his sky ship, hurling his crew into and beyond the Deepwoods and robbing Twig of his memories. The race against the storm begins, as Twig struggles to reach Sanctaphrax and save its inhabitants before it is too late . . . Midnight Over Sanctaphrax is the third book of the Twig Saga – second trilogy in The Edge Chronicles, the internationally best-selling fantasy series, which has featured on the UK and the New York Times best-seller lists and sold more than 3 million copies. There are now 13 titles and four trilogies in the series, but each book is a stand-alone adventure, so you can read The Edge Chronicles in any order you choose.

Cade has never met his uncle, the infamous ''descender'' Nate Quarter, who years ago committed heresy by lowering himself over the cliff-face of the Edge. But Nate has returned, and the Academy of Flight are looking for revenge against all of his supporters - including Cade. So now he has to run. With no money and nowhere else to go, Cade’s only option is to stow away aboard the Xanth Filatine, a mighty sky-ship bound for the city of Hive. But getting onto the ship is only the beginning of his troubles as he runs afoul of thieving goblins, brutal skymarshals, and the unpleasant-sounding threat of skyfiring. Stewart and Riddell return to the world of the Edge Chronicles with the first in a brand new series of adventures starring Cade Quarter.

Seventeen-year-old Micah enters the wyrmeweald in order to steal a wyrme egg and make his fortune, but Micah soon finds himself in danger and must prove his worth, with help from a tracker named Eli and an assassin named Thrace.

Lao Tzu''s ancient text, the Tao Teh Ching, has much to offer the new infant. With their instinctive grasp of its principles, babies everywhere will find the wisdom contained in this new interpretation both a revelation and a confirmation of their own world vision. Targeted specifically at their needs, the charmingly illustrated aphorisms will enable them to enhance their understanding of the subject and share these great lessons with their family and carers. Essential reading for all those who wish to make an early start in their search for wisdom and enlightenment.

Quint Verginix has enrolled as a squire in the Knight’s Academy. After his training, he will be able to pilot stormchaser sky-ships into the heart of Great Storms, and retrieve the solidified lightning – stormphrax – to weigh down the floating rock on which Sanctaphrax is built. But as a freezing winter takes hold, and the city strains to break free of its tether, ancient feuds threaten to tear its people apart. On his own, Quint can do nothing to help avert the impending doom. But with the help of a band of loyal friends he might just be able to avert disaster. The Winter Knights is the second book of the Quint Saga – first trilogy in The Edge Chronicles, the internationally best-selling fantasy series, which has featured on the UK and the New York Times best-seller lists and sold more than 3 million copies. There are now 13 titles and four trilogies in the series, but each book is a stand-alone adventure, so you can read The Edge Chronicles in any order you choose.

Fleeing from the ruins of New Undertown, young librarian knight Rook Barkwater and his colleagues – Felix Lodd and his banderbear friends – must lead the escaping population to a new life in the Free Glades. But perils aplenty are ahead for the crowd, and Rook knows the journey will be full of danger. Meanwhile, in the Goblin Nations, the tribes are amassing for war. Will Rook be able to keep his friends, himself and their new lives safe? Freeglader is the third book of the Rook Saga – third trilogy in The Edge Chronicles, the internationally best-selling fantasy series, which has featured on the UK and the New York Times best-seller lists and sold more than 3 million copies. There are now 13 titles and four trilogies in the series, but each book is a stand-alone adventure, so you can read The Edge Chronicles in any order you choose.

Fergus Crane has an almost ordinary life—attending school on the ship Betty Jeanne and helping his mother in the bakery. But then a winged mechanical horse appears and whisks Fergus off to meet his long-lost uncle. Not only that, he finds out that his teachers are not what they seem—they''re actually pirates! Can Fergus save his schoolmates from the far-off Fire Island? Perfect for 8- to 12-year-old readers, this is a deliciously accessible story. "Part Dickensian comedy, part pirate adventure."--Publishers Weekly

9 yrs+

Nate Quarter is a lowly lamplighter in the phraxmines of the Eastern Woods, until treachery forces him to flee for his life to the mighty city of Great Glade. But these are turbulent times. In far-off Hive, the spectacular city founded by the goblin tribes, the clan leaders are preparing for war. And out beyond the dread Nightwoods, in the fabled gardens of Riverrise, a one-eyed waif jealously guards the life-giving waters of the mystical Riverrise spring. . . . Swept up in the maelstrom that follows, Nate and a small band of intrepid friends must set off on an epic journey that is to lead them into terrible peril. All the while, from over the Edge cliff itself, a storm unlike any ever seen before, is building. A storm that is to roll across the land, bringing both echoes of the past and promises of a new beginning. . . . This is the final tale in the Edge Chronicles sequence and it’s a fabulous climax to one of the most original and dramatic fantasy series being written today. Set years in the future, this book is ideal for new readers to discover the series before going back to read the history of Twig, Rook, and Quint. Illustrated throughout with outstanding inventiveness by Chris Riddell, it will not only enthrall existing fans of the Edge Chronicles but also grip readers new to the series.

Twig leaves the safety of the Deepwoods, where he lives among the Woodtrolls, to discover his true heritage and encounters some unforgettable, and dangerous, characters along the way. Reprint.

THE QUINT TRILOGY, Book II In the great floating city of Sanctaphrax, blizzards howl through the streets as the Edgeworld descends into an endless winter. Quint, the son of a sky pirate, has just begun his training at the Knights Academy—training that involves heading out over the Edge on tethers to develop his flying skills. But when Quint breaks the rules and sets off for Open Sky on his own, he runs into the great sky leviathans known as cloud-eaters and must use all his skill and ingenuity if catastrophe is not to strike the Edgeworld. . . .

The newest paperback installment in the exciting Edge Chronicles! Rook Barkwater lives in the network of sewer-chambers beneath Undertown, the bustling main city of the Edgeworld. He dreams of becoming a librarian knight—one of those sent out to explore the mysteries of their world. When his chance comes, Rook grabs it! Breaking all the rules, he sets out on a journey to the Free Glades and beyond. His luck and determination lead him from one peril to another until, buried in the heart of the Deepwoods, Rook encounters a mysterious character and is thrust into a bold adventure that dares to challenge the might of the Guardians of the Night. . . .

THE TWIG TRILOGY, Book II Sixteen-year-old Twig is eager to begin his new life as a sky pirate on board the famous Stormchaser. The crew''s quest: to collect stormphrax—the precious, magical substance formed at the heart of a storm—in order to save the floating city of Sanctaphrax. Only a sky ship as powerful as the Stormchaser, piloted by a man as fearless as Cloud Wolf, could risk entering such a storm. . . .

Barnaby Grimes is a tick-tock lad, high-stacking his way across the rooftops of his city in search of adventure and mystery. In each tale, he encounters a supernatural force and must battle the horrors that await him. In the fiercely competitive world of early photography, the rewards are immense but so are the risks. After an experiment goes disastrously wrong, Barnaby finds himself on the trail of a mad chemist with a talent for disappearing into thin air . . .