New Releases by Anna Fienberg

An inventive salamander and his pessimistic friend Turtle help a lost acrobat find her way home from a desert island.

Minton the spotty salamander loves things that move, and he''s always ready for adventure, but Turtle worries that it will end in disaster. From the creators of Tashi, here are two satisfying stories in one book, for beginner readers aged 4-6. Includes a guide to making your own model car and truck.

Jack''s new friend, Tashi, comes from a faraway land, escaping from a war lord to come to Australia with many imaginative stories to tell.

"''Chintu took one of his giant steps over to our village...and roared, Bring Tashi out to me!'' Jack ran all the way to school. Today Tashi was coming to tell him more stories...about Chintu, the giant, who is as big as a mountain, and the robber bandits, who kidnap him to be their son. Only someone as clever as Tashi could find a way to escape."--From the publisher.

The eleventh book in the Tashi series of daring adventures and tall tales about magic, courage and the triumph of brains over brawn. Created by the much loved, multi-award winning author/illustrator team of Anna and Barbara Fienberg and Kim Gamble. ''I raced up and down the street looking in doorways and behind stalls. But there was no Grandma.'' Tashi always has big adventures, like the time he''s lost in the city and has to escape from a mean man with a glass eye and a silver dagger then, on the way home, Tashi and Grandma are kidnapped by brigands called Fearless and Ferocious. But clever Tashi always knows what to do - stay calm, think hard and move fast. ''All children should meet Tashi. He can be their mentor on the road to reading, feeding their imaginations with fantastic stories The Tashi stories have the evergreen qualities of classics.'' - Joan Zahnleiter, Magpies ''This little book reads just like a junior version of Raiders of the Lost Ark.'' Victoria Collins Sunday Night Live ''I just can''t get enough of Tashi, and neither can any of the students at my school!.a fantastic sense of anticipation and adventure.Definitely add this one to your library!'' Fiona Deppeler, Balgowlah Heights Public School, NSW

Another five fabulous Tashi books all together in one big, fat volume. Ten terrific Tashi stories!

Adventurous little Tashi faces a terrible ogre who is threatening his village in this 12th installment of the Tashi series. As he endeavors to recover the ogre’s stolen pet from the evil Baron and protect his village from being eaten, Tashi''s tales of derring-do convey themes of bravery, ingenuity, and loyalty.

Minton the lizard builds himself a sailboat out of odds and ends, and invites his friend Turtle to join him as he sails around the world.

Leo lives in a village on the outskirts of Fiesole, in sixteenth-century Italy at a time when superstition and fear of the plague rule people''s lives. The lake in his village is a forbidden and dangerous place, for it is where the witch lives, and she is always hungry for children. Though just a young wizard, Leo is the only one with the power to confront and and overcome the witch''s curse. Suggested level: intermediate, junior secondary.

The first seven Tashi books all together in one big, fat volume. Fourteen fabulous Tashi stories!

A 16-year-old girl faces the toughest decision in her life in this breakthrough young adult novel. Sixteen-year-old Callisto May feels a deep connection to astronomy. She can name all the moons of Jupiter and even tell you the dimensions of the Big Red Spot. But she feels completely alone on planet Earth. And now that she''s pregnant, her loneliness is acute. She can''t turn to her mother, who''s always been too consumed with unspoken grief to care for her children; she can''t turn to her father, who buries himself in work and pretends that life at home is normal; and her surfer boyfriend wants freedom to catch the perfect wave more than he wants to hang around Callisto. Only Callisto''s little brother loves her unfailingly, but she can''t be there for him right now. She''s got to make a huge decision--and, for a change, that means thinking of herself first. Somehow, though, as her world orbits out of control, Callisto finds the courage to fight through the secrecy and silence that are suffocating her family, along with the strength to decide what''s best for her future.

Another enjoyable Tashi book with two stories. In ''Tashi and the Demons'' Tashi makes a clever escape from the demons when they throw him into the Dragon''s Blood Tree. And in the second story Tashi has to face the ferocious River Pirate who has come back for revenge.

A charming collection of stories about the adventures of five different children by the much-loved creators of Tashi.

First published as Wiggy and Boa, now reissued with a new cover design, and a sequel of crazy pirate entertainment, Dead Sailors Don''t Bit.

Teaches children about bus passenger safety such as waiting well back from the road, getting on and off the bus carefully, sitting on a seat or standing well away from the door, and waiting until the bus has gone before crossing the road.

Winter is so boring when everyone goes to sleep, this winter, Billy decides will be different.