New Releases by Colin West

Batty Ballads is a crazy collection of funny story-poems with many full colour illustrations by Colin West himself. The characters you can meet include Freda, a flat-footed fairy, a dirty cowboy called Bert, King Neptune''s naughty nephew, and young Gordon Glass, the boy who ignored notices.

Barmy Balladsis a beautifully produced hardback collection of humorous poetry, introducing a wonderful array of crazy characters. Meet a nutty knight, a naughty witch, a smelly pirate, a not-very-jolly jester, a child genius, a hungry giant, a clever donkey, an invisible mischief-maker and many more. There is also a full supporting cast, including a crafty wizard, a lovesick fisherman, a helpful octopus, a hip hop drummer, seven washerwomen, a gang of bank robbers, a fiery dragon or two, not to mention the Queen of Spain and the old kitchen sink! Best-selling poet Roger McGough hailed Colin''s previous collection, Bonkers Ballads, as a "cracking book" and now Colin is back with a whole new bunch of ballads even bigger and barmier than before. "Barmy, brilliant and absurd - Colin West''s mastery of witty improbabilities in rhyme, combined with the quirky charm of his illustrations, makes this book irresistible." Liz Brownlee (National Poetry Day Ambassador for the Forward Arts Foundation)

A fantastic collection of children’s poetry which will appeal to fan’s of Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes and the silly verse of Spike Milligan Colin West’s new collection, Bonkers Ballads, contains a host of funny poems and accompanying colour illustrations sure to tickle your ribs and make you chuckle. Amongst the crazy characters are a seasick mermaid, an out-of-tune minstrel and a natty knight whose only concern is keeping his armour extra bright. And there is a mischivous fairy who loves practical jokes, a king with toothache and a very, very clever pig. Also included are a crafty witch, a feisty female pirate and a poor peasant who fashions himself a pair of fantastic boots which bring him fame and fortune. There’s even a pair of star-crossed lovers of Bingo, a wandering bear, a tabby cat who wears a hat and a whole bunch more in this fabulous book! Colin West’s fun poems are strong in rhyme and rhythm. There is not only magic and mayhem in these ballads, but great charm and warmth to balance the gruesome ends which some of the characters suffer. Colin has combined his love of history and poetry to create a memorable collection jam packed with fun to cause maximum merriment. The pages of Bonkers Ballads are embellished with over a hundred of his own witty illustrations. Colin’s poems have been widely anthologised in both Britain and America. Ken Nesbitt, the former U.S. Children’s Laureate has hailed Colin West ‘a master of the art of humorous poetry for children’. Poet Wendy Cope has said ‘Colin West has a considerable talent as a writer and an illustrator’. If you read this new collection you are likely to agree.

The Funniest Stuff contains over fifty funny poems with equally amusing illustrations created by Colin West. They cover an array of different subjects in a range of various verse forms, strong in rhyme and wordplay. There are crazy creatures like the Snoope and the Lolloping Lollop. There are eccentric characters like Uncle Norman, a traffic warden who likes to keep on his uniform, (even in bed), and Aunt Priscilla, who wrestles a wild gorilla. There are insights into the poet’s world, where Colin eschews personal questions in ‘Don’t Ask Me About Myself’, and gives vent to his feelings about airy-fairy writers in ‘O How I Hate the Poet!’ Black humour is in evidence in short pieces, such as the nature-loving Henrietta and the longer rollicking ballad, Fritz, who liked to frolic in the foothills but whose dreams were sadly crushed. There is even a pastiche of the early Victorian cautionary tale in ‘Belated Bertie’, about a boy who liked to play practical jokes. There is pure nonsense in ‘Under My Uncle’s Umbrella’ and a nod to concrete poetry in ‘I Used To Climb Up Lamp-posts, Sir’. The Funniest Stuff is brimming with humour, wit and charm and is sure to find your funny-bone and give it a good tickle! It will appeal to children aged 8-12.

This jungle tale reads as a long joke, furnished with a hilarious punch line. A simple scenario is established, and the lively, repetitive text builds up to the satisfying end twist, which is guaranteed to tickle even the most reluctant reader.

A small frog hops from the ground onto bigger and bigger animals in order to be heard by a giraffe.

A book all about the wonderfully versatile spice - Ginger, plus 10 favorite recipes featuring Ginger in a starring role.

Whether he''s waxing lyrical about washing up or declaiming about dodgem cars, Colin West has a way with words that makes the book hard to put down until you''ve reached the end

In the first of these two stories, Moose picks up some fallen apples in the garden before making a nice lunch for Mouse. Unfortunately, he leaves both the bags on Mouse''s doorstep! In the second story, Moose and Mouse decide to go camping. But, as it is so dark, do they know where to pitch their tent?

Synopsis coming soon.......

Synopsis coming soon.......

This anthology oi nonserse rhymes on a range of silly topics will have children (and adults) rolling with laughter - ana all are illustrated in an absurdly appealing style. One example, Coaih anger, begins: "I gave my iova a ccaihar.ger. She flung it back ai me. I: aded like a boomerang, And hit her an the knee/

An illustrated collection of 50 funny poems by a master of the genre. This anthology of rhymes on a range of silly topics will have children (and adults) rolling with laughter. All poems are illustrated.

Excite readers by giving them the next step - Read-it! Chapter Books. These transitional titles extend reading skills and build confidence while entertaining readers with fun, fabulous tales.

This anthology of 50 funny poems covers a range of silly topics all absurdly illustrated.

Excite readers by giving them the next step - Read-it! Chapter Books. These transitional titles extend reading skills and build confidence while entertaining readers with fun, fabulous tales.

Toby wants to be a sailor, but all he has for a boat is an old tin tub. One day, Toby paddles far out to sea and is caught up in a terrible storm. Somehow his tiny tub survives, but Toby now finds himself in a very strange land - the home of a Sea Giant! But this giant isn''t scary, he''s sad and lonely; all the creatures in his kingdom are asleep and he can''t discover the sound needed to wake them up. Can Toby help him find out what it is?

Written in a non-legal style, this book helps companies comply with their obligations under competition law by providing the main rules of substance and procedure applicable to companies in the UK. Checklists, sample agreements and clauses are included, and understanding is reinforced through the use of Q&As.

Aimed at developing reading ability in children aged seven to nine, the comic strip novels in this series feature heros and heroines who use quick-thinking tactics to get them out of all scrapes and dilemmas. They are designed to bridge the gap between picture books and longer novels.

The second set of four in this lively new series of comic strip novels for younger readers now available in paperback. Comix are aimed at 7-9 year olds, particularly though not exclusively boys, and children who find reading hard work. The subject matter is pacy and exciting and the main characters are usually boys, and there is plenty of action and dialogue to keep the story moving. Feisty heros and heroines use quick-thinking tactics to get them out of all kinds of scrapes and dilemmas. The series is aimed at developing reading ability and the text is integrated with illustrations using the comic strip conventions of speech bubbles, thought bubbles and sound effects. Established authors have written a variety of tales - adventure, science fiction and fantasy, comedy and football stories. All the titles have been illustrated by the best strip-cartoon artists around. The resulting combination is a visually-exciting series that should get any 7-9 year-old reading no matter how reluctant they have been to pick up a book in the past.

The closest relative of manThey say, is the orang-utan;And when I look at GrandpapaI realize how right they are!Jam-packed with the very best nonsense rhymes and tricky tongue-twisters, this wonderfully exuberant collection contains quirky, colour illustrations from Colin West and lashings of his wildly wacky verse! Divided into sections to satisfy nonsense-lovers everywhere, this brilliant bumper book will keep children in fits for hours and may inspire them to become rollicking rhyme-makers themselves! Chapters include: Curious Creatures, Tricky Tongue-twisters, Funny Folk, Moments with Monsters, Dotty Ditties, Vicious Verses, Hopeless History, Stories in Stanzas

Mr Potts smiled at the crowd. Hello everyone Welcome to the fool skate - I mean the school fete . Mr Potts was always in a muddle. He loved organising the St Egbert''s School fete, but maybe the fireworks display will turn out to be more than he bargained for.

A small frog hops from the ground onto bigger and bigger animals in order to be heard by a giraffe.