New Releases by James Mayhew

"A stylish, sweet retelling" - Guardian A stunning reimagining of the classic tale, The Frog Prince that proves anyone can have their happily ever after! Inspired by a picture he sees in a book, a lonely frog decides to go in search of a kiss. But will he ever find a princess who will make his heart skip a beat? Or does this frog''s fairy-tale ending involve someone unexpected...? With a powerful underlying message about believing in love - even as it surprises! Brought to life with stunning illustrations by husband duo James Mayhew and Toto - this book is their debut working as a picture-book team! Perfect for fans of NEN AND THE LONELY FISHERMAN and JULIAN IS A MERMAID.

Brave princes, evil witches and beautiful maidens abound as the tales of Koshka, the wise old story-telling cat, unfold. James Mayhew has drawn inspiration from the traditional stories and art style of old Russia to re-tell five enchanting tales in this re-published edition of a children''s classic.Stories include: The Tale of the Snowmaiden The Tale of Sadko the Minstrel The Tale of Iven, the Greywolf and the Firebird The Tale of Vassilisa the Fair and Baby Yaga Tsar Saltan and Koshka the Cat''I loved the constant references to stories as inherently magical and powerful, full of rare secrets that you would be justified in sailing "e;beyond thrice-nine realms and over the seven seas"e; in search of. Thankfully, readers and listeners (and lovers of illustration) only need open this magic box to be immediately transported.'' Dr Nick Campbell, writer, researcher and bookseller''Every children''s book deserves to be lavishly-illustrated, a task taken on by the author himself. It''s herd to say which are better, the words or the pictures. But at the end of the day, it hardly matters because they complement each other perfectly in a book that captures the essence of the old-fashioned Noel of traditional story-telling.'' The Bay magazine, 2019''It''s the energy that shines out in the boldness, the verve, the lack of reticence that says: Look at this beautiful thing! Look again! It''s the kind of work that welcomes readers (because in this book, James has written the words too!) as well as spectators. The combination is a real joy. [...] Today''s children are lucky to have this version of the stories. And James Mayhew is lucky to have Graffeg realising that we need them as much as we did in 1993.'' Adele Geras''Here is a fabulous collection of folk tales from Russia by James Mayhew, written in luminous language and accompanied by equally luminous artwork... Beyond the classroom, I will be recommending it to boys and girls in Year 4 who still love the accessibility of traditional fairy stories but need to develop their reading stamina and confidence with a little more challenge. I am hoping it will provide a gateway to longer novels such as The House with Chicken Legs or Harry Potter.'' Books for Topics

Everyone''s favourite little dancer, Ella Bella Ballerina, steps into an enchanted toyshop in this magical ballet adventure. Discover a world of fairytale toymakers and dancing dolls in in this beautiful introduction to classic ballet, La Boutique Fantasque.

Look for the little bear in each beautiful drawing.

Imagine if art could come to life! That''s what happens when Katie steps into some of the world''s greatest Impressionist paintings. And where Katie goes, adventure is never far behind! Katie discovers the true magic of Impressionist art in this addition to James Mayhew''s Katie series!Katie and her grandmother are visiting the art museum. While admiring a painting of a beautiful garden, Katie is certain she can smell the flowers. Sure enough, when she opens her eyes, she is inside the painting! Join Katie as an ordinary day at the museum turns into a special gift for her grandmother''s birthday.

Full colour red Early Reader about the legendary Arthur, Merlin and the sword in the stone, written and illustrated by James Mayhew. Early Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books, perfect for building confidence in new readers and reluctant readers. A blue Early Reader is perfect for sharing and reading together. A red Early Reader is the next step on your reading journey. Long ago, in the days of knights and castles and magic, there lived a wizard called Merlin. One night, in a churchyard in London, Merlin casts a spell on a sword. He pushes it into a stone and writes magic words, saying: He who pulls this sword out of the stone, is the true King of England. Then Merlin waits for the boy who will be king. Full colour Early Reader edition of the popular myth about the sword in the stone.

Join Katie as she steps into some of the most famous paintings in the world for an exciting art adventure! When the Mona Lisa''s smile goes missing, it''s up to Katie to help find it again. On the way, they meet a princess, a dragon, a winged lion and an angel. But can Katie make the Mona Lisa smile again? ''A wonderful way to engage children with art. A brilliant combination of education and storytelling'' - Parents in Touch (Katie''s Picture Show) This first introduction to Italian Renaissance art features five great masterpieces: Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci, St George and the Dragon by Raphael, Primavera by Sandro Botticelli, The Lion of St Mark by Vittore Carpaccio and An Angel in Red with a Lute by Giovanni Ambrogio de Predis. Classic picture book character, Katie, has been delighting children for over 25 years. Why not collect all 13 titles in the series? Katie''s Picture Show Katie and the Impressionists Katie and the Sunflowers Katie and the British Artists Katie and the Waterlily Pond Katie and the Starry Night Katie and the Spanish Princess Katie and the Bathers Katie in London Katie''s London Christmas Katie in Scotland Katie and the Dinosaurs

Join Katie as she steps into some of the most famous paintings in the world for an exciting art adventure! On a hot, sunny day, a painting of some bathers in a cool river proves too tempting for Katie, and so she dives straight into the picture! But Katie doesn''t just cause a splash - she causes a flood! Paddling with new friends might be fun, but how will Katie stop the water pouring into the gallery? ''A wonderful way to engage children with art. A brilliant combination of education and storytelling'' - Parents in Touch (Katie''s Picture Show) This first introduction to Pointillism features five great masterpieces: Bathers at Asnieres, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte and Port of Honfleur by Georges Seurat, Woman Hanging up the Washing by Camille Pissarro and Portrait of Felix Feneon by Paul Signac. Classic picture book character, Katie, has been delighting children for over 25 years. Why not collect all 13 titles in the series? Katie''s Picture Show Katie and the Impressionists Katie and the Mona Lisa Katie and the Sunflowers Katie and the British Artists Katie and the Waterlily Pond Katie and the Starry Night Katie and the Spanish Princess Katie in London Katie''s London Christmas Katie in Scotland Katie and the Dinosaurs

Everyone''s favourite little dancer, Ella Bella Ballerina, steps out of fairytales and into the world of Shakespeare as she goes on a magical adventure in Fairyland, with Puck, King Oberon and Queen Titania. Who will the queen fall in love with when under the king''s spell? And what will become of the hapless actor Bottom, transformed into a donkey? Beautifully illustrated and perfectly pitched for a young audience and all would-be prima ballerinas, and a wonderful very first introduction to the stories of the ballet and Shakespeare. From James Mayhew, the creator of the Katie series of books - featuring the hugely engaging Katie and making art an adventure for every child.

Discover the magic of London at Christmas time with classic picture book character, Katie. When Katie and Jack are woken up late on Christmas Eve by a loud sneeze, little do they realise that they are about to embark on the most amazing evening! Soon they are flying high across London, over snow-dusted landmarks, through the star-scattered sky with the one and only Father Christmas, in his sleigh, with his magical reindeer! But can they help Father Christmas to deliver all his presents and be back in time for Christmas morning? This is the perfect gift and why not collect all 13 Katie titles, including Katie in London: London comes to life in this magical adventure - Independent on Sunday This story features some of London''s best sights, including: Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square and many more landmarks.

Join Katie as she steps into some of the most famous paintings in the world for an exciting art adventure. Katie would love to give Grandma a bunch of flowers for her birthday - but just where will she find the perfect bouquet? If only she were able to gather some flowers from the beautiful paintings in the gallery... ''A wonderful way to engage children with art. A brilliant combination of education and storytelling'' - Parents in Touch (Katie''s Picture Show) This first introduction to Impressionism features five great masterpieces: The Luncheon and The Field With Poppies by Claude Monet, A Girl With a Watering Can and Her First Evening Out by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, The Blue Dancers by Edgar Degas. Classic picture book character, Katie, has been delighting children for over 25 years. Why not collect all 13 titles in the series? Katie''s Picture Show Katie and the Mona Lisa Katie and the Sunflowers Katie and the British Artists Katie and the Waterlily Pond Katie and the Starry Night Katie and the Spanish Princess Katie and the Bathers Katie in London Katie''s London Christmas Katie in Scotland Katie and the Dinosaurs

Early Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books. A blue Early Reader is perfect for sharing and reading together. A red Early Reader is the next step on your reading journey. Miranda is on a desert island - all by herself! Luckily she has some very clever ideas... A full-colour blue Early Reader edition of this classic story, written and illustrated by James Mayhew.

Katie''s visit to the natural history museum turns into an adventure when she steps through a door and finds herself in a land of real live dinosaurs, one of whom is lost and needs her help to find his way home.

can Ella Bella help the Nutcracker to defeat his arch enemy, the wicked Mouse King? Join Ella Bella Ballerina as she twirls into the enchanting world of The Nutcracker ballet with its magical dancing snowflakes, tantalising swirling sweets and, of course, the beautiful Sugar Plum Fairy. James Mayhew''s richly detailed storytelling and his exquisite, retro art-style make this book perfect for all would-be prima ballerinas. The final page is devoted to ballet facts, so children can learn about the original ballet The Nutcracker.

Early Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books. A blue Early Reader is perfect for sharing and reading together. A red Early Reader is the next step on your reading journey. Miranda wins a balloon ride - but the rope snaps and away she goes, over seas, mountains and deserts. She touches down at the Taj Mahal and the Pyramids, flies over the Great Wall of China, visits Japan, almost falls into a river full of crocodiles in Australia, makes some new friends at the Leaning Tower of Pisa - and much more.

Sail away to dreamland! Follow a small boy and his dog as they navigate the land of dreams in a paper boat. As you journey through the night, you will see all kinds of curious and magical creatures. Ages: 2-6 AUTHOR: James Mayhew is an author and artist.. He starts his art workshops for children by telling them a story then asking them to illustrate the story, guiding them on the style of dress and architecture of the period. James has illustrated Shakespeare''s Storybook and Stories from the Opera for Barefoot Books. Jackie Morris has illustrated several books for Barefoot, including The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems. SELLING POINTS: * Award-winning artist Jackie Morris''s dreamy, fanciful illustrations pair perfectly with the lyrical text to create a handsome gift board book. * Text builds on familiar "Star light, star bright" refrain for soothing bedtime reading. * Includes instructions for making and decorating your own paper boat REVIEW: "At bedtime a young child reading the ''star light, star bright'' nursery rhyme with his mother drifts off to sleep and floats in a paper boat to a charming dreamland populated with welcoming playmates and a vast array of alluring fantasy creatures . . . . "Although fantasy icons galore inhabit the dream (a pirate ship, unicorn, juggler, castles, hot-air balloons, and much more), the figures are small and either peek from the horizon or drift in and out of the action, so neither the ethereal watercolour illustrations nor the story told in a short, rhyming text feel overstuffed" -- Booklist ILLUSTRATIONS: Colour illustrations

Ella Bella longs to be a beautiful ballerina, and so each week she goes to Madame Rosa''s ballet class at the old theatre. As we all know, theatres are magical places where anything can happen, and sure enough, as soon as Ella Bella opens Madame Rosa''s magical musical box on the empty stage, she''s whisked off in a beautiful lilac light to Sleeping Beauty''s palace. But will she be able to help the Lilac Fairy save Sleeping Beauty from the bad fairy''s wicked spell?

Katie visits an art gallery with her grandma to see some Van Gogh masterpieces. One of them is The Starry Night. Katie is so taken by the twinkling constellations, she can''t help reaching into the frame to pocket one of them. Stars, of course, have a habit of shooting across the sky and, before she knows it, Katie has to enlist the help of characters from other paintings to restore harmony to the starry night. All before Grandma wakes up from a nap and the guard returns! Features the Van Gogh paintings: The Starry Night, Vincent''s Chair, Noon, The Olivie Grove, Fishing Boats on the Beach. Suggested level: junior, primary.

Can Katie capture the magic of the Monet masterpieces? There''s an art competition at the gallery and Katie is desperate to win. All she has to do is paint a picture in the style of Claude Monet. Surely Katie can manage that ... can''t she?

Poor little Dragon just can''t get to sleep, no matter how hard he tries. Instead, what he''d really like to do is dance through the moonlight and play games in the starlit sky with the fairies . . . but will they let him? This book will be perfect at bedtimes for settling sleepyheads down for the night. Another beautifully written, velvety verse from James Mayhew with beautiful illustrations from Lindsey Gardiner who won the Richard and Judy prize with her Poppy and Max characters.

Another sumptuous story featuring the delightful Ella Bella Ballerina in the most famous ballet of all, Swan Lake!

Ella Bella longs to be a beautiful ballerina, and so each week she goes to Madame Rosa''s ballet class at the old theatre. As soon as Ella Bella opens Madame Rosa''s magical musical box on the empty stage she''s whisked off to meet Cinderella. But will Ella Bella be able to help Cinderella meet her perfect Prince Charming?

Jake tries to track down his mother''s hug after she gives it to his father, who gives it to the cat, who gives it to a witch, and so on.

In a faraway land lives a foolish knight, who longs to impress a goldenhaired princess with his marvellous talents. When a terrible fire-breathing dragon arrives and threatens to destroy the kingdom, the knight begins to prepare for battle. But will he be ready in time? Unfortunately, this is The Knight Who Took All Day, and it takes a sensible, quick-witted princess to put things right! A hilarious cautionary tale about the dangers of showing off.

Boy wakes up in a cold cave and wants to be warm. The best place is in his Ma and Pa''s bed, but he''s got to share. Boy doesn''t like that idea at all - he wants their bed all to himself. So Boy goes off to look for a nice, warm place just for him. But everywhere he finds turns out to belong to somebody else - and they certainly don''t want to give it up! In the end he realises, through the bad example of others, that sharing with those that care about you isn''t so bad after all - it''s definitely batter than being eaten, squashed, or stepped on. And in the best or picture book traditions, Boy finds out that he is looking for something he can only find at home!

After laying her eggs, Hattie waits until three little chicks emerge from their shells.

On a hot day, Katie and her grandmother visit the art museum, where Katie climbs into the paintings of pointillist artists Seurat, Pisarro, and Signac. Includes information about pointillism.

Adventure follows Katie wherever she goes, and soon wonderful things begin to happen as she and Jack set out on an amazing and magical tour of London...with a most unusual guide. Join Katie and Jack on this fun filled adventure Ages 6+.

Vincent van Gogh''s "Sunflowers" is world renowned, but only Katie--a young museum goer with an amazing ability to step into paintings--would think of it as a good source of seeds for her garden. Full color.