New Releases by Ken Wilson-Max

In an upbeat story with bright, welcoming illustrations, Ken Wilson-Max conveys the excitement and hope created by a vast, community-powered project to bring more trees to sub-Saharan Africa. It’s another hot day in Mali, at the edge of the desert, and Mariam and Issa know something special is about to happen. As they play in the shade and make clapping rhythms with their hands, Mum and Dad make their own kind of music with shovels, poking holes in the dry earth. When Uncle Cedric arrives, the children ask him what all the plants and baby trees in the back of his car will be for. “The future,” he says, with a smile. Taking part in creating this future is a whole community of people: neighbors balancing buckets of water on their heads, children carrying unplanted seedlings into the cool shade, grown-ups planting and watering over and over again. It’s all part of the Great Green Wall, a project intended to stretch across the African continent at the edge of the Sahara, affecting millions of people in eleven countries. As readers learn in a final informational spread, planting more trees not only helps reduce carbon in the air, it also helps prevent desertification, preserving the rainforest and all the living creatures who rely on it to survive.

Inspired by traditional animal stories from Africa, find out WHY Rhino has a horn! Once upon a time, Rhino didn''t have a horn until his lies got out of control and his horn grew longer ... and longer... and longer! A vibrant animal adventure perfect for curious little ones. Written by Ken Wilson-Max and illustrated by up-and-coming Tumi Steyn. Also available in the African Stories series: Once Upon an Elephant, Once Upon a Zebra, Once Upon a Giraffe, Once Upon a Hippo, Once Upon a Hyena, Once Upon a Lion, Once Upon a Buffalo, Once Upon a Leopard, and Once Upon a Chameleon.

Inspired by traditional animal stories from Africa, find out WHY Hyena laughs. Once upon a time, Hyena wasn''t always full of laughter. Until she came across a row of animal bottoms at the watering hole and couldn''t stop laughing! A vibrant animal adventure perfect for curious little ones. Written by Ken Wilson-Max and illustrated by the award-winning Toby Newsome. Also available in the African Stories series: Once Upon an Elephant, Once Upon a Zebra, Once Upon a Giraffe, Once Upon a Hippo, Once Upon an Elephant, Once Upon a Leopard, Once Upon a Buffalo, Once Upon a Rhino, and Once Upon a Chameleon.

Inspired by traditional animal stories from Africa, find out WHY Chameleon changes colour! Once upon a time, Chameleon didn''t change colour. She was just another grey lizard in the bush. Until she had a close encounter with some dangerous animals! A vibrant animal adventure perfect for curious little ones. Written by Ken Wilson-Max and illustrated by the mutli award-winning Zinelda McDonald. Also available in the African Stories series: Once Upon an Elephant, Once Upon a Zebra, Once Upon a Giraffe, Once Upon a Hippo, One Upon a Lion, Once Upon a Hyena, Once Upon a Buffalo, Once Upon a Rhino, and Once Upon a Leopard.

Inspired by traditional animal stories from Africa, find out WHY Leopard has spots! Once upon a time, Leopard didn''t have a wonderfully spotty coat. Until he rescued a firebird from the flames and she left her sooty mark on his golden fur. A vibrant animal adventure perfect for curious little ones. Written by Ken Wilson-Max and illustrated by the multi award-winning Chantelle and Burgen Thorne. Also available in the African Stories series: Once Upon an Elephant, Once Upon a Zebra, Once Upon a Lion, Once Upon a Giraffe, Once Upon a Hippo, Once Upon a Hyena, Once Upon a Buffalo, Once Upon a Rhino, and Once Upon a Chameleon.

Inspired by traditional animal stories from Africa, find out WHY Buffalo has horns! Once upon a time, Buffalo didn''t have big, curly horns! He had wild, fuzzy hair. Until the other animals got fed up of him charging at anything and everything and decided to teach him a lesson! A vibrant animal adventure perfect for curious little ones. Written by Ken Wilson-Max and illustrated by the mutli award-winning Chantelle and Burgen Thorne. Also available in the African Stories series: Once Upon an Elephant, Once Upon a Zebra, Once Upon a Giraffe, Once Upon a Hippo, Once Upon a Lion, Once Upon a Hyena, Once Upon a Leopard, Once Upon a Rhino, and Once Upon a Chameleon.

Inspired by traditional animal stories from Africa, find out WHY Elephant has a long trunk! Once upon a time, Elephant had a short stumpy nose. Until he had a TUG-OF-WAR with a hungry crocodile that lasted for hours and hours! A vibrant animal adventure perfect for curious little ones. Written by the award-winning Ken Wilson-Max and illustrated by Subi Bosa. Also available in African Stories series: Once Upon a Zebra, Once Upon a Lion, Once Upon a Giraffe and Once Upon a Hippo.

Inspired by traditional animal stories from Africa, find out WHY Giraffe has a long neck. Once upon a time, Giraffe''s neck was quite short. Until the hartebeests wouldn''t share their lunch, so Giraffe had to STRETCH to reach the juiciest leaves! A vibrant animal adventure perfect for curious little ones. Written by the award-winning Ken Wilson-Max and illustrated by Tumi Steyn. Other titles in the African Stories series: Once Upon a Lion, Once Upon a Zebra, Once Upon an Elephant and Once Upon a Hippo.

Inspired by traditional animal stories from Africa, find out WHY Hippo has no fur! Once upon a time, Hippo had lots and lots of hair. Until, one very hot day, a SPARK from the campfire catches the end of her hairy tail! A vibrant animal adventure perfect for curious little ones. Written by the award-winning Ken Wilson-Max and illustrated by Zinelda McDonald. Also available in the African Stories series: Once Upon an Elephant, Once Upon a Lion, Once Upon a Giraffe and Once Upon a Zebra.

Inspired by traditional animal stories from Africa, find out WHY Lion roars! Once upon a time, Lion hardly made any sound at all. Until he bit off more than he could chew with a prickly porcupine and found his ROAR! A vibrant animal adventure perfect for curious little ones. Written by the award-winning Ken Wilson-Max and illustrated by the multi award-winning Chantelle and Burgen Thorne. Also available in the African Stories series: Once Upon an Elephant, Once Upon a Zebra, Once Upon a Giraffe and Once Upon a Hippo.

Inspired by traditional animal stories from Africa, find out WHY Zebra has stripes! Once upon a time, Zebra was white all over. Until he went HEAD-TO-HEAD with a big, angry baboon and became the stripy zebra we know today! A vibrant animal adventure perfect for curious little ones. Written by the award-winning Ken Wilson-Max and illustrated by Toby Newsome. Also available in the African Stories series: Once Upon an Elephant, Once Upon a Lion, Once Upon a Giraffe and Once Upon a Hippo.

A boy’s love for the sea and marine animals spurs him to quiet bravery—and a transformative first experience—in a story that will resonate with young ocean lovers. Aaron lives by the ocean with his sister, Angel, and his mom and dad, who are Ocean Guardians. He loves the smell of the air, the colors of the water, the sound of the waves, and the feel of sand between his toes. But unlike his sister, who dives into the waves all day long, Aaron shies away from putting his head in the water. How can he ever fulfill his dream of swimming with dolphins and whales? One day, as his family does beach cleanup after a storm, they come upon a stranded octopus. As Aaron helps his father with the rescue, he finds himself following the octopus underwater to watch it swim away. He did it! With warm illustrations and a gentle text, Ken Wilson-Max shows how environmental stewardship and empathy for the world’s animals can infuse us with unexpected bravery.

Lenny is in the kitchen with Daddy. While Daddy prepares lunch, Lenny plays along. This simple and endearing story of parent and child sharing an everyday activity is perfect for reading with young toddlers.

In a tender celebration of family tradition, a little girl becomes an environmental steward to express her love for all things leafy and green. Eve loves living next to a forest because it means being close to her favorite baobab trees. Doing her best to imitate them, Eve practices patience. She feeds and shelters birds, just as her beloved trees do, stretching toward the sky as if her arms were branches. Eve longs to communicate with the leafy giants she admires, and while she can’t become a tree, she can contribute to the beauty of the forest—just like her dad and grandma before her—by nurturing her very own baobab seedling. Thoughtful text, intimate illustrations, and abundant back matter gently introduce the concept of land stewardship and the joys of giving back. Ken Wilson-Max’s picture book companion to Astro Girl celebrates reciprocity while honoring our connection to our own branching family trees.

This book mixes the rhythm of a drum beat with evocative words to create an unforgettable reading experience. Vibrant illustrations show people and wild animals playing music and dancing to the beat. This book is perfect for developing readers or for parents to read aloud to their younger children, who are encouraged to clap, stomp, and feel the drum in their heart. A celebration of music, this book brings the beat of a drum to life.

The stars are the limit for a little girl who acts out her wish to be an astronaut — inspired by a very special person. Astrid has loved the stars and space for as long as she can remember. “I want to be an astronaut!” she says to everyone who will listen. While her mama is away, Astrid and her papa have fun acting out the challenges an astronaut faces on a space mission — like being in zero gravity (“I can do that all day long!” she says), eating food from a kind of tube, and doing science experiments with the help of cookie sheets. When at last it’s time to meet Mama at the air base, Astrid wears her favorite space T-shirt to greet her. But where exactly has Mama been? Channeling a sense of childlike delight, Ken Wilson-Max brings space travel up close for young readers and offers an inspiring ending.

Farai and Chenziri live deep in the African bush in Zimbabwe. One day their dad surprises them with a trip to the capital city, Harare. After a long train journey, they arrive in the buzz of the city. Find out what they see there in this enchanting rhyming story. Elephant Grass is part of the Galaxy range of books from Rising Stars Reading Planet. Galaxy provides captivating fiction and non-fiction for Pink A to White band. The rich collection of highly decodable books immerses children in a range of cross-curricular topics and genres. Reading Planet books have been carefully levelled to support children in becoming fluent and confident readers. Each book features useful notes and activities to support reading at home as well as comprehension questions to check understanding. Reading age: 5-6 years

"Where''s Lenny? In the cupboard? In the bathroom? Daddy follows the clues until he and Mommy see a little giggly lump under the bedclothes in Lenny''s bedroom. This warm, loving, everyday story is about building confidence and independence." --Page 4 of cover.

Age range 3 to 6 Home time is fun time for Lenny, Mum, Dad and Wilbur. Continuing the everyday adventures of this little boy, Lenny plays hide and seek with his dad... Is he in the cupboard? No. It''s empty. Or in the sitting room? No, it''s only Wilbur the dog. He''s not in the kitchen either. But, what about on the stairs? Blobs of jam are a clue. At last Dad and Mum see a little giggly lump under the bedclothes in Lenny''s bedroom. Here is Lenny, ready for a tickle and a hug!

"A call comes in--there is an accident on the highway! Sirens on! It is up to the motorcycle police to come to the rescue. A working siren, pop-ups, lift-the-flaps, and pull-tabs help bring a highway distress call to life."--Cover.

Now you can be a police officer too A call comes in - there''s been an accident on the motorway. Helmets on Engines started We''re ready to go A working siren, pop-ups, lift-the-flaps, and pull-tabs help you bring a motorway emergency call to life.

A circle of young friends pass on a chain of "letters" starting from A and going all the way to Z.

Max comes up with a clever way to help his elephant friend Big Blue, who is afraid of the dark.