New Releases by Pamela Allen

''Stay close, take care,'' quacked Alexander''s mother. But Alexander did not stay close and he did not take care. He straggled behind with his head in the air - and disappeared down a deep dark hole. Can you help Alexander''s mother, his brothers and sister and all the passers-by solve the problem? Beloved and award-winning author, Pamela Allen, has captivated readers worldwide with her enchanting stories and timeless characters for over 45 years, and Alexander''s Outing is no exception, continuing to win the hearts of new generations.

An exciting new Mr McGee adventure, published in Pamela Allen''s 90th year - a fitting celebration of more than fifty classic stories for children published by Pamela Allen OAM over more than forty years. In a return to this classic picture book series, Mr McGee is getting ready to go and play when a strong wind blows him, his hat, his cat and his bed high up in the air. When they finally come down again, Mr McGee''s hat is mysteriously missing.

Mr McGee when out to play, down to the beach one windy day... When along comes a jumping, biting flea. ''OOOO! OWWW! EEEEE! cries Mr McGee. Told in Pamela Allen''s famously irresistible rhyme, she portrays the hilarious sequence of events as Mr McGee tries to rid himself of the biting flea, one article of clothing at a time!

The Diva''s Gift traces the far-reaching impact of the first female stars on the playwrights and players of the all-male stage. When Shakespeare entered the scene, women had been acting in Italian troupes for two decades, traveling in Italy and beyond and performing in all genres, including tragedy. The ambitious actress reinvented the innamorata, making her more charismatic and autonomous, thrilling audiences with her skills. Despite fervent attacks, some actresses became the first international stars, winning royal and noble patrons and literary admirers in France and Spain. After Elizabeth and her court caught wind of their success in Paris, Italian troupes with actresses crossed the Channel to perform. The Italians'' repeat visits and growing fame posed a radical challenge to English professionals just as they were building their first paying theaters. Some writers treated the actress as a whorish threat to their stage, which had long minimized female roles. Others saw a vital new model full of promise. Lyly, Marlowe, and Kyd endowed innamorata parts with hot-blooded, racialized passions, but made them self-aware agents, not counters traded between men. Shakespeare, Jonson, Webster and others followed, ringing changes on the new type in comedy, tragedy, and romance. Like the comici they recycled actress-linked theatergrams and star scenes, such as cross-dressing, the mad scene, and the sung lament. In this way, the diva''s prodigious virtuosity and stardom altered the horizons of playmaking even on the womanless stage. Capitalizing on the talents of boy players, the best playwrights created bold new roles endowed with her alien glamour, such as Lyly''s Sapho and Pandora, Marlowe''s Dido, Kyd''s Bel-Imperia, Webster''s Vittoria, and Shakespeare''s Beatrice, Viola, Portia, Juliet, and Ophelia. Cleopatra is not alone in her superb theatricality and dazzling strangeness. As this book demonstrates, the diva''s gifts mark them all.

Alexandre et ses quatre frères et sœurs partent se promener avec leur maman. « Restez près de moi, faites attention ! » cancane la maman d''Alexandre, mais Alexandre ne reste pas près de sa maman et Alexandre ne fait pas attention...Non mais quel étourdi ! A partir de 3 ans.

In a study that explodes the assumption that early modern comic culture was created by men for men, Pamela Allen Brown shows that jest books, plays, and ballads represented women as laugh-getters and sought out the laughter of ordinary women. Disputing the claim that non-elite women had little access to popular culture because of their low literacy and social marginality, Brown demonstrates that women often bested all comers in the arenas of jesting, gaining a few heady moments of agency. Juxtaposing the literature of jest against court records, sermons, and conduct books, Brown employs a witty, entertaining style to propose that non-elite women used jests to test the limits of their subjection. She also shows how women''s mocking laughter could function as a means of social control in closely watched neighborhoods. While official culture beatified the sheep-like wife and disciplined the scold, jesting culture often applauded the satiric shrew, whether her target was priest, cuckold, or rapist. Brown argues that listening for women''s laughter can shed light on both the dramas of the street and those of the stage: plays from The Massacre of the Innocents to The Merry Wives of Windsor to The Woman''s Prize taught audiences the importance of gossips'' alliances as protection against slanderers, lechers, tyrants, and wife-beaters. Other jests, ballads, jigs, and plays show women reveling in tales of female roguery or scoffing at the perverse patience of Griselda. As Brown points out, some women found Griselda types annoying and even foolish: better be a shrew than a sheep.

Once upon a time a little old man, a little old woman, a small boy and a small girl went to spend the day by the river. The little old man wanted to catch a big fish and soon there was a tug-tug-tug on his line . . . Find out what happens next? From much-loved picture-book creator comes another delightfully playful story for all to share.

There was a man with messy hair. He liked the mess. He didn''t care. But his messy hair soon got him into all sorts of trouble! Perfect for acting and reading aloud, here is a fabulous new story from the inimitable Pamela Allen that children, their parents and their teachers will turn to time and time again.

The Authentic Spiritual Leadership model encourages development of leaders who demonstrate a combination of authentic and spiritual leadership behaviors. This book has practical implications for leaders and organizations interested in confronting the current crisis in leadership regarding leadership ethics and leadership accountability. Diverse organizations require leaders who actually demonstrate how this unique approach contributes to a renewed focus on the well-being of people, psychological well-being, ethical well-being, sense of purpose, meaning, calling, and spiritual, moral, authentic, transparent and socially responsible behaviors. Organizations seeking to provide spiritual leadership development training could incorporate spiritual leadership into the design. But combining spiritual, authentic, ethical, and transformational leadership models into the training would also determine if other leadership styles exist within the organizational framework. Additional value should include study of spiritual leadership in one of the fastest-growing and sustainable corporations in the twenty-first century: The Mega Church. This book encourages development of a mega church corporate model as the new organizational form that includes authentic spiritual leadership and other leadership styles. The mega church is the new corporation of the twenty-first century, challenging leaders to join what Scharmer (2009) describes as a cultural-spiritual shift toward the rise of a new consciousness in models of leadership.

Outside the wind blew. Ooooh! The trees groaned. Ahhhhh! And the tiny wooden house creaked. Eeeeeek! Inside, a delicious roast dinner was cooking. The little old man was expecting visitors. The little old woman said no one would come. Who was right? Come inside where it''s cosy and warm, and wait . . . You might get a big surprise. Here is a gentle story about home and hearth, about the comfort of ritual, and about opening your heart to the possibilities of life. From the one and only Pamela Allen.

''Wow - if you asked me to choose ten fabulous and favourite New Zealand children''s picture books, I would present you with this anthology'' --Magpies In The Puffin New Zealand Children''s Treasury are ten favourite stories from some of New Zealand''s best-loved authors and illustrators. These enduring tales have stood the test of time, enchanting readers large and small with their colourful characters and memorable lines. They belong on every Kiwi kid''s bookshelf. Between these covers you will find: My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes - Eve Sutton and Lynley Dodd Who Sank the Boat? - Pamela Allen The Kuia and the Spider - Patricia Grace and Robyn Kahukiwa A Summery Saturday Morning - Margaret Mahy and Selena Young The Tree Witches - Gwenda Turner A Booming in the Night - Ben Brown and Helen Taylor My Brown Bear Barney - Dorothy Butler and Elizabeth Fuller A Dragon in a Wagon - Lynley Dodd Mrs Wishy Washy''''s Farm - Joy Cowley and Elizabeth Fuller A Pukeko in a Ponga Tree - Kingi M. Ihaka and Dick Frizzell

With all Pam''s trademark simplicity of line and characterisation, this is the perfect book to share with the littleies in your life. Together you can choose... are you happy or grumpy? Will you cry or will you sing? Straightforward comparative text about feelings with clean, clear art.

The little old man looked up at the moon. ''Does the sky go on forever and ever?'' he asked. ''Where do we come from? Where do we go? Why are we here?''In this touching story, one of Australia''s most celebrated author-illustrators takes young readers on a journey that asks some of life''s big questions. Playful and thought-provoking by turns, The Little Old Man Who Looked Up at the Moontouches on universal themes and will spark many a conversation between young and old

It''s Nana''s birthday and all the children are bringing her a present. Each one is a different colour. What colours do you see? From the much-loved creator of children''s books comes a charming introduction to the world of colours.

In the winter, we love to visit Uncle Peter and his dog Millie at the beach. But the day we took our dog Danny with us, everything went wrong! Until Toby had a good idea . . .

Lazye bird wanted a nest. Nothing would do except the best. But what IS the best?

Peter''s younger brother dreams that if only he had the pirate suit he would be the pirate captain and boss the seven seas.

Memorable characters from the stories of Pamela Allen parade, dance, jump and stomp through the alphabet from A to Z. Suggested level: junior.

Here are five little stories of two little men, one called Billy and the other called Ben. From the best-selling, award-winning Pamela Allen comes the perfect read-aloud picture book about two little men who just won''t share . . .

Meet the people who lived and worked and played along the Mighty Mississippi 150 years ago.