New Releases by Vivian French

When a child is learning to read, every word counts!A boy gazes out the window of his house and wishes he could live in outer space. An alien gazes out the window of his spaceship and wishes he could live on planet earth. Well, be careful what you wish for!I Wish I Were an Alienis an innovativeLightning Readerthat features a controlled word count to give readers practice with essential sight words. This leveled reader for grades K-1 features a 150 words or less and has been professionally leveled by reading experts to ensure that the language and vocabulary are age-appropriate. Word lists and comprehension questions at the back of the book reinforce fundamental reading concepts used in classrooms nationwide!This title is also available in a Spanish version!Children ages 2 to 8 will love to learn to read with ourLightning Readers series! Over 30 titles feature humorous, high-interest stories in a variety of styles including, fantasy, fable, and rhyme, which will appeal to both reluctant and enthusiastic readers. Controlled word counts in this one of a kind series help to build the word foundation for a lifetime of reading! Check out our other titles in this series!Each title is available in an English and Spanish version!

Cave Baby hears a mammoth. His parents are frightened and hide. What does Cave Baby do to save the day? Illustrations.

Hector and Hattie and Harry and Hester set off to find a nice juicy hamburger. But Fox doesn’t want a hamburger, and neither does Badger. What they want are four nice fat juicy hedgehogs for their tea! Two funny stories about four friendly hedgehogs, perfect for beginner readers.

When Grandpa comes to stay for the weekend, the children tire him out with all their activities.

Bill Bird has new boots but he is having trouble because he can''t tie them.

In this lively history of writing, six goofy birds - a penguin, two toucans, an owl and two chickens - team up to tour the world of writing: how it developed, where alphabets came from, and the origins of international languages such as Latin, Esperanto and Morse Code. They begin their time-travelling journey in 4000 BCE with the Sumerians, who invented pictograms out of the necessity to keep trading records. One of the toucans flies on a kite tail to China to learn about characters, the penguin walks like an Egyptian in full headdress across the desert sands to uncover hieroglyphs, and then there''s a mad rush of characters who pass the idea of an alphabet around Europe and the Near East. Illustrated in full colour, Write Around the World includes light-hearted and informative sections on the world''s alphabets, languages, handwriting, calligraphy, typefaces and punctuation, icons, and secret codes as well as a glossary of important words.

Little Lion and Large Lion love to lick, leap, laugh - and lie down for a loving cuddle and lullaby These cuddly animals make a comic duo.

Iggy pig is ready for the snow.

These stories are a wonderful way for children to explore one of nature''s most fascinating mysteries--the instinctive compulsion for animals to migrate over large distances. With poetic text and stunning illustrations, these tales evoke the majestic environments that each animal inhabits. Two tiny swallows, Skimmer and Sweet Claw, have flown over a long distance to raise their young brood in the exact same nest they built last year. Now it is time for them to leave the cold, autumnal winds of northern Europe and return to the warmth and plenty of South Africa.

Each book in this series follows the amazing journey undertaken by a different type of animal: a bird, a sea creature and a land animal. Here, Ragged Ear travels with her daughter to the calving lands to give birth to her next calf.

Walker Story Plays are dramatic versions of popular nursery stories that children will already be familiar with. The plays are written for four voices, with the parts clearly denoted by different colour bands.

Space Dog solves a strange case of howling in outer space. Space Dog.

Story Plays are dramatic versions of favourite stories, retold by Vivian French and suitable for reading aloud. The plays are written for four voices, illustrated with pictures from the original book, with parts clearly denoted by different colour bands. Each part can be read by a single voice or several voices. They aim to accommodate a wide range of reading abilities, so everyone can join in.

Read about Tillie McGillie''s fantastical chair, the ghost of Crumbling Castle and Fred the Angel in this collection of stories written by well-known authors such as Vivien French, Michael Rosen and Dick Dick King-Smith.

A bored boy''s world is suddenly populated by three house-building pigs, a girl wearing a red hood, and other familiar nursery characters.

Retells the story of Mary and Joseph''s trip into Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus in a manger.

Tiger says "No!" to everything his mother wants him to do, but then finds out that having a temper tantrum will not get him what he wants. Full color.

The Big Fat Hen is back--and still trying to help! So when Red Rooster tells her that it''s hard work waking up the farmyard every day, she decides to take over. But the good-hearted hen doesn''t know WHEN it''s time to rouse everyone--and soon she''s telling them all "Wake up!" even though the moon''s still bright in the sky. Kids will laugh out loud at her delightful antics.

"Iggy Pig is going to the beach. He can''t wait to feel the sand between his toes. But what is that big gray animal with the long bushy tail and hungry smile up to? Iggy Pig better watch out!"--Back cover

The Beepers of Planet Beep are in trouble. Their moon won''t stop dripping yummy green cheese. Will they all be drowned in their beepholes? Will Space Dog save the day?

Little Gray the whale is born, learns to swim and dive in the ocean, and accompanies his mother on the migration from Baja California to the Arctic feeding grounds. Includes a map showing the whales'' migration route.

Sophie wishes for Santa to bring her a little black kitten for Christmas.

Iggy Pig''s having a party. He wants to invite his good friends Tabby Cat and Dusty Dog. But who is that big gray animal with the long bushy tail and the hungry smile? Iggy Pig didn''t invite him, did he?

While Mom and Dad do nothing but daydream at the picnic, the young boy keeps very active noticing all kinds of things going on around them.

Young Harry feels useless because he lacks the talents that other family members have as circus performers.

It was an age of miracles," declared F. Scott Fitzgerald of the 1920s, "it was an age of art, it was an age of excess, and it was an age of satire." No author is more closely associated with the decade than Fitzgerald, who christened it the Jazz Age and chronicled its manners and morals. His lyrical, witty fables of society life reveal the disillusionment and cynicism behind the Roaring Twenties'' glamorous facade. Six of Fitzgerald''s best-loved stories appear here, starting with the title tale, in which a hostess regrets her success at transforming a visiting cousin from wallflower to coquette. Other selections include "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz," a glittering fantasy about the corrupting power of wealth; "The Ice Palace," a quasibiographical story of a restless Southern belle; "The Offshore Pirate"; "The Jelly Bean"; and "May Day." Each of these colorful portraits from a bygone era considers timeless themes -- love, money, power, the search for happiness -- that keep them enduringly popular and ever relevant.

When her class presents the nativity play, Hannah shines like a star over the very special baby which she finds in the audience to play the part of Jesus.