Search results for ""Carnival""

Let Secret Rio guide you around the unusual and unfamiliar. Step off the beaten track with this fascinating Rio guide book and let our local experts show you the well-hidden treasures of this fascinating city. Ideal for local inhabitants, curious visitors and armchair travellers alike. Visit an extraordinary hill where the little angels are buried; discover remarkable forgotten Art Deco buildings; see a plane taking off at really close range, leftovers from the 1908 and 1922 Universal Expositions, a beautiful private palace open to visitors once a month, modernist ceramics hidden on the 15th-floor terrace of a former government building, a remarkable secret staircase; experience little-known walks and views of the city; find an Amazonian talisman at Copacabana, vestiges of the Carioca river, a rare statue of the great-grandmother of Jesus, a taxi nightclub, a work of art in a favela, a disused airship hangar...Far from the crowds and the usual beach and carnival cliches, Rio de Janeiro has countless treasures it reveals only to residents and travellers who wander off the beaten track. An indispensable guide for all those who thought they were familiar with Rio or would like to discover the other face of the city.

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From Emily Calandrelli—Emmy-nominated host of Xploration Outer Space, host of Netflix’s Emily’s Wonder Lab, and graduate of MIT—comes the sixth novel in a fun illustrated chapter book series about an eight-year-old girl with a knack for science, math, and solving mysteries with technology.When third grader and inventor extraordinaire Ada Lace learns her teachers are in dire need of new school supplies, she’s eager to lend a helping hand—but how? With a bake sale? A class carnival? Most ideas seem out of reach for a kid like her, until Tycho suggests Ada try her hand at posting informational videos. If she’s able to build up a big online viewership, she could easily raise funds for their school. And with Nina as her visionary director, Milton as her comedic cohost, and Ada as the scientist star, making fun videos will be a piece of cake! Or so they think. What starts as an earnest try at making fun, science-based shorts ends up being a whole mess for Ada and the gang as they gain popularity and take on peer pressure, trolls, and tests of their friendships. With her rising internet stardom, will Ada be able to stay true to herself?

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A beautifully atmospheric memoir and travelogue from poet Amryl Johnson depicting her journey from the UK to Trinidad in the 1980s'Memories demanded that I complete this book. If what I experienced was, in fact, a haunting, I believe I have now laid these ghosts to rest in a style which I hope will satisfy even the most determined ones.'Amryl Johnson came to England from Trinidad when she was eleven. As an adult in 1983, ready for a homecoming, she embarks on a journey through the Caribbean searching for home, searching for herself.Landing in Trinidad as carnival begins, she instantly surrenders to the collective, pulsating rhythm of the crowd, euphoric in her total freedom. This elation is shattered when she finds the house where she was born has been destroyed. She cannot escape - nor wants to - from the inheritance of colonialism.Her bittersweet welcome sets the tone for her intoxicating exploration of these distinct islands. In evocative, lyrical prose Sequins for a Ragged Hem is an astonishingly unique memoir, interrogating the way our past and present selves live alongside one another.Selected by Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo, this series rediscovers and celebrates pioneering books from Black Britain and the diaspora, which remap the nation and reframe our history.

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The Edible Monument considers the elaborate architecture, sculpture, and floats designed for court and civic celebrations in early modern Europe, including popular festivals such as Carnival and the Italian Cuccagna. Like illuminations and fireworks, ephemeral artworks made of food were not well documented and were difficult to describe because they were perishable and thus quickly consumed or destroyed. In times before photography and cookbooks, there were neither literary models nor iconography for how food and its preparation should be explained or depicted. Drawing on books, prints, and scrolls that document festival arts, elaborate banquets, and street feasts, the essays in this volume examine the mythic themes and personas employed to honor and celebrate rulers; the methods, materials, and wares used to prepare, depict, and serve food; and how foods such as sugar were transformed to express political goals or accomplishments. Although made for consumption, food could also be a work of art, both a special attraction and an expression of power. Formal occasions and spontaneous celebrations drew communities together, while special foods and seasonal menus revived ancient legends, evoking memories and recalling shared histories, values, and tastes. This book is published on the occasion of an exhibition at the Getty Research Center from October 13, 2015, to March 23, 2016.

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*** THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER***From adventures at Central Saint Martins to The Great British Sewing Bee, go behind the scenes of Esme Young's amazing life...At age five, Esme was asked to write in her notebook, but instead, she filled it with drawings - the only way she knew to express herself. At seven, when it was discovered she was partially deaf, she found refuge in her sketchbooks. Shortly after, Esme made her first garment and a passion for sewing and designing was born. As a teenager, she made her way to London where her creative journey truly began.Living in a squat with other young creatives, Esme made the most of her time; studying at Central Saint Martins, launching a clothing line called Swanky Modes with three friends and £50 each, watching Notting Hill Carnival with David Bowie, and altering a dress for Cher. The '90s saw a career move into costumes for films, where she designed outfits for Trainspotting, Bridget Jones's Diary and The Beach, before she moved onto the small screen herself.A celebration of a creative life lived differently, Behind the Seams is a reminder that it's never too early, or too late to pick up a needle and start stitching in a new direction.

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Perhaps the single most revolutionary aspect of the Renaissance was the re-emergence of the gods and goddesses of antiquity. In the midst of Christian Europe, artists began to decorate luxury goods with scandalous stories from classical mythology, and rulers to identify themselves with the deities of ancient religion. The resulting fusion of erotic fantasy and political power changed the course of Western art and produced many of its most magical and subversive works.The first book ever to survey this extraordinary phenomenon in its entirety, The Mirror of the Gods takes the story from the Renaissance to the Baroque. Each chapter focuses on a particular god (Diana, Apollo, Hercules, Venus, Bacchus, Jupiter) and recounts the tales about that deity, not as they appear in classical literature but as they were re-created by artists such as Botticelli, Titian, Bernini and Rembrandt. And yet this is not a book simply about painting and sculpture. It is an attempt to re-imagine the entire designed world of the Renaissance, where the gods also appeared in carnival floats and in banquet displays, and entertained the public in the form of snow men and fireworks. This rich and original new portrait of the Renaissance will ensure that readers never see the period in quite the same way again.

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Winner of: Spanish Language-- Picture Book Gold, 2013 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards A witch who has hung up her broom to become the driver of a flying train, a roller coaster with snow at the top of its highest drop, and bumper cars that can go wherever the driver wants are all part of a magical carnival in this illustrated children's book. As they explore the different rides together, a little boy and his father discover the secrets that lurk in the old fairground--and the visit changes their lives forever. This moving and fantastical tale is a poetic tribute to old-time fairs, with pages full of surprises and thrills that are sure to delight children of all ages. Una bruja quien ha colgado su escoba para convertirse en la conductora de un tren volador, una montana rusa con nieve en su cima mas alta y coches de choque que van a donde quiera el conductor desea. Mientras exploran las diferentes diversiones juntos, un nino y su padre descubren los secretos que merodean en el viejo parque de atracciones--y la visita cambia sus vidas para siempre. Esta historia conmovedora y fantastica es un un tributo poetico a las ferias clasicas. Lexile Level 800L

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The dramatic tale of the life of Thelma White, who is remembered today mostly for her role in the cult classic Reefer Madness, and for her five marriages, only three of which were to men. An aspiring performer who started her career in 1914 at the age of three as a carnival entertainer, White embarked on a dynamic career that spanned much of the 20th century, and included performances on Broadway, nightclubs shows in London and Australia, all-girl revues, and appearances in a number of "B" pictures, including the infamous Reefer Madness in 1936. Her autobiography provides an invaluable record of the life of a performer in the entertainment industry in the 20th century, especially in the 30s and 40s. Enraptured by fame and fortune, Thelma never slowed her quest for success. She performed relentlessly worldwide for more than 30 years before contracting a rare tropical disease in 1945. Bedridden for almost 10 years and addicted to narcotics, she finally recovered and fought her way back to good health and a new career as an agent and artists' manager, helping others reach the heights of stardom she once enjoyed. This biography is an exciting first-person account of a unique performer—an enlightening read for anyone interested in the cultural history of popular entertainment.

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How does a Norwegian farm girl become an infamous American serial killer, responsible for upward of 40 murders? Born in rural Norway in 1859, "Belle" Storset Sorenson Gunness was constantly dealt bad hands in life—so she decided to take life into her own hands. In America's Femme Fatale: The Story of Serial Killer Belle Gunness, Jane Simon Ammeson traces Gunness's path from a poor teenager rejected by a wealthy lover; to a new wife in Chicago, desperate to escape the poverty of her childhood and impatient for a child to love; to an ambitious, widowed landowner in La Porte, Indiana. Ammeson's careful research reveals how the young immigrant slowly turned into one of America's most dangerous serial killers, allegedly murdering husbands, lovers, and children, and, for a price, disposing of inconvenient corpses for others. Ammeson brings this shocking story to life, detailing the suspicious neighbors who were cowed into silence by Belle's intimidating personality, the culture of orphanages trafficking children and matrimonial agencies, the carnival atmosphere that exploded around the pile of bones found on Gunness's farm, and the sensational reporting that filled newspapers for months.Perfect for true crime fans fascinated by the creation of a sociopathic serial killer, America's Femme Fatale will leave you entertained and looking over your shoulder.

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There is an elaborate and often invisible carnival that emerges alongside presidential campaigns as innumerable activist groups attempt to press their issues into mainstream political discourse. Sarah Sobieraj’s fascinating ethnographic portrait of fifty diverse organizations over the course of two campaign cycles reveals that while most activist groups equate political success with media success and channel their energies accordingly, their efforts fail to generate news coverage and come with deleterious consequences. Sobieraj shows that activists’ impact on public political debates is minimal, and carefully unravels the ways in which their all-consuming media work and unrelenting public relations approach undermine their ability to communicate with pedestrians, comes at the expense of other political activities, and perhaps most perniciously, damages the groups themselves. Weaving together fieldwork, news analysis, and in-depth interviews with activists and journalists, Soundbitten illuminates the relationship between news and activist organizations. This captivating portrait of activism in the United States lays bare the challenges faced by outsiders struggling to be heard in a mass media dominated public sphere that proves exclusionary and shows that media-centrism is not only ineffective, but also damaging to group life. Soundbitten reveals why media-centered activism so often fails, what activist groups lose in the process, and why we should all be concerned.

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‘Superb, gritty and realistic’ MEL SHERRATT, million copy bestselling author How long do you hunt for the missing? A horrible vanishing act… When a young Josie Masters sees a boy wearing a red football shirt, Dylan Jones, being taken by a clown at a carnival, she tries to alert the crowds. But it’s too late. Dylan has disappeared… Thirty years later, Josie is working as a police officer in Bath. The remains of the body of a child have been found – complete with tatters of a torn red football shirt. Is it the boy she saw vanish in the clutches of the clown? Or is it someone else altogether? And then another child disappears… A gripping crime thriller, perfect for fans of Found by Erin Kinsley, Cara Hunter’s All the Rage in the DI Fawley series, and T.M. Logan’s The Holiday. ___________________________ Readers love Hold My Hand ‘The minute you pick it up the cleaning, shopping and all other jobs go out the window. I could not put it down. BRILLIANT READ!’ ***** ‘Gripped from the first page and only released on the last!’ ***** ‘A really well constructed thriller, I couldn’t put It down. A really unexpected and unsettling ending.’ ***** A rollercoaster ride from start to finish. I read it in one sitting … very absorbing!’ *****

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The second novel in Pitol's Carnival trilogy following The Love Parade continues his daring, genre-melding, picaresque style.From the famous Mexican author, Sergio Pitol, comes his 1988 classic translated by George Henson. Taming the Divine Heron tells the semi-autobiographical story of a novelist working on his newest masterpiece. The protagonist struggles to tell the perfect story—his own imagined protagonists mere imitations of the likes of Lord Jim and Alyosha Karamazov. To help eradicate writer’s block, Pitol uses his vessel to praise his own favorite authors. Pitol applauds Bakhtin’s world building, Gogol’s “carnivalesque [literary] breath,” and Dante’s dizzying intensity. The character finds a muse in Marietta Karapetiz, whom he aptly dubs Dante C. de la Estrella, and the two debate the literary greats. As the pair attempts to pull from the techniques of the world’s best writers, Pitol creates a love letter to literature from around the globe while simultaneously telling his own magical story. To quote Pitol’s protagonist, “the quality of the story, its effects, its brilliance, its intensity, ma[k]e the most absurd circumstances plausible.” Taming The Divine Heron, second in a trilogy including already-published The Love Parade (Deep Vellum, 2022), houses history, hyperrealism, myth, folklore, and memoir; to read Pitol is to appreciate the power of language.

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Ever go to a carnival and look into one of those distorted mirrors, you know,the ones that make you look three feet tall and five feet wide? The image ofyourself that you see back is distorted. It can produce a good laugh. But many of us struggle with a similar condition – we don’t see ourselves accurately. We are hindered from being the best version of ourselves, the version God intended.We are prevented by this insidious thing called iniquity. Iniquity is mentioned 334 times in the Bible, yet so many remain oblivious to its significant and negative impact on everyday living. Iniquity is the ancientterm for narcissism. It’s what turned a good angel, Lucifer, into the devil… “thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee” (Ezekiel 28:15). It’s one of the four reason Jesus went to the cross… “He was bruised for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5). It’s why Jesus was sent… “to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities” (Acts 3:26).As you journey through the pages of this book you will not only identify theproblems iniquity imposes upon us, but you will also discover the solutions.

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An Edgar® Award Winning SeriesBefore the train has left the station, Victorian England’s most accomplished new detective already is on a suspect’s trail, and readers will be delighted to travel along. Myrtle Hardcastle has no desire to go on a relaxing travel excursion with her aunt Helena when there are More Important things to be done at home, like keeping close tabs on criminals and murder trials. Unfortunately, she has no say in the matter. So off Myrtle goes—with her governess, Miss Judson, and cat, Peony, in tow—on a fabulous private railway coach headed for the English seaside. Myrtle is thrilled to make the acquaintance of Mrs. Bloom, a professional insurance investigator aboard to protect the priceless Northern Lights tiara. But before the train reaches its destination, both the tiara and Mrs. Bloom vanish. When Myrtle arrives, she and Peony discover a dead body in the baggage car. Someone has been murdered—with Aunt Helena’s sewing shears. The trip is derailed, the local police are inept, and Scotland Yard is in no rush to arrive. What’s a smart, bored Young Lady of Quality stranded in a washed-up carnival town to do but follow the evidence to find out which of her fellow travelers is a thief and a murderer?

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OUT NOW IN CINEMAS AND NOMINATED FOR FOUR OSCARS A cool, cruel, rediscovered classic of American noir adapted for cinemas by Guillermo del Toro, starring Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara 'Read and shudder. And relish' Guardian 'A creepy, all-too-harrowing masterpiece' Washington Post Stanton Carlisle, employed as a carny at a travelling circus watches their freak-show geek - an abject alcoholic, the object of the voyeuristic crowd’s gleeful disgust and derision - and wonders how a man could fall so low. There’s no way in hell, he vows, that anything like that will ever happen to him. Unlike the tragic figure he sees before him, Stan is young, clever and ambitious and quick to learn from the other carnival acts. Initially teaming up with a beautiful but vulnerable woman as part of a double act in which he mesmerises her, Stan soon leaves his circus days behind him, becoming a successful spiritualist who exploits the weak and the wealthy. But even the very best con-men can meet their match.... With a new introduction from James Smythe, Nightmare Alley is a forgotten classic of Depression-era America: a brilliant, horrifying, compulsive journey into the true darkness of the human mind.

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In these oversize board books, every page is bursting with life—and tons to discover! Children as young as two have a blast pointing out recognizable things—a blue tricycle, a hungry dog, a piggyback ride—while older kids can follow the star characters from page to page, telling their stories along the way. Wimmelbooks are virtually instruction-free, inviting kids to make their own way through the busy Wimmelworld they encounter, and to craft their own stories. First, you’re introduced to a unique cast of characters who are hidden in plain sight on the pages that follow. As you seek them out, each character’s storyline unfolds, but it’s up to kids to interpret the scenes and create stories they think fit. I Can Do It! brings in an extra educational element, with simple text on each spread that parents can read to children or children can try to sound out all by themselves. As the characters explore places like a neighbourhood, school, city centre, garden, and beachside carnival, short phrases call out what they’re doing. Can you find someone tying their shoes? Look at the friends playing hide-and-seek! Who’s going to sleep? This word-filled wimmelbook is sure to provide hours of imaginative fun—and an excellent introduction to literacy!

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The fifth book in the Megan Lindholm (Robin Hobb) backlist. Seattle: a place as magical as the Emerald City. Subtle magic seeps through the cracks in the paving stones of the sprawling metropolis. But only the inhabitants who possess special gifts are open to the city's consciousness; finding portents in the graffiti, reading messages in the rubbish or listening to warnings in the skipping-rope chants of children. Wizard is bound to Seattle and her magic. His gift is the Knowing – a powerful enchantment allowing him to know the truth of things; to hear the life-stories of ancient mummies locked behind glass cabinets, to receive true fortunes from the carnival machines, to reveal to ordinary people the answers to their troubles and to safeguard the city's equilibrium. The magic has its price; Wizard must never have more than a dollar in his pocket, must remain celibate, and he must feed and protect the pigeons. But a threat to Seattle has begun to emerge in the portents. A malevolent force born of Wizard's forgotten past has returned to prey upon his power and taunt him with images of his obscure history; and he is the only wizard in Seattle who can face the evil and save the city, his friends and himself.

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"Full of hilarious, highly illustrated mayhem" Guardian"Loved it. Full of heart, laughs and adventure." Dermot O'Leary"Fearfully funny, and a book to get your teeth into! You'll be Kevin's biggest fang!" Danny WallaceWhen Kevin and his family get stuck in a strange town, they accidentally wake up something OLD and VERY HUNGRY. It's up to Kevin to save everyone - or else! The first in a brilliantly funny fantasy adventure series.Kevin Aurelius is just like any other almost eleven-year-old.Well, apart from his fangs obviously. And that he's immortal. Oh and did I mention he's a vampire?Together with his vampire parents and annoying older siblings, Kevin's on his way to Monstros City when, due to dodgy batnav, they get stranded in a strange, quiet place full of humans called Lower Drudging. With empty coffers in need of filling, their only choice is to put on an impromptu carnival to earn the gold they need to get back on their way.But Lower Drudging has a monstrous secret of its own. A secret that is old, very hungry and has just woken up! It's up to Kevin and his new best friend Susie to save the town - or else!Black and white illustrations throughout by Flavia Sorrentino.

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'A timely, powerful and gorgeously readable novel that represents everything that is good and important about the crime fiction genre' Irish Times1978: The National Front is gaining ground in Hackney. To counter their influence, anti-fascist groups launch the Carnival Against Racism in Victoria Park. Observing the event is Detective Constable Patrick Noble, charged with investigating racist attacks in the area and running Spycops in both far-right and left wing groups. As Noble's superiors are drawn further into political meddling, he's inveigled into a plot against the embattled Labour government as the Winter of Discontent begins to bite.1983: Under a disciplinary cloud after a Spycops op ended in tragedy, Noble is offered a reprieve by an old mentor. He is dispatched in the early hours to Stoke Newington police station, where a young black man has died in suspicious circumstances. This is Thatcher's Britain now, a new world that Noble unwittingly helped to usher in, where racial tensions are weaponised by those in power. His investigation will expose the dark heart of a nation at war with itself.'Gripping' The Times'Enthralling' Sunday Times'A propulsive crime novel' Guardian'One of our very best contemporary crime writers' David Peace

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The second title in Genevieve Cogman's The Invisible Library series, The Masked City is a wonderful read for all those who enjoyed Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair or Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London.Librarian-spy Irene is working undercover in an alternative London when her assistant Kai goes missing. She discovers he's been kidnapped by the fae faction and the repercussions could be fatal. Not just for Kai, but for whole worlds.Kai's dragon heritage means he has powerful allies, but also powerful enemies in the form of the fae. With this act of aggression, the fae are determined to trigger a war between their people – and the forces of order and chaos themselves.Irene's mission to save Kai and avert Armageddon will take her to a dark, alternate Venice where it's always Carnival. Here Irene will be forced to blackmail, fast talk, and fight. Or face death.The Masked City contains bonus extra content – secrets from the Library!Continue the bookish magic with The Burning Page. Genevieve is also the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Scarlet - which reimagines the tale of the Scarlet Pimpernel, but with vampires, mages and magic . . .

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Writing the Black Diasporic City in the Age of Globalization theorizes the city as a generative, “semicircular” social space, where the changes of globalization are most profoundly experienced. The fictive accounts analyzed here configure cities as spaces where movement is simultaneously restrictive and liberating, and where life prospects are at once promising and daunting. In their depictions of the urban experiences of peoples of African descent, writers and other creative artists offer a complex set of renditions of twentieth- and twenty-first-century Black urban citizens’ experience in European or Euro-dominated cities such as Boston, London, New York, and Toronto, as well as Global South cities such as Accra, Kingston, and Lagos—that emerged out of colonial domination, and which have emerged as hubs of current globalization. Writing the Black Diasporic City draws on critical tools of classical postcolonial studies as well as those of globalization studies to read works by Ama Ata Aidoo, Amma Darko, Marlon James, Cecil Foster, Zadie Smith, Michael Thomas, Chika Unigwe, and other contemporary writers. The book also engages the television series Call the Midwife, the Canada carnival celebration Caribana, and the film series Small Axe to show how cities are characterized as open, complicated spaces that are constantly shifting. Cities collapse boundaries, allowing for both haunting and healing, and they can sever the connection from kin and community, or create new connections.

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The Steelband Movement examines the dramatic transformation of pan from a Carnival street music into a national art and symbol in Trinidad and Tobago. By focusing on pan as a cultural process, Stephen Stuempfle demonstrates how the struggles and achievements of the steelband movement parallel the problems and successes of building a nation. Stuempfle explores the history of the steelband from its emergence around 1940 as an assemblage of diverse metal containers to today's immense orchestra of high-precision instruments with bell-like tones. Drawing on interviews with different generations of pan musicians (including the earliest), a wide array of archival material, and field observations, the author traces the growth of the movement in the context of the grass-roots uprisings of the 1930s and 1940s, the American presence in Trinidad in World War II, the nationalist movement of the postwar period, the aftermath of independence from Britain in 1962, the Black Power protests and the oil boom of the 1970s, and the recession of recent years. The Steelband Movement suggests that the history of pan has involved a series of negotiations between different ethnic groups, socioeconomic classes, and social organizations, all of which have attempted to define and use the music according to their own values and interests. This drama provides a window into the ways in which Trinidadians have constructed various visions of a national identity.

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It is commonly assumed that Caribbean culture is split into elite highbrow culture—which is considered derivative of Europe and not rooted in the Caribbean—and authentic working-class culture, which is often identified with such iconic island activities as salsa, carnival, calypso, and reggae. In Caribbean Middlebrow, Belinda Edmondson recovers a middle ground, a genuine popular culture in the English-speaking Caribbean that stretches back into the nineteenth century. Edmondson shows that popular novels, beauty pageants, and music festivals are examples of Caribbean culture that are mostly created, maintained, and consumed by the Anglophone middle class. Much of middle-class culture, she finds, is further gendered as "female": women are more apt to be considered recreational readers of fiction, for example, and women's behavior outside the home is often taken as a measure of their community's respectability. Edmondson also highlights the influence of American popular culture, especially African American popular culture, as early as the nineteenth century. This is counter to the notion that the islands were exclusively under the sway of British tastes and trends. She finds the origins of today's "dub" or spoken-word Jamaican poetry in earlier traditions of genteel dialect poetry—as exemplified by the work of the Jamaican folklorist, actress, and poet Louise "Miss Lou" Bennett Coverley-and considers the impact of early Caribbean novels including Emmanuel Appadocca (1853) and Jane's Career (1913).

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A few minutes after noon on the 24th April, 1916, Patrick Pearse stepped outside the newly occupied GPO on Sackville Street with a copy of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. Reading aloud, he declared a strike for Irish freedom against the world’s greatest imperial power. The Easter Rising, as the six days of intense, bloody fighting that followed came to be known, set the course for the next 100 years of Irish history; the ‘Heroes of ‘16’ becoming a national cultural and political touchstone down the generations. But today, canonised and mummified, the radical visions of Pearse and the socialist James Connolly are an awkward encumbrance on an Irish state that has its roots in the counter-revolution of the civil war, and which has emerged as a haven of economic neoliberalism. In this fascinating alternative history of modern Ireland, Kieran Allen follows the thread of 1916’s ‘revolutionary tradition’ - an uneasy marriage of Socialism and Republicanism - as it has unravelled across the century. From the strikes, boycotts, occupations and land redistribution that accompanied the war of independence; to the ‘carnival of reaction’ that followed; all the way up to the current movement against water charges and austerity, Allen reveals the complexities, ruptures and continuities of a revolutionary tradition that continues to haunt the establishment today.

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Children of Lucifer explores the historical origins of Satanism, the "anti-religion" that adopts Satan, the Judeo-Christian representative of evil, as an object of veneration. Ruben van Luijk traces its development from a concept invented by the Christian church to demonize its internal and external competitors, to a positive (anti-)religious identity embraced to varying degrees by groups in the modern West. Van Luijk offers a comprehensive intellectual history of this long and unpredictable trajectory; a story that involves Romantic poets, radical anarchists, eccentric esotericists, Decadent writers, and schismatic exorcists, among others, culminating in the establishment of the Church of Satan by carnival entertainer Anton Szandor LaVey. Yet, he argues, this story is more than just a collection of colorful characters and unlikely historical episodes. The emergence of new attitudes towards Satan proves to be intimately linked to the Western Revolution--the ideological struggle for emancipation that transformed the West and is epitomized by the American and French Revolutions. It is also closely connected to secularization, that other exceptional historical process during which western culture spontaneously renounced its traditional gods in order to enter into a self-imposed state of religious indecision. Children of Lucifer, thus, makes the case that the emergence of Satanism presents a shadow history of the evolution of modern civilization as we know it.

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The mystery that Abughattas composes is always moving toward an impossible freeing of the self from its numerous frames. Yet frame by frame . . . she suspends our disbelief, catalogs those potentialities in an America always ready to shoot, direct, and produce the film of itself. Strip is 'in love with possibility,' 'in praise of here I am, here I've been,' USA style. Strip celebrates the body-its rise and fall, ebb and flow, in a carnival of parties-restlessly, shamelessly, searching for a way out. Even as Abughattas claims that 'I can't believe sometimes I have a body,' her poems teem with an awareness of the body's unavoidable centrality in our lives-in how we view our lives, and how others view them; in how they progress, and how they end; in how they become meaningful, and how they are stripped of meaning. And no stripping escapes memory. Whether in terms of dispossession or sexuality, admiration or pity, Abughattas renders her treatment of the body with candor and poignancy. . . . The most startling moments in Abughattas's poems, however, depend not on shocking or intimate details-but on the I' pulling away from the self, abandoning the ego, and gazing outward. She tries to see something else, to escape the body's restraints.' -Fady Joudah and Hayan Charara, from the Preface

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A groundbreaking contribution to the study of nontheatrical film exhibition, Carceral Fantasies tells the little-known story of how cinema found a home in the U.S. penitentiary system and how the prison emerged as a setting and narrative trope in modern cinema. Focusing on films shown in prisons before 1935, Alison Griffiths explores the unique experience of viewing cinema while incarcerated and the complex cultural roots of cinematic renderings of prison life. Griffiths considers a diverse mix of cinematic genres, from early actualities and reenactments of notorious executions to reformist exposes of the 1920s.She connects an early fascination with cinematic images of punishment and execution, especially electrocutions, to the attractions of the nineteenth-century carnival electrical wonder show and Phantasmagoria (a ghost show using magic lantern projections and special effects). Griffiths draws upon convict writing, prison annual reports, and the popular press obsession with prison-house cinema to document the integration of film into existing reformist and educational activities and film's psychic extension of flights of fancy undertaken by inmates in their cells. Combining penal history with visual and film studies and theories surrounding media's sensual effects, Carceral Fantasies illuminates how filmic representations of the penal system enacted ideas about modernity, gender, the body, and the public, shaping both the social experience of cinema and the public's understanding of the modern prison.

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Writing the Black Diasporic City in the Age of Globalization theorizes the city as a generative, “semicircular” social space, where the changes of globalization are most profoundly experienced. The fictive accounts analyzed here configure cities as spaces where movement is simultaneously restrictive and liberating, and where life prospects are at once promising and daunting. In their depictions of the urban experiences of peoples of African descent, writers and other creative artists offer a complex set of renditions of twentieth- and twenty-first-century Black urban citizens’ experience in European or Euro-dominated cities such as Boston, London, New York, and Toronto, as well as Global South cities such as Accra, Kingston, and Lagos—that emerged out of colonial domination, and which have emerged as hubs of current globalization. Writing the Black Diasporic City draws on critical tools of classical postcolonial studies as well as those of globalization studies to read works by Ama Ata Aidoo, Amma Darko, Marlon James, Cecil Foster, Zadie Smith, Michael Thomas, Chika Unigwe, and other contemporary writers. The book also engages the television series Call the Midwife, the Canada carnival celebration Caribana, and the film series Small Axe to show how cities are characterized as open, complicated spaces that are constantly shifting. Cities collapse boundaries, allowing for both haunting and healing, and they can sever the connection from kin and community, or create new connections.

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The new Bulgarian ambassador to London is determined to satisfy the whims of his bosses at all costs. Putting himself at the mercy of a shady PR-agency, he is promised direct access to the very highest social circles. Meanwhile, on the lower levels of the embassy, things are not as they should be. With criminal gangs operating in the kitchens, police on the trail of missing ducks from Hyde Park and a sexy Princess Diana impersonator employed as the cleaner, how is an ambassador supposed to do his job?Combining the themes of corruption, confusion and outright incompetence, Popov masterly brings together the multiple plot lines in a sumptuous carnival of frenzy and futile vanity, allowing the illusions and delusions of the post-communist society to be reflected in their glorious absurdity!"A big European novel… his humour is the weapon of a merciless social critic, such as we have seen in the works of Jaroslav Hashec and Ilf and Petrov…" Miljenko Jergović"This is a true European comic novel in the best tradition of P.G. Wodehouse, Roald Dahl and Tom Sharp. An excellent narrative; a great awareness for detail; a fresh sense of humour and most importantly – a sense of moderation. The situations are typically Bulgarian, yet the irony brings a taste of Englishness." 24 HoursThis book is also available as a eBook. Buy it from Amazon here.

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A few minutes after noon on the 24th April, 1916, Patrick Pearse stepped outside the newly occupied GPO on Sackville Street with a copy of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. Reading aloud, he declared a strike for Irish freedom against the world’s greatest imperial power. The Easter Rising, as the six days of intense, bloody fighting that followed came to be known, set the course for the next 100 years of Irish history; the ‘Heroes of ‘16’ becoming a national cultural and political touchstone down the generations. But today, canonised and mummified, the radical visions of Pearse and the socialist James Connolly are an awkward encumbrance on an Irish state that has its roots in the counter-revolution of the civil war, and which has emerged as a haven of economic neoliberalism. In this fascinating alternative history of modern Ireland, Kieran Allen follows the thread of 1916’s ‘revolutionary tradition’ - an uneasy marriage of Socialism and Republicanism - as it has unravelled across the century. From the strikes, boycotts, occupations and land redistribution that accompanied the war of independence; to the ‘carnival of reaction’ that followed; all the way up to the current movement against water charges and austerity, Allen reveals the complexities, ruptures and continuities of a revolutionary tradition that continues to haunt the establishment today.

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A groundbreaking contribution to the study of nontheatrical film exhibition, Carceral Fantasies tells the little-known story of how cinema found a home in the U.S. penitentiary system and how the prison emerged as a setting and narrative trope in modern cinema. Focusing on films shown in prisons before 1935, Alison Griffiths explores the unique experience of viewing cinema while incarcerated and the complex cultural roots of cinematic renderings of prison life.Griffiths considers a diverse mix of cinematic genres, from early actualities and reenactments of notorious executions to reformist exposés of the 1920s. She connects an early fascination with cinematic images of punishment and execution, especially electrocutions, to the attractions of the nineteenth-century carnival electrical wonder show and Phantasmagoria (a ghost show using magic lantern projections and special effects). Griffiths draws upon convict writing, prison annual reports, and the popular press obsession with prison-house cinema to document the integration of film into existing reformist and educational activities and film's psychic extension of flights of fancy undertaken by inmates in their cells. Combining penal history with visual and film studies and theories surrounding media's sensual effects, Carceral Fantasies illuminates how filmic representations of the penal system enacted ideas about modernity, gender, the body, and the public, shaping both the social experience of cinema and the public's understanding of the modern prison.

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Norman the Slug with the Silly Shell is BACK in this fabulously festive Christmas caper from the creators of the bestselling SUPERTATO series! When a sack of presents lands - THWACK - right by Norman's stocking he is overcome with excitement. He really must have been a very good slug this year. But after a frenzy of unwrapping he spots a label - and realises that none of the presents were meant for him, but had in fact fallen off Father Christmas's sleigh. Norman knows he has to get the presents to the family they're meant for - but how can he manage it on time? Can one little slug save Christmas?Also starring Norman the Slug:Norman the Slug with the Silly ShellAlso by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet:Supertato Supertato: Veggies Assemble Supertato: Run, Veggies, Run! Supertato: Evil Pea Rules! Supertato: Veggies in the Valley of Doom Supertato: Carnival Catastro-Pea Supertato: Bubbly Troubly (coming March 2021)Supertato Sticker Book Supertato Super Squad Supertato Sticker Skills (coming May 2021)Barry the Fish with Fingers Barry the Fish with Fingers and the Hairy Scary Monster No-Bot the Robot with No Bottom No-Bot the Robot's New Bottom Keith the Cat with the Magic Hat Doug the Bug that went. Boing! I Need a Wee! Gordon's Great Escape

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'Joe Thomas brilliantly recaptures an ugly episode in our recent past. Lest we forget . . .' Val McDermid'A timely, powerful and gorgeously readable novel that represents everything that is good and important about the crime fiction genre' Irish Times1978: The National Front is gaining ground in Hackney. To counter their influence, anti-fascist groups launch the Carnival Against Racism in Victoria Park. Observing the event is Detective Constable Patrick Noble, charged with investigating racist attacks in the area and running Spycops in both far-right and left wing groups. As Noble's superiors are drawn further into political meddling, he's inveigled into a plot against the embattled Labour government as the Winter of Discontent begins to bite.1983: Under a disciplinary cloud after a Spycops op ended in tragedy, Noble is offered a reprieve by an old mentor. He is dispatched in the early hours to Stoke Newington police station, where a young black man has died in suspicious circumstances. This is Thatcher's Britain now, a new world that Noble unwittingly helped to usher in, where racial tensions are weaponised by those in power. His investigation will expose the dark heart of a nation at war with itself.'Gripping' The Times'Enthralling' Sunday Times'A propulsive crime novel' Guardian'One of our very best contemporary crime writers' David Peace

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A mother’s near-obsessive devotion to her missing daughter threatens to destroy more than one family. Megan is the harried but happy stay-at-home mother of three little girls living in a small town. Her life implodes when her youngest daughter, Emma, disappears on her third birthday. Two years later, Megan is preparing to commemorate Emma’s birthday and the anniversary of her kidnapping, compelled to keep her name alive in the minds of her community and her family. Her commitment to Emma, however, borderlines on obsession as she follows the families of little girls who look like the daughter she lost. Her obsession with finding Emma has distanced Megan from both friends and family. Her two older daughters are resentful of her relentless and fruitless search for their sister, and her husband pleads with her to accept that Emma is gone so that the family can move on with their lives. Meanwhile, in the same small town, Jack is beginning to question his wife’s secrecy about their adored granddaughter, Emmie. As Dottie slips into dementia and becomes increasingly protective over Emmie, he can’t help but wonder if there could be a dark secret that Dottie is keeping from him. Jack and Megan’s worlds finally intersect at the town carnival, when Megan snaps a photograph of a little girl on her grandfather’s shoulders.

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We are all fascinated by the mystery of metamorphosis – of the caterpillar that transforms itself into a butterfly. Their bodies have almost nothing in common. They don’t share the same world: one crawls on the ground and the other flutters its wings in the air. And yet they are one and the same life. Emanuele Coccia argues that metamorphosis – the phenomenon that allows the same life to subsist in disparate bodies – is the relationship that binds all species together and unites the living with the non-living. Bacteria, viruses, fungi, plants, animals: they are all one and the same life. Each species, including the human species, is the metamorphosis of all those that preceded it – the same life, cobbling together a new body and a new form in order to exist differently. And there is no opposition between the living and the non-living: life is always the reincarnation of the non-living, a carnival of the telluric substance of a planet – the Earth – that continually draws new faces and new ways of being out of even the smallest particle of its disparate body. By highlighting what joins humans together with other forms of life, Coccia’s brilliant reflection on metamorphosis encourages us to abandon our view of the human species as static and independent and to recognize instead that we are part of a much larger and interconnected form of life.

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Love Supertato? Then meet No-Bot, the robot whose bottom is making funny noises in this hilariously silly new adventure from Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet, creators of the super-bestselling SUPERTATO series! When Bernard's bottom starts to make funny noises, he decides it MUST be broken! So along with his friends, he sets off in search of just the right replacement. Children will love watching No-Bot try on all kinds of strange new bottoms, from a wheel of cheese to a large red sofa! Will Bernard EVER find the perfect bottom? Find out in this laugh-out-loud, fun-filled story from the brilliant brains behind Supertato, Norman the Slug with the Silly Shell, Barry the Fish with Fingers and more! And don’t miss No-Bot’s first funny adventure: No-Bot the Robot with No Bottom! Also by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet: Supertato Supertato: Veggies Assemble Supertato: Run Veggies Run Supertato: Evil Pea Rules Supertato: Veggies in the Valley of Doom Supertato: Carnival Catastro-pea Supertato Sticker Book Norman the Slug with the Silly ShellNorman the Slug Who Saved Christmas Barry the Fish with FingersBarry the Fish with Fingers and the Hairy Scary Monster I Need a WeeAlan the Bear: Party TimeAlan the Bear: Bedtime Doug the Bug that Went BoingGordon’s Great EscapeKeith the Cat with the Magic Hat

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Through examining more than 120 organizations on a global scale, this work shows how almost every human expression involves performing culture. Atlas of Performing Culture is an illustrated voyage across five continents Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania, and the Americas involving the study of venues and events related to performance, the dynamic and unrepeatable mode of artistic activity capable of uniting the audience who becomes the protagonist with artists and works of art, architecture, and nature. The volume is organized around five thematic sections related to the physical spaces, venues, and typologies of events. The unique experience of performing art can involve an island museum in Japan, the Rio Carnival, a Brussels theatrical debut, a rave party in the British countryside, and a cultural center housed in a former funeral home in the outskirts of Paris. Alongside theaters, concert halls, and festivals, we also find museums, sculpture parks, and hybrid cultural centers that elude any attempt of cataloging. By breaking down the traditional frontiers between performance art, visual art, and performing arts, this volume takes the reader whether specialist, practitioner, academic, or simply art aficionado on a journey to some of the main cultural sites and performative experiences around the world. Each section offers a specific overview into leading cultural organizations, as well as a selection of similar international institutions.

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THE LIFE STORY OF THE LEGENDARY BRITISH DJ, NORMAN JAY MBE 'Full of the heart and spirit Norman Jay brings to his music, but it also offers a salutary account of growing up as part of the Windrush generation in London's Notting Hill, the violence and racism he faced, and his success' ObserverMister Good Times is the enthralling story of a black kid growing up in a (largely white) working class world; of vivid, often violent experiences on the football terraces; of the emerging club scene growing out of a melting pot of styles; of how Jay, with his contemporaries, took the music of Black America, gave it a distinctly London twist, and used the marriage of styles to forge a hugely successful career as a trailblazing DJ and broadcaster, becoming an inspiration to a whole generation of dance music fans, black and white, without ever compromising his integrity.Along the way are tales of adventures across the country following Spurs; of Northern Soul nights, warehouse parties and illegal raves; of sound systems, the good and bad times of the Notting Hill carnival, the heady days of pirate radio, Rare Groove and the burgeoning British dance music scene.Mister Good Times is the story of a man who has lived his life on his own terms, helping to define a new British culture.

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More under-the-sea fun from Barry the Fish with Fingers, created by picture book superstars Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet – the people who brought you SUPERTATO, NO-BOT and NORMAN THE SLUG WITH THE SILLY SHELL!Barry and his fishy friends are playing Hide and Seek! Puffy finds a great hiding place in an old wreck, but he gets scared out of his wits when he sees a hairy monster lurking in the shadows . . . Luckily Barry the fish with fingers comes to the rescue – and discovers that the 'monster' isn't as scary as Puffy first thought . . .This crazy deep-sea caper is sure to be a hit with all the kids!Look out for more hilarious stories from picture book superstars Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet: Supertato stories:Supertato Supertato: Veggies Assemble Supertato: Run, Veggies, Run! Supertato: Evil Pea Rules Supertato: Veggies in the Valley of Doom Supertato: Carnival Catastro-Pea Supertato: Bubbly Troubly (coming March 2021)Other Supertato books:Supertato Sticker Activity BookSupertato Super Squad Supertato Sticker Skills (coming May 2021)Selected other titles by Sue Hendra & Paul Linnet:Barry the Fish with Fingers Norman the Slug with the Silly Shell Keith the Cat with the Magic Hat Doug the Bug that went Boing! I Need a Wee! No-Bot the Robot with No Bottom No-Bot the Robot's New Bottom

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Texas has been home to so many colorful characters, out-of-staters might wonder if any normal people live here. And it's true that the "Texian" desire to act out sometimes overcomes even the most sober citizens—which makes it a real challenge for the genuine eccentrics to distinguish themselves from the rest of us. Fortunately, though, many maverick Texans have risen to the test, and in this book, Gene Fowler introduces us to a gallery of Texas eccentrics from the worlds of oil, ranching, real estate, politics, rodeo, metaphysics, showbiz, art, and folklore. Mavericks rounds up dozens of Fowler's favorite Texas characters, folks like the Trinity River prophet Commodore Basil Muse Hatfield; the colorful poet-politician Cyclone Davis Jr.; Big Bend tourist attraction Bobcat Carter; and the dynamic chief executive of the East Texas Oil Field Governor Willie. Fowler persuasively argues that many of these characters should be viewed as folk performance artists who created "happenings" long before the modern art world took up that practice in the 1960s. Other featured mavericks run the demographic gamut from inspirational connoisseurs of the region's native quirkiness to creative con artists and carnival oddities. But, artist or poser, all of the eccentrics in Mavericks completely embody the style and spirit that makes Texas so interesting, entertaining, and culturally unique.

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Until recently beads were under-researched. Even today in the UK, antique markets, necklaces and single beads still turn up in bargain boxes at cheap prices, whether glass, plastic, semiprecious stones – in fact almost anything that can have a threadable hole – or ethnic jewellery, holiday souvenirs or lavish carnival costume accessories. Throughout history, beads have shown prestige and wealth in their roles as trade goods, heirlooms and dowry, markers of tribal loyalty, prayer aids, magic talismans, love tokens and signs of status in life. Beads reveal the most amazing skills and give us an idea of the things we value enough to copy in miniature. They continue to display astonishing ingenuity – they are made of almost every possible material. Handmade or mass-produced glass, stone, ceramic, bone, shell, coral, amber, jet, cast or handwrought metals; found objects; constructed with tiny beads stitched together or woven in traditional patterns: each piece leads to new discoveries. This book helps you explore the origins of many of your treasures, whatever types of bead you collect, covering a wide range of categories such as ‘eye beads’, Millefiori Trade Beads found in the 1960s, exotic tropical seeds necklaces, carved nuts, Art Deco chokers, real or reproduction Egyptian Mummy beads, Tibetan stone Zi beads with applied designs, rosaries and prayer beads or even the antique beads found on traditional English lace bobbins!

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Howard Fergus is amongst a very small minority of Montserratians. He lives in Montserrat. Emigration has taken generations away and the 1997 eruption of Soufrière destroyed two-thirds of its habitable space, its economy and drove the majority of its inhabitants into exile. The poems in Volcano Verses express the confidence that island life and folk will outlast volcanic tantrums, that though 'Tonight Chances pique still grows/...But cattle low and egrets ride/ Inspite of fire from mountain tides'. But what Fergus seems to be doing in the book is writing against the absences, writing into being again the people who have gone, the landscape utterly transformed, the society fragmented. The eruption has instigated the sternest truth-telling, the sense of a world purified, but it has also prompted a hugely heightened consciousness of the importance of the seemingly trivial, the myriad social interactions, the sounds, the smells of a literally vanished world. It is the very absences, the restriction of current possibility that drives Fergus to greater abundance of creation, in the conversational, muscular rhythms, the serious word-play that characterise his most mature and distinctive collection yet.Sir Howard Fergus was born in Montserrat. He is the author of three previous collections of poetry: Cotton Rhymes (1976), Green Innocence (1978) and Stop the Carnival (1980).

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A King Travels examines the scripting and performance of festivals in Spain between 1327 and 1620, offering an unprecedented look at the different types of festivals that were held in Iberia during this crucial period of European history. Bridging the gap between the medieval and early modern eras, Teofilo Ruiz focuses on the travels and festivities of Philip II, exploring the complex relationship between power and ceremony, and offering a vibrant portrait of Spain's cultural and political life. Ruiz covers a range of festival categories: carnival, royal entries, tournaments, calendrical and noncalendrical celebrations, autos de fe, and Corpus Christi processions. He probes the ritual meanings of these events, paying special attention to the use of colors and symbols, and to the power relations articulated through these festive displays. Ruiz argues that the fluid and at times subversive character of medieval festivals gave way to highly formalized and hierarchical events reflecting a broader shift in how power was articulated in late medieval and early modern Spain. Yet Ruiz contends that these festivals, while they sought to buttress authority and instruct different social orders about hierarchies of power, also served as sites of contestation, dialogue, and resistance. A King Travels sheds new light on Iberian festive traditions and their unique role in the centralizing state in early modern Castile.

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A thrilling new maze challenge adventure for Pierre the Maze Detective and all detectives aged 8+. Follow Pierre and Carmen to Canal City for hours of puzzle fun in this crazy and colorful activity book!The waterways and streets of Canal City are brimming with people as crowds gather on the eve of the Maze Egg carnival. But the legendary Maze Egg is gone, and Pierre and Carmen find themselves on the case. Can you help them return the Maze Egg to its rightful home before it's too late? Make your way through each beautifully illustrated maze, finding the hidden objects that Pierre and Carmen need to solve the mystery and save the day! A new adventure for Pierre and Carmen, taking them to the mysterious and visually stunning castle in the sky Join the adventure as you travel through masquerade balls, tree trunk villages and extravagant observatories Featuring new full-spread mazes and search-and-find challenges in IC4DESIGN's popular and instantly recognisable trademark style Suitable for all detectives aged 8+ Other Pierre The Maze Detective titles:Pierre The Maze Detective: The Search for the Stolen Maze StonePierre The Maze Detective and the Great Coloring AdventurePierre The Maze Detective: Jigsaw PuzzlePierre The Maze Detective: The Sticker BookPierre The Maze Detective: The Mystery of the Empire Maze

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Have you EVER seen a fish with fingers? No? Well, neither had the fish at the bottom of the ocean . . . until they caught sight of Barry! From the masterminds that brought you Supertato, Norman and No-Bot! Fish come from all over the ocean to see Puffy the Puffer Fish's amazing bubbles. Big bubbles, small bubbles, square bubbles . . . they've never seen anything quite so amazing! That is until Barry arrives on the scene. Barry is a fish with fingers and he's going to put them to good use. The fish are amazed. Life under the sea will never be the same again . . .This crazy deep-sea caper is sure to be a hit with all the kids!Look out for more hilarious stories from picture book superstars Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet: Supertato stories:Supertato Supertato: Veggies Assemble Supertato: Run, Veggies, Run! Supertato: Evil Pea Rules Supertato: Veggies in the Valley of Doom Supertato: Carnival Catastro-Pea Supertato: Bubbly TroublyOther Supertato books:Supertato Sticker Activity BookSupertato Super Squad Supertato Sticker Skills (coming May 2021)Selected other titles by Sue Hendra & Paul Linnet:Barry the Fish with Fingers and the Hairy Scary Monster Norman the Slug with the Silly Shell Keith the Cat with the Magic Hat Doug the Bug that went Boing! I Need a Wee! No-Bot the Robot with No Bottom No-Bot the Robot's New Bottom

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Join Supertato and the gang for more hilarious supermarket silliness in the bestselling, blockbuster series from picture book superstars, Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet! It’s fright-time in the supermarket, and the veggies are seriously spooked! Strange shapes, weird noises and eerie shuffling – whatever can be behind these ghostly goings-on? Join Supertato and the gang to find out in this unmissable adventure!The perfect book to calm bedtime fears and snuggle up with all year round​.READERS LOVE SUPERTATO 'A modern classic.' Amazon reviewer 'My granddaughter (aged 5) loves the stories about Supertato and his friends.' Amazon reviewer 'Great story for the little ones!' Amazon reviewer 'A light-hearted, funny, and enjoyable read for little ones who enjoy superhero and good vs. evil stories!' Amazon reviewer 'This book has become a firm favourite in our house.' Amazon reviewerOther titles in the Supertato series by Sue Hendra & Paul Linnet:Supertato Supertato: Veggies Assemble Supertato: Run, Veggies, Run! Supertato: Evil Pea Rules Supertato: Veggies in the Valley of Doom Supertato: Carnival Catastro-pea! Supertato: Bubbly Troubly! Supertato: Night of the Living Veg Supertato: The Great Eggscape! Supertato: Presents Jack and the Beanstalk Supertato: Mean Green Time MachineAlso by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet:Barry the Fish with Fingers Norman the Slug with the Silly Shell No-Bot the Robot with No Bottom I Spy Island I Spy Island: Book vs. Shark

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The slapstick sequel to the bestselling Supertato, by picture book geniuses Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet - guaranteed to have children rolling around with laughter!The Evil Pea is back on the loose and there's anarchy in the supermarket aisles again! Can our supermarket superhero divert disaster? Or is he going to need backup? The fabulous character from Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet, the bestselling, award-winning creators of Barry the Fish with Fingers, I Need a Wee and Norman the Slug with the Silly Shell.Perfect for fans of Oi Frog!Praise for Supertato: 'Hilarious... One of the funniest picture books this year - read it and laugh out loud!' Creative Steps Magazine 'Hendra introduces another very silly but irresistible creation in the grand tradition of Barry, Norman, Keith et al.' BooksellerPraise for Norman the Slug with the Silly Shell: 'Lovely glittery illustrations and simple text make this a must for pre-schoolers' The Daily MailPraise for No-Bot the Robot with No Bottom: 'Fabulously funny and wonderfully warm' Liverpool Echo 'Fans of Barry, Norman and Keith will absolutely adore this new wonderfully eccentric new character' MumsnetOther titles in the Supertato series:SupertatoSupertato: Run Veggies RunSupertato: Evil Pea RulesSupertato: Veggies in the Valley of DoomSupertato: Carnival CatastropeaSupertato: Books Are Rubbish (WBD)Supertato Sticker BookSupertato: Bubbly TroublySupertato Sticker Skills Supertato: Night of the Living Veg Supertato: The Great Eggscape! Supertato: Presents Jack and the Beanstalk Supertato: Mean Green Time Machine

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*A SCOTSMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR* Stranded at Schiphol airport, Ben Coates called up a friendly Dutch girl he'd met some months earlier. He stayed for dinner. Actually, he stayed for good. In the first book to consider the hidden heart and history of the Netherlands from a modern perspective, the author explores the length and breadth of his adopted homeland and discovers why one of the world's smallest countries is also so significant and so fascinating. It is a self-made country, the Dutch national character shaped by the ongoing battle to keep the water out from the love of dairy and beer to the attitude to nature and the famous tolerance. Ben Coates investigates what makes the Dutch the Dutch, why the Netherlands is much more than Holland and why the colour orange is so important. Along the way he reveals why they are the world's tallest people and have the best carnival outside Brazil. He learns why Amsterdam's brothels are going out of business, who really killed Anne Frank, and how the Dutch manage to be richer than almost everyone else despite working far less. He also discovers a country which is changing fast, with the Dutch now questioning many of the liberal policies which made their nation famous.A personal portrait of a fascinating people, a sideways history and an entertaining travelogue, Why the Dutch are Different is the story of an Englishman who went Dutch. And loved it.

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