Search results for ""author bird"

No one knows more about everything - especially everything rude, clever, and offensively compelling - than John Waters. The man in the pencil-thin mustache, auteur of the transgressive movie classics Pink Flamingos, Polyester, the original Hairspray, Cry-Baby, and A Dirty Shame, is one of the world's great sophisticates, and in Mr. Know-It-All he serves it up raw: how to fail upward in Hollywood; how to develop musical taste from Nervous Norvus to Maria Callas; how to build a home so ugly and trendy that no one but you would dare live in it; more important, how to tell someone you love them without emotional risk; and yes, how to cheat death itself. Through it all, Waters swears by one undeniable truth: "Whatever you might have heard, there is absolutely no downside to being famous. None at all."Studded with cameos of Waters's stars, from Divine and Mink Stole to Johnny Depp, Kathleen Turner, Patricia Hearst, and Tracey Ullman, and illustrated with unseen photos from Waters's personal collection, Mr. Know-It-All is Waters's most hypnotically readable, upsetting, revelatory book - another instant Waters classic.'Waters doesn't kowtow to the received wisdom, he flips it the bird . . . [Waters] has the ability to show humanity at its most ridiculous and make that funny rather than repellent' Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post'Carsick becomes a portrait not just of America's desolate freeway nodes - though they're brilliantly evoked - but of American fame itself' Lawrence Osborne, The New York Times Book Review

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Take a trip back in time to an astonishing lost world.See a huge variety of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals come to life in mind-blowing detail. This is the ultimate visual encyclopedia about dinosaurs!Feathered, furry and scaly - they're all here! It's the perfect dinosaur book for children aged 9-12 years. Here's what you'll find inside:- Exclusive images of the world's best and most complete dinosaur fossils photographed on location in North America and Europe- Brand-new, exclusive digital images that reflect the most important new findings on feathered dinosaurs- The content covers key curriculum topics in geography, biology, and science- Created in association with the world-renowned Smithsonian InstitutionThis children's educational book about dinosaurs is packed with incredible facts about dinosaurs, stunning life-like reconstructed images and additional information about habitat, diet, and behaviour. Based on the latest research and up-to-date information, you'll find everything from woolly mammoths and dinosaur eggs to Tyrannosauroids and Pterosaurs. More than 100 prehistoric species are featured in this fascinating dinosaur reference book. You might be familiar with the Tyrannosaurus Rex and Triceratops, but have you ever seen horse-eating birds and millipedes the size of crocodiles? Then look no further. Other topics such as evolution, fossilisation, and climate change are explored in-depth to build up a complete picture of the dinosaur era.Dinosaurs A Children's Encyclopedia is part of the series of award-winning, best-selling DK children encyclopedias and has been completely revised. More than just a catalogue of facts and photos - it's a visual celebration of the history of all life on Earth, with a special focus on dinosaurs and the prehistoric world.

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With Let’s Draw Wild Animals, you can learn to bring your graphite pencil drawings to life, guided by realistic illustrations and step-by-step instructions for a variety of creatures from around the world. The easy-to-follow visual and written instructions in this book make it achievable and fun to draw lifelike animals. Each drawing lesson begins with basic shapes and progresses, step by step, to a finished piece of artwork, making it easy to follow along. You just need to grab a pencil, a piece of paper, and your copy of Let’s Draw Wild Animals, and then flip to the creature you want to draw. The drawing projects include: Jaguar Kangaroo Wolf Chimpanzee Lion Alligator Grizzly Bear African Elephant Tiger Giraffe The detailed written instructions in this 48-page book also provide tips for placement of details, how to create realistic fur and skin, how to shade, and much more. If you’ve never drawn before, don’t be intimidated. Just start with a few basic shapes and follow the illustrated steps—you’ll be creating your own amazing animal masterpieces in no time at all! And each time you draw, you should see an improvement in your artistic skills.Also available from the Let’s Draw series:Let’s Draw Cats, Let’s Draw Dogs, Let’s Draw Favorite Animals, Let’s Draw Birds & Butterflies, Let’s Draw Sea Creatures, Let’s Draw Dinosaurs, and Let’s Draw Dragons.

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Revealing unpublished interviews with John Cage and some of his closest colleagues, including Virgil Thomson, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Pauline Oliveros, Merce Cunningham, and David Tudor. John Cage, one of America's most renowned composers from the 1940s until his death in 1992, was also a much-admired writer and artist, and a uniquely attractive personality able to present his ideas engagingly wherever he went. In CageTalk: Dialogues with and about John Cage, Peter Dickinson showcases a collection of vividly revealing and unpublished interviews given by Cage in the late 1980s for a BBC Radio 3 documentary. For this paperback edition, Dickinson presents a new preface noting developments in Cage criticism since the book's publication in 2006, updated comments from several of the original interviewees, and a new interview with Christian Wolff. CageTalk also features earlier BBC interviews with Cage, including ones by renowned literary critic Frank Kermode and art critic David Sylvester. In addition, there are discussions of Cage with Bonnie Bird, Earle Brown, Merce Cunningham,Minna Lederman, Otto Luening, Jackson Mac Low, Peadar Mercier, Pauline Oliveros, John Rockwell, Kurt Schwertsik, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Virgil Thomson, David Tudor, LaMonte Young, and Paul Zukovsky. Most of these interviews weregiven to Peter Dickinson but there are others in which with Rebecca Boyle, Anthony Cheevers, Michael Oliver, and Roger Smalley were the interviewers. Peter Dickinson, British composer and pianist, is Emeritus Professor,University of Keele and University of London, and has written or edited several books about twentieth-century music, including Copland Connotations [Boydell Press, 2002] and The Music of Lennox Berkeley [Boydell Press, 2003].

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Does your child love to find out what makes top mammal predators experts at hunting? They will be staggered at the variety of techniques mammals use to bring down their prey!Speedy cheetahs outpace their victims, polar bears can sniff out a seal from far away, killer whales team up in coordinated attacks and chimpanzees grab weapons. Different techniques and adaptations are examined in detail, showing how mammal predators are perfectly suited to their habitat and to the prey they pursue.Each spread has dramatic photographs and looks in detail at one mammal predator and focuses on its primary weapon, such as claws, stamina or ambush. The prey animal shows us how it attempts to evade certain death, whether through camouflage, a speedy retreat or safety in numbers. Stat panels give readers a quick overview of how predator and prey stack up against each other.Predators are awe-inspiring. Whether they are fast, strong, armed with claws or teeth, cunning, patient or venomous, they are all masters of the art of killing their prey. Young readers will love the Predator Vs Prey series with its amazing photographs and the details about super-senses or incredible adaptations. These books also highlight the variety of life on Earth and reinforces how animals are adapted to their habitats. Suitable for readers aged 7+ who are either fascinated by wildlife or are studying natural history or animal adaptations or classification.Titles in this series:How Eagles and Other Birds AttackHow Lions and Other Mammals AttackHow Sharks and Other Fish AttackHow Snakes and Other Spiders AttackHow Spiders and Other Invertebrates Attack

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What do James Bond and Lipitor have in common? Why do traffic jams appear out of nowhere on highways? What can we learn about innovation from a glass of water? In Loonshots, physicist and entrepreneur Safi Bahcall reveals a surprising new way of thinking about the mysteries of group behaviour and the challenges of nurturing radical breakthroughs. Drawing on the science of phase transitions, Bahcall shows why teams, companies, or any group with a mission will suddenly change from embracing wild new ideas to rigidly rejecting them, just as flowing water will suddenly change into brittle ice. Oceans of print have been written about culture. Loonshots identifies the small shifts in structure that control this transition, the same way that temperature controls the change from water to ice. Using examples that range from the spread of fires in forests to the hunt for terrorists online, and stories of thieves and geniuses and kings, Bahcall shows how this new kind of science helps us understand the fate of companies and empires. Loonshots distills these insights into lessons for creatives, entrepreneurs, and visionaries everywhere. Over the past decade, researchers have been applying the tools and techniques of phase transitions to understand how birds flock, fish swim, brains work, people vote, criminals behave, ideas spread, diseases erupt, and ecosystems collapse. If twentieth-century science was shaped by the search for fundamental laws, like quantum mechanics and gravity, the twenty-first will be shaped by this new kind of science. Loonshots is the first to apply this science to help all of us unlock our potential to create and nurture the crazy ideas that change the world.

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In these twenty-five essays, Darryl Pinckney has given us a view of our recent racial history that blends the social and the personal and wonders how we arrived at our current moment. Pinckney reminds us that "white supremacy isn't back; it never went away." It is this impulse to see historically that is at the core of Busted in New York and Other Essays, which traces the lineage of black intellectual history from Booker T. Washington through the Harlem Renaissance, to the Black Panther Party and the turbulent sixties, to today's Afro-pessimists, and celebrated and neglected thinkers in between. These are capacious essays whose topics range from the grassroots of protest in Ferguson, Missouri, to the eighteenth-century Guadeloupian composer Joseph Bologne, from an unsparing portrait of Louis Farrakhan to the enduring legacy of James Baldwin, the unexpected story of black people experiencing Russia, Barry Jenkins's Moonlight, and the painter Kara Walker. The essays themselves are a kind of record, many of them written in real-time, as Pinckney witnesses the Million Man March, feels and experiences the highs and lows of Obama's first presidential campaign, explores the literary black diaspora, and reflects on the surprising and severe lesson he learned firsthand about the changing urban fabric of New York. As Zadie Smith writes in her introduction to the book: "How lucky we are to have Darryl Pinckney who, without rancor, without insult, has, all these years, been taking down our various songs, examining them with love and care, and bringing them back from the past, like a Sankofa bird, for our present examination. These days Sankofas like Darryl are rare. Treasure him!"

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Does your child love to find out what makes sharks and other top fish predators experts at hunting? They will be staggered at the variety of techniques fish use to bring down their prey!Hammerhead sharks pin their prey to the seabed, great whites have monstrous jaws filled with razor sharp teeth, groupers team up with wrasse in coordinated attacks and moray eels prefer to ambush their victims. Different techniques and adaptations are examined in detail, showing how fish predators are perfectly suited to their habitat and to the prey they pursue.Each spread has dramatic photographs and looks in detail at one mammal predator and focuses on its primary weapon, such as speed, teeth or ambush. The prey animal shows us how it attempts to evade certain death, whether through camouflage, a speedy retreat or safety in numbers. Stat panels give readers a quick overview of how predator and prey stack up against each other.Predators are awe-inspiring. Whether they are fast, strong, armed with claws or teeth, cunning, patient or venomous, they are all masters of the art of killing their prey. Young readers will love the Predator Vs Prey series with its amazing photographs and the details about super-senses or incredible adaptations. These books also highlight the variety of life on Earth and reinforces how animals are adapted to their habitats. Suitable for readers aged 7+ who are either fascinated by wildlife or are studying natural history or animal adaptations or classification.Titles in this series:How Eagles and Other Birds AttackHow Lions and Other Mammals AttackHow Sharks and Other Fish AttackHow Snakes and Other Spiders AttackHow Spiders and Other Invertebrates Attack

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Does your child love to find out what makes top reptile predators experts at hunting? They will be staggered at the variety of techniques snakes and other scaly creatures use to bring down their prey!Puff adders lure in victims with a worm-like tongue, anacondas can squeeze the life out of their prey, crocodiles clamp their jaws around their prey and then drown it and cobras rely on powerful venom. Different techniques and adaptations are examined in detail, showing how reptile predators are perfectly suited to their habitat and to the prey they pursue.Each spread has dramatic photographs and looks in detail at one mammal predator and focuses on its primary weapon, such as fangs, strength or ambush. The prey animal shows us how it attempts to evade certain death, whether through camouflage, a speedy retreat or safety in numbers. Stat panels give readers a quick overview of how predator and prey stack up against each other.Predators are awe-inspiring. Whether they are fast, strong, armed with claws or teeth, cunning, patient or venomous, they are all masters of the art of killing their prey. Young readers will love the Predator Vs Prey series with its amazing photographs and the details about super-senses or incredible adaptations. These books also highlight the variety of life on Earth and reinforces how animals are adapted to their habitats. Suitable for readers aged 7+ who are either fascinated by wildlife or are studying natural history or animal adaptations or classification.Titles in this series:How Eagles and Other Birds AttackHow Lions and Other Mammals AttackHow Sharks and Other Fish AttackHow Snakes and Other Spiders AttackHow Spiders and Other Invertebrates Attack

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Shortlisted for Exhibition Catalogue of the Year in the British Book Design and Production Awards 2022. ---------- 'Hokusai: The Great Picture Book of Everything... is both an important contribution to the existing scientific knowledge of the work of this outstanding Japanese artist and an important illustrative source for researchers representing such fields as art history, sinology, Japanese studies, Korean studies, cultural anthropology and cognitive anthropology. For a reader who is not professionally connected with any of the scientific disciplines, Hokusai's mastery of drawing may prove to be an inspiration to broaden their knowledge in the field of history of art and history of culture.' – Ethos, quarterly magazine ---------- A landmark publication of a major new discovery of over 100 drawings by foremost Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. Acquired by the British Museum in 2020, these previously unpublished drawings had been forgotten for over 70 years. Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) is considered by many to be Japan’s greatest artist. During his seventy-year career, he produced a considerable oeuvre of some 3,000 colour prints, illustrations for over 200 books, hundreds of drawings and over 1,000 paintings. These 103 exciting and exquisite small drawings were made for an unpublished book called Great Picture Book of Everything – featuring wide-ranging subjects from depictions of religious, mythological, historical and literary figures to animals, birds, flowers and other natural phenomena, as well as landscapes. They are dominated by subjects that relate to ancient China and India, and also Southeast and Central Asia. Many subjects found in the collection are not found in previous Hokusai works, including fascinating imaginings of the origin of human culture in ancient China. This beautifully produced book draws on the latest research, illustrating the complete set of drawings, published for the first time.

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Some years ago, David Freedberg opened a dusty cupboard at Windsor Castle and discovered hundreds of vividly coloured, masterfully precise drawings of all sorts of plants and animals from the Old and New Worlds. Coming upon thousands more drawings like them across Europe, Freedberg finally traced them all back to a little-known scientific organization from 17th-century Italy called the Academy of Linceans (or Lynxes). Founded by Prince Federico Cesi in 1603, the Linceans took as their task nothing less than the documentation and classification of all of nature in pictorial form. In this first book-length study of the Linceans to appear in English, Freedberg focuses especially on their unprecedented use of drawings based on microscopic observation and other new techniques of visualization. Where previous thinkers had classified objects based mainly on similarities of external appearance, the Linceans instead turned increasingly to sectioning, dissection and observation of internal structures. They applied their new research techniques to an incredible variety of subjects, from the objects in the heavens studied by their most famous (and infamous) member, Galileo Galilei - whom they supported at the most critical moments of his career - to the flora and fauna of Mexico, bees, fossils and the reproduction of plants and fungi. But by demonstrating the inadequacy of surface structures for ordering the world, the Linceans unwittingly planted the seeds for the demise of their own favourite method - visual description - as a mode of scientific classification. Profusely illustrated and engagingly written, "The Eye of the Lynx" uncovers a crucial episode n the development of visual representation and natural history. And perhaps as important, it offers readers a dazzling array of early modern drawings, from magnificently depicted birds and flowers to frogs in amber, monstrously misshapen citrus fruits and more.

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This new, thoroughly updated fourth edition of Bradt's Malta - written by an expert who has been visiting for more than a decade - remains the most comprehensive guide available and has built a reputation for being the essential guide for getting beneath the surface of this island nation and discovering what lies beyond the beaches. Sun, sand and sea there may be, but Malta boasts so much more, and this new edition is packed with historical and archaeological insights, from the Stone Age to the Romans, the Knights Hospitaller to World War II. It also showcases the islands' wildlife and bird-watching opportunities, summer festas, and the less commercialised islands of Gozo and Comino. Malta has been changing at the rate of knots, with Valletta's year as European Capital of Culture accelerating restoration and renovation. Copious openings - of historic sights, key fortresses, a new national gallery and boutique accommodation, particularly in Valletta - are covered, while the culinary scene continues to thrive, with notably greater choice for vegetarians and vegans. Malta has recently become much more socially accepting and is now considered one of the top places for LGBT travellers, while the offering for younger travellers has expanded, too. The Isle of MTV festival is going strong, Annie Mac now has a spring festival in Malta and a host of bars and clubs has sprung up. There is also lots on offer culturally, with festivals, concerts, exhibitions, theatre and opera all contributing to a full programme. Bradt's Malta contains all the information needed for a successful trip. Whatever your budget, it is the ideal guide for everyone from culture aficionados to history and archaeology buffs, foodies, war veterans, families and couples escaping for a romantic break.

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I Am Still The Greatest Says Johnny Angelo - Despite persistent rumours of his death fifteen years ago, Johnny Angelo's legend continues. Johnny Angelo is a rock singer, and this is his story from the beginning. As a child he is a dreamer and a solitary, a thief, a killer of birds and cats. As a man he is a god to his fans, an emperor to his cronies, a hoodlum to his enemies. Girls lie at his feet. He becomes rich. He commits murder. At the end, police shoot him down in the street. In a cool and highly original style Nik Cohn has written a bizarre fable for our time, capturing its sickness and horror yet staying true to its grandeur and allure. King Death - Eddie is a strange man with an extraordinary talent that makes him the 'performer' he is. Eddie administers Death. His subjects, he explains, are not afraid, but are thrilled and transported. To Eddie, Death is completion, and he finds fulfilment, satisfaction, and pride in each job he carries out. When Seaton Carew, America's most successful TV entrepreneur, chances to witness Eddie in action, Eddie's career is altered. Overcoming many obstacles, he and Seaton literally ride to glory on the Deliverance Special, a train carrying King Death and his huge entourage all over America. But then a disturbing change comes over Eddie and threatens to topple him from his grisly throne... King Death is part nightmare, part modern fairytale and wholly original.

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'That word, "vacation," makes me sweat.' Coco Chanel on taking a break'You must do it irregardless, or it will eat its way out of you.' Zora Neale Hurston on writing'One has to choose between the Life and the Project.' Susan Sontag on choosing artFrom Vanessa Bell and Charlotte Brontë to Nina Simone and Jane Campion, here are over one hundred and forty female writers, painters, musicians, sculptors, poets, choreographers, and filmmakers on how they create and work.Barbara Hepworth sculpted outdoors and Janet Frame wore earmuffs as she worked to block out noise. Kate Chopin wrote with her six children ‘swarming around her’ whereas the artist Rosa Bonheur filled her bedroom with the sixty birds that inspired her work. Louisa May Alcott wrote so vigorously – skipping sleep and meals – that she had to learn to write with her left hand to give her cramped right hand a break.From Isak Dinesen subsisting on oysters, champagne and amphetamines, to Isabel Allende's insistence that she begins each new book on 8 January, here are the working routines of over 140 brilliant female painters, composers, sculptors, writers, filmmakers and performers.Filled with details of the large and small choices these women made, Mason Currey's Daily Rituals Women at Work is a source of fascination and inspiration.'An admirably succinct portrait of some distinctly uncommon lives' - Meryle Secrest

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Tellinger reveals how numerous, 200,000-year-old sites in South Africa perfectly match Sumerian descriptions of Abzu, the land of the First People - including the vast gold-mining operations of the Anunnaki from the 12th planet, Nibiru and the city of Anunnaki leader Enki. With aerial photographs, Tellinger shows how the extensive stone circle and road complexes are laid out according to the principles of sacred geometry and represent the remains of Tesla-like technology used to generate energy and carve immensely long tunnels straight into the Earth in search of gold - tunnels that still exist and whose origins had been a mystery until now. He reveals, with photographic evidence, that the human civilisation spawned by the Anunnaki was the first to create many totems of ancient Egypt, such as the Horus bird, the Sphinx, the Ankh and large pyramids, as well as construct an accurate stone calendar, at the heart of their civilisation, aligned with the Orion constellation. He explores how their petroglyphs, carved into the hardest rock, are nearly identical to the hieroglyphs of Sumerian seals. Mapping thousands of square miles of continuous settlements and three urban centres - each one larger than modern-day Los Angeles - Tellinger provides the physical proof of Zecharia Sitchin's theories on the Anunnaki origins of humanity. . Includes more than 250 original full-colour photographs of South Africa's circular stone ruins, ancient roads, prehistoric mines, large pyramids and the first Sphinx . Reveals how these 200,000-year-old sites perfectly match Sumerian descriptions of the gold mining operations of the Anunnaki and the city of Enki . Shows how the extensive stone circle complexes are the remains of Tesla-like technology used to generate energy and carve tunnels straight into the Earth

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For all our nostalgia about the “Golden Age of Air Travel”, it was more mythical than we like to think. As with other forms of transport then, until the 1970s, commercial and military aviation were strictly gendered and racist divisions of labour, both in the cockpit and cabin – piloting was a lifetime career for white men, “stewardessing” a temporary one for women. Western culture was built upon images of men as chivalrous knights, cowboys, and soldiers — all living rugged manly lives, their greatest joy the comradeship on cattle drives, or men-of-war or in the trenches. In reality, by the beginning of the twentieth century, few males had ever been cowboys or seen active military service. Nevertheless, fueled by paperback novels and later Hollywood, the mythology persisted. National identity was defined by masculinity- in the United States it was the cowboy, in Australia the “digger” and in Canada, the lumberjack, the Mountie and since the last war, the air ace. Women in pulp fiction and movies were either the faithful forgiving wife and mother, the schoolmarm - or the dance hall prostitute. Pilots were defined by their training, professionalism, and their courage in the air. To frightened passengers – and that was everyone then, whoever sat in the flight deck was omnipotent. One learned professor even cited Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, proposing that those who became pilots had evolved from birds and the remainder of humanity from fish and would never be able to fly a plane! Women were defined by their domesticity as mothers and homemakers. Airlines recruited them for their femininity, to be substitute mothers, wives, and daughters to look after male clientele. “The association of commercial flying and maleness” wrote Albert James Mills in “Sex, Strategy and the Stratosphere: the gendering of airline cultures.” was largely achieved through the exclusion of women.”

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Straddling the equator, Southeast Asia comprises Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines, as well as Laos, Cambodia, Brunei, and East Timor. Despite its extraordinary diversity of ethnicities, religions, and political systems, Southeast Asia plays a key role in global economies and geopolitics, especially in light of its strategic position bordering China and India. This Very Short Introduction explores the contemporary character of Southeast Asia's national societies through the lens of their historical evolution, from the eras of indigenous kingdoms and colonies under Western rule to the present's independent nation states. Deftly combining historical analysis and geopolitical insights, the book paints a bird's eye view of contemporary Southeast Asia as a community of diverse societies and traditions as well as a political theater-of-action nested between India and China and tangled in global economic traffic patterns, balance of powers, and environmental forces. As James R. Rush explains, archaic structures, such as religious and ethnic rivalries, tenacious feudal hierarchies, and age-old trade and migration patterns, remain rooted in today's Southeast Asia beneath the surface of modern national governments. The book draws on a wide range of examples from the major nations, including the ethno-religious violence in Myanmar, the Muslim-led rebellion in the southern Philippines, the Thai-Cambodian territorial rivalries, the Confucian-inspired governance in Singapore, the military rule and democratization in Indonesia, the environmental consequences of agribusiness, mining, and unchecked urbanization, and the big-power alignments and tensions involving the United States, China, and Japan. By delving into the cultural, political, and geographical background of Southeast Asia, Rush shows that Southeast Asia is unquestionably modern, but it is modern in distinctively Southeast Asian ways.

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'The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our life-time.' The words of Sir Edward Grey, looking out from the windows of the Foreign Office at the end of August 1914, are amongst the most famous in European history, and encapsulate the impending end of the nineteenth-century world.The man who spoke them was Britain's longest-ever serving Foreign Secretary (in a single span of office) and one of the great figures of late Victorian and Edwardian Britain. Statesman of Europe describes the three decades before the First World War through the prism of his biography, which is based almost entirely on archival sources and presents a detailed account of the main domestic and international events, and of the main personalities of the era. In particular, it presents a fresh understanding of the approach to war in the years and months before its outbreak, and Grey's role in the unfolding of events.Yet Grey's life was not all public affairs, momentous as those were. He disliked being in London, much preferring country life at Fallodon, his family estate in Northumberland, and displayed none of the ambition of his contemporaries (or successors). He attended assiduously to his duties as director of the Great North Eastern Railway, one of the transformative enterprises in industry and communications of the period, and wanted to spend as much time as he could fishing. Apart from his memoirs, the only book he wrote was called The Charm of Birds. This hinterland gave quality to his judgements, and made his character attractive to his contemporaries.This important book is the definitive biography of one of the pivotal figures in European diplomacy, and a magnificent portrait of an age.

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This cute collection of six boardbooks is the perfect gift for young children. Each sturdy volume has been carefully planned to introduce little ones to everyday words and help them get ready to read. There are lots of familiar objects to look at and name, including clothes, food, toys, sports and activities, objects from indoors and outside, animals on the farm and in the wild, and much more.With big, bright pictures on every page, these chunky little books will provide babies and toddlers with hours of fun while improving their language skills and reading abilities. They can also flip the books over to put together a simple picture puzzle! . Six little books presented in an attractive and durable magnetized gift box that is easy to open and close. . Full of fun illustrations for little learners to look at and talk about, each book has a different theme: . First Words – parts of the body, indoor things, outdoor things, fruit, vegetables or more. . On the Farm – see baby animals, their parents and where they live, as well as other farmyard objects. . Counting – from 1 boat and 2 trucks to 9 bricks and 10 toy soldiers. . Animals – creatures from cold and hot places, birds, pets and other types of animal. . Shapes – after looking at a square, a circle, a star and more, young readers are asked to find shapes such as a red triangle and a pink heart within the book. . Things We Do – waking up, eating, drinking, talking, dancing, running, jumping, and many other 'doing' words.

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Staying at home doesn’t mean that you have be stuck in front of the TV. This is the ultimate companion to help you beat boredom and to embrace your time indoors.Organized by mood, this book is packed with ideas on how to energize yourself, find your purpose, relax and reflect, get creative and connect with the world around you. Whether it’s for a rainy day or a weekend indoors, there are over 80 ideas to keep busy and to challenge your mind. Staying at home can be a challenge and this clever book will offer ways to keep you happy and healthy, from putting together a homemade exercise routine using everyday household items to creating your own home silent disco as well as ideas to help you discover a new hobby, such as learning a language or upcycling furniture. There are also tasks to keep you feeling engaged and proactive, with tips on lowering your plastic pollution and ways you can volunteer from the comfort of your home, as well as practical ways to help you stay connected with nature, from making your own bird feeder to star gazing from your window, and creative activities to help reduce stress and worry, such as journaling, colouring and crafting. Staying in is the new going out, and it’s so much more fun when you have ideas to keep you busy and entertained. These simple activities are full of tips and tricks to make your time at home as enjoyable as possible. You’ll never wonder what you can do with your spare time ever again!

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With Jumbo Stickers for Little Hands: Winter Wonderland, young sticker lovers can use the 75+ adorable, oversize stickers on 11 colorful winter scenes. With more than 75 stickers and 11 different scenes to place them on, Jumbo Stickers for Little Hands: Winter Wonderland is a captivating collection of wintertime delights. Snowflakes, hats and mittens, and colorful cardinal birds are just some of the jumbo stickers included in this book. All 2 inches or larger, the stickers are easy for little fingers to handle, and the playful illustrations of adorable animals are sure to inspire big imaginations. Should that sledding penguin sticker be placed at the top of the hill or the bottom? Is that a smiling snowman? What about that ice skating bear? Where should she go? With Jumbo Stickers, even the youngest children with the smallest fingers can have loads of fun while dreaming up wintertime stories. Each book in the Jumbo Stickers for Little Hands series from Walter Foster Jr. provides hours of fun, with oversize stickers made with tiny fingers in mind. Colorful illustrations inspire imaginative play and storytelling, while the large stickers allow for fine motor skill practice, making the Jumbo Sticker books perfect for creative young kids. Have even more Jumbo Sticker fun with: Jumbo Stickers for Little Hands: Human Body, Jumbo Stickers for Little Hands: Cute Stuff, Jumbo Stickers for Little Hands: Unicorns, and Jumbo Stickers for Little Hands: Mermaids.

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'Lovely... delivers the warmest of glows' - Telegraph'Who wouldn't love this chocolate-box delight of insights and snapshots of The Queen...A treasure chest' - Good HousekeepingA sparkling celebration of our much-loved Queen Elizabeth II including special writings and illuminating insights around key moments in her 70-year reign, introduced and edited by her biggest fan Joanna Lumley.In 2022 Queen Elizabeth II celebrated seventy years as Queen and Head of the Commonwealth. She was Britain's longest reigning monarch and the very first to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee. A Queen For All Seasons, edited and introduced by Joanna Lumley, is a perceptive, touching and engaging tribute to this unique woman. A treasure chest of first-hand writings, insights and snapshots of the Queen during key moments of her reign to form a vibrant portrait of the woman herself and the extraordinary role she played. Joanna Lumley guides us as we meet Princess Elizabeth in 1952, aged just twenty-five, and about to become Queen, and in more recent events, as our matriarch, the Queen kept the national ship steady through seven decades, including in moments of crisis and suffering. Here are unique perspectives into some of the most fascinating aspects of the Queen's life - her role as head of state at home and abroad, her private passions and public interests and a bird's-eye look at key events that have held the nation together and the Queen in our affection throughout Britain and beyond.This book is a special and unique portrait of the life of Queen Elizabeth II.

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A cautionary tale with depth and humour, A Garden on Top of the World is environmental fiction for ages 12 and up. Includes resources on gardening, urban gardens, heirloom seeds and organic foods. The year is 2066 and life in Greenland is much warmer, more crowded, and lacking in fresh food. Sixteen-year-old Jonnie lives in the Relocation city of Shamed. Hundred-story high rises house extended families from American coastal cities relocated after the Sixth Sea Rise. Work and school are conducted from overcrowded apartments, and homeless people camp out in the streets. Red is a homeless man who takes up temporary residence in a pigeon coop on the roof. After Red talks about the seeds in the birds' droppings, Jonnie gets interested in heirloom seeds. The family business has just been awarded a lucrative contract from Monarcho, the international conglomerate that holds patents to much of the world's seeds. Jonnie knows little about how food grows because meals come in packages ordered online and delivered by drone. Dishes are manufactured in the home using 3D printers. Armed with a new understanding of old-fashioned garden-grown food, Jonnie is determined to create her own garden on the roof of her high rise. Jonnie's search for who she is and what she might be able to offer the world is one that will resonate with readers of all ages. The information she learns about healthy food, sustainable agriculture, and urban gardens may inspire readers to start their own gardens.

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"It is the contemporary elixir from which all manner of being emerges, the metamorphic sublime, an alchemist's dream." So begins Palma Africana, the latest attempt by anthropologist Michael Taussig to make sense of the contemporary moment. But to what elixir does he refer? Palm oil. Saturating everything from potato chips to nail polish, palm oil has made its way into half of the packaged goods in our supermarkets. By 2020, world production will be double what it was in 2000. In Colombia, palm oil plantations are covering over onetime cornucopias of animal, bird, and plant life. Over time, they threaten indigenous livelihoods and give rise to abusive labor conditions and major human rights violations. The list of entwined horrors--climatic, biological, social--is long. But Taussig takes no comfort in our usual labels: "habitat loss," "human rights abuses," "climate change." The shock of these words has passed; nowadays it is all a blur. Hence, Taussig's keen attention to words and writing throughout this work. He takes cues from precursors' ruminations: Roland Barthes' suggestion that trees form an alphabet in which the palm tree is the loveliest; William Burroughs' retort to critics that for him words are like animals--cut them and the words are let free. Steeped in a lifetime of philosophical and ethnographic exploration, Palma Africana undercuts the banality of the destruction taking place all around us and offers a penetrating vision of the global condition. Richly illustrated and written with experimental verve, this book is Taussig's Tristes Tropiques for the twenty-first century.

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Today, any kid can rattle off the names of dozens of dinosaurs. But it took centuries of scientific effort—and a lot of luck—to discover and establish the diversity of dinosaur species we now know. How did we learn that Triceratops had three horns? Why don’t many paleontologists consider Brontosaurus a valid species? What convinced scientists that modern birds are relatives of ancient Velociraptor?In The Story of the Dinosaurs in 25 Discoveries, Donald R. Prothero tells the fascinating stories behind the most important fossil finds and the intrepid researchers who unearthed them. In twenty-five vivid vignettes, he weaves together dramatic tales of dinosaur discoveries with what modern science now knows about the species to which they belong. Prothero takes us from eighteenth-century sightings of colossal bones taken for biblical giants through recent discoveries of enormous predators even larger than Tyrannosaurus. He recounts the escapades of the larger-than-life personalities who made modern paleontology, including scientific rivalries like the nineteenth-century “Bone Wars.” Prothero also details how to draw the boundaries between species and explores debates such as whether dinosaurs had feathers, explaining the findings that settled them or keep them going. Throughout, he offers a clear and rigorous look at what paleontologists consider sound interpretation of evidence. An essential read for any dinosaur lover, this book teaches us to see an ancient world ruled by giant majestic creatures anew.

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In the animal kingdom, surviving to adulthood is hardly child’s play. Enter the perilous world of animal babies, where Mother Nature is at her most ingenious—and biologists keep finding fresh surprises. It’s time to pay attention to baby animals. From egg to tadpole, chick to fledgling, they offer scientists a window into questions of immense importance: How do genes influence health? Which environmental factors support—or obstruct—life? Entire ecosystems rest on the shoulders (or tentacles, or jointed exoskeletons) of animal babies. At any given moment, babies represent the majority of animal life on Earth. In Nursery Earth, researcher Danna Staaf invites readers into the sibling (and, sometimes, clashing) fields of ecology and developmental biology. The tiny, hidden lives that these scientists study in the lab and in the wild reveal some of nature’s strangest workings: A salamander embryo breathes with the help of algae inside its cells. The young grub of a Goliath beetle dwarfs its parents. The spotted beak of a parasitic baby bird tricks adults of other species into feeding it. Mouse embryos can absorb cancerous cell grafts—and develop into healthy adults. Our bias toward adult animals (not least because babies can be hard to find) means these wonders have long gone under-researched. But for all kinds of animals, if we overlook their babies, we miss out on the most fascinating—and consequential—time in the lives of their species. Nursery Earth makes the case that these young creatures are not just beings in progress but beings in their own right. And our planet needs them all: the maggots as much as the kittens!

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Exotic chicken breeds are not only a staple of farm life but also a unique backyard pet for bird enthusiasts to watch and keep. The many beautiful varieties of fowl, with their distinctive crests and colorful plumes, have provided inspiration for artists for centuries. And now, you can share in that tradition with this easy-to-use coloring book that will spark your imagination and help you de-stress.Exotic Chickens: Coloring for Everyone offers forty-six fully colored images that will inspire you as you color the forty-six black-and-white templates that are perforated so that each one can be removed to be displayed. The designs have been created specifically for you with stunning varieties such as the Golden Laced Wyandotte, Polish Hen, Crèvecoeur, and the Houdan all illustrated in this book. Whether you’re an artist looking to improve your craft, or simply just an average joe who finds coloring enjoyable and relaxing, this book is a must-have guaranteed to bring hours of artistic fun. Whether your style is realistic or whimsical, you can color these illustrations however you like.This vibrant compilation includes: An introduction to exotic breeds Forty-six original black-and-white designs for your coloring pleasure on single-sided perforated pages Forty-six full-color versions of the designs to inspire and guide you while coloringIf you find yourself intrigued by the beauty and diversity of these fine fowl, this book is a must-have, guaranteed to provide hours of creative entertainment. Gather your colored pencils, get comfortable, and start coloring your vision for these unique designs!

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Throughout history, intrepid men and women have related their experiences and perceptions of the world’s great cities to bring them alive to those at home. The thirty-eight cities covered in this entertaining anthology of travellers’ tales are spread over six continents, ranging from Beijing to Berlin, Cairo to Chicago, Lhasa to London, St Petersburg to Sydney and Rio to Rome. This volume features commentators across the millennia, including the great travellers of ancient times, such as Strabo and Pausanias; those who undertook extensive journeys in the medieval world, not least Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta; courageous women such as Isabella Bird and Freya Stark; and enterprising writers and journalists including Mark Twain and Norman Lewis. We see the world’s great cities through the eyes of traders, explorers, soldiers, diplomats, pilgrims and tourists; the experiences of emperors and monarchs sit alongside those of revolutionaries and artists, but also those of ordinary people who found themselves in remarkable situations, like the medieval Chinese abbot who was shown round the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris by the King of France himself. Some of the writers seek to provide a straightforward, accurate description of all they have seen, while others concentrate on their subjective experiences of the city and encounters with the inhabitants. Introduced and contextualized by bestselling historian Peter Furtado, each account provides both a vivid portrait of a distant place and time and an insight into those who journeyed there. The result is a book that delves into the splendours and stories that exist beyond conventional guidebooks and websites.

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Here is a wonderful collection of short stories by the writer known for 'the Mackay vision, suburban - as kitsch, as unexceptional, and yet as rich in history and wonder as a plain Victorian terrace house, its threshold radiant with tiling and stained-glass birds of paradise encased in leaded lights' - Guardian.Shena Mackay, who first came to fame before the age of twenty with two novellas, is the doyenne of the short form. In this volume of previously uncollected stories - including those read on radio - she constantly surprises with a view of the ordinary world that is not at all ordinary.A grasshopper determinedly takes up residence on a bathroom ceiling; a gecko hiding in a cupboard brings a strange sort of luck; a woman spies from a distance two older women friends after many long years and a memory of how they gallopedin the playground as Starlight Blaze and Pepperpot plays sweetly, suddenly in her mind; pigs are swaddled in blankets, looking like babies in shawls; luggage is packed with youthful hopes and ideals.She observes how people rub along and reveals the best and worst of us all: a disgruntled schoolboy and his hapless teacher conquer mountains and their antipathy for each other; a girl with green eyes and iridescent hair discovers revenge; a race to be the best mushroom-picker creates only losers; and rotten apples, in the right pair of hands, make a loving pie. Shena Mackay is a generous and keen-eyed chronicler of the everyday; she deftly brings wisdom and humour to the worlds she creates, worlds that we suddenly, excitingly see anew. She is an utterly original writer.

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Charles Darwin's masterpiece, On the Origin of Species, shook society to its core on publication in 1859. Darwin was only too aware of the storm his theory of evolution would provoke but he would surely have raised an incredulous eyebrow at the controversy still raging a century and a half later. Evolution is accepted as scientific fact by all reputable scientists and indeed theologians, yet millions of people continue to question its veracity.In The Greatest Show on Earth Richard Dawkins takes on creationists, including followers of 'Intelligent Design' and all those who question the fact of evolution through natural selection. Like a detective arriving on the scene of a crime, he sifts through fascinating layers of scientific facts and disciplines to build a cast-iron case: from the living examples of natural selection in birds and insects; the 'time clocks' of trees and radioactive dating that calibrate a timescale for evolution; the fossil record and the traces of our earliest ancestors; to confirmation from molecular biology and genetics. All of this, and much more, bears witness to the truth of evolution.The Greatest Show on Earth comes at a critical time: systematic opposition to the fact of evolution is now flourishing as never before, especially in America. In Britain and elsewhere in the world, teachers witness insidious attempts to undermine the status of science in their classrooms. Richard Dawkins provides unequivocal evidence that boldly and comprehensively rebuts such nonsense. At the same time he shares with us his palpable love of the natural world and the essential role that science plays in its interpretation. Written with elegance, wit and passion, it is hard-hitting, absorbing and totally convincing.

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Building on the success, and maintaining the format, of the best-selling Human and Nonhuman Bone Identification: A Color Atlas (ISBN: 978-1-4200-6286-1), Comparative Bone Identification: Human Subadult to Nonhuman presents new images of human bones representing many states of maturation from neonate to 20 years old. It also extends the scope of the former work by focusing on the smaller bones of fetuses and young humans and comparing them to bones of birds, reptiles, marine mammals, fish, and a frog that may be confused with those of a subadult human.The book begins with a section on general osteology and explains the major anatomical differences between humans and other animals. The second section compares human and nonhuman bones, categorized by type of bone, and includes most of the major bones in humans and nonhumans. The third section presents skeletons within species. Containing nearly 3,500 color photographs, the book provides examples of similar bones in nonhuman species that may be confused with the human bone in question. The bone images are also taken from different angles to enhance detailed understanding.A practical comparative guide to the differences among species for nearly all bones in the body, this book is a valuable resource for the laboratory or in the field. It uses a visual approach with annotations pointing out salient features of the most commonly discovered bones, giving clear examples for use by law enforcement, medicolegal death investigators, forensic anthropologists, students, and readers who wish to distinguish between human bones and those of the a variety of animal species.

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Boston Globe, Best 2018 Books for ChildrenTD Canadian Children's Literature Award FinalistMustafa and his family traveled a long way to reach their new home. Some nights Mustafa dreams about the country he used to live in, and he wakes up not knowing where he is. Then his mother takes him out to the balcony to see the moon — the same moon as in their old country. In the park, Mustafa sees ants and caterpillars and bees — they are the same, too. He encounters a “girl-with-a-cat,” who says something in a language that he can’t understand. He watches an old lady feeding birds and other children playing, but he is always looking in from the outside and he feels that he is invisible. But one day, the girl-with-the-cat beckons to him, and Mustafa begins to become part of his new world.Marie-Louise Gay’s remarkable ability to write and illustrate from the perspective of a young child is movingly exhibited in this gentle, thoughtful story about coming to feel at home in a new country.Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.

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Much as Rachel Carson's Silent Spring was a call to action against the pesticides that were devastating bird populations, Charles S. Elton's classic The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants sounded an early warning about an environmental catastrophe that has become all too familiar today—the invasion of nonnative species. From kudzu to zebra mussels to Asian long-horned beetles, nonnative species are colonizing new habitats around the world at an alarming rate thanks to accidental and intentional human intervention. One of the leading causes of extinctions of native animals and plants, invasive species also wreak severe economic havoc, causing $79 billion worth of damage in the United States alone.Elton explains the devastating effects that invasive species can have on local ecosystems in clear, concise language and with numerous examples. The first book on invasion biology, and still the most cited, Elton's masterpiece provides an accessible, engaging introduction to one of the most important environmental crises of our time.Charles S. Elton was one of the founders of ecology, who also established and led Oxford University's Bureau of Animal Population. His work has influenced generations of ecologists and zoologists, and his publications remain central to the literature in modern biology."History has caught up with Charles Elton's foresight, and The Ecology of Invasions can now be seen as one of the central scientific books of our century."—David Quammen, from the Foreword to Killer Algae: The True Tale of a Biological Invasion

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A FLAME TREE NOTEBOOK. Beautiful and luxurious the journals combine high-quality production with magnificent art. Perfect as a gift, and an essential personal choice for writers, notetakers, travellers, students, poets and diarists. Features a wide range of well-known and modern artists, with new artworks published throughout the year. BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED. The highly crafted covers are printed on foil paper, embossed then foil stamped, complemented by the luxury binding and rose red end-papers. The covers are created by our artists and designers who spend many hours transforming original artwork into gorgeous 3d masterpieces that feel good in the hand, and look wonderful on a desk or table. PRACTICAL, EASY TO USE. Flame Tree Notebooks come with practical features too: a pocket at the back for scraps and receipts; two ribbon markers to help keep track of more than just a to-do list; robust ivory text paper, printed with lines; and when you need to collect other notes or scraps of paper the magnetic side flap keeps everything neat and tidy. THE ARTIST. Kate Heiss is a contemporary British Printmaker who creates limited edition screen prints and linocuts on paper. She draws inspiration from the flowers and birds in her garden, the landscapes of East Anglia and her love of bold, colourful floral patterns found in textiles. THE FINAL WORD. As William Morris said, "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

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Discover the secrets behind a wide range of fortune-telling tools and methods with this beautifully illustrated directory. The ancient sages were fascinated by the patterns in nature, which they believed to be manifestations of the divine. They noticed things like the ripples on water, the flight patterns of birds, the lines on a tortoise's shell, or the way leaves fell on the ground. All of these natural patterns spoke a secret language to them, revealing the truth of the past, present, and future. Over thousands of years, this symbolic imagery has been used to create many fortune-telling methods. With easy-to-follow instructions and clear illustrations, The Fortune Telling Directory takes the mystery out of the tools of divination and details the use of the following 13 fortune-telling methods:- Tarot Reading- Palmistry- Numerology- Pendulum Dowsing- Runes- Tea Leaf Reading- The I Ching- The Coin Method- Chinese Love Signs- Crystals- Geomancy- Scrying- CeromancyNo matter which avenue you choose to seek your fortune in, this practical guide will help you to unlock the secret messages they hold and to create for yourself and others a happy and positive future. The Spiritual Directories series offers concise handbooks on a variety of spiritual and new age subjects. Written by experts in their fields in easy-to-understand language and beautifully presented in a visually driven format, the directories are essential guides for beginners. With practical and simple step-by-step instructions, you'll discover how to interpret the secret languages of the universe to create a happy and positive future for yourself and others. Other titles in this series: Astrology Directory, Chakra Directory, Crystal Directory, Spirit Animal Directory, Tarot Directory.

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The definitive catalogue of an unparalleled collection of Indian jewelry and luxury objects made at the height of the Mughal empire and the Deccan sultanates. This is the definitive catalogue of an unparalleled collection of Indian jewelry and jewelled luxury objects made at the height of the Mughal empire and Deccan sultanates in the 16th and 17th centuries. The collection, widely regarded as one of the finest in the world, was assembled by Sheikh Nasser and Sheikha Hussa al-Sabah for The al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait, and reveals the beauty, sophistication and diversity of Indian jewelled arts. The Indian subcontinent is naturally rich in gems. From ancient times master jewellers developed a wide array of unique techniques and made it home to the most sophisticated jewels on earth. Exotic birds and animals, flowers, trees and mythological scenes rendered in precious gemstones, gold and enamel demonstrate these artists’ prodigious imagination and skill. They produced not only an unmatched range of jewelry to adorn the body but also ritual and household items of astonishing refinement and luxury, as well as extravagantly large engraved gemstones to serve as symbols of their princely patrons’ royal power – including a spinel of nearly 250 carats believed to be the legendary Timur Ruby. This volume includes not only the finest and most valuable pieces in the collection – some familiar to connoisseurs, others published here for the first time – but also many previously unknown types that extend our understanding of artistic output in the region. With specially commissioned photography giving unprecedented new views of more than 300 jewelled objects, this is a publication of historic importance and beauty, for all lovers of jewelry, the arts of India and of the Islamic world.

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On July 16, 1945, just weeks before the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that brought about the surrender of Japan and the end of World War II, the United States unleashed the world’s first atomic bomb at the Trinity testing site located in the remote Tularosa Valley in south-central New Mexico. Immensely more powerful than any weapon the world had seen, the bomb’s effects on the surrounding and downwind communities of plants, animals, birds, and humans have lasted decades. In The First Atomic Bomb Janet Farrell Brodie explores the history of the Trinity test and those whose contributions have rarely, if ever, been discussed—the men and women who constructed, served, and witnessed the first test—as well as the downwinders who suffered the consequences of the radiation. Concentrating on these ordinary people, laborers, ranchers, and Indigenous peoples who lived in the region and participated in the testing, Brodie corrects the lack of coverage in existing scholarship on the essential details and everyday experiences of this globally significant event. The First Atomic Bomb also covers the environmental preservation of the Trinity test site and compares it with the wide range of atomic sites now preserved independently or as part of the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Although the Trinity site became a significant node for testing the new weapons of the postwar United States, it is known today as an officially designated National Historic Landmark. Brodie presents a timely, important, and innovative study of an explosion that carries special historical weight in American memory.

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Empower children to become nature explorers with this full-color guide that features beautiful watercolors, tips on becoming a naturalist, and engaging activities. Whether you live in the middle of a big city or along a rural countryside, nature surrounds you the moment you step outside. It’s the air you breathe and the ground beneath your feet. It’s the birds, the bugs, the grass, and the trees. Celebrate the great outdoors, and become a nature explorer with acclaimed artist and naturalist Jenny deFouw Geuder. Nature Explorer is a kids’ guide to observing and interacting with the natural world. The book begins with a chapter on how children can become naturalists. It outlines how to observe, identify, and record, as well as tips on staying safe in nature. In the next section, young readers learn how to use their various senses during observation. That’s followed by an introduction to backyard wildlife, including butterflies, chipmunks, frogs, squirrels, and more, along with a selection of common trees, wildflowers, and other types of plants. Nature Explorer also includes 17 crafty activities and hands-on projects, such as starting a home terrarium, pressing flowers, and painting rocks. Jenny’s stunning watercolors captivate kids’ imaginations, and the fascinating text teaches about the world that surrounds them. Plus, the tried-and-true projects are sure to get kids interested in the great outdoors. So get Nature Explorer, and start your children on a path to becoming naturalists. Use it on its own, or pair it with the Nature Explorer Sketchbook for drawing, sketching, and recording observations.

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Create cute and realistic felted animals with this fun and easy-to-follow needle felting book.Nothing feels better than a cute, fuzzy animal you can hold in the palm of your hand. Adorable Felted Animals shows you how you can create more than 30 endearing dogs, cats, birds and other animals using a little wool roving, a felting needle, and a few simple techniques. With basic shapes you roll in your hands, you can sculpt the most lifelike miniature animals, using your felting needle to join the individual parts and give them their firm and final shape. With little bits of contrasting wool, you can provide your felted friends expressions that are irresistible. It's simple, creative, and very relaxing. These cute felted animals range from the wonderfully realistic to enchantingly adorable. Included in this book are: Beloved dogs such as Golden and Labrador retrievers, a Pug, a Poodle, and Dachshund and more Exotic cats, like the Siamese and Abyssinian Feathered friends such as the parakeet, cockatiel, lovebird and finch Other household companions like the ferret and hamster Outdoor dwellers like the chipmunk and rabbit The animals range from about 2-4 inches high, and instructions are included for turning a few of your felt creations into fun dangly accessories. A full lesson takes you through one of the projects from beginning to end, covering all the basics to ensure that you have all the skills you need to make any critter you want.

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What in the world is going on up there? Look up! It’s a bird; it’s a plane; it’s a Polar mesospheric cloud! When you look to the sky, do you wonder why the Sun is so bright or why the clouds are white or why the sky is blue? Then, Weather For Dummies is your resource to fuel your curiosity about the weather. It takes you on an exciting journey through the Earth's atmosphere and the ways it behaves. You’ll get an overview of rain, Sun, clouds, storms and other phenomena. With helpful photographs and illustrations, you can easily visualize different weather types and relate them into the world around you. The scientific words and phrases are explained in detail (what is barometric pressure?), your curious questions are answered (why do we have seasons?), and the roots of weather myths, proverbs, and sayings are revealed (“early thunder, early spring”). Discover how weather forecasts are made, and what constitutes a weather emergency Find out what causes change in weather, such as how air pressure drives winds Learn how climate change is affecting today’s weather Discover how light plays tricks on our eyes to create effects like rainbows, sun dogs, and halos Have fun with at-home weather experiments, including setting up your own weather station Perfect for any weather amateur, you can have your head in the clouds while your feet are on the ground. Next time you’re outside, take Weather For Dummies along with you, look at the sky, and discover something new about the environment you live in.

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This is a guide to finding tree-roosts. It is the result of the collaborative efforts of professional surveyors and amateur naturalists across Europe as part of the Bat Tree Habitat Key project, and represents a combination of firsts: It is the first time legislation and planning policy have been reviewed and put to practical use to define an analysis framework with clearly identifiable thresholds for action. Yet, despite its efficacy in a professional context, it is also the first time a guide has been produced that is equally effective in achieving its objective for amateurs. It is the first time such a method has been evidence-supported throughout, with summary reviews of each aspect of the roosting ecology of the individual 14 tree-roosting species, with illustrative photographs and data to which the reader has open access. It is the first time a repeatable analysis framework has been defined against which the surveyor may compare their results at every stage, from the desk-study, through ground-truthing, survey and analysis, thereby ensuring nothing is overlooked and that every result can be objectively compared. The survey and analysis framework itself is ground-breaking in that it may readily be adapted for any taxa; from moths, through amphibians, reptiles, birds and all other mammals. Used diligently, these methods will reward disproportionately and imbue the reader with renewed confidence as they quickly progress from beginner to competency. Thus, this book is for everyone who has ever wanted to find a tree-roost, or to safeguard against inadvertently damaging one.

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Discover the Magic Faraway Tree and explore the amazing lands it can lead to, in an irresistible new story by bestselling author Jacqueline Wilson, set in this much-loved world.Milo, Mia and Birdy are on a countryside holiday when they wander into an Enchanted Wood. Among the whispering leaves, there is a beautiful tree that stands high above the rest. The Magic Faraway Tree is home to many remarkable creatures including a fairy called Silky, her best friend Moonface and more. Little Birdy is only too happy to find that fairies are real. Even her older brother and sister are soon won over by the magic of the Faraway Tree and the extraordinary places they discover above it, including the Land of Unicorns. But not every land is so much fun. Danger looms in the Land of Dragons. Will Moonface's magic work in time to save the children?The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton was Jacqueline Wilson's own favourite book as a very young child. Now Britain's favourite contemporary children's author, creator of Hetty Feather and Tracy Beaker, revisits this glorious magical world, weaving a brand-new story perfect for the next generation of young readers. Discover the magic!

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Letters & Sounds (2021): Phase 5 Scholastic Set: 10 Title: Gran's Kite Focus: o (as in 'go'), i (as 'behind'), e (as in 'be'), i-e (as in 'kite'), o-e (as in 'hope'), ew (as in 'flew'), ie (as in 'field') Tricky words: to the said they you have my there was of sure would Book Band: Green This title is part of a brand new set of phonically decodable reading books perfect for very early readers. These expertly levelled stories are engaging, and are exactly matched to Little Wandle Letters & Sounds Revised, used in schools across the UK. The series includes a wide selection of diverse and inclusive stories, accompanied by bright, contemporary and humorous illustrations that will engage and inspire young readers with a 'find the character' feature on each spread. The artwork is detailed so as not to provide picture cues and prompting. Each book also contains parent's notes and a 'retell the story' task to support children's oracy, vocabulary and comprehension skills. Thirteen sets of books covering groups of sounds to allow for progression. The stories in this set focus on the sounds found in Scholastic Set 10 and revise the sounds found in previous sets. There are thirteen sets in total, covering: Phase 2 Set 1: s a t p i n m d Phase 2 Set 2: g o c k ck e u r h b f l Phase 2 Set 3: ff ll ss j v w x y z zz Phase 2 Set 4: qu ch sh th ng nk Phase 3 Set 5: ai ee igh oa oo Phase 3 Set 6: ar or ur ow oi ear air er Phase 4 Set 7: Adjacent consonants with short vowels Phase 4 Set 8: Adjacent consonants with Phase 3 long vowels Phase 5 Set 9: ay (play), ou (cloud), oy (boy), ea (each), ir (bird), ie (pie), ue (blue), u (unicorn) Phase 5 Set 10: o (go), i (tiger), a (paper), e (he), a-e (snake), i-e (time), o-e (home), u-e (cute), e-e (these), ew (new), ie (shield), aw (claw) Phase 5 Set 11: y (funny), ea (head), wh (wheel), oe (toe), ou (shoulder), y (fly), ow (snow), g (giant), ph (phone), le (apple), al (metal), c (ice), ve (give), o-e (some), o (mother), ou (young), se (cheese), se (mouse), ce (fence), ey (donkey), ui (fruit), ou (soup) Phase 5 Set 12: or (word), u (full), oul (could), are (share), ear (bear), ere (there), au (author), aur (dinosaur), oor (floor), al (walk), tch (match), ture (adventure), al (half), a (father), a (water), a (want), ear (learn), wr (wrist), st (whistle), sc (science), ch (school), ch (chef), ze (freeze), schwa at the end of words (actor) Phase 5 Set 13: eigh (eight), aigh (straight), ey (grey), ea (break), gn (gnaw), kn (knee), mb (thumb), ere (here), eer (deer), su (treasure), si (vision), dge (bridge), ge (large), y (crystal), ti (potion), ssi (mission), si (mansion), ci (delicious), augh (daughter), our (pour), oar (oar), ore (more) Have you got them all?

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Letters & Sounds (2021): Phase 3 Scholastic Set: 06 Title: I Hear Thunder Focus: ar ur ow ear er Tricky words: I my the are you all me no and Book Band: Red This title is part of a brand new set of phonically decodable reading books perfect for very early readers. These expertly levelled stories are engaging, and are exactly matched to Little Wandle Letters & Sounds Revised, used in schools across the UK. The series includes a wide selection of diverse and inclusive stories, accompanied by bright, contemporary and humorous illustrations that will engage and inspire young readers with a 'find the character' feature on each spread. The artwork is detailed so as not to provide picture cues and prompting. Each book also contains parent's notes and a 'retell the story' task to support children's oracy, vocabulary and comprehension skills. Thirteen sets of books covering groups of sounds to allow for progression. The stories in this set focus on the sounds found in Scholastic Set 06 and revise the sounds found in previous sets. There are thirteen sets in total, covering: Phase 2 Set 1: s a t p i n m d Phase 2 Set 2: g o c k ck e u r h b f l Phase 2 Set 3: ff ll ss j v w x y z zz Phase 2 Set 4: qu ch sh th ng nk Phase 3 Set 5: ai ee igh oa oo Phase 3 Set 6: ar or ur ow oi ear air er Phase 4 Set 7: Adjacent consonants with short vowels Phase 4 Set 8: Adjacent consonants with Phase 3 long vowels Phase 5 Set 9: ay (play), ou (cloud), oy (boy), ea (each), ir (bird), ie (pie), ue (blue), u (unicorn) Phase 5 Set 10: o (go), i (tiger), a (paper), e (he), a-e (snake), i-e (time), o-e (home), u-e (cute), e-e (these), ew (new), ie (shield), aw (claw) Phase 5 Set 11: y (funny), ea (head), wh (wheel), oe (toe), ou (shoulder), y (fly), ow (snow), g (giant), ph (phone), le (apple), al (metal), c (ice), ve (give), o-e (some), o (mother), ou (young), se (cheese), se (mouse), ce (fence), ey (donkey), ui (fruit), ou (soup) Phase 5 Set 12: or (word), u (full), oul (could), are (share), ear (bear), ere (there), au (author), aur (dinosaur), oor (floor), al (walk), tch (match), ture (adventure), al (half), a (father), a (water), a (want), ear (learn), wr (wrist), st (whistle), sc (science), ch (school), ch (chef), ze (freeze), schwa at the end of words (actor) Phase 5 Set 13: eigh (eight), aigh (straight), ey (grey), ea (break), gn (gnaw), kn (knee), mb (thumb), ere (here), eer (deer), su (treasure), si (vision), dge (bridge), ge (large), y (crystal), ti (potion), ssi (mission), si (mansion), ci (delicious), augh (daughter), our (pour), oar (oar), ore (more) Have you got them all?

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Letters & Sounds (2021): Phase 3 Scholastic Set: 06 Title: Off to Mars Focus: ar oi ear air Tricky words: I to my you me we the are Book Band: Red This title is part of a brand new set of phonically decodable reading books perfect for very early readers. These expertly levelled stories are engaging, and are exactly matched to Little Wandle Letters & Sounds Revised, used in schools across the UK. The series includes a wide selection of diverse and inclusive stories, accompanied by bright, contemporary and humorous illustrations that will engage and inspire young readers with a 'find the character' feature on each spread. The artwork is detailed so as not to provide picture cues and prompting. Each book also contains parent's notes and a 'retell the story' task to support children's oracy, vocabulary and comprehension skills. Thirteen sets of books covering groups of sounds to allow for progression. The stories in this set focus on the sounds found in Scholastic Set 06 and revise the sounds found in previous sets. There are thirteen sets in total, covering: Phase 2 Set 1: s a t p i n m d Phase 2 Set 2: g o c k ck e u r h b f l Phase 2 Set 3: ff ll ss j v w x y z zz Phase 2 Set 4: qu ch sh th ng nk Phase 3 Set 5: ai ee igh oa oo Phase 3 Set 6: ar or ur ow oi ear air er Phase 4 Set 7: Adjacent consonants with short vowels Phase 4 Set 8: Adjacent consonants with Phase 3 long vowels Phase 5 Set 9: ay (play), ou (cloud), oy (boy), ea (each), ir (bird), ie (pie), ue (blue), u (unicorn) Phase 5 Set 10: o (go), i (tiger), a (paper), e (he), a-e (snake), i-e (time), o-e (home), u-e (cute), e-e (these), ew (new), ie (shield), aw (claw) Phase 5 Set 11: y (funny), ea (head), wh (wheel), oe (toe), ou (shoulder), y (fly), ow (snow), g (giant), ph (phone), le (apple), al (metal), c (ice), ve (give), o-e (some), o (mother), ou (young), se (cheese), se (mouse), ce (fence), ey (donkey), ui (fruit), ou (soup) Phase 5 Set 12: or (word), u (full), oul (could), are (share), ear (bear), ere (there), au (author), aur (dinosaur), oor (floor), al (walk), tch (match), ture (adventure), al (half), a (father), a (water), a (want), ear (learn), wr (wrist), st (whistle), sc (science), ch (school), ch (chef), ze (freeze), schwa at the end of words (actor) Phase 5 Set 13: eigh (eight), aigh (straight), ey (grey), ea (break), gn (gnaw), kn (knee), mb (thumb), ere (here), eer (deer), su (treasure), si (vision), dge (bridge), ge (large), y (crystal), ti (potion), ssi (mission), si (mansion), ci (delicious), augh (daughter), our (pour), oar (oar), ore (more) Have you got them all?

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Letters & Sounds (2021): Phase 2 Scholastic Set: 04 Title: Hush! Focus: qu sh ng Tricky words: go we to the he me she is into and I Book Band: Red This title is part of a brand new set of phonically decodable reading books perfect for very early readers. These expertly levelled stories are engaging, and are exactly matched to Little Wandle Letters & Sounds Revised, used in schools across the UK. The series includes a wide selection of diverse and inclusive stories, accompanied by bright, contemporary and humorous illustrations that will engage and inspire young readers with a 'find the character' feature on each spread. The artwork is detailed so as not to provide picture cues and prompting. Each book also contains parent's notes and a 'retell the story' task to support children's oracy, vocabulary and comprehension skills. Thirteen sets of books covering groups of sounds to allow for progression. The stories in this set focus on the sounds found in Scholastic Set 04 and revise the sounds found in previous sets. There are thirteen sets in total, covering: Phase 2 Set 1: s a t p i n m d Phase 2 Set 2: g o c k ck e u r h b f l Phase 2 Set 3: ff ll ss j v w x y z zz Phase 2 Set 4: qu ch sh th ng nk Phase 3 Set 5: ai ee igh oa oo Phase 3 Set 6: ar or ur ow oi ear air er Phase 4 Set 7: Adjacent consonants with short vowels Phase 4 Set 8: Adjacent consonants with Phase 3 long vowels Phase 5 Set 9: ay (play), ou (cloud), oy (boy), ea (each), ir (bird), ie (pie), ue (blue), u (unicorn) Phase 5 Set 10: o (go), i (tiger), a (paper), e (he), a-e (snake), i-e (time), o-e (home), u-e (cute), e-e (these), ew (new), ie (shield), aw (claw) Phase 5 Set 11: y (funny), ea (head), wh (wheel), oe (toe), ou (shoulder), y (fly), ow (snow), g (giant), ph (phone), le (apple), al (metal), c (ice), ve (give), o-e (some), o (mother), ou (young), se (cheese), se (mouse), ce (fence), ey (donkey), ui (fruit), ou (soup) Phase 5 Set 12: or (word), u (full), oul (could), are (share), ear (bear), ere (there), au (author), aur (dinosaur), oor (floor), al (walk), tch (match), ture (adventure), al (half), a (father), a (water), a (want), ear (learn), wr (wrist), st (whistle), sc (science), ch (school), ch (chef), ze (freeze), schwa at the end of words (actor) Phase 5 Set 13: eigh (eight), aigh (straight), ey (grey), ea (break), gn (gnaw), kn (knee), mb (thumb), ere (here), eer (deer), su (treasure), si (vision), dge (bridge), ge (large), y (crystal), ti (potion), ssi (mission), si (mansion), ci (delicious), augh (daughter), our (pour), oar (oar), ore (more) Have you got them all?

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Letters & Sounds (2021): Phase 2 Scholastic Set: 03 Title: Lin the Vet Focus: ll v w x y Tricky words: is the has Book Band: Red This title is part of a brand new set of phonically decodable reading books perfect for very early readers. These expertly levelled stories are engaging, and are exactly matched to Little Wandle Letters & Sounds Revised, used in schools across the UK. The series includes a wide selection of diverse and inclusive stories, accompanied by bright, contemporary and humorous illustrations that will engage and inspire young readers with a 'find the character' feature on each spread. The artwork is detailed so as not to provide picture cues and prompting. Each book also contains parent's notes and a 'retell the story' task to support children's oracy, vocabulary and comprehension skills. Thirteen sets of books covering groups of sounds to allow for progression. The stories in this set focus on the sounds found in Scholastic Set 03 and revise the sounds found in previous sets. There are thirteen sets in total, covering: Phase 2 Set 1: s a t p i n m d Phase 2 Set 2: g o c k ck e u r h b f l Phase 2 Set 3: ff ll ss j v w x y z zz Phase 2 Set 4: qu ch sh th ng nk Phase 3 Set 5: ai ee igh oa oo Phase 3 Set 6: ar or ur ow oi ear air er Phase 4 Set 7: Adjacent consonants with short vowels Phase 4 Set 8: Adjacent consonants with Phase 3 long vowels Phase 5 Set 9: ay (play), ou (cloud), oy (boy), ea (each), ir (bird), ie (pie), ue (blue), u (unicorn) Phase 5 Set 10: o (go), i (tiger), a (paper), e (he), a-e (snake), i-e (time), o-e (home), u-e (cute), e-e (these), ew (new), ie (shield), aw (claw) Phase 5 Set 11: y (funny), ea (head), wh (wheel), oe (toe), ou (shoulder), y (fly), ow (snow), g (giant), ph (phone), le (apple), al (metal), c (ice), ve (give), o-e (some), o (mother), ou (young), se (cheese), se (mouse), ce (fence), ey (donkey), ui (fruit), ou (soup) Phase 5 Set 12: or (word), u (full), oul (could), are (share), ear (bear), ere (there), au (author), aur (dinosaur), oor (floor), al (walk), tch (match), ture (adventure), al (half), a (father), a (water), a (want), ear (learn), wr (wrist), st (whistle), sc (science), ch (school), ch (chef), ze (freeze), schwa at the end of words (actor) Phase 5 Set 13: eigh (eight), aigh (straight), ey (grey), ea (break), gn (gnaw), kn (knee), mb (thumb), ere (here), eer (deer), su (treasure), si (vision), dge (bridge), ge (large), y (crystal), ti (potion), ssi (mission), si (mansion), ci (delicious), augh (daughter), our (pour), oar (oar), ore (more) Have you got them all?

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Letters & Sounds (2021): Phase 2 Scholastic Set: 04 Title: Six Chicks Focus: ch sh the ng Tricky words: we the is I full of Book Band: Red This title is part of a brand new set of phonically decodable reading books perfect for very early readers. These expertly levelled stories are engaging, and are exactly matched to Little Wandle Letters & Sounds Revised, used in schools across the UK. The series includes a wide selection of diverse and inclusive stories, accompanied by bright, contemporary and humorous illustrations that will engage and inspire young readers with a 'find the character' feature on each spread. The artwork is detailed so as not to provide picture cues and prompting. Each book also contains parent's notes and a 'retell the story' task to support children's oracy, vocabulary and comprehension skills. Thirteen sets of books covering groups of sounds to allow for progression. The stories in this set focus on the sounds found in Scholastic Set 04 and revise the sounds found in previous sets. There are thirteen sets in total, covering: Phase 2 Set 1: s a t p i n m d Phase 2 Set 2: g o c k ck e u r h b f l Phase 2 Set 3: ff ll ss j v w x y z zz Phase 2 Set 4: qu ch sh th ng nk Phase 3 Set 5: ai ee igh oa oo Phase 3 Set 6: ar or ur ow oi ear air er Phase 4 Set 7: Adjacent consonants with short vowels Phase 4 Set 8: Adjacent consonants with Phase 3 long vowels Phase 5 Set 9: ay (play), ou (cloud), oy (boy), ea (each), ir (bird), ie (pie), ue (blue), u (unicorn) Phase 5 Set 10: o (go), i (tiger), a (paper), e (he), a-e (snake), i-e (time), o-e (home), u-e (cute), e-e (these), ew (new), ie (shield), aw (claw) Phase 5 Set 11: y (funny), ea (head), wh (wheel), oe (toe), ou (shoulder), y (fly), ow (snow), g (giant), ph (phone), le (apple), al (metal), c (ice), ve (give), o-e (some), o (mother), ou (young), se (cheese), se (mouse), ce (fence), ey (donkey), ui (fruit), ou (soup) Phase 5 Set 12: or (word), u (full), oul (could), are (share), ear (bear), ere (there), au (author), aur (dinosaur), oor (floor), al (walk), tch (match), ture (adventure), al (half), a (father), a (water), a (want), ear (learn), wr (wrist), st (whistle), sc (science), ch (school), ch (chef), ze (freeze), schwa at the end of words (actor) Phase 5 Set 13: eigh (eight), aigh (straight), ey (grey), ea (break), gn (gnaw), kn (knee), mb (thumb), ere (here), eer (deer), su (treasure), si (vision), dge (bridge), ge (large), y (crystal), ti (potion), ssi (mission), si (mansion), ci (delicious), augh (daughter), our (pour), oar (oar), ore (more) Have you got them all?

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