Search results for ""Quarto Publishing PLC""

A captivating portrait of 20 of the greatest British gardens and the lords, ladies and gardeners who own and manage them. Focusing on the counties of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, this stunning book features gardens designed by some of the leading contemporary garden designers from across the world. This beautiful corner of England has a rich tradition of garden making, which is explored in this very personal view by photographer Hugo Rittson-Thomas and journalist Victoria Summerley, both residents of this green pocket with more than its fair share of beautiful and interesting gardens.The gardens: Abbotswood, Ablington Manor, Asthall Manor, Bourton House, Burford Priory, Colesbourne Park, Cornwell Manor, Cotswold Wildlife Park, Daylesford House, Dean Manor, Eastleach House, Eyford House, Kingham Hill House, Rockcliffe, Sarsden, Sezincote, Stowell Park, Upton Wold, Walcot House, and Westwell Manor. Some of the gardens are strictly private, while others are regularly open to visitors, but all can now be savoured and enjoyed along with those who know them best. Tour even more magnificent English gardens with Secret Gardens of East Anglia and Secret Gardens of Somerset.

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In one affordable polytunnel, kitchen-garden guru Joyce Russell shows you how to grow vegetables easily, organically and abundantly so that you have something to eat every month of the year. Whether you are a beginner or more experienced, this comprehensive, practical, month-by-month guide to polytunnel gardening has got everything you need, telling you exactly what to do and when to do it, in order to grow the best fruit and vegetables all-year-round. From preparing the site to making a hotbed, from composts and organic feeds to identifying and coping with pests, plus information on how to get the best from each crop and month-to-month planting plans for year-round growing, The Polytunnel Book provides a wealth of practical tips and techniques as well as celebrating what can be achieved. Illustrated with 300 stunning colour photographs, this practical guide to polytunnels hand guides you through each month of the year, ensuring the best results all year round.

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After a stormy night, a farmer searching for his lost calf finds a baby eagle that has been blown out of its nest. He takes it home and raises it with his chickens. But when his friend comes to visit one day, he tells the farmer that an eagle should be flying high in the sky, not scrabbling on the ground for grain. A powerful and uplifting African tale of fulfilment and freedom brought to life by stunning illustrations.

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Why is the Brazilian rainforest vanishing so fast? And why is it essential not only to the people and animals within it, but to the whole world? Can anything be done to save it? This story, seen through the eyes of a child called Remaema, describes how the Yanomami tribe are battling against potential developers. Can a solution be found that will protect the forest and allow the tribe to continue living as they always have done, while benefiting from limited development? This picture book offers an exciting perspective on a controversial and topical subject.

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The twins Meret and Bella love their grandfather, Papa Chagall, and he loves telling them stories. One day, when they visit him in his studio, he tells them about his life – through four different stories, all told during a day they spend together. The first story is about Chagall’ s childhood, and how his paintings of purple cows and flying people made his mother smile. She took him to see the teacher at the Art College, who was so amazed by the boy’ s work he offered him a free place at the college.The second story tells how Chagall met the twins’ grandmother, Bella, how they fell in love and went to live in Paris, and had a baby – the twins’ mother, Ida. Then comes the sad story of how the Nazis hated the Jews and mocked the paintings of Jewish artists. But Ida persuaded her father and mother to emigrate to America, taking Chagall’ s paintings with them. The family were not happy in America, but in the fourth and last story Chagall tells the twins that at last people started to appreciate his art and he became a famous artist – and was able to paint happy paintings again.

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In this book from the highly acclaimed Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the incredible life of Leo Messi, one of the world's most skilled and celebrated footballers. As a child, Leo developed his passion for football playing games with his brothers and cousins in the streets of Rosario, Argentina. He later honed his skills on the pitch as part of the local youth team, Newell's Old Boys – who famously won every tournament whilst Leo was with them. But life wasn't without its challenges. Aged 9, he was diagnosed with Growth Hormone Deficiency, which meant he had to inject himself with hormones from the doctor every day to help him grow. But nothing was going to stop Leo from following his dreams. He debuted with FC Barcelona in 2004 and across the next 17 years scored 672 goals for the club and helped them to win 35 trophies. Leo has also received seven Golden Ball awards, more than any other football player in history, and won 4 trophies with Argentina's national football team, including the 2022 World Cup, where he captained the team to victory. Messi's next chapter will be spent training under the Florida sunshine, having joined the US team Inter Miami CF. Today, he is considered by many to be 'The Greatest of All Time' – and is a hero off the pitch, too, as a committed ambassador for UNICEF and founder of his own children's charity. This powerful book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the footballer's life.Little People, BIG DREAMS is a bestselling biography series for kids that explores the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream. This empowering series of books offers inspiring messages to children of all ages, in a range of formats. The board books are told in simple sentences, perfect for reading aloud to babies and toddlers. The hardback and paperback versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. With rewritten text for older children, the treasuries each bring together a multitude of dreamers in a single volume. You can also collect a selection of the books by theme in boxed gift sets. Activity books and a journal provide even more ways to make the lives of these role models accessible to children.Inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world with Little People, BIG DREAMS!

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The World’s Most Pointless Animals is a witty, quirky, colourfully illustrated book featuring fascinating facts about some very silly animals … who we find are perhaps not so pointless after all. From familiar animals like giraffes (who don’t have any vocal cords) through to those that surely should not even exist, such as the pink fairy armadillo (absurdly huge front claws, super tough protective shell in baby pink, particularly susceptible to stress), our planet is full of some pretty weird and wonderful animals. For example: Koalas spend up to 18 hours a day asleep! Pandas are born bright pink, deaf and blind. Dumbo octopuses flap their big fin-like ears to move around. A Narwhal’s tusk grows through its upper lip – ouch! With hilarious text throughout and bright, contemporary illustrations, this guide to absurdly awesome animals contains funny labelled diagrams and some excellent made-up Latin names (n.b. the jellyfish’s scientific name is not actually wibblious wobblious ouchii). Carrying an important message of celebrating diversity and differences, The World’s Most Pointless Animals inspires a drive to conserve our amazing planet and the creatures we’re lucky enough to share it with.Quirky Creatures is a series dedicated to seeking out the weird and wonderful denizens of the natural world and explaining why they are so strange, from the ridiculous to the truly terrifying. Also available in this series is The World's Most Ridiculous Animals and The World's Most Atrocious Animals.

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In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Louise Bourgeois, the inspiring French-American sculptor and installation artist. When Louise was a little girl, her mother died. She learned to express her feelings through drawing – and when she grew up, she turned these drawings into sculpture, confronting her own fears through art. This moving book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the artist's life.Little People, BIG DREAMS is a bestselling biography series for kids that explores the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream. This empowering series of books offers inspiring messages to children of all ages, in a range of formats. The board books are told in simple sentences, perfect for reading aloud to babies and toddlers. The hardback and paperback versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. With rewritten text for older children, the treasuries each bring together a multitude of dreamers in a single volume. You can also collect a selection of the books by theme in boxed gift sets. Activity books and a journal provide even more ways to make the lives of these role models accessible to children.Inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world with Little People, BIG DREAMS!

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This beautifully illustrated giftable gardening reference book is a complete guide to the growing and use of medicinal plants, combining exquisite botanical illustrations with practical self-help projects. Every day sees a discovery in the press about the new uses of plants, and it's certain that most of our most important drugs are derived from plants. From willow (used to procure aspirin) to periwinkle (used in chemotherapy to treat lymphoma) many common garden plants have provided cures in modern medicine. In this book readers can discover more than 200 life-saving plants and 25 home-grown remedies to make themselves. Each plant is catalogued and the traditional and modern uses are detailed, alongside a beautiful botanical illustration. Each home cure is described and illustrated with step-by-step photographs to show how you can be a gardener and heal yourself. Recipes include: Dried lemon balm, Passionflower sleep tea, Plantain balm, Rosehip syrup, Rosemary infused oil, Elderberry vinegar, Chickweed cream, Comfrey ointment, Nettle soup, Dried valerian root. The Gardener's Companion to Medicinal Plants is part of the Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing series and is accompanied by Growing Herbs, Growing House Plants, Growing Vegetables, Growing Orchids and Growing Fruit.

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In Conscious Crafts: Whittling, maker Barnaby Carder, aka Barn the Spoon, reveals the meditative nature of the whittling process and its empowering skill set for creating, and mindfulness. Making is mindfulness made practical, and whittling is a renowned and rewarding craft. Drawing on the traditions of green woodworking, Barn the Spoon has created 20 modern makes, ranging from simple tools including the classic spoon to decorative items such as animals and woodprints. He shares the basic techniques to whittling and shows how these can be developed for different projects, as well as reconnecting us to nature’s raw materials. Packed with inspiring ideas and practical guidance, Conscious Crafts: Whittling gives you the simple skills to get started with this fulfilling craft, and explores how the joy of creating your own unique makes can enrich your well-being. Clean photography, contemporary step-by step illustration and heart-affirming text are neatly carved together to celebrate handwork and the act of crafting for a sustainable future.The projects: light pull; letter opener; chopsticks; pickle fork; spoon rack; toaster tongs; plant label; comb; hair pin; drop spindle; crochet hook; knitting needle; button; pliers; bird; horse; whistle; tent peg; walking stick; double ended hook; heart or floret decoration; and woodprint. The Conscious Crafts series places mindfulness and well-being at the heart of making. Picking out proven meditative crafts and bespoke authors, these practical, contemporary guides are an inviting introduction to reconnecting head, heart, and hands. Also available from the Conscious Crafts series: Pottery, Quilting and Knitting.

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Who is hiding in the jungle? Slide the tab to make your favourite animals appear! Slide Surprise is a vibrant new series of board books using innovative sliding mechanisms to create fun, interactive stories about subjects young children identify with. Follow the friendly monkey through the jungle and to the ocean to find animal friends hiding in the scenes. Slide the tab in the page and out pops a toucan from the branches of a tree, a baby elephant from behind her mommy’s knees, a lion from his hiding spot in the grass, chicks resting in their nest, a fish swimming in the water and, on the last page – Where did our happy monkey tour guide go? Slide… surprise! He’s hiding in the leaves, fast asleep! This colourful, interactive board book helps children develop hand-eye coordination, build cognitive skills and learn language skills. Irresistible to curious little hands, babies and toddlers will delight in sliding the creatures in and out of hiding, again and again.

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Every night, Jazz reads her stories to the children of Story Town. But she is very busy, so she needs a plan… Featuring original stories, delightful characters and humorous illustrations, Reading Gems is a series designed to spark a love of reading. It is a supplementary reading programme that is graded into four levels to perfectly suit a child’s reading ability from an emerging reader to a confident, independent reader. Parents and teachers can be reassured that children are reading books that support their ability, challenge their reading skills and encourage reading confidence with every word on the page.

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In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Stephen Hawking, the genius physicist and author. When Stephen Hawking was a little boy, he used to stare up at the stars and wonder about the universe. Although he was never top of the class, his curiosity took him to the best universities in England: Oxford and Cambridge. It also led him to make one of the biggest scientific discoveries of the 20th century: Hawking radiation. This moving book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the brilliant physicist's life.Little People, BIG DREAMS is a bestselling biography series for kids that explores the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream. This empowering series of books offers inspiring messages to children of all ages, in a range of formats. The board books are told in simple sentences, perfect for reading aloud to babies and toddlers. The hardback and paperback versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. With rewritten text for older children, the treasuries each bring together a multitude of dreamers in a single volume. You can also collect a selection of the books by theme in boxed gift sets. Activity books and a journal provide even more ways to make the lives of these role models accessible to children.Inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world with Little People, BIG DREAMS!

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In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the incredible life of Steve Irwin, animal lover and wildlife conservationist. Little Steve loved animals, and his childhood was spent amongst Australia’s wildlife. As a young boy, his parents started a wildlife refuge and Steve and his sisters helped care for many injured animals. When he was nine, Steve captured his first crocodile, in order to take it to a national park so it could have a safe, happy life. He fell in love with protecting crocodiles and as an adult became known as the crocodile hunter! Steve shared his love of wildlife and his passion for protecting it through television programmes, and soon rose to international fame. Steve used his celebrity status to educate the world on the importance of conservation. He and his wife, Terri, created nature reservations, grew their wildlife refuge, started a charity and raised their two children to love wildlife as much as they did. Steve became one of the most celebrated conservationists in Australia and across the world. Today, Steve’s family continue his incredible work through Australia Zoo and Wildlife Warriors, the conservation charity founded by Steve and his wife Terri in 2002. Steve’s legacy continues to inspire young animal lovers and eco warriors everywhere, helping a new generation to protect the natural world and all the creatures who inhabit it. This inspiring book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the incredible animal activist and wildlife conservationist’s life.Little People, BIG DREAMS is a bestselling biography series for kids that explores the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream. This empowering series of books offers inspiring messages to children of all ages, in a range of formats. The board books are told in simple sentences, perfect for reading aloud to babies and toddlers. The hardback and paperback versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. With rewritten text for older children, the treasuries each bring together a multitude of dreamers in a single volume. You can also collect a selection of the books by theme in boxed gift sets. Activity books and a journal provide even more ways to make the lives of these role models accessible to children.Inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world with Little People, BIG DREAMS!

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Embrace the blooming benefits of nature, mindfulness and eco-therapy in this stunning month-by-month nature almanac that will lift your heart, mind, body and self. Strikingly designed, lovingly crafted and filled with nature affirmations, activities and reflections, this gorgeous book will help you connect to the seasons, be empowered by eco-spirituality, and be mindful of nature all year long. Each page shares an eco-insight for nature connection, and the yearlong structure means that activities are tailored for the natural seasonal rhythms which guide us through winter, spring, summer and fall. Pick out the month and rest your mind’s eye on the pages ahead. Discover seasonal affirmations, nature rituals, recipes, eco-reflections and growing tips for nature connection, mindfulness and empowerment in this earthy guide to creating daily eco-aware habits. Standing at 288 pages, this book is filled with ideas for finding fresh inspiration every day in nature to help you live your most mindful life! Reflections, practices and actions in this lush book include: Practical ways to connect with nature, from growing flowers and vegetables to making knotweed preserve, Mindful reflections including tuning into the beauty of birdsong, Star-gazing practices as meditative practices, As well as nature meditations and visualizations to connect spiritually with the natural world. From the hearts and minds of the Leaping Hare Press collective and featuring soothing illustrations by @madebyralu, The Leaping Hare Nature Almanac is your definitive guide to mindfully connecting to nature all year round. Discover even more empowering spiritual practices aligned with the seasons in The Leaping Hare Wellness Almanac.

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Say goodbye to boredom with this globe-spanning guide to the world’s favourite children’s games, to play by yourself, with family or friends! Let's Play is a joyfully illustrated collection of games from all around the world for you to discover and enjoy. Games for one player to five players, and even large groups, are clearly explained and provide endless opportunities for playful adventure, alongside a resource for learning about cultures and traditions from countries across the globe. The exciting array of games includes: solo puzzle games like Jegichagi (South Korea) big party game Catch the Dragon’s Tail (China) head-to-head Kolowis Awithlaknannai boardgame (Zuni Native American) hilarious Oonch Neech (a variation of Tag from Pakistan) Additional sections give you the background to classic games like tag and hide-and-seek and talk you through making games of your own. Vibrant illustrations from Monica Andino carefully demonstrate the steps of the games, whilst bringing to life the fun and joy they offer.The possibilities are endless, and with this book, the fun will be, too!

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*GOOD HOUSEKEEPING USA BEST KIDS BOOK AWARD 2023 WINNER* This richly illustrated concertina book takes the reader from the top of a mountain spring, through varying landscapes, and follows a river's journey from its source to the sea. With a focus on the important role waterways play in human and environmental survival, The River That Flows Beside Me explores the changing landscapes along a river's journey and the habits and ecosystems that call the river their home. A follow-up to The Street Beneath My Feet, The Skies Above My Eyes and The Sea Below My Toes, this visually stunning book finds the river in the rocky peaks, and tracks it as it winds its way through coniferous forest, gushes through v-shaped valleys, and roars down magnificent waterfalls. Further downstream, readers will journey with the river past beaver dams, floodplains, oxbow lakes, paddle-boarders, bridges and more. On your journey, meet the animals that call the river home, including: White-tailed deer Grizzly bears Otter Smallmouth bass Dragonflies With a primary focus on the river's ecosystems, wildlife and geological processesThe River That Flows Beside Me also explores the way that humans interact with the river landscape, using it both to survive and also to enjoy. The beauty and variety of river landscapes are bought to life by Jo Empson's rich illustrations. This book is part of the Look Closer series, a set of concertina books that help teach us about the mysteries and wonders that are found in the world around us.

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In every part of the globe, in every pocket of the sea, in ancient ground beneath your feet, up tall mountains you can’t see, in stones, in plants, in birds and beasts, lie nature’s secret stories. This beautiful field-guide explores the histories and mysteries hidden in the wild, just waiting to be shared. Readers are invited on a journey around our wonderful world, through wild forests, over mountains high, to the bottom of our oceans and the earth beneath us. Each chapter investigates a different environment, and within, the pages tell the secret stories of the animals, plants, and natural phenomena of these habitats. Some secrets tell us of links between species, or unusual adaptations and features, others tell us how nature has evolved, and many hold the keys to understanding our planet’s past. Readers will come away with a wealth of knowledge and discover how looking at nature today can help us understand and unlock mysteries from long ago, from bygone weather to the dinosaurs. They’ll learn how resin and rock can preserve long-lost plants and creatures, how the rings inside coral skeletons can reveal weather patterns from the distant past, how layers of the seabed can indicate a previous mass extinction occurred, how ice can trap gases and tell us the make-up of our ancient atmosphere, and much more. The text also touches on how these secrets are often uncovered through scientific research, observation, fossil records, as well as using modern inventions and techniques like carbon dating. Spreads at the back of the book encourage readers to search for secrets in nature close to home and explore how we can all help protect the animals, plants and natural features of today so we can continue to enjoy and learn from them. The fascinating information is brought to life with meticulously detailed, vintage-style artwork from Vasilisa Romanenko, making this book a true treasure trove for the whole family to enjoy.

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This fascinating and beautifully illustrated book spans the complete length and breadth of the topic of conservation, which is more important today than ever before.Combining history with science, this deeply insightful book charts the changes in our understanding and relationship with conservation, from the beginnings of the planet when humans didn’t consider their impact on their surroundings, to the modern world and what we can do to protect our natural resources today. Earth’s natural resources include air, minerals, plants, soil, water, and wildlife. Conservation is the care and protection of these resources so that they can persist for future generations. It includes maintaining diversity of species, genes, and ecosystems, as well as functions of the environment, such as nutrient cycling. As well as discovering the effects conservation could have across the world, this book will help you discover practical ways we can work together to help protect our resources for our future generations. With fact-packed text by Catherine Barr and Steve Williams and vibrant illustrations by Amy Husband, this next title in the best-selling Story of... series is all about shifting attitudes to our natural world and will give children the information they need to inspire them to protect our precious planet.

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See inside the gardens where literary giants from Tolstoy to Agatha Christie created some of their finest works in this visually stunning and fascinating book. Discover the flower gardens, vegetable plots, landscapes and writing hideaways of 30 great authors – from Louisa May Alcott’s ‘Orchard House’ where she wrote Little Women and Agatha Christie at Greenway, to Virginia Woolf at Monk’s House and the Massachusetts home of Edith Wharton.Fully illustrated with specially commissioned photography plus archive images, and spanning centuries and continents, this book visits the homes and gardens that inspired novelists, poets and playwrights. It shows how outdoor spaces were important to writers in many different ways and offers insight into the lives and creative processes of beloved authors. Writers featured include: Jane Austen in Kent and Hampshire, Agatha Christie in Devon, Beatrix Potter in the Lake District, Thomas Hardy in Dorset, Walter Scott and Robert Burns in Scotland, William Wordsworth in Cumbria, Virginia Woolf and Rudyard Kipling in Sussex, Frances Hodgson Burnett in Kent, Jack London in California, Edward James in Mexico, Jean Cocteau and George Sand in France and Goethe in Germany. This deeply insightful book sheds new light on some of literature's greatest works, offers rare glimpses into the lives of these brilliant minds, and showcases in stunning full colour the gardens in which these writers spent their time.

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Meet a bug who is as snug as a bug can be. Oh, but not for long! Along comes a knock on the door and suddenly he's off on a wild and risky adventure... Bug is chased by creature after creature – he's clearly ever so tasty – through woodland, dark caves and a mighty waterfall! He barely escapes becoming someone's dinner and comes close to meeting all sorts of sticky ends, but he keeps insisting he is ‘snug as a bug'!Can he make it back home? As snug as a bug can be?Snug as a Bug is a hilarious picture book romp from Karl Newson, with energetic and characterful illustrations from award-winning illustrator Alex Willmore which help the story leap of the page!

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This beautiful guide to indoor plants is a comprehensive compendium of succulents, cacti, flowering and foliage plants, with detailed instructions on how to care for each, alongside stunning full-page watercolour illustrations of each plant. Whether you are looking to cultivate an entire indoor garden, or simply wish to know more about your single cactus, you can be sure to find the right information for you amongst the more than seventy plants in this stylish guide. And the best bit? All the plants are easy to maintain so even the most timid of gardeners can enjoy turning their hand to this green-fingered pastime. Driven by the beautiful artwork of the phenomenally talented Maaike Koster, alongside insightful text from Emma Sibley, co-founder of London Terrariums, each entry offers a concise but complete guide to these plants, telling you their origins, how to care for them and where in your home they will thrive. Each plant is rendered in considered detail, taking up a full double page spread, with half of this space allotted to the illustration, facing a paragraph on the plant itself, care tips and any information about fellow species. The accessible text and simple instructions make this book just as well suited to those with no gardening experience as to those with years of practice. These plants can be grown in any in-door space and are easy to maintain, so you no longer need a large garden or hours of free time to maintain a vibrant collection of greenery in your home. These plants add interest, tranquility and colour to every corner of our lives, so embark on a verdant adventure with this beautiful and comprehensive guide!

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**SHORTLISTED FOR THE WEEK JUNIOR CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATED BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023** From the authors behind The Stick Book and many other outdoor adventure favourites, this interactive one-of-a-kind creative scrapbook offers children an outlet for creativity inspired by the wild world. This truly unique book contains prompts for all kinds of creative activity based around the natural world around us, from drawing to writing to mixed-media collage. Readers will be encouraged to draw on their creativity, to express themselves without fear of being judged, and to make their book really WILD! They will need scissors, pens, paints, tape, glue and a magnifying glass, plus lots of wild materials and their wildest creativity, as this book becomes filled with keepsakes from their own outdoor adventures. From finding the faces hidden in pictures of trees, to collecting ingredients for a spell to keep nature safe, to sticking the feathers back onto a mythical bird, these prompts and activities will provide hours and hours of entertainment as they take children on flights of fantasy through the natural world. Readers can colour outside the lines, do the activities in any order and go at their own pace. The mixture of art, creative writing, collecting, games, wildlife-watching and imaginative prompts will appeal to kids with all kinds of interests, and there are no rules!

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With gentle rhyming text and eye-catching, brightly-coloured illustrations, this interactive board book introduces some amazing animal homes. Simply put your finger on the disc and move it along the trail to trace the shape on each page. Perfect for developing hand-eye co-ordination.

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New title in the internationally best-selling, and Blue Peter Book Award-winning series. Following on from the incredible Invented by Animals, Built by Animals introduces us to the creatures who have inspired the materials and techniques that are used by humans in the building world today. Meet over 26 animals behind the most amazing building tech, humorously brought to life by Yeji Yun and wittily and expertly explained by WWF educator Christiane Dorion. This book dives into theworld of biomimicry and answers questions like: How can we use more solar energy to power our homes? How can we grow plants in the desert? How can we pump water to the top of very tall buildings? How can we clean polluted rivers? From the bee’s honeycomb shape that strengthens structures to termites that build their nests with natural air con, these creatures did it first! And, at the end of the book, find out who wins big at the Animal Builder Awards! Will it be the prairie dog, the peacock, the beaver or the firefly?Built by Animals explores this amazing STEM subject in a deceptively simple way, showing children that the future of architecture can be inspired by and be respectful of nature.

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See nature in a whole new light with this enchantingly illustrated treasury of natural folklore and wild wisdom from around the world. Did you know that people used to believe that rabbits’ ears would twitch in the direction of a thunderstorm? That lily of the valley flowers were formed from fairies’ drinking cups? And that taking dandelions into the house would make you wet the bed? Traditional nature folklore can help us understand how our ancestors interacted with the world around them and allows us to view nature from a new perspective. Stunningly delicate and magical illustrations capture the magic and strangeness inherent in natural folklore, and cultures from around the world are represented in this comprehensive compendium.In this book, discover the lore of: An array of different animals, birds and insects All types of flowers, plants and trees The weather, sun, moon and stars Good and bad omens, and lucky charms Lore of the Wild inspires appreciation of different cultures, as well as an engagement with the beauty of the natural environment, and is a treasure trove of superstitions, ancient wisdom and enchanting folktales.

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This enchantingly illustrated natural history of magick, compiled in the 1920s by the globetrotting naturalist Professor Conrad Gessner for his grandson, is now unveiled for readers of today. Featuring a gold foil–embossed cloth cover, a ribbon marker and sprayed gold edges, this gorgeous volume is filled with intriguing sketches and precise notes detailing the secret world of magic, a natural force hidden all around us. Inside, you will discover the history of magic and its dazzling array of practices around the globe. Delight in this hidden world as you learn about these and more topics: Different types of magic (Explore divination, tarot reading, astrology, numerology, alchemy and more.) Powerful plants (Peppermint is fantastic for cleansing, and also known to ward off vampires.) Wand trees (Apple tree wands are helpful in matters of love and fertility while beech is best for scholars using wordy spells.) Familiars (Choose the perfect magical companion. If you love to gossip, you might choose a ferret as your familiar or, for improved thinking, an owl.) The most magical of days (Discover the power and stories of Imbolc, the solstices, All Hallows’ Eve and more.) Magical scripts (Learn about the secret languages used through history for communicating with the spirit world.) With this precious scrapbook as your guide, tap into the powerful energies that will help you harness your own magic.

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Explore the landscapes and places that inspired great art: find peace in Monet’s lily-filled garden oasis, climb Mount Fuji on a printmaker’s pilgrimage, sail with Gauguin to the South Pacific to stretch your imagination, or contemplate light and the changing seasons on Chelsea Embankment. Artistic Places is a stunningly hand-illustrated, visionary guide for seekers of beauty, rare tales and cultural riches. Find yourself instantly transported to the places where great artists have sought refuge, found their inspiration and changed the course of art history forever. Susie Hodge, bestselling author and art historian, presents 25 famous and forgotten artistic destinations around the world, and connects these to the artists they inspired. In keeping with the Inspired Traveller’s Guide series design, each entry is accompanied by specially commissioned illustrations from Amy Grimes which perfectly evoke the wonders that first attracted the masters, while Hodge delves into each location's curious history with insightful stories both in and beyond the canon. So take a leaf out of your favourite artist’s sketchbook and discover the places they loved best. Artists and locations include: J.A.M Whistler in London, England John Constable in Suffolk, England Barbara Hepworth in St Ives, England Paula Rego in Cascais and Estoril, Portugal Pablo Picasso and Guernica, Spain Salvador Dalí in Catalonia, Spain Claude Monet in Giverny, France Vincent van Gogh in Arles, France Rene Magritte in Brussels, Belgium Paul Klee in Bern, Switzerland Michelangelo in Florence, Italy Canaletto in Venice, Italy Johannes Vermeer in Delft, Netherlands Anni Albers in Dessau, Germany Caspar David Friedrich in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, Germany Gustav Klimt and Lake Attersee, Austria Edvard Munch in Oslo, Norway Hilma af Klint and Lake Mälaren, Sweden Henri Matisse in Tangier, Morocco Hokusai on Mount Fuji, Japan Paul Gauguin in Papeete and Papeari, Tahiti Jean-Michel Basquiat in New York, USA Grant Wood in Iowa, USA Georgia O’Keeffe in New Mexico, USA Frida Kahlo in Coyoacán, Mexico Each book in the Inspired Traveller's Guides series offers readers a fascinating, informative and charmingly illustrated guide to must-visit destinations round the globe. Also from this series, explore intriguing: Spiritual Places, Literary Places, Hidden Places and Mystical Places.

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Take in the knowledge and wisdom of a wise old oak tree as he shares with beautiful illustrations, science facts and folk tales what he has learned in his 500 years on earth.My arms stretch out all day long.I can be climbed, but I’m not a mountain. What am I? I am Oakheart, the oldest tree in the forest! Did you know that trees can talk to each other? Or that the oldest living thing is a tree? Let the ancient and mysterious Oakheart, the oldest and wisest tree in the forest, lead you through this enchanting guide to trees. In The Secret Life of Trees, Oakheart the Brave shares his own experiences as well as what he has heard on the wind and the things whispered to him by animals over his long life, beginning with his start as a tiny acorn buried underground by a mouse. Learn all about: How trees grow and survive The different parts of trees, inside and out, and what they do The many different types of forests and trees of the world The tallest, oldest, biggest and widest trees The creatures and organisms that depend on trees Why trees are so important to humans Tips on how to help trees thrive Tree folklore from around the world This collection of delightful traditional stories and engaging facts will impart a love of nature, and inspire you to look after the world around you. Whimsical and detailed illustrations have pride of place in magical tales that mix natural history with a splash of fantasy, creating a book that you will pore over time and again.

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London’s acclaimed champions of brunch share the recipes that made the Sunday Café a runaway success. Alan Turner and Terrence Williamson, the pioneering chefs behind London’s hugely popular Sunday Café, share some of their most beloved recipes, so you can cook your way to the perfect weekend brunch. From quick and easy breakfast staples to fabulous group feasts, and inspired by a list of global ingredients, this book will give you everything you need to master the art of the weekend's most enjoyable meal. Among the delicious ideas to try in the book are: Feta Kale and Quinoa omelette, Salt Cod Potato Benedict with Poached Eggs and Hollandaise, Roasted Fruit Waffle with Almond Brittle, Spinach, Pea and Parmesan Pancakes, Salmon Kedgeree with Beetroot Slaw Courgette Fritters with Halloumi, Dukkah and Mint Yoghurt The book also has a selection of heartier Sunday Specialities for those after a more filling meal, as well as delicious bakes and tasty jams, as well as a complete guide to making your own brunchable condiments as well as flavourful smoothies and juices to go with your food. From getting the fundamentals right to creating sophisticated and appealing plates, this comprehensive guide will give you everything you need to recreate the Sunday Café's delicious brunches in your very own home!

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In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of David Attenborough, the inspiring broadcaster and conservationist. Little David grew up in Leicester on the campus of a university, where his father was a professor. As a child, he spent hours in the science library, collating his own specimens and creating a mini animal museum. When he was old enough to go to university, he studied science and zoology – but what he wanted most of all was to be close to the animals he was studying. So, he started working in television, visiting animals in their natural habitats and telling the world the untold stories of these animals. Little David went on to become one of the most celebrated environmentalists on the planet, teaching generation after generation about the importance of the natural world. This moving book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the broadcaster's life.Little People, BIG DREAMS is a bestselling biography series for kids that explores the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream. This empowering series of books offers inspiring messages to children of all ages, in a range of formats. The board books are told in simple sentences, perfect for reading aloud to babies and toddlers. The hardback and paperback versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. With rewritten text for older children, the treasuries each bring together a multitude of dreamers in a single volume. You can also collect a selection of the books by theme in boxed gift sets. Activity books and a journal provide even more ways to make the lives of these role models accessible to children.Inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world with Little People, BIG DREAMS!

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This perennial gardening classic gives you everything you need to create and manage a bountiful and beautiful allotment with just half an hour's work a day! The Royal Horticultural Society The Half Hour Allotment (first published in 2005) has been a best-selling gardening title for many years. This new edition re-presents the classic in a fresh new illustrated format with hundreds of new photographs and a bright new cover design. The book shows you how to manage your allotment and enjoy fresh vegetables through the year on just half an hour’s work a day with weekends off. It combines expert advice from Lia Leendertz and the Royal Horticultural Society and time-saving ideas for planning the most effective use of your time and energy, giving you something to eat fresh every day of the year and ensure bumper crops in summer! Lia Leendertz, the best-selling author of The Almanac, is an organic gardener with a great sensitivity for the environment so the book is a gentle and thoughtful read as well as being a bible for productive and time-starved gardeners.

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This board book version of Jane Goodall – from the critically acclaimed Little People, BIG DREAMS series – introduces the youngest dreamers to the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees. When Jane was little, her father gave her a toy chimpanzee named Jubilee. This inspired her lifelong love of animals, and she went to study them in the wild as soon as she could. Jane lived with chimpanzees in their natural habitat and became famous for her pioneering approach to research. She now educates the public on animal rights. Babies and toddlers will love to snuggle as you read to them the engaging story of this fascinating woman, and will also enjoy exploring the stylish and quirky illustrations of this sturdy board book on their own.Little People, BIG DREAMS is a bestselling biography series for kids that explores the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream. This empowering series of books offers inspiring messages to children of all ages, in a range of formats. The board books are told in simple sentences, perfect for reading aloud to babies and toddlers. The hardback and paperback versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. With rewritten text for older children, the treasuries each bring together a multitude of dreamers in a single volume. You can also collect a selection of the books by theme in boxed gift sets. Activity books and a journal provide even more ways to make the lives of these role models accessible to children.Inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world with Little People, BIG DREAMS!

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From Tresco to Lindisfarne, Anglesey to Sark, travel around the British Isles and discover the most beautiful and extreme island gardens on this visually stunning tour. The British Isles consist of more than 6,000 islands scattered around the main islands of Britain and Ireland. More than 100 of these British off-shore islands are inhabited – and where there are people, there are gardens. Lighthouse gardens, gulf-stream-soaked, tropical gardens, windswept remote gardens with giant and ancient yew trees, and gardens surrounding castles and monasteries of historical significance. Encounter a huge variety of habitats and gardening conditions, from coastal machair to woodlands, mountains, dunes and meadows, and explore a wide range of aspects, from shady dells, to sunny banks, deep-soiled productive gardens to rocky, alpine slopes. While they can differ dramatically with regards to aesthetics, what all island gardens share is the special light, magical atmosphere and indefinable magic that a proximity to water can bring. Here, Jackie Bennett reveals the challenges their gardeners face, the designs required in such extremes, and the skills their gardeners have mastered to survive and thrive, accompanied by stunning photography by garden and drone photographer Richard Hanson.

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'A definitive classic field guide [...] Its scope is as magnificent as our countryside itself.' BBC Countryfile Magazine'This book is perfect for anyone who’s travelled through the countryside, scratched their head, and thought, ‘what on earth is that thing?'''Tony RobinsonHave you ever driven past a lumpy, bumpy field and wondered what made the lumps and bumps? Or walked between two lines of grand trees and wondered when and why they were planted? Entertaining and factually rigorous, Hidden Histories has the answers and will help you decipher the story of Britain's landscape through the features you can see around you. In this spotter’s guide, Mary-Ann Ochota arms amateur explorers with the crucial information needed to understand the landscape and spot the human activities that have shaped our green and pleasant land. Photographs and diagrams point out specific details and typical examples to help the curious spotter understand what they’re looking at, or looking for. Specially commissioned illustrations bring to life the processes that shaped the landscape (from medieval ploughing to Roman road building). Stand-alone capsules explore interesting aspects of history (like the Highland Clearances or the coming of Christianity). Feature boxes provide definitions of jargon or handy references as required (like a glossary of what different field names mean). Each chapter culminates in a checklist of key details to look for, other things it might be, and gives details of where to find some of the best examples in Britain. From lumps and bumps to stones, lines and villages, Hidden Histories is the must-have spotter’s guide to the British landscape.

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An amazing tale of heroism and ingenuity, this dramatic picture book tells the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton's incredible adventure in the heroic age of Antarctic exploration. August, 1914: Shackleton sets off from England with a team of explorers to walk across the Antarctic and study the icy depths of this little-known and forbidding continent. Sailing through some of the most perilous seas, the Endurance becomes trapped in the deadly pack ice of the Weddell Sea. When the Endurance is eventually crushed between the vast bulk of two floating icebergs, the men are forced to abandon ship and make the dangerous journey across the crushing sea in lifeboats. They reach relative safety on the uninhabited Elephant Island, but an even greater peril faces Shackleton and five other members of the crew… An incredible real-life story of perseverance, resilience and cooperation in the face of adversity, Ice Trap! makes Shackleton’s most perilous expedition accessible to a new generation of readers. As we approach the 100th anniversary of Shackleton’s death, keep his legacy alive with this exciting and beautifully illustrated telling of his boldest journey.

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