Kirjahaku

This story, written by a children's author, seeks to help children develop the confidence to read on their own. The book is hard-wearing and designed for long-lasting use in the classroom.

Designed to help children develop the confidence to read on their own, this structured story book is well illustrated and has been sewn-bound for long-lasting use in the classroom.

When war breaks out in the newly-independent India, Marvinder and her brother Jaspal are forced to flee with their mother from their burnt-out village in the Punjab. Marvinder, who spent much of her childhood with an English girl, knows that they must get to England if they are to survive.

A collection of short stories celebrating the magic of children's imaginations. Monsters, dragons, giant birds, all types of mythical creatures are conjured up as excuses for dirtying clothes, missing tea or being late for school.

Aaron grows up in the 18th-century Corum Foundling Hospital, having been saved from death by a boy called Meshak, who believes Aaron's mother to be an angel. Meshak, Aaron and Toby, the child of an African slave, all have a narrow escape as Meshak's evil father sets sail to sell them into slavery.

Three captivating Indian folk tale retellings. Princess Savitri Savitri happily leaves the palace to live with her husband, Satyvan, in the jungle. But behind her joy there is fear, for Savitri carries a dark secret. It is written in the stars that Satyvan will die within a year...Princess Damayanti Everyone wishes to marry the beautiful Damayanti, including the gods. However, even they are happy to consent to her marriage to King Nala - all except the demon Kali, who lays a curse on the perfect couple...Princess Sita Prince Rama is about to become king when he is banished to the jungle by his jealous stepmother for fourteen years. His loyal wife Sita follows. There, she is kidnapped by Ravana, Lord of the Demons...

Three contemporary stories inspired by Indian folk tales. The Girl Who Rode on a Lion When their cousin Durga comes to stay, Anil and Kiki find her a bit odd. Her clothes and manners are unusual, and she has a strange knack of seeing what is going on in people's minds. But when trouble threatens, Durga turns out to be a very useful person to know...Monkey in the Stars Hanuman the Monkey God takes Amrita on a magical journey into the story of Diwali. Amrita sees Prince Rama tricked by demons, and Princess Sita kidnapped by their evil Lord - Ravana. Then she witnesses the most terrifying battle on earth...The Temple by the Sea Shanta longs to be a dancer and she is thrilled when the mysterious Uma Rao offers to teach her. Then Shanta is chosen to dance for the gods at the temple by the sea. It is a great honour, but Shanta is terrified - the goddess Kali has put a terrible curse on the temple...

The dramatic second story in the Surya Trilogy by Whitbread award-winning Jamila Gavin, author of Coram Boy. India 1948. “The light has gone out of our world.” Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated. In India, chaos and turmoil reign. In England, Jaspal and Marvinder’s father is in prison. Jaspal cannot forgive him, and longs to return to his village in the Punjab where he feels he belongs. Marvinder has found friends, her first love, and her gift as a violinist. But how can she ignore her mother’s voice calling her back to India? She is torn between two worlds. A story of the search for reconciliation, the sequel to Wheel of Surya is a beautifully crafted story sets against the backdrop of Indian independence and the Partition of India and Pakistan. No children’s books about India conveys these issues and themes with the effortless ease of Jamila Gavin. Her diverse voice is the perfect introduction to this period of history, for fans of The Bone Sparrow, Morris Gleitzman's Once, and Katherine Rundell's The Wolf Wilder.

A dazzling collection of stories by award winning author Jamila Gavin.

Filippo has never seen his father. Before he was born, his father left their home in Venice to travel to the court of the Great Mogul Emperor Shah Jehan. He never returned. Twelve years later, a stranger brings a message that Filippo's father is in the hands of bandits, and only the most valuable jewel, his masterpiece The Ocean of the Moon, is worth enough to raise his ransom. Filippo follows his father's journey, into the intrigue of the Emperor's court, where Prince Aurangzeb plot to overthrow Shah Jehan. Filippo travels on into Afghanistan, to the bandit stronghold, and at last rescues his father. But it's too late. His father has been driven mad by his captivity and dies on the journey home. Filippo can hardly bear his loss, but finds his sadness healed when, years later, he returns to Hindustan with his brother. The Taj Mahal is a replica of The Ocean of the Moon; their father's work has not been in vain.

When Neetu and Sanjay hear that Grandpa Chatterji is coming to stay with them, they try to imagine what he will be like. Will he be stern like their other grandpa? Will he be neat and tidy? They could never have imagined the Grandpa who arrives. He wears a dhoti, stands on his head and makes the most delicious pakoras. And when they go to visit him in India, they meet more of their wonderful, vibrant family. Three collections of stories about a very unusual grandpa.

When Neetu and Sanjay hear that Grandpa Chatterji is coming to stay with them, they try to imagine what he will be like. Will he be stern like their other grandpa? Will he be neat and tidy? They could never have imagined the Grandpa who arrives. He wears a dhoti, stands on his head and makes the most delicious pakoras. And when they go to visit him in India, they meet more of their wonderful, vibrant family. Three collections of stories about a very unusual grandpa.

A beautiful new edition of the first volume in the Surya Trilogy by Whitbread award-winning author Jamila Gavin. India, August 1947: Fleeing from their burnt-out village as civil war rages in the Punjab, Marvinder and Jaspal are separated from their mother, Jhoti. Marvinder has already saved her brother's life once, but now they both face a daily fight for survival. Together they escape across India and nearly halfway around the world to England, to find a father they hardly know in a new, hostile culture… A powerful story of culture, class, family and faith set against the backdrop of Indian independence and the Partition of India and Pakistan. Perfect for fans of The Bone Sparrow, Morris Gleitzman’s Once, and Katherine Rundell’s The Wolf Wilder. –– Jamila was born in Mussoorie, India, in the foothills of the Himalayas. Her Indian father and English mother met as teachers in Iran and by the age of eleven she had lived in an Indian palace in the Punjab, a flat in a bombed out street in Shepherd’s Bush, a bungalow in Poona, near Mumbai and a terraced house in Ealing. She settled into a little town cottage in Stroud, Gloucestershire twenty five years ago but she still loves to travel. She won the Whitbread Children’s Book of the Year award with her book Coram Boy in 2000.

All children love stories. Here, master storyteller Jamila Gavin draws them from the four corners of the globe: “The Whistling Monster”, a cautionary tale from Brazil; “The Coming of Raven”, a creation myth from Canada; “The Birth of Krishna”, an ancient legend from India… Full of mystery, wit and wisdom, with enduring themes of good versus evil, these ten tales have survived hundreds of years of retelling to become favourites among children all around the world.