Sarah Walden

A unique insight into Whistler's famous portrait of his mother, Arrangement in Grey and Black. James McNeill Whistler made sure that his dazzling life -- Monet, Manet and Proust, modelling 'Elstir' on him, were friends and acquaintances -- was well-documented for posterity. Even Monty Python picked up on his wit which some say outshone that of his friend Oscar Wilde. But when Sarah Walden restored Whistler's Mother for the Louvre, (now on display in the Mus e d'Orsay in Paris, France), she discovered that he had remained entirely silent about the circumstances of his most famous masterpiece. Fascinated by the woman in the picture and the troubled situation from which the painting had emerged, she gradually pieced together the multi-faceted story of its creation and beyond in this elegantly researched book. As well as the Whistler House Museum of Art, Lowell, MA, Whistler's birthplace, major works by the artist can be seen in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC; National Gallery of Art, Washington DC; National Museum of Asian Art, Washington DC; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Frick Collection, New York; Art Institute of Chicago; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Cincinnati Art Museum; and Detroit Institute of Arts.

Explore the natural world around us! Wander through forests of trees, spot our feathered friends as they flit from bush to bush, delight in springtime blossoms and catch a glimpse of our furred companions! Experience the amazing world around us in this sumptuous gift book packed with stunning illustrations and information about some of the most popular flowers, trees, animals and birds of the northern hemisphere. Part spotter’s guide, part folklore, part recipe book and part literary reference, enjoy poring over each entry while you learn about and celebrate the power of nature. Includes:23 stunning animals51 fabulous birds75 beautiful plants 44 majestic trees

What is technology? Well, we have been using tools since prehistoric times... But what problems does technology solve? Who invents technology? How can technology save the planet? These are very big questions that need exploring and the sooner we start answering them, the better. Content includes: What is technology? How was technology first used? What came next? Who invents technology? What do engineers do? What powers technology? What are technology’s greatest 21st century achievements? What do computers do? What can robots do? How can you work with technology? What is the future of technology? This delightful series builds foundations for life-long learning by explaining big ideas to little people. Using simple language to explain complicated ideas, each book takes the core questions that relate to that subject and provides answers that make sense to young children. Stunning illustrations support the non-fiction narrative ensuring that our picture book approach feels fresh and different and allows children to recognise themselves in the book.

Why is drama important? Well, drama helps us understand the world around us. We learn how by asking questions such as these: What is drama? Where did drama start? Where is drama performed? What is a play? What is a film or TV programme? What are genres? What is a director? What do actors do? Why is costume important? Why are sound and lighting effects important? How do special effects and props work? What can you do with drama? How does drama help people? This delightful series builds foundations for life-long learning by explaining big ideas to little people. Using simple language to explain complicated ideas, each book takes the core questions that relate to each subject and provides answers that make sense to young children. Stunning illustrations support the non-fiction narrative ensuring our picture book approach feels fresh and different.

Count down to Christmas with this activity-packed guide! With a different activity for every day of advent, there is something for all the family to enjoying doing together; whether it's making advent windows, a Christmas wreath, Christmas cards, tree decorations, writing letters to Santa, creating your own Christmas jokes, decorating a Christmas jumper, making gingerbread penguins or putting on a Christmas play, this book provides all the inspiration you'll need to ensure a fantastically festive December!

Packed with 24 fabulous Christmas activities to enjoy, this fill-in activity book will keep children aged 5 - 7 years busy every day of advent! Use the 150 stickers to complete activities such as decorate your own Christmas jumper, make your own Christmas card and decorate a gingerbread house. Then complete a Christmas wordsearch, spot Santa on his many adventures and count up how many reindeer you can see. Plus festive facts, Christmas Sudoku, odd-one-out and spot the difference. All the Christmas fun you could wish for.

Do you dream of singing live on stage? Are you fascinated by percussion? Do you want to organise the world's largest music festival? From classical composers to reggae and disco, from magnificent musical instruments to the best gigs in town, this practical guide teaches you all about live music, the record business and how to start your own band.

What is science? asks questions such as: how can science help us? why is science important? what can you do with science? and provides the answers in a simple and clear way. Featuring illustrations from Katie Rewse that engage the reader and are based in familiar settings, this is a perfect introduction to the theory of science at Key Stage 1. This delightful series builds foundations for life-long learning by explaining big ideas to little people. Using simple language to explain complicated ideas, each book takes the core questions that relate to each subject and provides answers that make sense to young children. Stunning illustrations support the non-fiction narrative ensuring our picture book approach feels fresh and different.

What is science? asks questions such as: how can science help us? why is science important? what can you do with science? and provides the answers in a simple and clear way. Featuring illustrations from Katie Rewse that engage the reader and are based in familiar settings, this is a perfect introduction to the theory of science at Key Stage 1. This delightful series builds foundations for life-long learning by explaining big ideas to little people. Using simple language to explain complicated ideas, each book takes the core questions that relate to each subject and provides answers that make sense to young children. Stunning illustrations support the non-fiction narrative ensuring our picture book approach feels fresh and different.

Join Llama, Guinea Pig and Parrot as Llama learns how to cook over 70 recipes, from a simple boiled egg to a roast chicken dinner. As well as pasta and rice dishes, plus lots of plant-based recipes, Llama learns to make salads, things on toast and curries. He finds out how to cook eggs, cheese, fish, meat and chicken and learns about core cookery techniques along the way. This first cookery course is packed with information about key ingredients, plus popular dishes from around the world. Ideal for anyone starting out in the kitchen, the step-by-step photography is simple to follow and instils confidence in beginner cooks, whether they are young or old. The hilarious cast of characters ensure that the reader has fun while learning essential life skills.

Sheep and his hilarious friends teach you how to bake. Covering eight core baking skills including delicious sponge cakes, breads, biscuits, gluten-free and dairy-free bakes plus much more, this baking book is packed full of step-by-step photographic instructions and colourful illustrations. Sheep may not be able to bake, but you can! Practically Awesome Animals is a series of practical activity books that use step-by-step instructions and hilarious animal characters to teach kids how to draw, bake, cook and create comics.

From the ancient origins of performance to the emerging digital world fusing art and technology, this book provides an amazing insight into theatre, television and film. This guide showcases the many different roles required to create a blockbuster movie or West End production and then tells you exactly how to do it at home!

Tasteful Domesticity demonstrates how women marginalized by gender, race, ethnicity, and class used the cookbook as a rhetorical space in which to conduct public discussions of taste and domesticity. Taste discourse engages cultural values as well as physical constraints, and thus serves as a bridge between the contested space of the self and the body, particularly for women in the nineteenth century. Cookbooks represent important contact zones of social philosophies, cultural beliefs, and rhetorical traditions, and through their rhetoric, we witness women's roles as republican mothers, sentimental evangelists, wartime fundraisers, home economists, and social reformers. Beginning in the early republic and tracing the cookbook through the publishing boom of the nineteenth century, the Civil War and Reconstruction, the Progressive era, and rising racial tensions of the early twentieth century, Sarah W. Walden examines the role of taste as an evolving rhetorical strategy that allowed diverse women to engage in public discourse through published domestic texts.