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With a background as a theatre director and lecturer, Lou grew up on a remote sheep farm in Devon. There weren't many other children around so she used to put on plays with the chickens (absolutely true!) and tell stories to the lambs.
Lou now lives in London with her family and tells stories to them and to Willesden her dog. In this picture he is in the garden helping Lou write one of her Shrinking Violet books. Will says he came up with all the good jokes in that chapter!
Do have a read of Lou's books and see if you enjoy her funny stories … they are full of adventures, scrapes and mishaps (and a few APPALLING jokes which Willesden thinks are HILARIOUS!).
Author photo © Danny Wilder
Reading Planet KS2 - - Level 2: Mercury/Brown band | Children will love reading the exciting fiction and non-fiction for Stars (Lime) to Supernova (Red+) band, that has the appeal of ‘real’ books and the careful progression of a scheme. Ideal to broaden knowledge across different curriculum areas and tap into children’s interests with fascinating non-fiction that explores topics from new angles.
It's halloween and death has come to the house, to get Eva but can Aiden come up with a plan to save his little sister or will death beat him to it?
Follow Jack Splat, a fearless fly, on his eventful day out enjoying as many disgusting things as possible. The weather is hot and sticky and the park is the perfect place for every kind of tasty treat including fleas, frogs and poo. Jack is happy and readers will be happy too as they follow this revolting fly! Click here to see the titles in the Jack Splat series.
This is a hilarious new series, told from the fly-on-the-wall perspective of our death-defying hero Jack Splat as he goes about his daily business - landing on tasty bits of food and spreading germs. But there is danger everywhere for a small fly, and Jack must dodge dastardly attempts to bring his life to a swift end!
Eddie the Elephant was always asking Who? What? When? But one day a crocodile gave him an answer he'd never forget! * Green/Band 5 books offer early readers patterned language and varied characters * Text type: A traditional tale * The story map on pages 22-23 offers children a visual summary of Eddie's journey. * This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.
10 year old twins Ivy and Ash didn't expect to be visited by the ghost of their Grandpa Digby (who they've never met) on a stormy night. They definitely didn't expect him to announce that they have a home in Darkmoor (VERY different to Dartmoor), and that he wants them to come and run it as a hotel. They persuade their dad, an 'experimental' chef, to move to Grave Grange, a crumbling-down higgledy-piggeldy hotel, but decide not to mention that it's VERY haunted. As they try and save the hotel, chaos ensues, and soon they must save their new spooky friends or risk losing their home for good...
Reading Planet KS2 - - Level 2: Mercury/Brown band | Children will love reading the exciting fiction and non-fiction for Stars (Lime) to Supernova (Red+) band, that has the appeal of ‘real’ books and the careful progression of a scheme. Ideal to broaden knowledge across different curriculum areas and tap into children’s interests with fascinating non-fiction that explores topics from new angles.
Kangaroo is desperate to get to 'the big red rock'. Unfortunately in her haste, she is paying no attention to what she is doing or where she is going! Can Koala catch up and save his friend? Catch up, Koala is part of the Galaxy range of books from Rising Stars Reading Planet. Galaxy provides captivating fiction and non-fiction for Pink A to White band. The rich collection of highly decodable books immerses children in a range of cross-curricular topics and genres. Reading Planet books have been carefully levelled to support children in becoming fluent and confident readers. Each book features useful notes and activities to support reading at home as well as comprehension questions to check understanding. Reading age: 5-6 years
Barnaby Bear is off on an adventure with Snowy Owl around the woods of the world. They fly to Scotland, Norway, America and even India. What will Barnaby Bear discover along the way? Into the Woods is part of the Galaxy range of books from Rising Stars Reading Planet. Galaxy provides captivating fiction and non-fiction for Pink A to White band. The rich collection of highly decodable books immerses children in a range of cross-curricular topics and genres. Reading Planet books have been carefully levelled to support children in becoming fluent and confident readers. Each book features useful notes and activities to support reading at home as well as comprehension questions to check understanding. Reading age: 5-6 years
The fifth title in a delightful witchy series - Bellawill have young readers bewitched from the very first page! Bella + camping = ADVENTURE! It's half-term and Bella is going camping with her foster parents - she can't wait! And it's not long before she makes a new friend: a tiny owl called Little Woo. But when Little Woo needs her,Bella must journey to the Magic Realm to help her friend AND face down Aunt Hemlock, the wickedest witch of all. Will she ever be able to find her way home? Friendship can be the strongest magic of all!
The fourth book in this hilarious series - with illustrations throughout. Violet Potts is CRAZY about Ancient Egypt. When Gran wins a cruise down the River Nile, Violet thinks shemight EXPLODE with excitement. Especially when her cousin Anthony is invited along too! But when they're drawn into a SPOOKY mystery of cursed tombs and vanishing cats, Violet starts to wonder whether the other tourists might not be all they seem... Sometimes being little brings history to LIFE! The fantastically funny SHRINKING VIOLET series in a brand new package.
The third book in this hilarious new series - with lovely illustrations throughout. Violet loves the milkshakes at Udderly Perfect, the coolest cafe around. But Udderly Perfect is threatened with closure, all because of a mistake Violet made. She must find a way to keep it open. Perhaps she can persuade her favourite celebrity stunt woman, Stella Lightfoot, to join the campaign when she comes to town on a book tour? But when Violet shrinks and ends up in Stella's luggage on location, she finds out that her idol is not who she thinks she is. Shrunken Violet might just be the only one who can save Stella's reputation ... and in turn, Stella might be willing to help save Udderly Perfect, too. The fantastically funny SHRINKING VIOLET series in a brand new package.
Violet is desperate for a dog, but she's not allowed one. Luckily there's a dog walking scheme that she and her friendNisha can join. The girls love playing with their designated puppy. Until Violet surprises Nisha by shrinking to the size of a dog biscuit! Sometimes being tiny is terrifying! But then disaster strikes at the dog show, and Violet discovers her small size might win her a prize... The fantastically funny SHRINKING VIOLET series in a brand new package.
Violet is normal-sized one minute and pocket-sized the next! It's the BIGGEST day in Violet's life. All she has ever wanted to do is ride Plunger, the scariest roller coaster around. And today she is finally TALL enough. 1.4 meters to be exact. But just as Violet is about to climb into one of Plunger's carriages, something totally crazy happens. Violet shrinks! She is suddenly as small as a fish finger. Although Violet doesn't stay little for long, her chances of ever riding Plunger are ruined. She never wants to shrink again... But then Granny is accused of stealing, and tiny Violet might just be the only one who can catch the thief. The fantastically funny SHRINKING VIOLET series in a brand new package.
Annie said to the animals, "e;Please stand in a line.I'm painting my alphabet. Come one at a time! First Aardvark and Bear and Crocodile too. Not yet, Zebra. I'm not ready for you..."e;Annie wants to paint an alphabet using her animals, but Zebra simply can't wait until the end for his time to shine. Sneakiness, silly costumes and plain pushiness doesn't get him anywhere - but he has to learn to wait his turn!
Collins Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds features exciting fiction and non-fiction decodable readers to enthuse and inspire children. They are fully aligned to Letters and Sounds Phases 1-6 and contain notes in the back. The Handbooks provide support in demonstration and modelling, monitoring comprehension and expanding vocabulary. One day, Thumper the rabbit is woken by a loud crash - does this mean the planet is cracking? This beautiful retelling of a traditional tale from India is written by Lou Kuenzler and illustrated by Bea Bencievenni. Yellow/Band 3 books offer varied sentence structure and natural language This book focuses on adjacent consonants with short vowel phonemes. Pages 14 and 15 allow children to re-visit the content of the book, supporting comprehension skills, vocabulary development and recall. Reading notes within the book provide practical support for reading Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds with children, including a list of all the sounds and words that the book will cover. This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.
The fourth title in a delightful witchy series, full of doodle illustrations and themes of friendship and fitting in. Bella will have young readers bewitched from the very first page! Merrymeet town is abuzz with news of a fabulous new dancing competition. Even Bella is entering! But all is not as it seems and when wicked witch Aunt Hemlock interferes, Bella knows she's in for a bumpy ride. She'll need more than magic to win the day!
Rex Rhino roars along in his digger, Charlie Cheetah zooms by in his super-fast motor, and Holly Hornet whizzes right up to the sky in her jet, as the animals compete to find out whose vehicle is best. But it is little Jack the Gerbil who really wows the crowd with his gravity-defying scooter tricks. A riotous rhyming picture book with a fantastic fold-out finale!
Told from the point of view of a young girl who masquerades as a boy in order to become a groom, this is the other side of the classic horse story BLACK BEAUTY. Aspiring groom Jo comes to love Beauty and when they are separated she travels to London to find him - on the way solving the mystery of her long-lost mother. A sweeping tale of a young girl and her love for a horse, and the circumstances that divide them.
Do you think vegetables are yucky? Just wait until you see what Monty the Monster has on his plate! Monty definitely does NOT want to eat his people. He'll eat his vegetables - every single one! - but he will not eat his people. This hilarious tale of fussy eating in the Monster household is guaranteed to get children giggling. 'In a funny twist on the picky eater story, this is a lighthearted way of broaching the tricky 'eat your vegetables' issue! ... my little little boy absolutely loved it and wanted to hear it again and again!' - The Bookbag
This appealing photographic non-fiction book explains the different ways in which animal babies and human babies grow. You Grow, I Growis part of the Galaxy range of books from Rising Stars Reading Planet. Galaxy provides captivating fiction and non-fiction for Pink A to White band. The rich collection of highly decodable books immerses children in a range of cross-curricular topics and genres. Reading Planet books have been carefully levelled to support children in becoming fluent and confident readers. Each book features useful notes and activities to support reading at home as well as comprehension questions to check understanding. Reading age: 4-5 years
Bella's school uniform is way too small, but when she tries on her big brother's old uniform, it is way too big! A trip to the school uniform shop is in order - but will Mum remember to get everything that the children need? Too Big for Bella is part of the Galaxy range of books from Rising Stars Reading Planet. Galaxy provides captivating fiction and non-fiction for Pink A to White band. The rich collection of highly decodable books immerses children in a range of cross-curricular topics and genres. Reading Planet books have been carefully levelled to support children in becoming fluent and confident readers. Each book features useful notes and activities to support reading at home as well as comprehension questions to check understanding. Reading age: 4-5 years
Mummy Goat goes out for the day and leaves her eldest son, Billy, with the younger kids. When someone comes knocking at the door, it is definitely not Mummy Goat ... It is the big, bad Wolf! Can Billy trick the wolf and save his younger brother and sister? Find out in this modern retelling of the traditional tale. The Wolf and the Kids is part of the Galaxy range of books from Rising Stars Reading Planet. Galaxy provides captivating fiction and non-fiction for Pink A to White band. The rich collection of highly decodable books immerses children in a range of cross-curricular topics and genres.Reading Planet books have been carefully levelled to support children in becoming fluent and confident readers. Each book features useful notes and activities to support reading at home as well as comprehension questions to check understanding. Reading age: 4-5 years
An attractive photographic non-fiction book with lots of things to spot on a visit to the seaside. What Can You See by the Sea? is part of the Galaxy range of books from Rising Stars Reading Planet. Galaxy provides captivating fiction and non-fiction for Pink A to White band. The rich collection of highly decodable books immerses children in a range of cross-curricular topics and genres. Reading Planet books have been carefully levelled to support children in becoming fluent and confident readers. Each book features useful notes and activities to support reading at home as well as comprehension questions to check understanding. Reading age: 4-5 years
The third title in a delightful new series, full of doodle illustrations and themes of friendship and fitting in. Bella will have young readers bewitched from the very first page! Bella Broomstick is a hopeless witch. So hopeless that nasty Aunt Hemlock sent her to live in Person World - with the warning that she must never do magic again. A warning that Bella finds hard to obey... It's Halloween and Bella can't wait to carve a pumpkin and go trick-or-treating with her friends. But Halloween is also a time when real witches can enter the Person World. Merrymeet Village better look out ... The coven is coming! Watch out for lots of comic spells and broomstick thrills as Bella saves the day!
Do you think vegetables are yucky? Just wait until you see what Monty the Monster has on his plate! This hilarious tale of fussy eating in the Monster household is guaranteed to get children giggling. Monty definitely does NOT want to eat his people. He'll eat his vegetables - every single one! - but he will not eat his people.
This delightful new series, full of doodle illustrations and themes of friendship and fitting in, will have young readers bewitched from the very first page! Bella Broomstick has been sent to live in Person World. She loves her new home, her new school and her foster parents Aunty Rose and Uncle Alf. But when Bella decides to do a spot of magic to put bully Piers Seymour in his place, all kinds of chaos bursts loose - not to mention some very curious bunnies!
This delightful new series, full of doodle illustrations and themes of friendship and fitting in, will have young readers bewitched from the very first page! Bella Broomstick is a hopeless witch. So hopeless that nasty Aunt Hemlock is sending her to live in Person World - with the warning that she must never do magic again! But when Bella finds a kitten in trouble, a spell is the only way to rescue it. What is Bella to do? For where there is magic, trouble is never far away!
It's winter term and Grace and her friends are learning to ice skate on the frozen lake. Everyone is excited because best skater will be chosen to star in a special performance alongside famous ice dancer Glacia Blizzard. But the celebrated ice dancer is not all that she first seems. Can Grace save the school from a frosty fate?
It is summer and Clumsy Princess Grace is back at Tall Towers Academy for her third term. As the sun shines bright on Coronet Island, Grace is desperate to leap into the beautiful shell-shaped pool for swimming lessons - with real mermaids! But her best friend Scarlet is not so sure. She is terrified of the water and begins to act very strangely. As Grace follows her to the beach one moonlit night, an enchanted mermaid mystery begins to unravel. With the help of dolphins, jewels and secrets from long ago, can Grace protect her friend and save a mermaid too?
A second, illustrated adventure starring Princess Grace - who is anything but graceful! After all the adventures of her first term at Tall Towers, Grace is sure that she's well on her way to becoming a perfect princess at last. But then she falls out with Izumi and Scarlet, and it seems like everything is going wrong. If only she could think of a skill to perform at the talent competition...Featuring dragons and dancing, Grace's second term at Tall Towers is just as action-packed and exciting as she hoped it would be.
The fourth book in this hilarious series - with lovely illustrations throughout. Violet Potts is CRAZY about Ancient Egypt. When Gran wins a cruise down the River Nile, Violet thinks she might EXPLODE with excitement. Especially when her cousin Anthony is invited along too! But when they're drawn into a SPOOKY mystery of cursed tombs and vanishing cats, Violet starts to wonder whether the other tourists might not be all they seem... Sometimes being little brings history to LIFE!
Princess Grace is anything but graceful. Her clumsiness gets her in all sorts of trouble. But now Grace is starting at Tall Towers Princess School - she can learn to be a proper princess at last! At her new school she must make new friends and learn the rules. Most importantly, she must pass her first test: she must learn to train her unicorn.
Lost and Found is suitable for 9 1/2 - 10 years Reading Age Tara and Troy are movie star twins, but life in the movies isn't always glamorous! When they are filming a disaster movie on a ship, a huge storm begins and the danger becomes very real. Plus, read a play about a mean film director, practise a prom about eating too much and learn about how filmmakers use special effects to show extreme weather.
Sky Boy is suitable for 8 1/2 - 9 years Reading Age Rory and Meg have special powers, but the evil Dr Wilde wants to catch them and experiment on them. When Rory and Meg visit London, Dr Wilde is there waiting for them. Can they get away from her? Plus, read a play about Dr Wilde and her henchman trying to catch Rory, practise a poem about drifting on the breeze and learn about how the first planes were invented.
The Benchmark Books contain benchmarking tools to help you assess, monitor and track each child's reading progress. One Benchmark book for each stage mirrors the look and feel of the Rapid's reading books and is designed to be read after the reading books at that level.
Lena and her athletics team are stuck on a desert island after their plane crashed. Someone from their rival team comes to give Lena's team a warning about a scary beast... but is it really the beast that is causing trouble? Read a story and a play about Lena and her team, practise a poem about a beast in Grandad's house and learn about a famous castaway called Alexander Selkirk. Stage 9B Reading age: 9 1/2 - 10 years Actual age: 9-11
Water Girl is suitable for 8 1/2 - 9 years Reading Age Rory and Meg have special powers, but evil Dr Wilde want to catch them and experiment on them. One day, Rory is flying when he suddenly falls out of the sky. What has happened to him? Will Meg be able to save him? Plus, read a play about Dr Wilde trying to experiment on Rory, practise a poem about a fish and learn all about submarines.
Lost and Found is suitable for 9 1/2 - 10 years Reading Age Tara and Troy are movie star twins. They are filming a movie about an Egyptian mummy who put a curse on his tomb. When strange things keep happening on the film set, they start to wonder whether the curse could be real ... Plus, read a play about Troy and Tara, practise a poem about a mummy and learn about the curse of Tutankhamun!
Prize Throw is suitable for 9 1/2 - 10 years Reading Age Lena and her athletics team are stuck on a desert island after their plane crashed. When Lean goes into the jungle to find food, she meets someone from her rival team, Sport Squad. Lena soon finds herself in a race for a valuable prize. Can she use her sports skills to win? Plus, read a play about Sport Squad, practise a poem about a race and learn about javelin competitions now and in the past.
From Aesop's Fables to shamanic totems, animals have long been at the centre of our imaginative world, providing wise insights. In many tribal cultures, animals underpin the spiritual world and are honoured as advisers. This delightful new collection of stories at bedtime features inspiring, funny and enlightening animals from all over the world. Here you will find the firefly who can't find his fire, the baby kangaroo who's ashamed he hasn't yet learned to hop and a condor who lives atop a temple at Machu Picchu in Peru and helps to rescue a lost girl. You will also discover amazing legendary creatures including a fire-breathing dragon who just wants a friend and a beautiful unicorn who teaches a spoilt princess the joy of sharing. The stories will not only excite your child's imagination: they also explore issues your child may well encounter in his or her daily life, including coping with shyness and managing change. 'Magical Messages' at the end of each tale help to highlight its positive message. Designed to be read either by parents to their children or by children on their own, these lovely narratives focus the child's mind and provide a soothing transition into sleep or to give food for thought during daytime reading.
The third book in this hilarious new series - with lovely illustrations throughout. Violet loves the milkshakes at Udderly Perfect, the coolest cafe around. But Udderly Perfect is threatened with closure, all because of a mistake Violet made. She must find a way to keep it open. Perhaps she can persuade her favourite celebrity stunt woman, Stella Lightfoot, to join the campaign when she comes to town on a book tour? But when Violet shrinks and ends up in Stella's luggage on location, she finds out that her idol is not who she thinks she is. Shrunken Violet might just be the only one who can save Stella's reputation ...and in turn, Stella might be willing to help save Udderly Perfect, too.
Follow the amazing true story of Mary Anning, a child from a poor family who sold seashells for a living and stumbled across a world of dinosaurs and fame. This fascinating story was written by Lou Kuenzler and illustrated in a graphic novel style. * Collins Big Cat Progress books are specifically designed for children at Key Stage 2 who have a Key Stage 1 reading level, giving them age-appropriate texts that they can read, building their confidence and fostering positive attitudes towards reading. * Text type: A graphic novel * Curriculum links: History * This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.
Violet is desperate for a dog, but she's not allowed one. Luckily there's a dog walking scheme that she and her friend Nisha can join. The girls love playing with their designated puppy. Until Violet surprises Nisha by shrinking to the size of a dog biscuit! Sometimes being tiny is terrifying! But then disaster strikes at the dog show, and Violet discovers her small size might win her a prize...
Violet is normal-sized one minute and pocket-sized the next! It's the BIGGEST day in Violet's life. All she has ever wanted to do is ride Plunger, the scariest roller coaster around. And today she is finally TALL enough. 1.4 meters to be exact. But just as Violet is about to climb into one of Plunger's carriages, something totally crazy happens. Violet shrinks! She is suddenly as small as a fish finger. Although Violet doesn't stay little for long, her chances of ever riding Plunger are ruined. She never wants to shrink again...But then Granny is accused of stealing, and tiny Violet might just be the only one who can catch the thief. The first book in a fantastically funny new series!
Follow Jack Splat, a fearless fly, on his eventful day out enjoying as many disgusting things as possible. The weather is hot and sticky and the park is the perfect place for every kind of tasty treat including fleas, frogs and poo. Jack is happy and readers will be happy too as they follow this revolting fly! Click here to see the titles in the Jack Splat series.
This is a hilarious new series, told from the fly-on-the-wall perspective of our death-defying hero Jack Splat as he goes about his daily business - landing on tasty bits of food and spreading germs. But there is danger everywhere for a small fly, and Jack must dodge dastardly attempts to bring his life to a swift end!
Your imagination made that cave big enough for a dragon, said Uncle Paul. A dragon as big as a bus! Jake is excited when Uncle Paul offers to take him and his little sister out for the day. Jake wants to go to the big dark cave at the beach - they haven't been there for ages, and he can pretend to be a brave knight and save Princess Pip from the terrifying dragon. Pip is excited too: she'll get to wear her princess costume, and she knows that Sir Jake the Brave will save her! But when they arrive, the cave is much smaller than Jake remembers; he's too big even to fit inside it. Jake is so disappointed. Why can't things just stay the same? He soon realizes, however, that it's your imagination that counts. He'll just have to pretend - for Princess Pip!
A little old man and the little old woman live in Scotland. They have no money and nothing to eat but thin cabbage soup. When a goblin appears with a bag of flour, they think their dreams have come true. But this is not any flour...This is magic flour. The little old lady bakes a bannock, but this bannock is not any bannock. It runs away before they can eat it! They run after the bannock and, along the way, they are joined in the chase by some other people who fancy a bite of the bannock, too. But will this bannock ever be caught?
