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Find out moreThe Classics never go out of fashion. Find new editions of old favourites, plus some abridged and re-told tales in this section.
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month January 2020 | January 2020 Book of the Month | Interest Age Teen Reading Age 9 | Award-winning author Tanya Landman captures the high drama and deep romance of Charlotte Bronte’s classic novel Jane Eyre is this fresh retelling. While in the setting of the story and the overarching plot and twists that propel it she is faithful to the time and place of the original and to the feel of both, she has given Jane a boldness and independence that is both entirely in keeping with the original and refreshingly modern.
All of Joyce Lankester Brisley’s Milly-Molly-Mandy stories start Once upon a time … and always what follows are charmingly described, detailed little domestic adventures, such as being sent on an errand, riding Grandad’s pony Twinkletoes or playing in the puddles in the lane. The stories are just the right length for newly independent readers, and will prove as enchanting to children today as they did when they were first published way back in the 1920s, though modern readers might need to consult their elders for explanations of strange things such as kippers, grocers and threepenny pieces. Milly-Molly-Mandy’s world is safe and wonderfully reassuring, Lankester Brisley’s ingenuous, warm-hearted storytelling still a treat and it’s lovely to see these attractive new editions with the author’s own illustrations carefully coloured up.
Milly-Molly-Mandy first burst onto the scene way back in the 1920s and Joyce Lankester Brisley’s stories, now reissued as very pretty little hardbacks and with her illustrations newly coloured, have retained all of their charm. This book contains seven individual stories, each of which details a little domestic adventure, the kinds of things that would be very familiar to children at the beginning of the last century – picnics, family parties, playing out with friends – but which for modern readers will convey a distinct and fascinating sense of youthful freedom and security. Milly-Molly-Mandy and her associates little-friend-Susan and Billy Blunt have lots of fun in a world that is wonderfully safe and reassuring, and these cosy stories are just perfect for newly independent readers.
A Christmas Carol is the most famous, heart-warming and chilling festive story of them all. In these pages we meet Ebenezer Scrooge, whose name is synonymous with greed and parsimony: 'Every idiot who goes about with Merry Christmas on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart'. This attitude is soon challenged when the ghost of his old partner, Jacob Marley, returns from the grave to haunt him on Christmas Eve. Scrooge is then visited in turn by three spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future, each one revealing the error of his ways and gradually melting the frozen heart of this old miser, leading him towards his redemption. On the journey we take with Scrooge we encounter a rich array of Dickensian characters including the poor Cratchit family with the ailing Tiny Tim and the generous and jolly Fezziwig. When Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843 he fashioned an enduring gift to the world, capturing the essence of the love, kindness and generosity of the Christmas season. It is a timeless classic and the story's uplifting magic remains as potent today as when it was first published.
First published in 1873, and actually set in 1872, Jules Verne’s classic adventure still feels fresh and exciting and has lost none of its power to entertain and enthral. The story of Phileas Fogg and his valet Passepartout and their eastwards race around the globe and against the clock is full of incident, not to mention the romance of travel and the thrill of mankind’s efforts to conquer the world. With frequent full page colour illustrations, including a rather beautiful but useful map, this is a particularly handsome edition and the novel itself is made for serial – or bedtime – reading. ~ Andrea Reece
Kipling’s Jungle Book stories and poems remain some of the best-loved children’s literature, his stories of Mowgli, Bagheera, Baloo and Shere-Khan, and of Rikki-tikki and Toomai, retaining all their power to fascinate and intrigue young readers. Complete and unabridged, this version features lively colour illustrations throughout, certain to appeal to its audience. It also includes a short biography of Rudyard Kipling himself, just enough to introduce the man to modern children. ~ Andrea Reece
Frances Lincoln is proud to reintroduce the inaugural Greenaway award-winning Black Ships Before Troy. Rosemary Sutcliff brings Homer's epic poem The Iliad to life. A stunningly illustrated edition of Homer’s classic adventure story which has been vibrantly retold by the late Rosemary Sutcliff who adds her own story-telling magic to Homer’s original. The stories which led to the Greek’s siege of Troy, which include The Golden Apple, The Death of Achilles, The Wooden Horse and The Fall of Troy among many others, seamlessly weave the worlds of gods and men into one strand. Alan Lee’s illustrations evoke the heroism of the human Greek warriors – and their cruelty – while also bringing the shadowy gods convincingly to life. ~ Julia Eccleshare
An enchanting, strange and sometimes chilling tale, masterfully illustrated by Maurice Sendak.
Mabel Lucie Attwell was one of the best-loved children’s illustrators of the last century and her warm, gentle illustrations for Alice in Wonderland will have the same effect on readers today as when they were first published in 1911. Alice is a pretty little girl with untidy red hair and inquisitive look. Colour plates and line drawings are both full of life and expression, and there’s none of the sentimentality that characterises Attwell’s work for younger children. This is a very handsome edition and will make a lovely Christmas gift. ~ Andrea ReeceBoth this edition of Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan and Wendy are introduced by Webster Wickham, great-grandson of Mabel Lucie Attwell.
Mabel Lucie Attwell was one of the best-loved children’s illustrators of the last century and J. M. Barrie himself requested that she illustrate Peter Pan. For many adults her versions of Peter, Wendy, Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys will be the most familiar, remembered from their own childhoods, and her illustrations catch both the cosy safety of the nursery, and the dreamy magic of Neverland. Colour plates and line drawings are both full of life and expression and she gives Peter and Wendy a clear childlike innocence . This handsome edition will make a lovely Christmas gift. ~ Andrea Reece Both this edition of Peter Pan and Wendy and Alice in Wonderland are introduced by Webster Wickham, great-grandson of Mabel Lucie Attwell.
The most loveable of Bears returns with brand-new stories from some of the most beloved children's authors writing today: Paul Bright, Brian Sibley, Kate Saunders and Jeanne Willis - each will transport you back into the Hundred Acre Wood for more adventures with Winnie-the-Pooh, Christopher Robin, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore and the rest of the gang. This selection of short stories are perfect bedtime reading for ages six and up. With decorations by Mark Burgess, in the style of the cherished illustrations by E.H. Shepard. This book will delight fans old and new.
Selma Lagerlöf’s story of Nils, the mischievous young boy shrunk to the size of a thumb when he gets on the wrong side of an elf, is a classic in Sweden and this much shortened version of his epic adventures will excite many young readers in this country. Nils and his animal friends are wonderful characters, no young reader will be able to resist Akka from Kebnekaise, the wild geese leader. Not only does the book contain 22 different episodes, perfect bedtime reading, but each is accompanied by striking, atmospheric illustrations and exquisite die-cut pages. There’s even a map at the very back so that readers can follow Nils’s journey around Sweden. An unusual and unusually beautiful book.
