Mr Benn is Back! First published forty years ago, Big Top Benn is one of a series of adventures by author and illustrator David McKee that inspired the legendary TV series that made Mr Benn part of the folk memory of the nation. Mr Benn is an ordinary man who has extraordinary adventures. In this entrancing story he swaps his bowler hat and black suit for an extravagant clown costume and finds himself transported into a world of big-top tents and circus performers. Through the inimitable charm and unique style of David McKee's original artwork this enchanting book brings to a new generation the glories of a golden age of children's book illustration and story telling.
Mr Benn lives at 52 Festive Road. He is an ordinary man who visits an unusual fancy dress shop where he tries on an outfit and, as if by magic, enters a world full of surprises and adventure. From the golden age of children's television, this cult classic is back in this gift collection of four of the Mr Benn books.
Best Books of 2019: Washington Post • O, The Oprah Magazine • Time • NPR • People • Buzzfeed A TODAY Show #ReadWithJenna Book Club Selection Winner • Lambda Literary Award [Lesbian Fiction] A Washington Post Lily Lit Club Selection Longlisted • PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction American Library Association • A Barbara Gittings Literature Award Honor Book (Stonewall Book Awards) Finalist • Aspen Words Literary Prize Finalist • Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize Apple Books • Best Books of the Month New York Times Book Review • Editors’ Choice Selection Kirkus Reviews • Most Memorable Fictional Families of the Year Longlisted • The Morning News Tournament of Books A Rumpus Book Club Selection A beautifully layered portrait of motherhood, immigration, and the sacrifices we make in the name of love from award-winning novelist Nicole Dennis-Benn. Heralded for writing “deeply memorable . . . women” (Jennifer Senior, New York Times), Nicole Dennis-Benn introduces readers to an unforgettable heroine for our times: the eponymous Patsy, who leaves her young daughter behind in Jamaica to follow Cicely, her oldest friend, to New York. Beating with the pulse of a long-withheld confession and peppered with lilting patois, Patsy gives voice to a woman who looks to America for the opportunity to love whomever she chooses, bravely putting herself first. But to survive as an undocumented immigrant, Patsy is forced to work as a nanny, while back in Jamaica her daughter, Tru, ironically struggles to understand why she was left behind. Greeted with international critical acclaim from readers who, at last, saw themselves represented in Patsy, this astonishing novel “fills a literary void with compassion, complexity and tenderness” (Joshunda Sanders, Time), offering up a vital portrait of the chasms between selfhood and motherhood, the American dream and reality.
A New York Times Notable Book of the Year Winner of the LAMBDA Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction Named a Best Book of 2016 by NPR, Entertainment Weekly, Buzzfeed, Bustle, San Francisco Chronicle, The Root, BookRiot, Kirkus Reviews, NYLON, Amazon, WBUR's "On Point", the Barnes & Noble Review, and Amazon (Fiction & Literature) Finalist for the NYPL Young Lions Fiction Award and the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize Selected for the Grand Prix Litteraire of the Association of Caribbean Writers Longlisted for the ALA Over the Rainbow Award Longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award In this radiant, highly anticipated debut, a cast of unforgettable women battle for independence while a maelstrom of change threatens their Jamaican village. Capturing the distinct rhythms of Jamaican life and dialect, Nicole Dennis- Benn pens a tender hymn to a world hidden among pristine beaches and the wide expanse of turquoise seas. At an opulent resort in Montego Bay, Margot hustles to send her younger sister, Thandi, to school. Taught as a girl to trade her sexuality for survival, Margot is ruthlessly determined to shield Thandi from the same fate. When plans for a new hotel threaten their village, Margot sees not only an opportunity for her own financial independence but also perhaps a chance to admit a shocking secret: her forbidden love for another woman. As they face the impending destruction of their community, each woman—fighting to balance the burdens she shoulders with the freedom she craves—must confront long-hidden scars. From a much-heralded new writer, Here Comes the Sun offers a dramatic glimpse into a vibrant, passionate world most outsiders see simply as paradise.
Traces the history of the Marshall Plan and the efforts to reconstruct western Europe as a bulwark against communist authoritarianism during a two-year period that saw the collapse of postwar U.S.-Soviet relations and the beginning of the Cold War.
When Mr Benn visits the little fancy dress shop, he enters a fantastical world of adventure as if by magic... In this story, Mr Benn tries a black and white stripy outfit for size, only to find himself magically transported into a prison! Celebrate 50 years of the iconic BBC TV series with the original Mr Benn picture books! Voted 3rd in a BBC poll of 25 to 45 year olds of all-time favourite children's shows Voted 6th in Channel 4's poll of the 100 greatest kid's TV shows Voted 10th most famous time-traveller by THE TIMES '...the very name is enough to induce a warm glow of childish bliss...' TELEGRAPH.
Following the welcomed re-release of Big-Top Benn comes another addition to the immensely popular collection of original Mr Benn adventures by author and illustrator David McKee. First published in 1967, Mr Benn: Red Knight introduces the friendly bowler-hatted character who delighted children a generation ago, and again today. In this fun story, Mr Benn finds himself transported to a medieval world, where he assists an unfortunate dragon whose role as firelighter to the king is threatened by a greedy matchmaker. McKee's original artwork will entrance children of all ages in what is sure to become a cult classic for yet another generation of readers. Praise for Mr. Benn: Red Knight: "The rerelease of this 1967 series opener introduces an adult picture-book hero who combines a childlike disposition with a taste for costumes, a belief in the fantastic, and terrific problem-solving skills. The Brit in a bowler hat needs something unusual to wear to a fancy dress party. He finds a promising little shop that delivers in spades once he dons a red suit of knight's armor. Transported from the fitting room into a story in which a poor dragon has been ousted from the village by the appearance of a match salesman, Mr. Benn acts as an intermediary and gets the dragon a better job-as the king's fire-lighter. Through another door and back in the dressing room, he decides he doesn't need to go to the party after all, but promises to come back to the shop for more adventures. McKee's iconic 1960's artwork alternates pen-and-ink line drawings with richly colored, multilayered tone-on-tone illustrations. The conversational narrative serves as a lovely counterpoint to the fantastical story; it's no surprise that the tales have been animated for British television." - School Library Journal
A critique of the American obsession with diversity argues that we are ignoring the ever-widening economic divide in American society, that diversity has created a false notion of social justice, and that we need to emphasize equality over diversity.
Rediscover the classic magical adventure of the Little Wooden Horse, brought to life with the original inside illustrations from the author of Milly-Molly-Mandy, Joyce Lankester Brisley. When Uncle Peder the toymaker falls on hard times, his little wooden horse must go out into the world to seek his fortune. But whether he's working in a coal mine, sailing the seven seas with a band of pirates, or walking the tightrope in a circus, the loyal little horse only has one wish: to return to his beloved master. Originally published in 1938, Ursula Moray-Williams The Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse is her most famous story and continues to be one of the most-loved classic stories of children's literature.
My mum is the strongest mum in the world. Little Bear is sure that no-one is as strong as his mum. She can carry anything: his bike, Zebra's shopping, Elephant's carpet and even . . . Flamingo's piano! And of course, there's ALWAYS room in her handbag for Little Bear's treasures. But even mums can get tired and need a helping hand sometimes, as Little Bear learns when Mum takes on one thing too many, with hilarious and heart-warming consequences. The Strongest Mum is a warm, funny and original story about a parent-child relationship, perfect for learning about helping each other out. Packed full of endearing animal characters, it is sure to delight young children. Nicola Kent's bright, jewel-like colours and eye-catching illustrations make this a truly stunning picture book debut.
