Full of sibilant sounds and other wordplay, Kathryn Dennis's picture book, Snakes on the Job, is a sssssweet story that's sure to be a read-aloud hit. Off to work the snakes will go. They slide into trucks and roll out slow. Hisssssssh goes the sound of the brakes. The busy snakes are back! This time, they are operating a variety of construction vehicles—bulldozers, diggers, backhoes and more—and what they are building is a surprise. It’s so fun, that new friends want to join them!
From Kathryn Dennis, creator of Snakes on a Train and Snakes on the Job, here is Snakes in Space, a picture book about snakes exploring outer space! Snakes blast into outer space. they spin around planets and give stars a chase. Snakes in space? Yes, indeed. The colorful crew explores stars and planets on a fabuloussss adventure with accessible, fun, sibilant text. Brimming with rocket ships and planets, this outer space adventure is also a fun read aloud. And at the end, there's a surprise sure to delight readers, as one of the snakes makes a new friend!
The astonishing true story of trust, pain, becoming lost, and finding a way back to yourself despite it all 'An intimate preservation of a moment in time, full of personality' THE TIMES __________ Life is beautiful - even in the dark . . . Oliver Mol was happily drifting through his twenties when the migraine exploded in his head. Suddenly, he could barely function. He felt marooned. Nothing helped. Yet he was desperate to save himself. Then he found the trains. The job of train guard has intense moments of strict, regimented activity in between periods of calm serenity. It was just what Oliver needed. Not only could he do this, but also it might be a way out. Train Lord is the story of Oliver's extraordinary recovery. A journey back into the light . . . __________ 'Tender, vital and quietly hopeful: a tale of remaking' Guardian 'Rude, raw, visceral, painful and wildly funny' Saga 'Intense and humble, Train Lord won my heart' Australian Book Review
An adorable picture book full of sibilant sounds and other word play, Snakes on a Train is as fun for parents as it is for kids, and sure to be a read-aloud hit. The conductor takes the tickets as the snakes start crawling on. The tracks are checked, the whistle blows. It's time to move along. Hissssssssssss goes the sound of the train.
From celebrated herpetologist and science writer Marty Crump, a beautifully illustrated exploration of the interlinked stories of herp folklore, natural history, and conservation. Frogs are worshipped for bringing nourishing rains, but blamed for devastating floods. Turtles are admired for their wisdom and longevity, but ridiculed for their sluggish and cowardly behavior. Snakes are respected for their ability to heal and restore life, but despised as symbols of evil. Lizards are revered as beneficent guardian spirits, but feared as the Devil himself. In this ode to toads and snakes, newts and tuatara, crocodiles and tortoises, herpetologist and science writer Marty Crump explores folklore across the world and throughout time. From creation myths to trickster tales; from associations with fertility and rebirth to fire and rain; and from the use of herps in folk medicines and magic, as food, pets, and gods, to their roles in literature, visual art, music, and dance, Crump reveals both our love and hatred of amphibians and reptiles—and their perceived power. In a world where we keep home terrariums at the same time that we battle invasive cane toads, and where public attitudes often dictate that the cute and cuddly receive conservation priority over the slimy and venomous, she shows how our complex and conflicting perceptions threaten the conservation of these ecologically vital animals. Sumptuously illustrated, Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog, Adder’s Fork and Lizard’s Leg is a beautiful and enthralling brew of natural history and folklore, sobering science and humor, that leaves us with one irrefutable lesson: love herps. Warts, scales, and all.
North East India, 1923. On the broiling Night Mail from Calcutta to Jamalpur, a man is shot dead in a first class compartment. Detective Inspector Jim Stringer was sleeping in the next compartment along. Was he the intended target? Jim should have known that his secondment to the East Indian Railway, with a roving brief to inspect security arrangements, would not be the working holiday he had hoped for. The country seethes with political and racial tension. Aside from the Jamalpur shooting, someone is placing venomous snakes - including giant king cobras - in the first class compartments of the railway. Jim also has worries on the home front: his daughter has formed a connection with a Maharajah's son, who may in turn have a connection to Jim's incredibly rude colleague, the bristling Major Fisher. Jim must do everything he can to keep his family safe from harm, as he unravels the intrigues that surround him...
Frank Shamrock may be the toughest man alive. The veteran cage fighter—his &“extreme fighting&” style involves aspects of boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, karate, Brazilian jujitsu, and even Southeast Asian Muay Thai—is the only person to win a title in all three major North American fight promotions. As Ultimate Fighting Champion he was widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. But Shamrock has led a life of profound, even Dickensian, difficulty. Born Frank Alicio Juarez III, he suffered through a childhood of abuse, neglect, and molestation before sliding into juvenile delinquency and petty crime. After finding some refuge in the penal system, he was eventually taken in by Bob Shamrock, a Northern California man who had fostered hundreds of lost boys—among them Frank's adoptive older brother, Ken, also a champion MMA fighter. An early marriage followed, and an unplanned pregnancy. When Frank couldn't afford to support his family, he turned to burglary and wound up in state prison—a fact he has never, until now, discussed publicly. But when he was released, Frank joined Ken in training as a cage fighter. For the next two decades he dominated the entire sport. This riveting book tells his whole story. Shamrock gives vivid accounts of his fights, both in and out of the ring. He explains his losses and discloses what enabled him to become a champion. He credits the fighters who taught and inspired him and points out the weaknesses of many who didn't. He details his beef with the UFC and the reasons behind his retirement. He tells all about the violence, the injuries, the booze—and how he overcame them all to become a champion in every sense of the word.