New Releases by Brian Patten

A very small mouse sets out to find something special―the biggest creature in the world. Along her journey, she meets a menagerie of animals who want to join her in her quest, including a frog, a badger, and a tiger. She visits lakes, rivers, woods, and even climbs a mountain and stops by a zoo. Finally, she arrives at the ocean. Will she finally find the biggest animal of all? From the world-renowned team of author Brian Patten and illustrator Nicola Bayley, this gentle story is a celebration of the world''s wide variety of living creatures. While the poetic text and cumulative tale treatment pull readers along, the gorgeous colored pencil art will have little ones lost in the wonders of the natural world.

A stunning prose retelling of Beowulf from an author-illustrator dream-team. One dark night, the music and singing wake a monster from a swamp ... Warrior after warrior comes to slay the monster, but no one can outwit Grendel. Only the great hero Beowulf stands a chance - but even he is not prepared for the horror that lies in wait.

Gargling with Jelly by Brian Patten, one of our best-loved poets. Hilarious, lyrical, outrageous and serious poems all rub shoulders in this collection. Naughty children with nasty habits, cartoon heroes that come to life, lonely caretakers, unhappy ghosts, fantastical creatures with crazy names, giants, goblins, vampires, mermaids ... there''s never a dull moment in this marvellously quirky and refreshing jelly pot!

A baby blown out of an upstairs window by a WWII bomb lives to hear others tell the tale… A woman embarks on a long-term obsession with a city landmark, abandoning her lover for the Liver… A bricklayer working on the foundations of a never-built cathedral becomes its evangelist, its full splendour soaring only in his mind… Bringing together fiction from some of the city’s most celebrated writers, The Book of Liverpool traces the unique contours that decades of social and economic change can impress on a city. Set against key historical moments from the Second World War to the Capital of Culture year, these stories question what ‘belonging’ and ‘home’ mean in the Liverpudlian context, from the regenerated city centre to satellite suburbs, from the sparring cathedrals to the no-go concrete housing estates. Liverpool emerges in these short stories as a city in constant flux: haunted by ghosts, buoyed up by myths, and shifting with an ebb and flow like the Mersey itself. "A literary gem that will share a niche in my library with M.R. James and E. F. Benson..." - Metapsychology online Read review. "Words thrive here, carried on the saline breeze of the Mersey and twisted round agile tongues into sentences as resilient as the sandstone blocks in the Town Hall walls..." - The Liverpool Daily Post, 11 Jul 08 Read review.

Bold, colourful readers with kid-friendly characters and subjects they''d choose for themselves.

"I nibbled a mother, But wanting something new I boiled a bit of Granny And tried some Uncle-stew. I did not eat the baby, That was out of the question. (And anyway they wriggle And cause indigestion.) Ever joined a Giant''s family dinner, kept a pet wig, thawed a frozen frog or snaffled a giraffe? Thawing Frozen Frogs is a brilliantly inventive collection from one of the UK''s top performance poets, including a wide range of poems that showcase Brian Patten''s wit, slapstick humour, wisdom and sensitivity - and his poetry''s huge appeal to children of all ages. Perfect for reading at school or at home, out loud or by yourself. Illustrated with Chris Riddell''s funny and illuminating line drawings.

''The Mersey Sound is an attempt to introduce contemporary poetry to the general reader by publishing representative work by each of three modern poets in a single volume, in each case the selection has been made to illustrate the poet''s characteristics in style and form''. With this modest brief, The Mersey Sound was conceived and first published in 1967. An anthology which features Roger McGough''s work, alongside that of Brian Patten and Adrian Henri (The Liverpool Poets), it went on to sell over half a million copies and to become the bestselling poetry anthology of all time.

A selection of Brian Patten''s best work over the last forty-five years, chosen by the poet himself. The earliest of these poems, ''Sleep Now'', was written when Patten was fifteen, the latest when he was sixty. Presented in rough chronological order, the selection includes a dozen new poems.

Of all the poets writing today, Brian Patten is perhaps the most accessible and popular. Now his love poems, old and new, are collected together in his single volume. Widely acknowledged as one of Europe''s foremost writers, Brian Patten''s love poems have earned him recognition far and wide. Truthful and tender, profoundly aware of the possibility of magic and the miraculous, these poems are beautiful, informed and, even at their darkest moments, filled with courage and hope. Alongside old favourites, this edition will contain a selection of new and hitherto unpublished poems. A must for lovers and poetry lovers everywhere this February.

Roger McGough and Brian Patten have selected the very best of their animal poems in order to help two loveable monsters from outer space who visit Earth in search of a pet and need a bit of guidance...Split into sections, the monsters are introduced to animals that fly, swim, crawl and purr by two of our greatest childrens poets. Illustrated in Guy Parker-Rees'' lively and intimitable style.

A magical story that weaves together fifty world tales, by a renowned poet, and illustrated by 2002 Greenaway Medal winner Chris Riddell.

A nine-year-old boy lives on the ninth floor of a high-rise tower block in a large, grim city. He hates it, but one day he discovers a small silver telescope that enables him to see the beauty in the world around him - from market stalls to the surface of the moon.

Ben Norm and his sister, Mary, take care over their appearance. They like to look good, while fitting in with the rest of the kids at school. But their parents are impossible Dad has a scruffy ponytail and an earring through his nose. Mum is a belly dancer and wears a fishnet body stocking. Why can''t they be respectable like other kids'' parents? And how can they be stopped from totally mortifying Ben and Mary at Parent''s Day? But, when the big day arrives, there are surprises in store for everyone

Unfeasibly funny sequel to the popular Impossible Parents - part of the Sprinters series relaunch Poor Ben and Mary Norm. Their parents have decided to become ecologists and are getting it impossibly wrong. First they ditch their clothes, then the TV and now they''re eating yak cheese Worst of all, the kids at school have found out, and Ben and Mary are a laughing stock... again If only their parents could go back to being normally impossible, rather than ecologically impossible. But then Mary has an idea that might just work...

A great new collection of poetry, wide-ranging in both form and subject matter. Full of Brian Patten''s wonderful wit and moments of beauty as in GERANIUMS IN THE SNOW: Like children snuggling down under a white duvet Slowly the red geraniums Vanish under the snow. Brilliantly complemented by Chris Riddell''s illustrations.

A collection of poetry casting light upon the world we live in, and upon the darker corners of the self. The book tries to make sense of a world which is chaotic with unemployment, in-and-out affairs, street violence, hip vicars and terrorism among many other themes.

Uncle Elliot and Mrs. Battyhats are the craziest new neighbours Jimmy can imagine. Not only do they look daft and say the oddest things, but they have real secret adventures on which Jimmy is always invited.

When Danny Harris knocks over a witch, she puts a spell on his bike, and he''s off on a non-stop journey around the world. Adapted from T̀he saga of the doomed cyclist''. Rhyming text suitable for reading aloud. 4-8 yrs.

Imaginative, poetic retellings of the well-known fables by Aesop. Some given an unexpected twist, others are the author''s own creations, follwing the fable precedent.