New Releases by Brian Patten

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 a nosering and Mum is a belly dancer who wears a fishnet bodystocking. Why can''t they be respectable like other kids'' parents? And how can they be stopped from totally mortifying Ben and Mary at Parents'' Day? But, when the big day arrives, there are surprises in store for everyone

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.

A collection of eighty-four mostly humorous poems including "Cousin Lesley''s See-Through Stomach" and "The Silly Siposark."

Mr. Moon searches for a figure that he saw jump from a bridge. While some say it was a small child or man, he believes it was a leprechaun.

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.

Emma worries about her doll which she had broken.