New Releases by Ian Beck

"A stranger drifting far from land... Everything on the Island of Ashes is grey. The sky, the sea, the land. Then the stranger arrives, and his every touch brings light and colour and life"... from cover.

On a bitterly cold winter's night in 1900, a young boy disappears without trace from the forest near his home in the quiet village of Litton Cheney. He is never found, but the man he was with claims he was snatched by angels. Forty years later, Corporal Jack Carmody is sent to investigate strange reports of mysterious lights above Litton Cheney. The villagers suspect German bombers overhead, but Carmody knows there's something far more intriguing going on. And when a terrified boy appears in the graveyard, convinced it's the year 1900, it's up to Carmody and his boss - the charismatic Captain Holloway - to uncover the truth.

À cœur vaillant, rien d’impossible ! Telle est la devise de la famille d''aventuriers Cœurvaillant. Et du courage, il va en falloir à Tom, le dernier-né de la famille. Ses six frères ont disparu, la Belle au bois dormant ne se réveille pas et Cendrillon attend toujours son prince... Le chaos s''est installé au Pays des Contes, à cause de la malveillance de Frère Omerstone, qui ne supporte plus que les Cœurvaillant récoltent les lauriers de la gloire. Ses rêves de vengeance ont fait surgir un plan diabolique dans son esprit aussi tordu qu’inventif. Le jeune Tom parviendra-t-il à déjouer les sinistres projets d’Omerstone et à rétablir la paix au Pays des Contes?

On a bitterly cold winter''s night in 1900, a young boy disappears without trace from the forest near his home in the quiet village of Litton Cheney. He is never found, but the man he was with claims he was snatched by angels. Forty years later, Corporal Jack Carmody is sent to investigate strange reports of mysterious lights above Litton Cheney. The villagers suspect German bombers overhead, but Carmody knows there''s something far more intriguing going on. And when a terrified boy appears in the graveyard, convinced it''s the year 1900, it''s up to Carmody and his boss - the charismatic Captain Holloway - to uncover the truth.

When a newly-qualified fairy loses the third wish of three she must deliver to a woodcutter, young Dickon finds it. There is no limit to the number of times a lost wish may be used, and soon there are sparkly cats and magic lemonade bottles all over the place Can fairy Cobweb find the wish and put a stop to Dickon''s magic?

Charity Delafield has grown up with her fiercely strict father, in a vast, isolated house that she is forbidden to explore. She knows very little of the outside world - or of her own family''s shadowy past. One day Charity stumbles upon the dark corridor that haunts her dreams, and suddenly she realises things aren''t what they seem.

The young prince Osamu is dragged from his palace bed in the dead of night and told to flee for his life. With only his nurse''s daughter, Lissa, to help him survive, he is thrust from his pampered existence into a hostile, snowy world - where the secret armies of the hidden kingdom are waiting for him to lead them . . .

Los árboles del País de las Historias Fantásticas se quedaron solos; pronto estarían temblando bajo su blanco ropaje de invierno. Historias llenas de héroes y de nobleza, de fantasía y humor. en las que todos los jóvenes querrán verse reflejados. Tom está decidido a rescatar a su padre de las garras del malvado Rocolmedo. Para ello, tendrá que aventurarse en el territorio más peligroso de todos: el País de los Mitos y las Leyendas. Tom ya ha demostrado su valentía y que tiene un corazón verdadero y generoso, pero ¿podrá sobreponerse a las terribles criaturas con las que tendrá que enfrentarse: un feroz dragón nórdico, Cíclopes...? Y, la peor de todas, un Minotauro hambriento esperándole en el centro del laberinto... Historias llenas de nobles valores, de fantasía y humor, que son el mejor antídoto para los cuentos macabros y oscuros que tanto abundan en los libros para jóvenes lectores.

This delightful collection of mini hardback picture books contains five stories that are ideal for sharing either at home or on the go. The pack contains everything from hilarious rhymes to bedtime classics: Quentin Blake's Mister Magnolia, Anthony Browne's Willy and Hugh, John Prater's Again!, The Owl and the Pussycat illustrated by Ian Beck, and Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go to Sleep by Joyce Dunbar and Debi Gliori.

Tom is off on another adventure. This time he''s going on a journey to the Land of Myths and Legends to rescue his father. But first he must face many dangerous creatures such as the ferocious Norse Dragon and the Cyclops. And then there''s the hungry Minotaur waiting in the centre of the labyrinth . . .

Tom is off on another adventure. This time he''s going on a journey to the Land of Myths and Legends to rescue his father. But first he must face many dangerous creatures such as the ferocious Norse Dragon and the Cyclops. And then there''s the hungry Minotaur waiting in the centre of the labyrinth . . .

Pastworld. A city within a city. A city for excursions and outings. Pastworld is a theme park with a difference, where travellers can journey back in time for a brush with an authentic Victorian past. But what if the Jack the Ripper figure stopped play-acting and really started killing people? For Caleb, a tourist from the present day, his visit goes terribly wrong when his father is kidnapped and he finds himself accused of murder. Then Caleb meets Eve, a Pastworld inhabitant who has no idea the modern world exists. Both Caleb and Eve have roles to play in the murderer''s diabolical plans - roles that reveal disturbing truths about their origins.

Historias llenas de nobles valores, de fantasía y humor, que son el mejor antídoto para los cuentos macabros y oscuros que tanto abundan en los libros para jóvenes lectores. Tom pertenece a una de las últimas familias de aventureros, los Trueheart, y vive con su madre y sus seis hermanos mayores, pues el padre desapareció hace tiempo en una misión. Todos los hermanos son aventureros profesionales, menos Tom, que está a punto de cumplir doce años. Pero algo ocurre con sus hermanos pues mientras completan alguna de las emocionantes aventuras que les asigna el Ministerio de Relatos, todos y cada uno de ellos desaparecen y no llegan a casa a tiempo para celebrar el cumpleaños de Tom. Ese mismo día recibe una carta del Ministerio de Relatos... ¡dirigida solo a él! Tom deberá aventurarse en el País de las Historias Fantásticas para salvar a sus hermanos ayudado por un joven elfo transformado en el cuervo Regocijo. Primera novela juvenil del conocido ilustrador, Ian Beck, de gran éxito en el mundo anglosajón, cuyos libros han vendido más de un millón de ejemplares en todo el mundo. Es la primera parte de una trilogía. Se trata de un relato ingenioso. El padre de Tom fue el famoso Jack Matagigantes y las historias que comienzan los hermanos Trueheart y que Tom debe facilitar que terminen son... La Bella Durmiente, Blancanieves, Cenicienta, Rapunzel, El príncipe Rana, Jack y las habichuelas mágicas. Por eso, el lector que conoce los cuentos originales siente curiosidad por ver cómo se va enredando y desenredando todo. La narración respira buen humor y una leve ironía. Toda ella subraya la importancia de hacer las elecciones correctas en cada caso y de actuar con valor en la dificultad. Cada pocas páginas hay alguna ilustración silueteada, con un estilo que recuerda los cuentos populares que ilustró así Arthur Rackham o, más recientemente, Jan Pienkowski. ''Fresca y con muchos momentos de humor'' Publishers Weekly ''Una fantasía encantadora'' The Wall Street Journal Más información en: www.tomtrueheart.es Síguelo en facebook http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Tom-Trueheart/120705314622031

It's snowing outside and Lily goes out to play. She leaves Teddy sitting on the window legde but all of sudden, whoosh, Teddy finds himself on an adventure in the snow! Soon the snow falls harder and Teddy starts to get cold, then he realises he's lost... Will Teddy ever find his way back to Lily again? This is a fun-packed picture book, full of adventure!

Simply told for very young children, this delightful retelling of Hans Christian Andersens''s famous fairy tale has beautiful illustrations and an irresistible ugly duckling.

Twelve-year-old Tom Trueheart, accompanied by his friend Jollity the crow, must journey to the dangerous Land of Dark Stories to rescue his brothers and their princess brides, and to try to defeat the villainous Ormestone once again.

The story of an egg, an unusual pet and an epic journey.

Once upon a time there was a mother duck who had seven little ducklings. Six of them were soft and fluffy and yellow. The seventh duckling was different . . . Simply told for very young children, this delightful retelling of Hans Christian Andersens'' famous fairy tale has beautifully atmospheric illustrations and an irresistible ugly duckling.

A mermaid longs for legs so she can be with the handsome prince with whom she has fallen in love.

A poor shoemaker cuts out the last of his leather and leaves the pieces on his workbench ready to sew in the morning. But the next day the shoes are already finished with tiny neat stitches. Who could have done it? Soon a delighted customer buys the beautiful shoes, and pays more than usual. 3 yrs+

A prince travels the world to find a suitable princess to marry, but none of the girls he meets seems right, and he cannot be sure any is a real princess. One stormy night a girl dressed in rags comes in claiming she is Princess Phoebe. The prince is soon fascinated by her, so the queen devises a plan to find if she is a real princess.

A lively and enjoyable retelling of this well-known traditional story. Ian Beck's illustrations are reminiscent of Russian folk art, and are humorously and affectionately drawn. Ian's picture books have sold over a million copies, and his story Lost in the Snow has been animated for television.