New Releases by Michael Morpurgo

Retellings of twenty-one classic Aesop fables, including "The Hare and the Tortoise" and "Belling the Cat, " in updated language.

A heartwarming tale of courage and warmth, set against the backdrop of the second world war, about a cat who survives against the odds. When soldiers take over a seaside village in Dorset, in World War II, the villagers are paid no heed nor given much time to pack their belongings and move out. Ages 8-12.

A timeless collection of over twenty of Aesop''s best-loved fables, including favourites such as The Hare and the Tortoise, Town Mouse and Country Mouse, Dog in the Manger and The Lion and the Mouse. The tales are retold with warmth and humour by former Children''s Laureate Michael Morpurgo and brought to life by Emma Chichester Clark''s exquisitely playful and distinctive artwork.

Montezuma, the farmyard cat, survives nine exciting lives of danger and adventure. He grows from a fiery kitten to grand old tomcat, he is always special, independent - a law unto himself.

A boy living by a Scottish loch sees a beautiful silver swan land on the water. She remains at the loch, mates and there are soon five cygnets too. The boy watches them in awe and pride. When snowy winter sets in, all the birds and animals around the loch must scavenge desperately for food. The fox also has cubs to feed... A remarkably dramatic and compassionate story about Nature, magnificently told and stunningly illustrated with sweeping pastel landscapes.

''He''s got no one else...and nowhere else to go. After all those years, he''s found his son and you''ve found your father. Doesn''t that mean anything to you?'' Cessie has never seen her grandfather, not even in photos, until the day he turned up on the doorstep out of nowhere...The old man has a stroke. He recovers, but he has lost his memory. Popsicle is impossible to live with - moody, forgetful, clumsy. Only Cessie loves him and believes in him. So when he is sent off to Shangri-La, an old people''s home, she is determined to help him escape and to unravel the truth of his past. A past that comes to him only in glimpses - a lifeboat, a tin of condensed milk, and a terrifying night on the beaches of Dunkirk in World War II...Gradually, Popsicle recovers his memory and, with Cessie''s help, realises a dream by taking the residents of Shangri-La on an adventurous journey across the channel in his lifeboat. When they return to the port, Popsicle and his son, Cessie''s father, are finally reconciled.

Inspired by classroom time and television programming devoted to wildlife, conservation, and environmental issues, today''s children have a zest for the outdoors and an ardent appreciation of the creatures with which they share the planet. This collection offers a caliber of stories and extracts several notches above the expected fare in a compilation. The list of renowned contributors includes such luminaries as John Steinbeck (The Red Pony), Michael Morpurgo (Waiting for Anya), and Jack London (The Call of the Wild). With such stories as Rudyard Kipling''s The Cat that Walked by Himself, through favorites such as Paul Gallico''s The Snow Goose, and contemporary tales such as Ted Hughes'' powerful Iron Woman, Animal Stories is a terrific introduction to classic literature and nature writing for children and young adults.

The gripping story of a boy who risks his life to take Jewish refugees to safety during World War II. A reclusive widow’s farm has become a haven for a growing band of Jewish children hiding from the Nazis. Jo knows he must keep the secret, and help out any way he can. But when German soldiers move into town, the danger suddenly becomes much more real. As Jo knows all too well, the penalty for helping these children escape is death. "In its understated style and gentle telling of a harsh lesson, the story is reminiscent of Lois Lowry''s Number the Stars." —School Library Journal “Action-packed . . . Morpurgo’s characters rise above the two-dimensional, giving young people much to ponder in the areas of good versus evil and hero versus villain.” —The Horn Book An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

Ten-year-old Jessie, helped by her American cousin and the ghost of a notorious female pirate, finds the strength to prevail over both a crippling disease and the greedy developers intent on destroying her Irish island home.

Meet Albert and the monstrous Marble Crusher Machine; Annie, who wants to save Colly''s Barn for Screecher the owl; and Nick the conker champion. Three stories in one volume.

A twelve-year-old boy comes across Arthur Pendragon, who has just awakened from his long sleep beneath the earth, and hears from him some of the exciting stories of his past.

Synopsis coming soon.......