"The Cheetah's Tale is a heartwarming tale of a little girl who finds a malnourished cheetah cub caged in the back of a small shop in a bazaar. Her mother agrees to buy the animal to save its life, and the little girl rears the cub at their house until it grows into a fine young cheetah. This uplifting story of a young child's relationship with a wild animal gives children insight into the conservation and ethical protection of wildlife in general and big cats in particular."--Jacket flap

This true story of Ruuxa the cheetah and his best friend, Raina the Rhodesian Ridgeback, will leave readers moved and forever changed. Ruuxa, born with front legs that grew crooked, and Raina, diagnosed with terminal cancer, have a friendship like no other. They prove that miracles can and do happen when you have a best buddy by your side. This book from San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Press is one of the award-winning Hope & Inspiration Series and received an Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) Benjamin Franklin Gold Award for Young Reader Nonfiction.

An African tale with a traditional feel, celebrating the speed and grace of the Cheetah - a brand-new title in this successful series of African folktales. Long ago, Cheetah was sandy-coloured and lay snoozing all day on the Great African Plain. There was no need to run to hunt because animals tripped over her. But one day there is a fire, and all the other animals are fleeing. This is the story of how Cheetah got her markings, and discovered that she can run as fast as the wind. The first book in the series - Greedy Zebra - was published in 1984 and the series has stayed in print ever since. Praise for the series: 'Their books are beautiful to look at and to feel, and perect for reading aloud.' School Librarian 'A delightful book.' Books For Keeps

Chuck the cheetah is the fastest runner in the land and loves to race his cheetah friends, Chip, Chum and Chester. Chuck especially loves racing because, whether he is competing at the Daily Friendly Races, the Weekly Fun Races or the Monthly Championship Races, he is always the first one over the finish line.Because he is always the winner and has never experienced failure, Chuck starts thinking he is better than everyone else. He cannot imagine ever losing a race and ever being anything less than number one. But Chuck's cheetah friends also want a chance to be the ones to run through the ribbon. They gather together and try and come up with ways to beat Chuck in the races. They decide to approach Chuck and ask him how he would feel if, for once in his life, he wasn't the winner. Chuck haughtily dismisses their suggestion as ridiculous and says it would never happen.At the next daily race, something out of the ordinary happens. Chuck experiences a setback while he is racing. Before he knows it, Chuck has lost his first ever race in the whole history of cheetah races. Well, he certainly didn't see that coming! Feeling devastated and highly embarrassed, Chuck worries that his cheetah friends won't like him anymore. He behaves like a sore loser and finds himself unable to be happy for the friend who beat him. While all the other cheetah friends are congratulating the new winner on his achievement, Chuck sulks and can't even bring himself to say, "Well done!" to his speedy friend. Chuck has never felt worse in his life and everything seems to have gone wrong for him.That night, Chuck is visited in a dream by a wise old cheetah. The sage cat gently explains the true meaning of winning to Chuck and offers him some valuable advice about how to deal with failure.Will Chuck take heed of the cheetah's wise words? Is it too late to save his friendship with Chip, Chum and Chester? Will they forgive him for his big-headedness and will they still like him, even though he is no longer the undefeated champion of the cheetah races? Read on to find out...Chuck the Cheetah is a delightful story which explains the well-known adage, "Pride comes before a fall" in a refreshing way that is relatable and enjoyable for young readers. Chuck's experience warns children of the danger of smugness and arrogance, teaches them about the nature of true friendship, and offers valuable lessons about the art of winning and losing graciously. Children will recognise the sense of competition amongst the cheetah friends and will be able to identify with the characters - whether they see themselves as Chuck, or as any of his cheetah friends.The story contains many important messages for children. It teaches them that just because you are not the best, you are not any less lovable; it teaches them that life is not always about coming first; and it teaches them about true friendship - where we celebrate each other's successes, stay humble and always congratulate each other for trying our best.

Freeda the Cheetah of Mozambique was the world's best player of hide-and-go-seek. No one knows where she hides, but they know where she doesn't. Because the places they looked were the places she wasn't.

TALES FROM AFRICA is a collection of folktales brought to life with humour and poetry by Ghanaian author, K. P. Kojo. Find out how selfish Lion gets his comeuppance, go to a Frog wedding in the Sky Kingdom, discover the days when the earth's creatures were all mixed up and much more in these brilliantly crafted tales which reflect the very best - and the very worst - of human behaviours. Rich in the folklore of the many different countries of Africa, Ghanaian author, K. P. Kojo brings each story to life with humour and poetry, making them perfect for sharing and reading aloud to children of all ages. Includes endnotes with a glossary, additional information as well as ideas for activities that children can do to explore the stories further. 'Needs to be three times as long and sitting on a shelf in every school library' - Mark Haddon

Rough sex, black magic, murder, and the science-and eros-of gambling meet in the ultimate book about Las Vegas James McManus was sent to Las Vegas by Harper's to cover the World Series of Poker in 2000, especially the mushrooming progress of women in the $23 million event, and the murder of Ted Binion, the tournament's prodigal host, purportedly done in by a stripper and her boyfriend with a technique so outré it took a Manhattan pathologist to identify it. Whether a jury would convict the attractive young couple was another story altogether. McManus risks his entire Harper's advance in a long-shot attempt to play in the tournament himself. Only with actual table experience, he tells his skeptical wife, can he capture the hair-raising brand of poker that determines the world champion. The heart of the book is his deliciously suspenseful account of the tournament itself-the players, the hand-to-hand combat, and his own unlikely progress in it. Written in the tradition of The Gambler and The Biggest Game in Town, Positively Fifth Street is a high-stakes adventure, a penetrating study of America's card game, and a terrifying but often hilarious account of one man's effort to understand what Edward O. Wilson has called "Pleistocene exigencies"-the eros and logistics of our primary competitive instincts.