In the heat of late afternoon, a young boy waits at the station for his father. A plume of steam, white against the purple-heathered hills, marks the train. Beyond, blooming along the shoreline, the flowers of high summer, as a tall-funnelled paddle steamer beats and froths down the wide Clyde estuary . . . A narrative in the great Cronin tradition, this is the stirring chronicle of Laurence Carroll as he grows from childhood to adult years in Scotland. The tale of his struggles – early illness, a widowed mother, poverty, the uncles who try to help him, and the women who have such an unhappy effect upon him, is told with warm humour and with that intense and sympathetic realism for which A J Cronin is known. In the magnificent narrative tradition of The Citadel, The Stars Look Down and Cronin’s other classic novels, A Song of Sixpence is a great book by a much-loved author.

In the years after Bosworth, a small boy is ripped from his rightful place as future king of England. Years later when he reappears to take back his throne, his sister Elizabeth, now Queen to the invading King, Henry Tudor, is torn between family loyalty and duty. Will ambition or childhood affection prevail? As the final struggle between the houses of York and Lancaster is played out, Elizabeth is torn by conflicting loyalty, terror and unexpected love. Set at the court of Henry VII A Song of Sixpence offers a new perspective on the early years of Tudor rule. Elizabeth of York, often viewed as a meek and uninspiring queen, emerges as a resilient woman whose strengths lay in endurance rather than resistance. From the author of 'The Winchester Goose, ' 'The Kiss of the Concubine' and 'Intractable Heart.'

The shocking thing about Rex Fortescue's murder was that the contemptible tycoon wasn't knocked off sooner. But when two less deserving souls fall victim to the killer, Miss Jane Marple is engaged to detect. The only link appears to be buried in a not-so-innocent verse. So what's the rhyme and reason behind the playful hint? The answer draws the shrewd sleuth into the heart of a family secret--and an increasingly menacing game that's anything but child's play.

Barbara Reid's favourite Mother Goose rhymes -- now in a chunky board book version with all-new illustrations! Sing a Song of Mother Goose was Barbara Reid;s second book, originally published in 1987. Now, for its twentieth anniversary, Barb brings us a whole new edition, completely reillustrated in a board book format. Featured are fourteen of Barbara's favourite rhymes including: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star; Humpty Dumpty; Little Miss Muffet; Rockabye Baby; Sing a Song of Sixpence; Ladybird; Pussycat, Pussycat; Jack and Jill; Baa Baa Black Sheep; Hey Diddle Diddle; Rain, Rain, Go Away; Mary Had a Little Lamb; Pat A Cake and Hickory Dickory Dock. This is the perfect companion to Read Me a Book, and will be instantly recognizable to the generation of kids who grew up with the original and now have little ones of their own.

Big Book Script

What makes the king's pie so sweet? Read this book to find out!