The swallows have always feared Winter. For them it is a time of dying and decay. A time they have always fled from, seeking the warmth and safety of the southlands. But this year is to be different. The swallows' wise and venerable leader, Creakwing, announces that he is now too old and infirm to undertake the epic journey across thousands of miles of land and sea. He intends to remain in the northlands during the cold dark months of Winter and try to survive alone. Knowing that for him this will mean almost certain death, a group of young swallows devise a daring plan to rescue their leader. Many other birds are enlisted to help in the plan. Among them, the thieving jackdaws, a captive yellow bird, a brilliantly ingenious blue tit, a wise old owl who is not as wise as he thinks he is.... and finally, out in the icy wastes of ocean the mysterious storm petrels. There will be triumph and tragedy during the long and dangerous journey, an epic Crossing about which the bardic swallows will tell tales and sing songs for generations to come. 'Creakwing's Crossing' is a stirring tale in a literary tradition stretching from Kenneth Grahame's 'The Wind in The Willows' to 'Watership Down' by Richard Adams in the present day. It is also a tale to remind us that though the boundaries created by Man continue to create tensions and conflict, the natural world observes no frontiers, and the swallows continue to move through the sky as freely as they have always done, in the ancient mystery of migration.

This facinating encyclopedia looks at the world of inventions, from the earliest labor-saving devices through to the first computer, the Internet, and biotechnology.

Describes over five hundred species of sea birds from around the world, and includes information on distinguishing characteristics and behavior

What was life like for the pioneers who braved the journey across a wilderness and the Native Americans who were confronted by the newcomers? Meet the cowboys who lived their hard, lonely life driving cattle across vast distances, and the outlaws who found it easier to live by their guns than by more honest means. The atmosphere of the Wild West comes alive, with real-life accounts, photographs from the times, and images from the movies. Find out what kind of people went to the West, how they travelled, where they lived and how they survived. There are 10 practical projects to make and do, including cooking a cowboy meal and making Native American-style jewellery, to give you first-hand experience of this time of excitement and upheaval. -- 10 step-by-step projects inspired by the Wild West -- Over 200 colour illustrations bring the past vividly alive -- See right inside a settler's wagon as it rolls across the prairie

Time Commanders, the TV game show from the BBC and Lion Television, features teams of contestants battling against a computer loaded with the tactics of the greatest military minds of all time. With famous battles from history and contestants from all walks of life - while members of the public try to control one army through a computer simulation, the other army acts as we know from the sources that it did - the show has proved popular. the Ancient World: from Caesar to Spartacus; from the Hittites to the Carthaginians; from Boudicca to Attila the Hun; from Alexander the Great to Rameses II. The book also includes information on the main protagonists, the weapons of war, improving technology and the sources. With graphics from the show and a timeline showing the worldwide background to each battle, relevant websites and a good bibliography, this is much more than a TV tie-in - it is a truly accessible history reference book for adults and children alike.

Cars combines exciting photographs and explanatory illustrations with clear text. The reader takes the driving seat to explore what makes the engine turn, how the engine moves the wheels, and how wheels grip the road.