Books For Children

PRACTICAL JOKES
More Than Forty Hilarious Pranks!
(Mini Maestro)

P. Rankin

978-1-62795-132-6 | Book and Kit | 48 pages |4″ x 5″

List Price: $9.95

DESCRIPTION

All you need to be the world’s best practical joker! It contains a 48-page book with all the know-how needed to pull off over 40 hilarious pranks and explains what items are needed to get started right away. Everyone loves to laugh and the practical jokes in this book will have your friends in stitches. Practical Jokes offers a few tips on how to be the world’s best prankster and insures that the chosen chumps enjoy it as well.

Learn how to create:

• Pretend puke
• 10 ways to use the whoopee cushion
• Ketchup bottle prank
• Pinhole frustrating sipping straws
• And much, much more!

PLAYING THE HARMONICA

Dave Oliver

978-1-62795-024-4 | Book & Kit | 64 pages | 7.9″ x 5.8″

List Price: $14.95

DESCRIPTION

Playing the Harmonica is a great kit for older children, teens, and adults. The kit includes a fully illustrated 64-page book, a genuine 10-hole blues harmonica in the key of C, and a red felt carrying pouch. Using clear text and colorful, easy to follow illustrations, the book shows you how to play the harmonica in a variety of styles and provides 20 well-known tunes that you can get started on right away.

Within minutes you can be playing real music!

Once you master the basics, the book also provides:

• Tips on how to refine your sound
• A brief history of the harmonica
• How to care for your harmonica
• Inspirational profiles of some harmonica’s greatest players, including Little Walter and Larry Adler

AUTHOR BIO

Dave Oliver is a journalist and highly experienced writer specializing in music, games, technology, and popular culture. In his spare time he plays bass and harmonica in blues and soul bands in London.

OWL ART
Hours of Fun with Cute Owl Art Projects

Top That

978-1-62795-042-8 | Book and Kit | 32 pages | 11.3″ x 8.5″

List Price: $14.95

DESCRIPTION

Create your own cute owl art projects with this fun kit! Super-clear instructions, illustrated steps, and specialist craft components ensure that making owl art is easy and fun! Follow the simple instructions to make cute owls from pine cones, stones, shells, paper, and more! Included are felt, fuzzy stick, googly eyes, paints, paintbrush, and “Hoot Before You Come In” door hanger.

A 32-page booklet contains an introduction to owl art as well as easy-to-follow instructions to create owls using easy to advanced techniques. Give a hoot — and have hours of fun with these cute owl art projects!

MIDDLE AGES
(Spotlight Guides)

Sarah McNeill

978-1-78121-260-8 | Paperback | 48 pages | 6.9″ x 9.1″

List Price: $7.99

DESCRIPTION

Featuring detailed, informative text, stunning imagery and colorful diagrams, as well as helpful timelines and glossaries, the Spotlight series offers an engaging and richly illustrated glimpse into a range of fascinating topics from the worlds of history and science. Exploring the stunning cathedrals, towering castles, and thrilling histories of this misunderstood period, this engaging book shines a brilliantly illustrated light on the so-called ‘dark’ ages.

REVIEWS

“Gr 4-6. These series entries make generous use of colorful, attractive illustrations and have succinctly written texts. The many drawings show artifacts, architecture, domestic scenes, and some simple maps. Grant introduces the community and home life of the Vikings, their customs and culture, trade, exploration and conquests, and arts and crafts. Hazel Mary Martell’s Everyday Life in Viking Times (Watts, 1994) is similar in scope. McNeill includes topics such as social structure and education during the Middle Ages and describes castle, monastic, and country life. Andrew Langley’s Medieval Life (Knopf, 1996) offers similar background material and includes many photographs of artifacts and costumes. Neither Grant nor McNeill provide enough information for reports, but the eye-appealing packages will be useful introductions.”
Cynthia M. Sturgis, Ledding Library, Milwaukie, OR, School Library Journal

“This entry in the Spotlights series consists of two-page spreads that focus on one topic, with a paragraph or two of introduction, a large full-color picture with several captions, an inset, and a row of artifacts at the bottom. Topics covered include knights, castles, peasants, exploration, home life, monks, art, and more. As an introduction to the subject this is quick and entertaining, although the lack of a reading list limits its usefulness as a jumping-off point to further research. The brevity of the information may frustrate readers; under ‘Towns and Crafts,’ the author says ‘houses were built so that each story was wider than the one below,’ but doesn’t say why. The sections dealing with food and agriculture will confuse those unaccustomed to the British use of the word ‘corn’ to refer to any cereal crop. This is a passable starting point, but other volumes cover the subject more thoroughly and precisely. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12)”
Kirkus Reviews

AUTHOR BIO

Sarah McNeill is a published author of several history books for children, primarily focused on the Ancient Egyptians and Romans.

MAGIC TRICKS
(Mini Maestro)

Gordon Hill

978-1-62795-029-9 | Book and Kit | 48 pages | 3.8″ x 4.5″

List Price: $9.95

DESCRIPTION

This box set is just what you need to get the magic touch! Astound your friends and family by learning to perform eighteen magical acts. The 48-page book will teach you the secrets behind impressive tricks and illusions, and the special rings, coin box, mystery dice, and magic ball will help you on your way to becoming a spellbinding magician.

KNIT A CRITTER
Learn How to Make Cute and Cuddly Knitted Critters

Bethany Rose Hines

978-1-62795-041-1 | Book and Kit | 32 pages | 11.2″ x 9″

List Price: $14.95

DESCRIPTION

Learn how to make cute and cuddly knitted critters! This fun kit shows you how to become a pro at knitting cute animal characters — from monkeys to pandas to bunnies! This boxed kit contains a starter supply of knitting needles, yarn, felt, thread, sewing needles, animal templates, and “Cute Critters Live Here” door hanger. Also included is a 32-page book with knitting techniques, materials required, and top tips to create a variety of cute and cuddly knitted critters.

DINOSAURS AND PREHISTORIC LIFE
(Spotlight Guides)

Dougal Dixon

978-1-78121-261-5 | Paperback | 48 pages | 7″ x 9.2″

List Price: $7.99

DESCRIPTION

Featuring detailed, informative text, stunning imagery and colorful diagrams, as well as helpful timelines and glossaries, the Spotlight series offers an engaging and richly illustrated glimpse into a range of fascinating topics from the worlds of history and science. From the earliest plants and animals, through the age of the dinosaurs and beyond, this book uses stunning illustrations and expert descriptions to show readers what Earth was like before people ruled the world.

AUTHOR BIO

Dougal Dixon has written extensively on geology, paleontology, Earth science, and evolution for numerous books and publications. He studied geology and paleontology at the University of St. Andrews.

DINOSAUR EXPLORERS
Infographics for Discovering the Prehistoric World

Cristina Banfi
Illustrated by Giulia De Amicis

978-1-62795-164-7 | Hardcover | 72 pages | 9.65″ x 13.39″

List Price: $14.95

DESCRIPTION

Dinosaur Explorers will captivate children and make them real experts. Through intuitive illustrated infographic tables, children will learn everything from the shape of the eggs and the anatomy of the dinosaurs to their great extinction. Clear explanations, a timetable, charts and scales will reveal all the secrets of the dinosaur world.

REVIEWS

“For budding dinomaniacs eager to fill gaps in their knowledge of dinosaur anatomy, behavior, and family trees. The survey, presented in a variety of infographics, begins with a pair of winding timelines carrying bite-sized narrative blocks and flat, stylized dinos. It then goes on to group the dinosaurs—generally though not always to scale—according to types of bodies and defensive armament, relative sizes, eggs, teeth, plumage and colors, and probable nesting and herding habits. A helpful index/glossary precedes a teeming prehistoric portrait gallery at the end. Though rough around the edges, it’s witty on occasion and chock full of dinosaurs throughout. (Informational picture book. 7-10)”
Kirkus Reviews

AUTHOR BIO

Cristina Banfi graduated in Natural Sciences from the University of Milan. She has been working for over 20 years in the communications field focusing on science and educational games and has published a variety of titles, both educational and informational for young readers. Giulia De Amicis completed her Master’s in Communication Design in 2012. Since then, Giulia has worked as a visual designer and illustrator. Her work mainly focuses on the display of information for newspapers, magazines and the environmental sector, and she has a particular interest in marine biology, geography and human rights.

DANCERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
(Gemstones)

Rosalba Troiano
Illustrated by Giorgia Broseghini

978-1-62795-160-9 | Hardcover | 32 pages | 10.5″ x 12.5″

List Price: $19.95

DESCRIPTION

Take an exciting journey around the world to meet twelve charming dancers and learn about flamenco, the can-can, belly dancing, the waltz, ballet, the fan dance, samba, and much more. The generous trim size showcases Giorgia Broseghini’s stunning artwork, which is also enjoyed on three gatefolds. Whether a girl or boy is one of millions taking dancing lessons or just fans of shows like Dancing with the Stars, they are sure to adore Dancers from Around the World.

AUTHOR BIO

Rosalba Troiano was born in Genoa, Italy and started dreaming about writing books when, as a child, she read Rasmus and the Vagabond by Astrid Lindgren. Since that day, her passion for reading has never stopped, and books for children and teenagers are her absolute favorite. Besides writing, she has an unstoppable passion for theater, as she worked as a set designer and took part in organizing theater productions. Giorgia Broseghini lives and works surrounded by mountains and lakes in a lovely valley near Trento, Italy. She discovered illustration after an adventurous trip through the study of languages and philosophy and studies in Florence where she attended the Nemo Academy of Digital Arts. Drawing has been a lifelong passion and now she knows that it is also the only (and the best) job imaginable. She loves drawing and knows all about birds, flowers, and strange animals like unicorns. She sings while she’s drawing and lets music be her muse. Her bright colors and cute animals make her work joyful and fun; nature is always a big part of her illustrations and she never wastes an occasion to learn. Her clients include Storytime Magazine and Autumn Publishing.

CRIME LAB
(Mini Maestro)

Simon Mugford

978-1-62795-039-8 | Book and Kit | 48 pages | 3.9″ x 4.8″

List Price: $9.95

DESCRIPTION

Test your crime-busting abilities and enter the fascinating world of a Crime Scene Investigator working as scientific support with police forces! This cool kit comes complete with the necessary equipment for collecting evidence: a stamp pad, tweezers, chalk, an evidence pot and bags, and crime scene tape.

The 48-page book provides insight into the unique role the CSI plays in crime detection, describing the tasks involved and how evidence is carefully retrieved from the scene of a crime.

AUTHOR BIO

Simon Mugford once worked at the Science Museum in London, where he flew paper aeroplanes and made giant bubbles for children. Now he writes and edits books about things like dinosaurs, ice hockey, thunderstorms, and llamas. He lives in Kent with his wife and daughter, a cat, and two tortoises.