More in the exciting Gruffalo baby and toddler series from the bestselling Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, featuring all your favourite characters from the deep dark wood. Learn about colours, numbers, opposites and animals with this set of four bold, bright board books, now available in a miniature slipcase.

A brand new baby range for all young Gruffalo fans! The launch of an exciting new Gruffalo baby and toddler series from the best-selling Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, featuring all your favourite characters from the Deep Dark Wood! Learn all about Colours with the Gruffalo in this bold, bright and chunky board book - one of four brilliant board books in the MY FIRST GRUFFALO range. Other titles include OPPOSITES, NUMBERS and ANIMAL ACTIONS. All perfect for small paws!

A brand new baby range for all young Gruffalo fans! The launch of an exciting new Gruffalo baby and toddler series from the bestselling Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, featuring all your favourite characters from the Deep Dark Wood! Join the fun and wriggle like a snake, scamper like a fox and growl like the Gruffalo in this bold, bright and chunky board book - one of four brilliant board books in the MY FIRST GRUFFALO range. Other titles include OPPOSITES, NUMBERS and COLOURS. All perfect for small paws!

Recent campaigns against the closure of local libraries have highlighted the strong attachment that many people feel to their library services. However, much of the focus of the campaigns has been on library branches rather than the broader question of the preservation and possible enhancement of the library service. Reductions in opening hours and the loss of professional staff may damage the service more than the closure of particular buildings. The provision of a library service is a statutory duty, but a number of councils have drawn up plans that fail to comply with the requirement to provide a ’comprehensive and efficient' service. A full assessment of the needs of the local population for the services is key. Guidance on how to assess local needs does exist, but more must be done to disseminate it. Although the future of public libraries may be uncertain there is opportunity for reassessment of their roles and how they are organised. The Committee saw many examples of innovative thinking about what libraries can offer to the local population, and a number of models of how those services might be provided. Councils which have transferred the running of libraries to community volunteers must continue to provide support otherwise failure may be viewed as closures by stealth. The Committee looks forward to the promised report, by the end of 2014, on the cumulative effect on library services of the cuts in local authority provision and the promotion of alternatives such as transfers to community volunteers

In March 2013, Vicky Pryce was sentenced to eight months in prison for accepting her ex-husband's penalty points on her driving licence some ten years earlier. After a very public trial, she was sent first to the notorious Holloway and then to East Sutton Park, an open prison in Kent. Inside, she kept a diary documenting her views and experiences; from this diary, Prisonomics was born. Faced with the realities of life behind bars and inspired by the stories of the women she met, Pryce began to research the injustices she found within the prison system. In this informed and important critique, she draws upon her years of experience in economics to call for radical reform and seeks to change how we look at crime and punishment. Prisonomics is not only a personal account of Pryce's experience in prison. It is also a compelling analysis of both the economic and the very human cost of keeping women behind bars.

A poignant story about dealing with grief through the magic of reading and friendship. Calypso's mum died a few years ago and her emotionally incompetent Dad can't, or won't, talk about Mum at all. Instead he throws himself into writing his book A History of the Lemon. Meanwhile the house is dusty, there's never any food in the fridge, and Calypso retreats into her own world of books and fiction. When a new girl, Mae, arrives at school, the girls' shared love of reading and writing stories draws them together. Mae's friendship and her lively and chaotic home - where people argue and hug each other - make Calypso feel more normal than she has for a long time. But when Calypso finally plucks up the courage to invite Mae over to her own house, the girls discover the truth about her dad and his magnum opus - and Calypso's happiness starts to unravel. 'A story of great warmth and emotional wisdom' LINDA NEWBERY

Keep children on the edge of their seats with this guide to captivating read-alouds for grades K through 6. Tips on presentation and references to related titles help you plan effective programs and instill a love of books and reading.