Seen through the eyes of a young boy, Amarlai, this is a beautiful depiction of the customs surrounding ceremony of an Ivory Coast naming ceremony. Key stage 1 & 2. Reading, RE, PSHE, Citizenship. 5 to 11 year olds.

Offers an insight into African village life, and a special way of sharing and making decisions. One little girls tells her story of how every member of her family contributes to the well-being and happiness of their village. Key stage 1 & 2, English and Reading. 5 to 11 year olds.

 This series of photographic information books concentrates on the daily lives and experiences of children in countries around the world. Each book focuses on a particular child's day: from waking up, through breakfast, going to school, learning, travelling home, playing and getting ready for bed.

Six-year-old Cassio lives with his mother, an evening-class teacher and his father, a minibus driver. Cassio spends much of his school day outside, and he especially likes learning to grow vegetables in the school garden. Cassio and his friend push each other home from school in Cassio's "carrinho" (barrow), stopping to buy their favourite sweets on the way - these are "doce-de-leite" (milk sweets). When it comes to the evening meal, his mother always cooks extra, so that there will be enough if friends and family wish to call by.  Key stage 1 and 2. RE, Reading, PSHE, Citizenship. 5 to 11 year olds.

 Nii Kwei gets up at six o'clock sharp every morning. He takes out the rubbish and helps his sisters and brother tidy up the compound, then he eats breakfast of "coco" (corn porridge), bread, fried eggs and a chocolate drink. At 7.30 he goes to school in a taxi. Later, on his way home, he goes to Abraham's material store with his mother and enjoys looking at all the bright colours and bold patterns. He ends the day playing football with his cousins, back at the compound. Key stage 1 & 2. RE, Reading, PSHE and Citizenship. 5 to 11 year olds.

Polina starts her day with "bliny" and "smetana" (pancakes and sour cream) for breakfast. She loves going to the library and even goes early before school. At break time she plays on the "kacheli" (swing) with her friends. After classes Polina's mother takes her on the trolley bus to the centre of St. Petersburg for a walk. They stroll past the beautiful buildings and rivers of the city and Polina even has an art lesson from a street painter! Key stage 1 and 2. RE, Reading, PSHE, Citizenship. 5 to 11 year olds.

Ren Yikang is seven years old. She lives with her parents in a five-storey apartment in Changzhi city. Her mother wakes her at seven and after breakfast her father gives her a lift to school on the back of his bicycle. Yikang is on school cleaning duty this morning. She and some of her classmates mop the floors of the classrooms. At five o'clock it's hometime. Yikang and her parents sit down to a dinner of rice and stir-fried Chinese celery with "doufu" (bean curd), sweet and sour aubergine and sliced pig livers in a thick sauce. After dinner Yikang practices her English letters. At about ten, she kisses her mother and father goodnight and goes to bed. She reads cartoons until she feels sleepy. Yikang, Wanan! (Goodnight, Yikang). Key stage 1 and 2. RE, Reading, PSHE, Citizenship. 5 to 11 year olds.

Geeta's day begins as most children's do. But when she sets off to school, passing the "kamar" at the forge, the "mali" weaving garlands of flowers to offer to the temple gods, her world begins to beat to the distinctive rhythm of Indian village life. Key stage 1 and 2. RE, Reading, PSHE, Citizenship. 5 to 11 year olds.

Bongani’s day begins just like it does for most children: he washes, brushes his teeth and has breakfast; at school he learns about the letter C and makes a clown face. When he gets home in the evening he put on his kwato music videos and dances the kwasa kwasa to the lively sounds and rhythms of Africa. Key stage 1 and 2. RE, Reading, PSHE, Citizenship. 5 to 11 year olds.

Lindy and her doll Sally are best friends - wherever Lindy goes, Sally stays right by her side. They eat together, sleep together, and even pick cotton together. So, on the night Lindy and her mama run away in search of freedom, Sally goes too. This young girl's rag doll vividly narrates her enslaved family's courageous escape through the Underground Railroad. At once heart-wrenching and uplifting, this story about friendship and the strength of the human spirit will touch the lives of all readers long after the journey has ended. Key stage 1 & 2. English, Reading, PSHE and Citizenship. 6 to 10 year olds.

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 meant death for most of the Roman citizens living in Pompeii. But some people must have survived - and Christina Balit has used this as the starting-point for her story. It tells of Tranio, an actor's son, and his friend Livia, the baker's daughter, who witness one of the most terrifying moments in recorded history - the destruction of their beloved city. Key stage 2. English, Reading, History and Geography. 7 to 11 year olds.

Aeneas flees from the sacked city of Troy, entrusted by his goddess-mother Venus with a daunting mission: to find a new homeland for his people. Over 2000 years after Virgil wrote his epic The Aeneid, Penelope Lively retells Aeneas' story with pace poignancy and drama, while Ian Andrew's illustrations bring the characters beautifully to life. Together they create an introduction to The Aeneid which will take its place alongside Rosemary Sutcliff's classic retellings of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. The book includes a Latin pronunciation guide and a map of Aeneas' long, arduous, death-defying journey! Key stage 2 & 3. English and Reading.

A sequel to “Black Ships Before Troy” this retelling of the Odyssey transfers Homer’s complex epic poem in to a traveller’s tale  with a cast of men, magicians and monsters. Key stage 2 and 3. English, Reading and History. 7 to 14 year olds.

Nobody goes inside the enchanted forest, until one day Janna, a wild sort of girl, squeezes under a fence and enters the eerie place. Beside a rose-clad, ruined well she meets Tam Lin, whose grey eyes smoulder with strange, secret mists - and at once the two fall in love. Key satge 1 & 2. English and Reading. 5 to 11 year olds. Key stage 1 and 2. English and Reading. 5 to 11 year olds.

Ishtar, Babylonian goddess of all creation, sends her son Tammuz, the Green One, to live on the Earth. But when she sees how much he is loved, she is consumed with jealousy and has him killed. The people pray for him to be restored, but first Ishtar has to do battle with a terrible creature. Key stage 2. English, Reading and History. 7 to 11 year olds.

When Isaac discovers a little wooden horse among his grandfather's treasures, he longs to find out where it comes from. Set in the American South, the story tells of Isaac's great-great-great-grandfather, Jack, and Jack's sister, Molly, who are sold into slavery on a tobacco plantation. Jack gives Molly a little wooden horse as a keepsake before he is sold on downriver to a cotton plantation. Soon Jack is forced to flee for his life, hiding in the marshlands before stowing away on a Mississippi paddle-steamer. Eventually it is the little wooden horse that reunites him with Molly, in a dramatic and poignant story that takes an unsentimental look at the life of runaway slaves. Key stage 2 and 3. 7 to 14 year olds.

Mariana finds a merbaby in a crabshell and cares for it as if it were her own child. She knows all the time that one day when the sea is calm the merchild's mother will return to take her daughter back. Key stage 1 and 2. English and Reading. 5 to 11 year olds.

Take five children, one each from Thailand, South Africa, India, France and Mexico. Where does their food come from? Do they buy it or grow it themselves? Do they eat at the table, outside or in front of the television? What foods do they like and dislike? What do they eat for special festival and celebrations?

"Let's Eat!" explores world cultures through the eyes of children and the food they eat. It explores many themes, including how food is acquired, cooking and recipes, children's likes and dislikes, social ritual involving food, food at school and festivals and celebrations. A simple recipe is included for each culture, so children can taste some of the dishes they are reading about. Key stage 1 and 2. English, Reading,  PSHE, Citizenship. 5 to 11 year olds.

Babushka lives on her own in a cottage where everything is as neat as a pin. But she is so busy cleaning and polishing that she hardly notices the miraculous events going on around her. Then a mysterious dream leads her to set her daily worries aside and set out to find a special baby. On her journey, she learns that the more you give away in love, the more you will receive.

Readers of all ages and beliefs will be charmed and captivated by this poignant Russian folk tale. Children young and old will adore Sophie Fatus's beautiful folk-art illustrations of flowy ethereal angels, friendly wide-eyed characters wearing warm colourful shawls and quirky animals along Babushka's path. Key stage 1 & 2. English, Reading and RE. 5 to 11 year olds.

A delightful companion volume to our bestselling Grandmothers’ Stories, Grandfather Mountain explores what it means to be a grandfather. Our grandfathers are the tellers of stories, passing on the knowledge they have accumulated over the years, and sharing the lessons they’ve learned from the grandfathers who have gone before them, who in turn received them from their elders.

This is a unique anthology, which presents adventures of well-known gods and heroes taken from cultures all over the world, and explores the quests that challenge all males as they take the step into manhood.  Key stage 2 & 3. English, History and Reading. 7 to 14 year olds.