A Wish in Lockdown

Harriet, while in bed, said out loud that she wished she could have a lovely day out and forget all about the lockdown.

Immediately, a small Wish Fairy appeared and said she may grant her the wish. She then magically transported Harriett to her brother’s room where she told them that she would only grant the wish on four conditions:

1. The children didn’t mention they had seen a fairy.

2. They helped their mum and dad with the chores around the house.

3. They didn’t argue…

4. They completed all their school work for a whole week.

The children agreed but knew it would be difficult, particularly the no arguing part.

Could the children keep to the agreement?

At the end of the week did the Wish Fairy think they had been good enough for her to grant the wish?

Did their magical day out take place?

A Word of Hope

Each of us are on the journey of mortality. A journey in which no one is spared a handful of heartaches, a time of trial, or a darkest hour. And though our time on Earth is a time for joy, love, and life– there will come a time, or many, of shadow when a simple word of hope is all that seems to part the darkness surrounding us. A time when it is only hope that is light enough to keep us moving on our path. Where this hope can be found is a question whose answer is too individually unique to capture in a simple phrase.

A Word of Hope is a collection of poetry that explores some sources of hope and the faith required to find them. Other poems in the collection paint a picture of the hardships of mortality as these are the times hope is most needed. These poems serve as reminders that no matter what may darken our lives, there is some light that will always shine. There is always hope to be had.

A Year of Words

The year is 2007 and my mind is full of poems and a need to write. These poems I wrote are a diary of emotions reflecting the day that they were written. They are an eclectic journey through my year. They reflect an emotional journey whose intent is to diarise in rhyme the moment they were written.

Oft the poems are whimsical, sometimes philosophical, and other times musing. The poems were written without edits, the poems in this compendium are of the moment, no revisions were ever considered. These poems are my conversation with you, they are your insight into a very mercurial mind, full of emotion.

I have written poems all my life, and now at 74 some of them have found a page and an audience, please enjoy.

A Zebra Called Hoops

Hoops was one fine zebra! He was happy, he was healthy, he was fast, he was handsome…but he looked different to the other zebras…and they noticed.

Some of them said things to him that made him feel sad. Instead of his stripes running down his body from top to bottom, they ran across his body from head to tail! He didn’t feel any different but he looked different. When his best friend, Zac, decided to show the other zebras that Hoops was really no different inside than all of them, he worked out a special way to prove it to them!

Find out what happens next. What do you think happened that night? How do you think Zac showed the other zebras that Hoops wasn’t any different to them?

Join Hoops to learn about special needs.

Abbie Brown: On the Cusp

Abbie Brown kicks off her 34^th year with an unexpected splash of fame: her Santorini vacation snap, featuring her in a vibrant yellow bikini atop a donkey, is plastered on billboards across London. (For clarity, the bikini is on Abbie, not the donkey!) Riding this wave of newfound celebrity, she lands a spot on Sir Giles Bromley’s BBC gardening show. Life seems perfect, until the universe serves her a slice of humble pie.

Navigating the chaos of single life (weighing in at 73kgs, if you must know), Abbie finds herself in the midst of an office medical drama, dealing with her nightmare flatmate Janice, and questioning if Rebecca truly is the refined acquaintance she seems. As for romance? Between George’s overbearing mother, Oliver’s youth, a married butcher, a BBC exec with a cringe-worthy habit, and the not-so-perfect ‘Peter Perfect,’ Abbie’s love life is a rollercoaster. Yet, she remains hopeful that her knight in shining armor is out there in the vast English countryside.

In the midst of it all, she gains a furry companion: Woofer, a lovable terrier with a quirky ear. Plus, there’s a promising spark with a dashing farmer from the Yorkshire Dales. The two are smitten. (We’re talking about Abbie and the farmer, not the dog, of course!)

But with Abbie’s track record, what could possibly go awry? Dive into a tale of unexpected fame, comedic misadventures, and the quest for true love.

Above the Circle

What would you do if you knew that you had been given a second chance to sail away from life’s safe harbour? Each of us has dreams of doing something that takes us out of our comfort zone but few of us take the plunge and actually do it.

In this book Mervyn Smith describes a point in his life when he was facing the question of his own mortality as he recovered from a serious life-saving surgery. This is the story of how he responded to that challenge and followed a life-long dream to ride a motorcycle from his Shropshire home to a destination way above the Arctic Circle and who he did it for.

Read what brought him to that decision, what difficulties he overcame to pursue his dream and the adventures he had on the journey riding through the hottest European summer on record. This book will inspire you, challenge you and hopefully motivate you to realise that everyone has a skill set unique to them which, with faith, imagination, and creativity, can be released. And that age is never a barrier to doing something extra ordinary.

Accepting ME

What do you do when your life is turned upside down by an illness?

Learning to adapt and cope with illness is extremely difficult and can lead even the most confident person to becoming vulnerable.

Follow Lou through her fascinating true journey of how she learned to live with her illness and how she discovered a way to live again.

Acting Monologues | A New Collection | Volume I

This is a diverse and exciting new collection of modern and historical pieces for young performers, aged 7 to 17 years.

A selection of speeches designed to empower and authenticate young girls, teenagers, and individuals who identify as female, as well as numerous gender-fluid roles.

The monologues are suitable for acting examinations, competitions, and auditions – or any situation where a solo scene is required from a published book of monologues. For those learners who study LAMDA examinations, the collection provides options for the learner’s ‘own choice’ category from grades Entry – Grade 5.

Vitally, the themes are fresh and relevant to young people in a modern world; giving learners wider opportunities to explore, learn, and grow as actors, inspired by new and original writing, which is fun, challenging, and meaningful to perform.

Ada and Emily

Ada and Emily are best friends and next-door neighbours. They love to engineer and build a variety of creations in Ada’s shed. One warm summer day whilst staring up at the sky, they realise what they want to do most is fly. They quickly get to work, turning a past project, a go-kart, into their very own aeroplane in which they can take to the skies and have amazing adventures.

Join Ada and Emily as they plan and build their aeroplane, become aircraft engineers and pilots, and take their first flights.

Adam and Isaac - The Five Stones

Adam and Isaac are brothers who like to spend time together having fun. While doing so they find out about mathematics in a fun way in the real world. They gently help each other to find the answers to questions they ask themselves. They are enthusiastic in their thinking and offer clear reasoning which is easy to understand.

Their stories offer a new approach to learning the basic skills and understanding to the subject. Children will enjoy the story without realising they are learning about mathematics. The illustrations are designed to clearly show their path in reasoning and learning.

This book is ideal for teachers to use in school with young children as an introduction to multiplication, either in a maths lesson or at story time. However, it is also perfect for parents/carers to use at home as a bedtime story, which can lead on to some fun while learning about mathematics.

Adult Colouring Book - Spring Secrets

This beautiful set of elegant, delicate drawings create imaginative landscapes for readers to fill with their minds.

This collection is particularly concerned with the bloom and growth of spring, nature and humanity intertwined and contorted into amorphous beauty.

Karen Harper’s Spring Secrets will appeal strongly to anyone with an artistic disposition looking to express themselves and truly engage with the art contained within.

Adventures in Willow Woodland

Willow Woodland is a beautiful place where lots of different animals live. It’s a friendly, fun and exciting place where anything is possible and everyone is welcome.

It was a beautiful bright sunny morning and the birds were all awake singing loud for the Woodland to hear. It was the perfect day for a surprise birthday party! Heather Hedgehog thought to herself.

Everyone was excited for today because everyone enjoyed a good party and they always had the best adventures when they were together.

Heather Hedgehog has planned this day for a very long time, will everything go to plan? Even with clumsy Harry Hare helping to set up the party with balloons, hats, games, and of course, a cake, because you need to have a cake if you’re having a birthday party, don’t you?

You're invited too, so come join Heather Hedgehog, Barry Badger and Harry Hare for a fun day, but remember it’s a secret so don’t tell Susie Squirrel.