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Join an unlikely trio for some irresistibly funny antics in this read-aloud gem from bestselling author Mem Fox and bestselling and award-winning illustrator Mark Teague.

Once there was a huge, scary dog. Right?
Wrong! But there was a cat.

In this zippy, call-and-response-style adventure, a cat and dog are astonished to find a mouse in their house! The three circle each other while the story sometimes correctly describes their antics—and sometimes doesn’t. Young readers will love participating by pointing out which parts are right and wrong.

Mo Willems, award-winning, best-selling author/illustrator and inaugural Education Artist-in-Residence at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, delivers a masterfully inquisitive look at opposites.


Is this dark? Is this light? Is this soft? Is this hard? Using colors, shapes, lines and textures, Willems invites readers to explore abstract concepts through eye-popping, emotive, and highly-accessible artwork.


This all-ages concept book is perfect for readers young or old, big or small, or any other set of opposites.

A fresh, urban take on bedtime stories in the spirit of The House That Jack Built and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, from debut author Anne Wynter and Caldecott Honoree Oge Mora.

Everybody in the red brick building was asleep. Until . . .

WaaaAAH!

Rraak! Wake up!

Pitter patter STOMP!

Pssheew!

A chain reaction of noises wakes up several children (and a cat) living in an apartment building. But it's late in the night, so despite the disturbances, one by one, the building's inhabitants return to their beds--this time with a new set of sounds to lull them to sleep.

This engaging picture book prompts young children to face their fear of monsters and take charge of the situation! The reader is prompted to tickle various parts of a monster, deconstructing the creature and repurposing his parts into a far less threatening scene. His horns become the moon, his legs and arms become trees, his nose becomes a car. . . . Slowly but surely, the monster's shapes build a peaceful nighttime landscape. Manceau's bold, geometric illustrations create a deceptively simple visual narrative that encourages readers to see the parts as well as the whole.

Reminiscent of Ed Emberley's Go Away, Big Green Monster!, this book empowers the child to be brave and clever in the face of adversity.

Be a smart cookie--and don't miss the fifth picture book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Food Group series from creators Jory John and Pete Oswald!

This cookie has never felt like a smart cookie no matter how hard she tries, especially in comparison to all the clever cupcakes and brilliant rolls in the bakery. Will a dash of creativity and a sprinkle of confidence be enough to help her learn that perfect scores and having all the answers aren't the only ingredients for intelligence?

Jory John and Pete Oswald serve up another heaping plate of laughs and lessons with this empowering, witty, and charming addition to their #1 New York Times bestselling series!

The love between a brother and sister shines through in this reassuring picture book about a common childhood transition--an older sibling starting school and leaving the younger one behind.

Liza is Henry's big sister, and Henry is Liza's little brother. As long as there has been a Henry and Liza, they have always done everything together. Haircuts, birthday parties, tree climbing, even flu shots. Liza and Henry. Henry and Liza. But that all changes when Liza starts school for the first time, heading off to kindergarten and leaving her little brother behind. Henry is incredulous. How can Liza do this to him?

This true-to-life picture book, gorgeously illustrated, explores a sweet sibling relationship and carries an important and reassuring message about family and growing up.

A contemporary collection of original short stories by Anica Mrose Rissi that is sure to elicit chills, laughs, and screams, even from the most devoted fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark!

A game of hide-and-seek goes on far too long...

A look-alike doll makes itself right at home...

A school talent-show act leaves the audience aghast...

And a summer at camp takes a turn for the braaaains...

This collection of all-new spooky stories is sure to keep readers up past their bedtimes, looking over their shoulders to see what goes bump in the night.

So if you're feeling brave, turn the page.

A fun and fresh graphic-novel series spin-off of the New York Times best-selling Click books, featuring aspiring entrepreneurs Beth and Chanda! When the girls land a lucrative dogsitting gig, they're sure that fame, fortune, and popularity can't be far behind, but nothing can prepare them for the mishap that throws their business plan--and friendship--into chaos!

Meet Beth and Chanda, two stylish best friends on their way to building their fashion empire! An unexpected business opportunity presents itself when the girls are asked to dogsit at Ms. Langford's luxurious house while she's away, but it quickly turns into a disaster after an accident leaves one of Ms. Langford's prized possessions in pieces! Now Beth and Chanda have to take on as many odd jobs as they can in order to afford a replacement. Car washing, book sales, interior decorating--you name it, Beth and Chanda are there! Will they be able to patch up their mistake in time?

Sophie, Hattie, and Owen stumble across an adorable cottage hidden in the woods in this eighteenth charming book of The Adventures of Sophie Mouse!

Sophie and her friends discover an adorable cottage hidden in the woods. And it seems as if no one lives there! The three friends each find something special to love about the little home, and soon they spend all their free time there. But one day, they discover that things have been moved in the cottage. Does someone live there after all?
 

The Fire Nation is threatened by a prophecy told by the Kemurikage, mysterious figures thought only to exist in legend: remove Zuko from the throne, or the country will perish!

Avatar Aang and his friends escort Zuko and his family back to the capital, completely unaware of the looming threat growing in the city. Unrest is brewing as the New Ozai Society prepares to make its move against the crown, and children begin to go missing from their homes under mysterious circumstances.

As the war with the dragons intensifies, all eyes are turning to Titan Valley for help. A dragon sanctuary unlike any of the others, this one is home to enslaved dragons ruled by the powerful Giant Queen, one of the five monarchs of the magical world. In addition, it houses the arena for the Titan Games, a series of gladiator-style battles presided over by none other than Humbuggle, the demon who stole Seth's memories!

Seth is seeking for his memories. Kendra is seeking for Seth. And everyone is seeking to stop the dragons from taking over the world--everyone but Ronodin, the dark unicorn, who has his own devious agenda. In the monstrous battle between giants and dragons, who wins? In the race to retrieve a magical talisman that could help win the war, can Kendra trust Seth? Will they find the answers they desperately need in a realm of trolls and titans? Or are more betrayals imminent?

All-new adventures featuring the beloved characters of the hit Nintendo video game! The Turf Wars have started in Inkopolis, and the team that inks the most ground will be crowned the winner! Based on the hit Nintendo games! Team Blue has garnered attention after impressive showings against some of the most elite Inkling teams. But it'll only get harder from here! With the S4 Inklings aiming to bring down Goggles and his friends, the team must continue to find ways to improve, even if it means asking for help from the unlikeliest of sources!

The first Hispanic and third woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor has become an instant American icon. Now, with a candor and intimacy never undertaken by a sitting Justice, she recounts her life from a Bronx housing project to the federal bench, a journey that offers an inspiring testament to her own extraordinary determination and the power of believing in oneself.

Here is the story of a precarious childhood, with an alcoholic father (who would die when she was nine) and a devoted but overburdened mother, and of the refuge a little girl took from the turmoil at home with her passionately spirited paternal grandmother. But it was when she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes that the precocious Sonia recognized she must ultimately depend on herself. She would learn to give herself the insulin shots she needed to survive and soon imagined a path to a different life. With only television characters for her professional role models, and little understanding of what was involved, she determined to become a lawyer, a dream that would sustain her on an unlikely course, from valedictorian of her high school class to the highest honors at Princeton, Yale Law School, the New York County District Attorney's office, private practice, and appointment to the Federal District Court before the age of forty. Along the way we see how she was shaped by her invaluable mentors, a failed marriage, and the modern version of extended family she has created from cherished friends and their children. Through her still-astonished eyes, America's infinite possibilities are envisioned anew in this warm and honest book.

A revolutionary memoir about domestic abuse by the award-winning author of Her Body and Other Parties

In the Dream House is Carmen Maria Machado’s engrossing and wildly innovative account of a relationship gone bad, and a bold dissection of the mechanisms and cultural representations of psychological abuse. Tracing the full arc of a harrowing relationship with a charismatic but volatile woman, Machado struggles to make sense of how what happened to her shaped the person she was becoming.

And it’s that struggle that gives the book its original structure: each chapter is driven by its own narrative trope—the haunted house, erotica, the bildungsroman—through which Machado holds the events up to the light and examines them from different angles. She looks back at her religious adolescence, unpacks the stereotype of lesbian relationships as safe and utopian, and widens the view with essayistic explorations of the history and reality of abuse in queer relationships.

Machado’s dire narrative is leavened with her characteristic wit, playfulness, and openness to inquiry. She casts a critical eye over legal proceedings, fairy tales, Star Trek, and Disney villains, as well as iconic works of film and fiction. The result is a wrenching, riveting book that explodes our ideas about what a memoir can do and be.

One of the Must-Read Books of 2019 According to O: The Oprah Magazine * Time * Bustle * Electric Literature * Publishers Weekly * The Millions * The Week * Good Housekeeping

In this searing memoir, Jaquira Díaz writes fiercely and eloquently of her challenging girlhood and triumphant coming of age.

While growing up in housing projects in Puerto Rico and Miami Beach, Díaz found herself caught between extremes. As her family split apart and her mother battled schizophrenia, she was supported by the love of her friends. As she longed for a family and home, her life was upended by violence. As she celebrated her Puerto Rican culture, she couldn’t find support for her burgeoning sexual identity. From her own struggles with depression and sexual assault to Puerto Rico’s history of colonialism, every page of Ordinary Girls vibrates with music and lyricism. Díaz writes with raw and refreshing honesty, triumphantly mapping a way out of despair toward love and hope to become her version of the girl she always wanted to be.

Reminiscent of Tara Westover’s Educated, Kiese Laymon’s Heavy, Mary Karr’s The Liars’ Club, and Terese Marie Mailhot’s Heart Berries, Jaquira Díaz’s memoir provides a vivid portrait of a life lived in (and beyond) the borders of Puerto Rico and its complicated history—and reads as electrically as a novel.

In his dazzling new memoir, Richard Rodriguez reflects on the color brown and the meaning of Hispanics to the life of America today. Rodriguez argues that America has been brown since its inception-since the moment the African and the European met within the Indian eye. But more than simply a book about race, Brown is about America in the broadest sense—a look at what our country is, full of surprising observations by a writer who is a marvelous stylist as well as a trenchant observer and thinker.

“People do not define you,” Soledad O’Brien’s Cuban mother repeatedly told her. “You define yourself.” And so this mixed-race, first-generation Latina American would go on to succeed in her field, ultimately becoming an anchor for CNN. O’Brien’s remarks, like the others included in this volume, reflect on what it means to be Latino in the United States. For her, “It’s succeeding, fulfilling the dream and then turning around and grabbing everybody else and making it happen for them too.”

The importance of education is a common refrain in the lives of the leaders represented here. Many reference one particular teacher or mentor who made a difference. The late Reverend Father Virgilio Elizondo, a professor at the University of Notre Dame, said his fifth-grade teacher changed his life. She taught him to love school and learning. Others remember the sacrifices made by parents so that their children could have more opportunities for a better life. In all, these writings are both a testament to perseverance and a guide to life, for readers of all backgrounds.

Originally presented at the Latino Leaders Luncheon Series in Washington, DC, and other major cities, the personal stories included in this book are all by successful Latinos involved in a variety of occupations. Contributors include former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former general manager of the New York Mets, Omar Minaya. Their words will inspire readers to follow their dreams and help those less fortunate.

Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, a “phenomenal, indispensable” (USA Today) exploration of the Latina “sweet fifteen” celebration, by the bestselling author of How the García Girls Lost Their Accents and In the Time of Butterflies

The quinceañera, a celebration of a Latina girl’s fifteenth birthday, has become a uniquely American trend. This lavish party with ball gowns, multi-tiered cakes, limousines, and extravagant meals is often as costly as a prom or a wedding. But many Latina girls feel entitled to this rite of passage, marking a girl’s entrance into womanhood, and expect no expense to be spared, even in working-class families. Acclaimed author Julia Alvarez explores the history and cultural significance of the “quince” in the United States, and the consequences of treating teens like princesses. Through her observations of a quince in Queens, interviews with other quince girls, and the memories of her own experience as a young immigrant, Alvarez presents a thoughtful and entertaining portrait of a rapidly growing multicultural phenomenon, and passionately emphasizes the importance of celebrating Latina womanhood.

The poetry of Pablo Neruda is beloved worldwide for its passion, humor, and exceptional accessibility. The nearly fifty poems selected for this collection and translated by Stephen Mitchell—widely praised for his original and definitive translations of spiritual writings and poetry—focus on Neruda's mature period, when the poet was in his fifties. A bilingual volume, with Neruda's original Spanish text facing Mitchell's English translation, it will bring Neruda's sensuous work to vibrant life for a whole new generation of readers.

Finalist for the National Book Award for Poetry • Finalist for the PEN Open Book Award • Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize

Carmen Giménez Smith dares to demand renewal for a world made unrecognizable

Be Recorder offers readers a blazing way forward into an as yet unmade world. The many times and tongues in these poems investigate the precariousness of personhood in lines that excoriate and sanctify. Carmen Giménez Smith turns the increasingly pressing urge to cry out into a dream of rebellion—against compromise, against inertia, against self-delusion, and against the ways the media dream up our complacency in an America that depends on it. This reckoning with self and nation demonstrates that who and where we are is as conditional as the fact of our compliance: “Miss America from sea to shining sea / the huddled masses have a question / there is one of you and all of us.” Be Recorder is unrepentant and unstoppable, and affirms Giménez Smith as one of the most vital and vivacious poets of our time.

75 Poems by the Author of How the García Girls Lost Their Accents and In the Time of the Butterflies

The works of this award-winning poet and novelist are rich with the language and influences of two cultures: those of the Dominican Republic of her childhood and the America of her youth and adulthood. They have shaped her writing just as they have shaped her life. In these seventy-five autobiographical poems, Alvarez’s clear voice sings out in every line. Here, in the middle of her life, she looks back as a way of understanding and celebrating the woman she has become.

This groundbreaking Norton Anthology includes the work of 201 Latino writers from Chicano, Cuban-, Puerto Rican-, and Dominican-American traditions, as well as writing from other Spanish-speaking countries. Under the general editorship of award-winning cultural critic Ilan Stavans, The Norton Anthology of Latino Literature traces four centuries of writing, from letters to the Spanish crown by sixteenth-century conquistadors to the cutting-edge expressions of twenty-first-century cartoonistas and artists of reggaeton. In six chronological sections—Colonization, Annexation, Acculturation, Upheaval, Into the Mainstream, and Popular Traditions—it encompasses all genres, featuring such writers as José Martí, William Carlos Williams, Julia Alvarez, Oscar Hijuelos, Cristina García, Piri Thomas, Esmeralda Santiago, and Junot Díaz. Twelve years in the making, The Norton Anthology of Latino Literature sheds new light on "nuestra America" through a gathering of writing unprecedented in scope and vitality.

In this New York Times bestselling memoir, Rita Moreno shares her remarkable journey from a young girl with simple beginnings in Puerto Rico to Hollywood legend—and one of the few performers, and the only Hispanic, to win an Oscar, Grammy, Tony and two Emmys.

Born Rosita Dolores Alverio in the idyll of Puerto Rico, Moreno, at age five, embarked on a harrowing sea voyage with her mother and wound up in the harsh barrios of the Bronx, where she discovered dancing, singing, and acting as ways to escape a tumultuous childhood. Making her Broadway debut  by age thirteen—and moving on to Hollywood in its Golden Age just a few years later—she worked alongside such stars as Gary Cooper, Yul Brynner, and Ann Miller.

When discovered by Louis B. Mayer of MGM, the wizard himself declared: “She looks like a Spanish Elizabeth Taylor.”  Cast by Gene Kelly as Zelda Zanders in Singin’ in the Rain and then on to her Oscar-winning performance in West Side Story, she catapulted to fame—yet found herself repeatedly typecast as the “utility ethnic,” a role she found almost impossible to elude.

Here, for the first time, Rita reflects on her struggles to break through Hollywood’s racial and sexual barriers. She explores the wounded little girl behind the glamorous façade—and what it took to find her place in the world. She talks candidly about her relationship with Elvis Presley, her encounters with Howard Hughes, and the passionate romance with Marlon Brando that nearly killed her. And she shares the illusiveness of a “perfect” marriage and the incomparable joys of motherhood.

Infused with Rita Moreno’s quick wit and deep insight, this memoir is the dazzling portrait of a stage and screen star who longed to become who she really is—and triumphed.

This vibrant book provides a thrilling new perspective from which to appreciate Frida Kahlo's paintings against the backdrop of her home and garden. Frida Kahlo created a natural paradise in her home at Casa Azul in Mexico City. The plants cultivated there were vital components of some of her most original work and an important part of her fascination with indigenous Mexican history and culture. From early paintings dating from the 1920s to her last known work, Kahlo's use of botanical imagery reflects not only a love of the natural world, but also an evolving iconography. By focusing attention on this aspect of her art and its relationship to her garden sanctuary, the book demonstrates how the natural world provided Kahlo with inspiration. In addition to dazzling full-page reproductions of Kahlo's paintings and works on paper, the book also includes essays presenting Kahlo as an avid collector of artefacts, animals, books and plants. Archival photos trace the evolution of the Casa Azul (the Blue House) over the course of the artist's lifetime. Additionally, it explores Mexican architecture, landscape design and gardens of the early 20th century. Fans of botanical art, garden enthusiasts, and Kahlo's many devotees will find new and exciting images and information in this elegant, unique presentation of one of modern art's most revered figures. Published in association with The New York Botanical Garden. AUTHOR: Adriana Zavala PhD is Associate Professor of art history at Tufts University. 80 colour illustrations

Many people know that Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) was a Mexican artist, a feminist icon who lived in the famous Blue House and whose work includes The Two Fridas. What, perhaps, they don't know is that 55 of her 143 artworks are self-portraits; that her painting Roots holds the record for a Latin American artwork, having sold for $5.6 million in 2006; that her love letters sold for $137,000; that she married her husband twice; or that she arrived for her first solo exhibition in an ambulance. This book casts a modern eye over her life and work, with an array of irresistible facts and figures converted into infographics to reveal the artist behind the pictures.

Award-winning collection of 450 authentic recipes from South America. Maria Baez Kijac is an experienced guide to this culinary journey through South America. Each recipe is clearly written, and the myriad flavors beckon the adventurous to try one recipe after another. In addition, Maria is a talented teacher, and her sections on technique will help new students of this cuisine master the dishes with ease and satisfaction. This will be the definitive word on South American food for years to come.†? - Art Smith, author of Back to the Table

From bestselling author of the remarkable memoir, The Distance Between Us comes an inspiring account of one woman’s quest to find her place in America as a first-generation Latina university student and aspiring writer determined to build a new life for her family one fearless word at a time. “Here is a life story so unbelievable, it could only be true” (Sandra Cisneros, bestselling author of The House on Mango Street).

As an immigrant in an unfamiliar country, with an indifferent mother and abusive father, Reyna had few resources at her disposal. Taking refuge in words, Reyna’s love of reading and writing propels her to rise above until she achieves the impossible and is accepted to the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Although her acceptance is a triumph, the actual experience of American college life is intimidating and unfamiliar for someone like Reyna, who is now estranged from her family and support system. Again, she finds solace in words, holding fast to her vision of becoming a writer, only to discover she knows nothing about what it takes to make a career out of a dream.

Through it all, Reyna is determined to make the impossible possible, going from undocumented immigrant of little means to “a fierce, smart, shimmering light of a writer” (Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild); a National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist whose “power is growing with every book” (Luis Alberto Urrea, Pultizer Prize finalist); and a proud mother of two beautiful children who will never have to know the pain of poverty and neglect.

Told in Reyna’s exquisite, heartfelt prose, A Dream Called Home demonstrates how, by daring to pursue her dreams, Reyna was able to build the one thing she had always longed for: a home that would endure.

Every writer knows that as rewarding as the creative process is, it can often be a bumpy road. Have hope and keep at it! Designed to kick-start creativity, this handbook from the executive director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) gathers a wide range of insights and advice for writers at any stage of their career. From tips about how to finally start that story to helpful ideas about what to do when the words just aren't quite coming out right, Pep Talks for Writers provides motivation, encouragement, and helpful exercises for writers of all stripes.

Where do writers learn their best moves? They use a technique that Roy Peter Clark calls X-ray reading, a form of reading that lets you penetrate beyond the surface of a text to see how meaning is actually being made. In The Art of X-Ray Reading, Clark invites you to don your X-ray reading glasses and join him on a guided tour through some of the most exquisite and masterful literary works of all time, from The Great Gatsby to Lolita to The Bluest Eye, and many more. Along the way, he shows you how to mine these masterpieces for invaluable writing strategies that you can add to your arsenal and apply in your own writing. Once you've experienced X-ray reading, your writing will never be the same again.

This book is not intended to persuade you to take up writing novels or short stories – “It’s going to be a lot of work,” Jack Hodgins warns. Nor will it tell you how to market your stories. But it will take you through the problems facing any fiction writer and show you how some of the best writers in English have solved them.

 

Every writer struggles with spots that "just aren't working"in their manuscript. No other book on the market approaches works like Fiction First Aid does, which quickly shows how seemingly fatal errors can become both manageable and fixable. Novice and more experienced writers alike will appreciate the book's techniques for identifying and revising weaknesses in their work. Fiction First Aid shows how to repair those wounded manuscripts through easy-to-follow steps, patterned after those found in your typical first-aid manual: 1) Diagnose the problem 2) Suggest specific remedies 3) Prescribe therapies to avoid the problem in the future It couldn't be any easier! Raymond Obstfeld is the author of 27 novels in a variety of genres, including mysteries, suspense thrillers, and mainstream novels and The Novelist's Essential Guide to Creating Scenes. He has also sold ten screenplays, thirteen books of nonfiction, numerous short stories, poems, and nonfiction articles. He resides in Tustin, California, and heads the writing program at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.

"Let the lawn get shaggy and the paint peel from the walls," bestselling novelist Walter Mosley advises. In this invaluable book of tips, practical advice, and wisdom, Mosley promises that the writer-in-waiting can finish their novel in one year.

Intended as both inspiration and instruction, this book provides the tools to turn out a first draft painlessly and then revise it into something finer. Mosley teaches you how to:

• Create a daily writing regimen to fit any writer's needs -- and how to stick to it.
• Determine the narrative voice that's right for every writer's style.
• Hook readers with dynamic characters.
• Get past those first challenging sentences and into the heart of a story.
• And much more.

You've written a book, triumphantly typed 'The End', but now, it seems, no-one wants to publish it. What do you do next?

Author of over thirty novels, stories and screenplays, and tutor on the prestigious creative writing course at Bath Spa, Fay Weldon has a lifetime of wisdom to impart on the art of writing.

Why Will No-One Publish My Novel? will delight and amuse, but it isn't just another how-to-write handbook: it shows you how not to write if you want to get published.

Whether you are daunted by a blinking cursor or frustrated trying to get the people in your head onto the page, writing stories can be intimidating. It takes passion, tenacity, patience, and a knowledge of--and faith in--the often-digressive writing process. A do-it-yourself manual for the apprentice fiction writer, Storyville! demystifies that process; its bold graphics take you inside the writer's comfortingly chaotic mind and show you how stories are made.

In Storyville!, seasoned guide John Dufresne--whose approach "will anchor the newbie and entertain the veteran" (San Francisco Chronicle)--provides practical insight into the building blocks of fiction, including how to make the reader see your characters, create a suspenseful plot, and revise, revise, revise. With original prompts and exercises crafted with Dufresne's singular dry wit, and Evan Wondolowski's playful and illuminating graphics on every page, Storyville! is the perfect companion for aspiring writers of all levels.

The desire to create, to write, to fulfil our artistic dreams is a powerful human need. Yet the number of people who make a living solely by their pen is actually quite small. What does that mean for the rest of us, the self-described writing geeks, who are passionate about writing and who still want to sustain successful literary lives? What does it really mean to find time to build a rewarding writing life while pursuing a career, being a partner or raising a family, in the distracted, time-deprived, 21st-century? In The Geek's Guide to the Writing Life, based on her Huffington Post blog of the same name, Stephanie Vanderslice shares the secrets and tools to developing a successful, rewarding writing practice in a way that inspires the reader to persevere through the inevitable lows and even the highs of a literary life, so that anyone can pursue the path to realizing their artistic dreams.

In his essential writing guide, This Year You Write Your Novel, Walter Mosley supplied aspiring writers with the basic tools to write a novel in one year. In this com-plementary follow up, Mosley guides the writer through the elements of not just any fiction writing, but the kind of writing that transcends convention and truly stands out. How does one approach the genius of writers like Melville, Dickens, or Twain? In The Elements of Fiction Writing, Walter Mosley contemplates the answer.

In a series of instructive and conversational chapters, Mosley demonstrates how to master fiction's most essential elements: character and char-acter development, plot and story, voice and narrative, context and description, and more. The result is a vivid depiction of the writing process, from the blank page to the first draft to rewriting, and rewriting again. Throughout, The Elements of Fiction Writing is enriched by brilliant demonstrative examples that Mosley himself has written here for the first time.

Inspiring, accessible, and told in a voice both trustworthy and wise, The Elements of Fiction writing will intrigue and encourage writers and readers alike.

From one of America's most influential teachers, a collection of the best writing advice distilled from fifty language books -- from Aristotle to Strunk and White.

With so many excellent writing guides lining bookstore shelves, it can be hard to know where to look for the best advice. Should you go with Natalie Goldberg or Anne Lamott? Maybe William Zinsser or Stephen King would be more appropriate. Then again, what about the classics -- Strunk and White, or even Aristotle himself?

Thankfully, your search is over. In Murder Your Darlings, Roy Peter Clark, who has been a beloved and revered writing teacher to children and Pulitzer Prize winners alike for more than thirty years, has compiled a remarkable collection of more than 100 of the best writing tips from fifty of the best writing books of all time.

With a chapter devoted to each key strategy, Clark expands and contextualizes the original author's suggestions and offers anecdotes about how each one helped him or other writers sharpen their skills. An invaluable resource for writers of all kinds, Murder Your Darlings is an inspiring and edifying ode to the craft of writing.

In this guided tour of our planetary neighborhood, the Milky Way and other galaxies, and beyond, detailed maps and fascinating imagery from recent space missions partner with clear, authoritative scientific information. Starting with the sun and moving outward into space, acclaimed science writer and physicist James Trefil illuminates each planet, the most important moons, significant asteroids, and other objects in our solar system. Looking beyond, he explains what we know about the Milky Way and other galaxies--and how we know it, with clear explanations of the basics of astrophysics, including dark matter and gravitational waves. For this new edition, and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his moonwalk, astronaut and American hero Buzz Aldrin offers a new special section on Earth's moon and its essential role in space exploration past and future.

This magnificent volume offers a rich visual tour of the planets in our solar system. More than 200 breathtaking photographs from the archives of NASA are paired with extended captions detailing the science behind some of our cosmic neighborhood's most extraordinary phenomena. Images of newly discovered areas of Jupiter, fiery volcanoes on Venus, and many more reveal the astronomical marvels of space in engrossing detail. Anyone with an interest in science, astronomy, and the mysteries of the universe will delight in this awe-inspiring guide to the wonders of the solar system.

An insider’s guide to astronomy reveals everything you need to know about the planets, their satellites, and our place in the solar system.

We have the impression that the solar system is perfectly regular like a clock or a planetarium instrument. On a short timescale it is. But, seen in a longer perspective, the planets, and their satellites, have exciting lives, full of events.

For example, did you know that Saturn’s moon, Titan, boasts lakes which contain liquid methane surrounded by soaring hills and valleys, exactly as the earth did before life evolved on our fragile planet? Or that Mercury is the shyest planet? Or, that Mars’s biggest volcano is one hundred times the size of Earth’s, or that its biggest canyon is ten times the depth of the Grand Canyon, or that it wasn’t always red, but blue?

The culmination of a lifetime of astronomy and wonder, Paul Murdin’s enchanting new book reveals everything you ever wanted to know about the planets, their satellites, and our place in the solar system.

Based on National Geographic's internationally-renowned television series, this groundbreaking and visually stunning book explores how science and civilization grew up together. From the emergence of life at deep-sea vents to solar-powered starships sailing through the galaxy, from the Big Bang to the intricacies of intelligence in many life forms, acclaimed author Ann Druyan documents where humanity has been and where it is going, using her unique gift of bringing complex scientific concepts to life. With evocative photographs and vivid illustrations, she recounts momentous discoveries, from the Voyager missions in which she and her husband, Carl Sagan, participated to Cassini-Huygens's recent insights into Saturn's moons. This breathtaking sequel to Sagan's masterpiece explains how we humans can glean a new understanding of consciousness here on Earth and out in the cosmos--again reminding us that our planet is a pale blue dot in an immense universe of possibility.

Explore the star-studded cosmos with this fully updated, user-friendly skywatcher's guide, filled with charts, graphics, photographs, and expert tips for viewing -- and understanding -- the wonders of space.

Stargazing's too much fun to leave to astronomers. In these inviting pages, "Night Sky Guy" Andrew Fazekas takes an expert but easygoing approach that will delight would-be astronomers of all levels. Essential information, organized logically, brings the solar system, stars, and planets to life in your own backyard. Start with the easiest constellations and then "star-hop" across the night sky to find others nearby. Learn about the dark side of the moon, how to pick Mars out of a planetary lineup, and which kinds of stars twinkle in your favorite constellations. Hands-on tips and techniques for observing with the naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope help make the most out of sightings and astronomical phenomena such as eclipses and meteor showers. Photographs and graphics present key facts in an easy-to-understand format, explaining heavenly phenomena such as black holes, solar flares, and supernovas. Revised to make skywatching even easier for the whole family, this indispensable guide shines light on the night sky--truly one of the greatest shows on Earth!

This is a modern classic in the literature of sky lore -- a comprehensive collection of myths, legends, and historical notes about each of the 88 constellations and the sun, moon, Milky Way, and shooting stars. Star maps depict the constellations with outline figures. Written for the non-specialist and widely respected by professional planetarians, this book provides a substantive review of the familiar star lore of classical Southwest Asian and Mediterranean civilisations as well as that of ancient China, South Asia, and traditional societies of northern Eurasia, North and South America, the Pacific Islands, and Australasia. This is one of the must-have books that should be in the library of every enthusiast of mankind's enchantment with the night sky.

It's not always easy to find the 88 constellations, but this illustrated guidebook will lead you through the stars and make gazing at them a more meaningful experience. Two larger maps portray the entire northern and southern sky, and all the constellations in it. Because the stars put on different "seasonal shows," another set charts the changes that take place in the heavens during the year. Still more pictures present a close-up view of every single constellation, filled with detail. (You'll see an image of the real or imaginary creature it's named after, too.) And, there's so much great information accompanying the super visuals: facts on how far away the stars really are, other interstellar phenomena, the history of every constellation and how they got their names, and the best way to do your star searching. 

An historically unprecedented disconnect between humanity and the heavens has opened. Jo Marchant's book can begin to heal it. For at least 20,000 years, we have led not just an earthly existence but a cosmic one. Celestial cycles drove every aspect of our daily lives. Our innate relationship with the stars shaped who we are--our art, religious beliefs, social status, scientific advances, and even our biology. But over the last few centuries we have separated ourselves from the universe that surrounds us. It's a disconnect with a dire cost. Our relationship to the stars and planets has moved from one of awe, wonder and superstition to one where technology is king--the cosmos is now explored through data on our screens, not by the naked eye observing the natural world. Indeed, in most countries modern light pollution obscures much of the night sky from view. Jo Marchant's spellbinding parade of the ways different cultures celebrated the majesty and mysteries of the night sky is a journey to the most awe inspiring view you can ever see--looking up on a clear dark night. That experience and the thoughts it has engendered have radically shaped human civilization across millennia. The cosmos is the source of our greatest creativity in art, in science, in life. To show us how, Jo Marchant takes us to the Hall of the Bulls in the caves at Lascaux in France, and to the summer solstice at a 5,000-year-old tomb at New Grange in England. We discover Chumash cosmology and visit medieval monks grappling with the nature of time and Tahitian sailors navigating by the stars. We discover how light reveals the chemical composition of the sun, and we are with Einstein as he works out that space and time are one and the same. A four-billion-year-old meteor inspires a search for extraterrestrial life. The cosmically liberating, summary revelation is that star-gazing made us human

A brilliant and breathtakingly vivid tour of the universe, describing the physics of the dangerous, the deadly, and the scary in the cosmos.

So you’ve fallen in love with space and now you want to see it for yourself, huh? You want to witness the birth of a star, or visit the black hole at the center of our galaxy? You want to know if there are aliens out there, or how to travel through a wormhole? You want the wonders of the universe revealed before your very eyes?

Well stop, because all that will probably kill you.

From mundane comets in our solar backyard to exotic remnants of the Big Bang, from dying stars to young galaxies, the universe may be beautiful, but it’s treacherous. Through metaphors and straightforward language, it breathes life into astrophysics, unveiling how particles and forces and fields interplay to create the drama in the heavens above us.

Give your home a fresh new look. Lexie Barnes shows you how to quickly and inexpensively personalize your living space with 50 fun, pattern-free sewing projects that are highly adaptable and visually inspiring. Dramatic before-and-after photographs demonstrate how easy it is to brighten your living room with a custom-designed slipcover or give new life to a bedroom with a colorful headboard cover, lampshade, and matching window treatments. Get sewing and transform your home into the stylish abode you’ve always craved. 

"Part of a fantastic new series of stash-busting sewing books aimed at beginner to intermediate crafters, Fat Quarter: Home has 25 quick and easy projects to make, all from fat quarters or fabric scraps. Each project has easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions and beautiful accompanying photography, as well as a handy tools and techniques section. This book is ideal for using up leftover remnants of fabric to create a range of decorative and useful items for your home. The projects also make great gifts for friends and family. Projects include: pot holder, tea cosy, storage bucket, lavender bag, apron, drop-in seat, padded coat-hanger, doorstop, coaster, lingerie bag."

Twenty simple sewing projects are tied together with a thread of memoir that tells the story of how sewing brought Sanae Ishida profound happiness. Each seasonal project, specially designed to promote health, creativity, relationships and more, provides gentle inspiration to live your best life.

When Ishida was diagnosed with a chronic illness and lost her corporate job, she thought her life was over. But these challenges ended up being the best thing that ever happened to her because they forced her to take stock of her life and focus on the important things, and enabled her to rediscover sewing--her true passion.

Inspired to succeed at just one thing, Ishida vowed to sew all of her daughter's clothes (and most of her own) for one year. Sewing Happiness includes 20 projects plus variations (including Japanese-inspired home goods and children's and women's clothing) organized by season, and stitched together with Ishida's charming personal story.

This cult book is a step by step guide by Hikaru Noguchi, a guru of visible darning in Japan. This is visible mending, more akin to embroidery and embellishment that will make your favorite clothing even more personal and save it from landfill. Climate change is making us rethink how we use resources and not subscribing to fast-fashion and re-using and mending our clothes has become a mark of pride. This detailed step-by-step guide makes the methods easy to follow even for non-sewers. The stylish photography shows off the artistic and minimalist style of the designer's work.

With more than 200,000 copies in print, Storey's One-Skein Wonders series is an unqualified success. Now, for the first time in the series, fabric takes center stage! And the timing couldn't be better. Sewing machine sales have doubled over the past 10 years, and crafters are discovering the joy of another kind of stitching.

One-Yard Wonders will delight anyone who has ever fallen for fabric - from the novice sewing enthusiast to the lifelong seamstress. The book presents a delightful array of simple, stylish projects that can be made with just a single yard of fabric - from apparel to accessories, from plush toys to pet beds, from baby items to bags, and from home decor to "Happy Birthday" banners. Projects have a hip,contemporary flair, and most can be completed in a few hours. For each project, the book provides a full-color photograph, easy step-by-step instructions, and simple illustrations. Templates and pattern pieces are also included wherever needed, making this collection of 101 projects the best sewing deal ever.

Great fabric demands to be purchased, even if it's just aÊ yard or two at a time. But such tantalizing textiles should never hide in a closet; One-Yard Wonders promises gift-worthy solutions for that stash of irresistible fabric-store buys. At last, it's time to stop storing and start sewing!

Sewing superstar, Debbie Shore has a real flair for designing simple projects that look amazing, and in this book she has created ingenious storage solutions to keep the home neat, tidy and beautifully styled. All the techniques and stitches needed are clearly explained, and the projects can all be made on a basic sewing machine. Projects are included for all areas of the home, and include a storage cube, drawstring toy bag, garment cover, iron caddy, jewellery pouch, tablet cover, knitting needle roll, drawer liner, laundry bag, sewing machine bag, gift wrap storage and even a heat-proof pouch for hair straighteners.

Take handsewing to the next level!

Sewists are developing increasing interest in heritage handsewing techniques that add beautiful or couturelike finishing touches to the final project. Small handfinished details can quickly become a testament to the style, creativity, and skill of the sewist.

Handsewn offers step-by-step instructions for a comprehensive collection of hand-finishing and embellishing techniques, including hems, edges, buttonholes, cuffs, tacking layers and linings, attaching or inserting fabric and trims, embroidery, quilting, applique, and cutwork, among others.

In addition to the stitch technique directory, a section at the beginning covers supplies, tips and tricks, and how to troubleshoot mistakes. The book also includes illustrations and templates of sample decorative motifs with advice for using, transferring, and combining motifs, as well as creating one's own.

Handsewn is an encyclopedic reference guide to all the hand-finishing techniques that elevate a good sewing project into something outstanding.

All the insider tips and tricks for flawless sewing are here in the next book in our popular series. Perfect for all levels, this accessible reference offers concise instructions for basic and advanced sewing techniques, guidance on choosing tools and fabrics, fabric decoration ideas, how to achieve a perfect finish, plus the usual plethora of helpful hints, expert advice, and insider secrets that readers have come to expect from this best-selling series. The convenient "Try This" and "Fix It" boxes that run throughout expand your skills and fix common problems, and the mini-projects show you how to put to use the skills and techniques in the book.

Whether it's a new undertaking, expanding your sewing knowledge, or just for inspiration, 200 Sewing Tips, Techniques & Trade Secrets is your go-to, 24/7 personal sewing guru--perfect for both beginners and experienced sewers alike.

The complete beginners' guide to sewing with 20 exclusive projects.

Sewing is the perfect hobby – it’s relaxing, creative and useful! Now the team behind Mollie Makes magazine have brought together all their favourite designers to share their tips, stories and beautiful sewing projects.

Featuring 20 fun and stylish makes, this book will appeal to all skill levels, but the step-by-by step instructions and comprehensive techniques section make it perfect for complete beginners – building their confidence from the basics of hand-stitching, through utility and decorative stitching to machine sewing and beyond!

Make great gifts like a dapper bear pyjama case or hedgehog sewing set; run up cute wedding favours, a foxy sleep mask or a beautiful make-up brush case; cosy up your home with fruity floor cushions, an easy peasy patchwork quilt or Christmas stockings; or makeover your wardrobe with an on-trend A-line skirt, embellished t-shirt or the picture perfect trapeze sundress.

This book has everything to inspire readers to clear their kitchen tables and get sewing!

Sewing soft dolls has never been easier with these adorable patterns from Gingermelon designer Shelly Down!

The eagerly anticipated first book by popular toy designer Shelly Down, My Felt Doll shows sewers of all abilities how to make adorable soft dolls using the most basic of materials and skills.

With just felt sheets and a handful of simple notions, you will learn how to sew the simple yet delightful doll pattern and then discover 11 imaginative variations on the design, plus over 40 accompanying accessories - from a mermaid to a witch, from a princess to a superhero and from a ballerina to a bride - guaranteed to delight little girls everywhere.

With no hems to sew and all the stitching done by hand, My Felt Doll makes a great entry point to sewing dolls for beginners and even children.

Full-size templates make life easy - trace straight from the page with no need to enlarge.

You love to sew. Don't you wish you could make a living from your sewing? You can, with the help of this practical guide for turning your passion for sewing into a successful home business. Everything you need to know is here, from finding your personal sewing style to creating a product line, identifying customers, equipping your studio, pricing and selling your work, marketing yourself, designing your own patterns, and handling the business and legal side of sewing. And that's not all! You also get 16 projects (all customer-tested) to start sewing and selling right now.

This manual provides all necessary knowledge for anyone who wants to acquire the basic skills for mending, altering and fixing clothes. The publication explains in an easy to understand and simple language the most usual clothing repairs, like shortening pants, a seam to be redone, darning a hole, shortening the sleeves of a shirt, etc. From learning to do stitches by hand to using the sewing machine, the author guides the reader throughout the process by simple texts and useful photographs proving that mending is easy. The book also includes a glossary of technical terms. With this DIY guide, the reader will be able to perform some alterations and mendings without the need of going to the professional tailor. It's a basic manual, but also contains some more complicated mendings that people with advanced skills can tackle.

Sew that just-right bag for the job! Top sewing designers and bloggers share 15 unique organizers for everyday life. From a laptop folio or a gym bag to an airport sling or a trunk organizer, every tote has distinctive features to keep your essentials within easy reach. Practical, stylish, and versatile by design, each multiuse project is organized by skill level, from confident beginner to more advanced. Includes an overview of bag-making basics.

Cosplayers rejoice! The Hero’s Closet is the ultimate DIY guide to creating unique and fantastical homemade costumes

This essential handbook offers detailed, step-by-step instructions that cover the basics of sewing costumes (which often require skills not found in standard sewing guides) to help even the most novice sewists create the costumes of their dreams. A skilled crafter and avid cosplayer, Gillian Conahan walks readers through finding inspiration online and through their fandom; shares insight into translating character art into real-world garments; and offers advice on pattern selection, alterations, fabrics, and embellishment techniques.

The Hero’s Closet is the first how-to handbook on the art of sewing for cosplay. A must-have guide for Comic Con and Halloween, it’s essential for all ambitious fans with a DIY spirit who love the idea of cosplay, but need the inspiration and technical tips to make an awesome costume.

The Playtime Idea Book is packed with projects for creative parents. Follow a few simple steps to create handmade costumes, toys and props and you'll keep children entertained with make-believe pirate, forest-animal and circus worlds all day long. Only basic cutting, sticking and sewing skills are required.

Focusing on these three popular themes (pirates, animals and the circus), projects include: eye patches and a telescope, stuffed animal friends, circus ringmaster's hat and a big-top canopy den. Each project includes a simple template and illustrated step-by-step instructions.

Perfect for crafty adults looking for holiday activities that will keep little ones happy and busy.

In this how-to book, The Essential A-line, accomplished seamstress Jona Giammalva shows you how to whip a chic A-line skirt in no time! It features a single pattern with easy variations to make 17 stylish skirts in a range of sizes from 0 – 2x. Detailed step-by-step instructions and informative color photographs will guide and inspire sewers of any skill level—especially beginners. In addition to a new wardrobe of skirts, you'll also learn a variety of essential dressmaking techniques from inserting a zipper to mastering the perfect pleat.

For debonair gentlemen who eschew denim if favor of tweed, and feel that grooming and gallantry should not be consigned to history, this book will suit your needs. The Gentleman's Wardrobe features a cornucopia of elegant garments and accessories to sew, this beautifully illustrated book is full of inspiration and charm.

Including beautiful garments such as pajamas, vest, trousers and jacket, plus indispensable accessories such as a cravat tie, flat cap and wallet, there's something for every fellow who's looking to be urbane than urban. Whether you make these smart projects for yourself of a loved one, this selection of vintage-style projects will put a spring in anyone's step.

The mid-20th century was an amazing time for American women's fashion! Following the war, women started looking to American designers rather than French couture houses for inspiration and to demand clothing they could move in, even play in. In this follow-up to Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing, Gretchen “Gertie” Hirsch celebrates the classic casual styles that icons like Katharine Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn, and Rosie the Riveter made famous—think wide-legged trousers, fitted capri pants, beach rompers, shorts, knit tops, jeans, and day dresses. In Part I, Hirsch introduces key techniques for sportswear construction—from working with knit fabrics to the intricacies of pant-making—and in Part II, she showcases a 30-plus-piece vintage-inspired casual wardrobe.

Sew Happy features 25 exclusive, simple sewing projects from German fashionista Karin Ziegler to give your wardrobe a makeover, whether you want to create a new piece or customize and revitalize your favorite skirt or sweater. Visual step-by-step instructions make each project achievable, from simple hairband accessories to shirts with appliqués and pockets. Get started with the patterns included in the back of the book for the projects that require them.

Ziegler's expert tips will teach you everything from basic techniques to how to shop for tools, fabrics, and patterns, and her use of colors, playful designs, and decorative detail will inspire your own individual style in no time.

Set up your sewing machine, choose a pattern, and Sew Happy.

By its nature, do-it-yourself sewing is environmentally friendly. In Sewing Green, Betz White takes stitching to an even higher level of sustainability, presenting 25 projects made from "repurposed" thrift-store and back-of-the-closet finds and organic fabrics. nbsp; White's whimsical yet practical designs include an apron constructed from men's dress shirts (and a wallet from the shirts' cuffs!), a soft blanket pieced from secondhand cashmere sweaters, and even a tote bag refashioned from used Tyvek envelopes. Along the way, White dispenses tips on everything from how to deconstruct old garments for reuse in new creations to how to wrap gifts with resusable fabric scraps instead of paper. nbsp; Inspiring profiles about well-known leaders in the eco-stitching movement are sprinkled throughout, and a complete resources section helps crafters make eco-smart choices. With Sewing Green, today's sewers will be fashioning handmade heirlooms and sustaining traditions for generations to come.

Transform your favorite garment patterns, one small detail at a time. Add or remove pockets, adjust the neckline, or swap a zippered back to a button front! With step-by-step instructions, clear illustrations, and how-to photos, you'll learn professional design alterations for your favorite men's, women's, and children's garment patterns. Whether you have basic sewing skills or are a confident dressmaker, you can learn to be your own fashion designer.

Gretchen "Gertie" Hirsch is a passionate home seamstress, a sought-after sewing teacher, and the creator of one of the web's most popular sewing blogs: Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing. The blog began as a way for readers to follow Hirsch's progress as she stitched all 14 fashions from the iconic 1950s sewing book Vogue's New Book for Better Sewing (a Julie & Julia-esque experiment for the modern sewist). It quickly became a place for Hirsch to share tutorials and lively posts about sewing as it relates to fashion history, pop culture, body image, and gender. An extension of the blog, Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing is a hardworking reference title packed with lessons on couture techniques and customization, as well as an inimitable pattern collection featuring 25 wardrobe essentials and variations inspired by vintage fashion and Gertie's spirited, modern style.

Infuse your everyday style with more color, more pattern, and more personality. Printmaker and textile designer Jen Hewett presents her distinctive process for block-printing yards of fabric with garment sewing in mind. Explore the process of designing and printing fabric through step-by-step instruction on carving blocks and printing pattern repeats. Hewett makes creating custom, hand-printed fabric approachable and doable.

Inspired by her California home, Hewett's designs reference the plants and landscape around her through botanical motifs, organic shapes, and a bold graphic quality. Paired with a playful use of color, the pattern designs here offer the perfect place to start with block-printing. Once you've printed your fabric, it's time to sew. With sewing patterns for simple garments and accessories, you'll discover the play between fabric and finished project and work toward building a highly customizable wardrobe. With step-by-step photos, clear instructions, and full-size sewing patterns this is a complete guide to sewing clothes that truly reflect your style and personality.

The Complete Photo Guide to Clothing Construction helps you master all of the techniques needed to sew clothes--including tops, dresses, pants, skirts, and even outerwear.

This technique-driven book follows the entire process of clothing construction, including a section on the sewing machine and other tools/materials used, information on working with patterns and fitting, laying out the pattern pieces, cutting and marking, and on through every step of construction to the final button. Large, detailed photos guide you from start to finish and help give you a visual basis for learning the skills. This comprehensive guide is a long-lasting reference for anyone who sews clothes. It fills in all the technique details not supplied by manufacturers of the clothing patterns that most sewers use for all of their projects.

The Complete Photo Guide to Clothing Construction explains the reasons behind the methods, warns of pitfalls to watch out for, and provides you with valuable tips that help you reach a satisfying, successful end with every project. Examples show both men's and women's fashions as well as children's clothes.

Part of a fantastic new series of stash-busting sewing books aimed at beginner to intermediate crafters, Fat Quarter: Home has 25 quick and easy projects to make, all from fat quarters or fabric scraps. Each project has easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions and beautiful accompanying photography, as well as a handy tools and techniques section. This book is ideal for using up leftover remnants of fabric to create a range of decorative and useful items for your home. The projects also make great gifts for friends and family. Projects include: pot holder, tea cosy, storage bucket, lavender bag, apron, drop-in seat, padded coat-hanger, doorstop, coaster, lingerie bag.

Whether you're moving into a new home, launching a home makeover, or just sprucing up a room, this book, At Home With Modern June, by Kelly McCants, provides plenty of ideas on how to infuse individuality into every room in the house. The 27 budget-friendly projects have a retro style and use materials such as oilcloth, laminated cotton, and chalk cloth in addition to quilter's cotton. Easy-to-follow instructions and helpful photographs guide you to success. You'll make drapes, bed skirts, floor mats, and much more. All that's required is a bit of ingenuity, a little time, and some basic skills.

Today's homeowners want their homes to be distinctive and stylish without hiring expensive decorators and designers. They want to do it themselves and realize that the heart of a home's personality is in the details - the window dressings, bed coverings, throw pillows, lampshades - all those subtle accents that in combination make a statement about the people who live there.

This beautifully illustrated book presents simple step-by-step instructions for more than 30 home dec projects - from curtains to chair covers - for every room in the house.

Full instructions for making curtains, swags, cornices, valances, tiebacks, cushions, bolsters, chair pads, throw pillows, chair covers, lampshades, duvet covers, bedcovers, pillowcases, tablecloths, napkins, and place mats

Give your home a fresh new look. Lexie Barnes shows you how to quickly and inexpensively personalize your living space with 50 fun, pattern-free sewing projects that are highly adaptable and visually inspiring. Dramatic before-and-after photographs demonstrate how easy it is to brighten your living room with a custom-designed slipcover or give new life to a bedroom with a colorful headboard cover, lampshade, and matching window treatments. Get sewing and transform your home into the stylish abode you’ve always craved. 

Learn to sew curtains, shades, pillows, and more and make your home truly your own with these 50 beautiful projects. Sewing your own home furnishings will allow you to choose exactly the fabric and style you want, and will make your home unique.

There’s never been a better time to sew for the home, with a huge range of furnishing fabrics available in stores and online. And the money you save by making these items yourself can be put towards buying the loveliest fabrics you can afford, making your home more beautiful still. Designer Vanessa Arbuthnott guides you through 50 projects, each made in one of her own beautiful printed fabrics, and all with easy-to-follow illustrated instructions. The projects range from the simplest of pillow covers for the novice stitcher, through to lined curtains with an array of different headings, shades, bed throws, and table linen. There is also a chapter on accessories, such as a cook’s apron, and table mats, which would all be a great starting point if you want to brush up on your skills before tackling a larger project. Vanessa explains how each of her collections was developed, and what inspired her designs, but if you prefer to choose your own material, there is plenty of advice on selecting fabrics, using color, cutting out, matching pattern repeats, piping, and hand-stitching, as well as a techniques section covering the basic sewing skills you will need. Guidance on measuring for curtains and shades, and on ways to hang them, as well as instructions for valances and an upholstered cornice, make this a complete introduction to sewing your own window treatments, and more. Previously published as The Home-Sewn Home, this new edition includes four completely new projects and inspirational photography featuring Vanessa’s most recent fabric collections throughout.

Even the best sewists will encounter problems, snags, and little glitches in their work. Expert sewist and author Nicole Vasbinder's Sewing Solutions is an indispensable reference filled with invaluable advice you can trust.

Organized by stages, you'll find:

   • Detailed advice for the sewing process, including pros and cons, and basic considerations of working in each step.
   • An easy-to-follow layout providing basic information as well as step-by-step techniques for making bias tape, sewing trims, buttonholes, zippers, hems, and more.
   • Easy-tonavigate color-coded cross-references available for quick referencing.
   • Troubleshooting tips that advise how to deal with every sewing situation.
Whether choosing the right tools, reading patterns correctly, or everything in between, Sewing Solutions will prove to be an essential sewing companion.

Create your own unique clothes to fit your personality and your shape.

This stylish, instructive book from The Great British Sewing Bee's Jenniffer Taylor shows you how to make and adapt your own clothes in a simple, no-fuss way. Using Jenniffer's fun and imaginative ideas, this book will teach you how to get started transforming unloved items of clothing into new and exciting outfits; how to customize clothes with doilies, tassels, tie-dyeing and block printing; and finally how to measure yourself, create patterns and make clothes from scratch, including dresses, skirts, tops, trousers and a coat. The book is packed with all the tricks of the trade that Jenniffer has learned along her sewing journey, and will get you started on your own #sewingrevolution!

This how-to guide and personal memoir features 20 meditative sewing projects and inspiring stories that promote creativity, happiness, and fulfillment
 
When Sanae Ishida was diagnosed with a chronic illness and lost her corporate job, she felt like her whole life was falling apart. Inspired to succeed at just one thing, Ishida vowed to sew all of her daughter’s clothes—and most of her own—for one full year. In Sewing Happiness, Ishida recounts her incredible journey, reflecting on how sewing helped her survive such a difficult time in her life.

Sewing Happiness features twenty simple sewing projects (with variations) organized by season and tied together with a thread of memoir that tells the story Ishida’s unexpected transformation and how sewing brought her profound happiness. Each seasonal project—from Japanese-inspired home goods to children’s and women’s clothing—is specially designed to promote health, creativity, and relationships and to provide gentle inspiration to live your best life. Complete with photos and easy-to-follow steps, Sewing Happiness is at once a guide to the craft of sewing and a guide to enjoying life in all its beautiful imperfections.

This pictorial guide includes step-by-step instructions for sewing basics such as making perfect seams, putting in zippers and cutting fabrics, as well as ideas for home decorating projects, including curtains, tablecloths and pillow shams.

Sewing is the perfect hobby – it is relaxing, creative and extremely useful! But sewing machines can seem complicated. This book has everything you need to know to choose, use and look after your sewing machine with confidence.

The first chapters will help you choose a machine, explaining which features to look out for. Once you’ve got your machine home, the step-by-step instructions will help you get to grips with everything. Learn how to set up your machine and its basic functions including: winding a bobbin, threading up and adjusting tension and stitch size.

With plenty of information on basic dressmaking techniques, you will soon be tackling seams and hems, zips and buttonholes, gathers and pleats, binding and trimming. Feeling creative? Try out some decorative techniques – with machine embroidery, appliqué, patchwork and quilting. And if you get stuck, there is an invaluable trouble shooting section along with a jargon busting glossary.

So whether you want to use your sewing machine to carry out simple repairs, customize and alter your vintage finds, create a whole new wardrobe from scratch, or make a stylish curtains and cushions for your home, be sure to have this manual by your side at all times!

Whether you're a total novice or practically a pro, this indispensible guide from McCall's is packed with instructions, tips, and fascinating facts that every sewer needs. From mastering the most basic techniques to the ins and outs of using a sewing machine, from mending tears to altering, embellishing, and finishing, this beautifully presented and richly illustrated book has the lowdown. You'll also get advice on marketing designs online, learn the answers to 100 frequently asked questions, and get a comprehensive glossary.

This cult book is a step by step guide by Hikaru Noguchi, a guru of visible darning in Japan. This is visible mending, more akin to embroidery and embellishment that will make your favorite clothing even more personal and save it from landfill. Climate change is making us rethink how we use resources and not subscribing to fast-fashion and re-using and mending our clothes has become a mark of pride. This detailed step-by-step guide makes the methods easy to follow even for non-sewers. The stylish photography shows off the artistic and minimalist style of the designer's work.

One-Yard Wonders will delight anyone who has ever fallen for fabric - from the novice sewing enthusiast to the lifelong seamstress. The book presents a delightful array of simple, stylish projects that can be made with just a single yard of fabric - from apparel to accessories, from plush toys to pet beds, from baby items to bags, and from home decor to "Happy Birthday" banners. Projects have a hip,contemporary flair, and most can be completed in a few hours. For each project, the book provides a full-color photograph, easy step-by-step instructions, and simple illustrations. Templates and pattern pieces are also included wherever needed, making this collection of 101 projects the best sewing deal ever.

Great fabric demands to be purchased, even if it's just aÊ yard or two at a time. But such tantalizing textiles should never hide in a closet; One-Yard Wonders promises gift-worthy solutions for that stash of irresistible fabric-store buys. At last, it's time to stop storing and start sewing!

Sewing superstar, Debbie Shore has a real flair for designing simple projects that look amazing, and in this book she has created ingenious storage solutions to keep the home neat, tidy and beautifully styled. All the techniques and stitches needed are clearly explained, and the projects can all be made on a basic sewing machine. Projects are included for all areas of the home, and include a storage cube, drawstring toy bag, garment cover, iron caddy, jewellery pouch, tablet cover, knitting needle roll, drawer liner, laundry bag, sewing machine bag, gift wrap storage and even a heat-proof pouch for hair straighteners.

Take handsewing to the next level!

Sewists are developing increasing interest in heritage handsewing techniques that add beautiful or couturelike finishing touches to the final project. Small handfinished details can quickly become a testament to the style, creativity, and skill of the sewist.

Handsewn offers step-by-step instructions for a comprehensive collection of hand-finishing and embellishing techniques, including hems, edges, buttonholes, cuffs, tacking layers and linings, attaching or inserting fabric and trims, embroidery, quilting, applique, and cutwork, among others.

In addition to the stitch technique directory, a section at the beginning covers supplies, tips and tricks, and how to troubleshoot mistakes. The book also includes illustrations and templates of sample decorative motifs with advice for using, transferring, and combining motifs, as well as creating one's own.

Handsewn is an encyclopedic reference guide to all the hand-finishing techniques that elevate a good sewing project into something outstanding.

All the insider tips and tricks for flawless sewing are here in the next book in our popular series. Perfect for all levels, this accessible reference offers concise instructions for basic and advanced sewing techniques, guidance on choosing tools and fabrics, fabric decoration ideas, how to achieve a perfect finish, plus the usual plethora of helpful hints, expert advice, and insider secrets that readers have come to expect from this best-selling series. The convenient "Try This" and "Fix It" boxes that run throughout expand your skills and fix common problems, and the mini-projects show you how to put to use the skills and techniques in the book.

Whether it's a new undertaking, expanding your sewing knowledge, or just for inspiration, 200 Sewing Tips, Techniques & Trade Secrets is your go-to, 24/7 personal sewing guru--perfect for both beginners and experienced sewers alike.

Sewing is the perfect hobby – it’s relaxing, creative and useful! Now the team behind Mollie Makes magazine have brought together all their favourite designers to share their tips, stories and beautiful sewing projects.

Featuring 20 fun and stylish makes, this book will appeal to all skill levels, but the step-by-by step instructions and comprehensive techniques section make it perfect for complete beginners – building their confidence from the basics of hand-stitching, through utility and decorative stitching to machine sewing and beyond!

Make great gifts like a dapper bear pyjama case or hedgehog sewing set; run up cute wedding favours, a foxy sleep mask or a beautiful make-up brush case; cosy up your home with fruity floor cushions, an easy peasy patchwork quilt or Christmas stockings; or makeover your wardrobe with an on-trend A-line skirt, embellished t-shirt or the picture perfect trapeze sundress.

This book has everything to inspire readers to clear their kitchen tables and get sewing!

Learning how to sew has never been easier! In See Kate Sew, blogger Kate Blocher shows you how to make dozens of beginner-friendly projects with professional polish. From stylish pillows and home decor to adorable soft toys for kids and fashion-forward accessories, there is plenty to make and gift--or keep just for you! Detailed instructions and step-by-step illustrations help ensure your success, while sewing tutorials on everything from creating buttonholes to mitering quilt corners and embroidering sprinkles on felt donuts will boost your skills and confidence. Best of all, projects can be sewn together in 60 minutes or less. Sew great!

Space-obsessed 12-year-old Paola Santiago and her two best friends, Emma and Dante, know the rule: Stay away from the river. It's all they've heard since a schoolmate of theirs drowned a year ago. Pao is embarrassed to admit that she has been told to stay away for even longer than that, because her mother is constantly warning her about La Llorona, the wailing ghost woman who wanders the banks of the Gila at night, looking for young people to drag into its murky depths.Hating her mother's humiliating superstitions and knowing that she and her friends would never venture into the water, Pao organizes a meet-up to test out her new telescope near the Gila, since it's the best stargazing spot. But when Emma never arrives and Pao sees a shadowy figure in the reeds, it seems like maybe her mom was right. . . .Pao has always relied on hard science to make sense of the world, but to find her friend she will have to enter the world of her nightmares, which includes unnatural mist, mind-bending monsters, and relentless spirits controlled by a terrifying force that defies both logic and legend.

Nine-year-old Erik Sheepflattener's life motto is Avoid Stuff, despite his family's attempts to bring out his inner Viking. Can a worrier really become a warrior? In this silly, heartfelt, outrageously quirky novel for fans of Restart and Pay Attention, Carter Jones . . . why not be both?

Meet Erik Sheepflattener. Each member of his modern-day Viking-heritage family has a motto to live by. His parents have Family and Pride. His sisters have Conquer and Win. His grandfather has Turnip. But Erik is developing a motto he can truly believe in: Avoid Stuff.
Mostly, Erik's fierce family ignores or discounts him, especially when he tries to say no. But while spending the summer with his rough-and-tumble cousins and older sister Brunhilde in Minnesota, axe-wielding Bru gets the idea to name and Conquer all of Erik's fears. Will anyone hear him say no before it's too late? And will Erik end up defined by his fears, or by his fearless family?

Erik vs. Everything is an adventurous, humorous, and heartfelt romp about finding your place, speaking up for yourself, and pursuing what you love . . . even when it scares you.

Introducing DOG SQUAD, the crime-fighting, tail-wagging, hilarious new series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library and coauthor of Max Einstein!

When trouble calls . . . it's DOG SQUAD to the rescue!

Duke is not your average dog. Along with his crew, he fights crime and goes on claw-biting adventures helping dogs in peril in the hit streaming sensation--DOG SQUAD! Fred is a pretty average dog. He's scrappy. He's loveable. But he's not brave like his heroes on Dog Squad.

Fred looks an awful lot like Duke from Dog Squad though. In fact, when Duke needs a stand-in, Fred's the perfect choice. But the Dog Squad action doesn't always stop on screen! When there's danger in real life, can Fred find the courage to step up and save the day?!

It's all paws on deck in this action-packed, middle grade adventure series just right for anyone who loves dogs--and anyone who loves to laugh!
 

It's been years since the Nazis invaded Max Rosen's home country of Poland. All the Jewish people, including Max's family, have been forced to live in a ghetto. At least Max and his sister, Zena, had Papa with them . . . until two months ago, when the Nazis took him away. Now Max and Zena are on their own.

One day, with barely enough food to survive, the siblings make a daring escape from Nazi soldiers into the nearby forest. They are found by Jewish resistance fighters, who take them to a safe camp.

But soon, grenades are falling all around them. Can Max and Zena survive the fallout of the Nazi invasion?

With art by Álvaro Sarraseca and text adapted by Georgia Ball, Lauren Tarshis's New York Times bestselling I Survived series takes on vivid new life in this explosive graphic novel edition. Includes nonfiction back matter with historical photos and facts about World War II and the Holocaust.

Perfect for readers who prefer the graphic novel format, or for existing fans of the I Survived chapter book series, I Survived graphic novels combine historical facts with high-action storytelling that's sure to keep any reader turning the pages.

Mrs. Jeepers may -- or may not -- be a vampire in this funny and spooky series from Graphix Chapters.

The third graders at Bailey Elementary are so hard to handle that all of their teachers have quit. But their new teacher, Mrs. Jeepers, is different -- to say the least. She's just moved from Transylvania into a spooky old house in Bailey City. She wears a mysterious brooch that glows as green as her eyes. Could Mrs. Jeepers be a vampire?

Featuring a beloved story by Marcia Thornton Jones and Debbie Dadey and fresh artwork by Academy Award winner Pearl Low, Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots is the first-ever graphic novel adaptation of Scholastic's classic chapter book series.

Graphix Chapters are ideal books for beginning and newly independent readers. With approachable page counts, easy-to-follow paneling, and artwork that supports text comprehension, these engaging stories with unforgettable characters help children become lifelong readers.

Get drawn into reading with Graphix Chapters!

From the creators of Hippopposites, Rhymoceros, and Llamaphones comes a new board book about comparatives

In this oversize board book, young readers will learn about comparative adjectives via a very humorous parrot--from noisy and noisier, to messy and messier, to happy and happier when it finally finds a friend. As with the previous books in the series, Comparrotives features surprising touch-and-feel novelty elements throughout--making the comparatives concept easy and fun to learn.

"Uncle," Croissant said, "the fridge is in trouble!
A mystery stench turned a whole shelf to rubble!
I'm the last hope or the fridge will be lost!
Help me or else we'll be cooked, served, and sauced."

There's a stinky stench in the fridge--and our favorite foodie friends must solve a smelly mystery! Sir French Toast's nephew, Inspector Croissant, begs him and Lady Pancake for help in finding the source of the foul odor. Could it be the devious Baron Von Waffle? A fetid fish lurking in the bottom of Corn Chowder Lake? Featuring the same delectable rhymes, wordplay, and art that won critical raves for Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast--there's even an actual red herring--this fun follow-up is an absolutely tasty treat for kids!

A charming and hilarious tale for kids ages 4-8 about how accepting others can enrich us all--featuring capybaras, the beloved animal sensation capturing hearts around the world.

In this beautiful and simple book, hens and their chicks are living safe and secure in their coop, or at least it seems that way. They are happy with life as it is, and each hen knows her job. They don't even seem to notice when one of them is carried off from time to time.

Until the day the capybaras appear. To the hens, they are too hair, too wet, and too big. They don't even follow the rules! But it's hunting season, and the capybaras need refuge.

As time passes and days change, minds begin to open and new possibilities appear. Can the hens accept the capybaras after all?

This delightful story teaches readers about the importance of caring for each other, no matter our differences.

Bear tries his best to be patient in this newest addition to the bestselling Bear Books series.

Patience might be a virtue but waiting is so hard! On a beautiful sunny afternoon, Bear can’t sit still because he’s got a surprise planned for his good friend Hare. He hustles and bustles and scuttles about. But when, in his excitement, he makes a mess of things, can he set it all right before Hare shows up?

With millions of Bear books sold—it’s hard to wait for the newest!

On the eve of singing at a community festival, a bout of stage fright threatens a little girl's confidence. As Indigo Blume drifts off to sleep, she isn't sure she's brave enough to take the stage. But once she falls asleep, Indigo finds herself in a dream world with the characters of her favorite book, Acoustic Rooster and his Barnyard Band. The band's members, including Miss Dairy Parton and Chickee Minaj, are rehearsing, and they invite Indigo to join the group. But when a storm destroys their barn, the animals are left with almost nothing. Can Indigo rally the band to work together and save their home? And will she find her voice in time for the festival?

On January 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman became the sixth and youngest poet to deliver a poetry reading at a presidential inauguration. Taking the stage after the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden, Gorman captivated the nation and brought hope to viewers around the globe with her call for unity and healing. Her poem "The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country" can now be cherished in this special gift edition, perfect for any reader looking for some inspiration. Including an enduring foreword by Oprah Winfrey, this remarkable keepsake celebrates the promise of America and affirms the power of poetry.

A compelling account of the killing of Vincent Chin, the verdicts that took the Asian American community to the streets in protest, and the groundbreaking civil rights trial that followed. 

America in 1982: Japanese car companies are on the rise and believed to be putting U.S. autoworkers out of their jobs. Anti–Asian American sentiment simmers, especially in Detroit. A bar fight turns fatal, leaving a Chinese American man, Vincent Chin, beaten to death at the hands of two white men, autoworker Ronald Ebens and his stepson, Michael Nitz.

Paula Yoo has crafted a searing examination of the killing and the trial and verdicts that followed. When Ebens and Nitz pled guilty to manslaughter and received only a $3,000 fine and three years’ probation, the lenient sentence sparked outrage. The protests that followed led to a federal civil rights trial—the first involving a crime against an Asian American—and galvanized what came to be known as the Asian American movement.

Extensively researched from court transcripts, contemporary news accounts, and in-person interviews with key participants, From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry is a suspenseful, nuanced, and authoritative portrait of a pivotal moment in civil rights history, and a man who became a symbol against hatred and racism.