John Townsend

Live from the Crypt is a hilarious information series with an undead chat show format where ghostly historical figures are interviewed by the crew of the show about their lives and experiences, featuring quirky illustrations, comic strips and Q&A-style text. In this volume, the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, talks about his ruthless rule and the gigantic burial site, including the world-famous Terracotta Army, which he had commissioned for his death.

Meet the friendly Monster Squad as they help little ones learn one of the most important manners of all - how to say sorry. In lively rhyme and with bright, playful illustrations, this cheerful story follows a cast of lovable monsters through everyday mishaps, from bumped toes to broken toys and spillages at tea time. Along the way, children discover that saying sorry can comfort others, mend feelings and help put things right. Warm, humorous and easy to share aloud, this is a reassuring introduction to empathy, kindness and social confidence. With a fun quiz at the back to reinforce learning, Monster Manners: Say Sorry! is perfect for reading at home, in nursery and in classroom settings.

Join the Monster Squad as they tackle messy moments and learn why it's important to pick up after ourselves. Through lively rhyme and energetic, characterful illustrations, this engaging story explores everyday situations - from dropped rubbish to messy picnics - showing children how small actions can make a big difference. As the monsters sing, sort and tidy, young readers are encouraged to take responsibility for their surroundings and care for shared spaces. With a gentle environmental message at its heart, this fun and reassuring picture book introduces early concepts of cleanliness, recycling and respect for the planet. A quiz at the back reinforces learning and invites children to join in the tidy-up fun.

With funny cartoon strips, find out about the incredible ways eagles and other birds have learned to adapt to survive

Find out about the incredible ways giant pandas and other bears live and survive with hilarious cartoon strips.

With funny cartoon strips, find out about the incredible ways snakes have learned to adapt to survive

With funny cartoon strips, find out about the incredible ways dinosaurs lived

Find out about how the incredible ways sharks and other sea creatures live and survive with hilarious cartoon strips. Sharks may be incredible predators with few natural enemies but being a ruler in the ocean can still be tough! In this book, cartoon strips explore why great whites can never stop swimming, why not being fussy eaters can cause problems for tiger sharks and why getting in a fight with a giant squid can really suck. Alongside the cartoon strips, we explore topics such as the variety of shark species, food chains, habitats and threats, to build a picture of life as a shark and other deep-sea predators. It's Tough to Be is a series of fun educational books that help children aged 7 plus understand how animals adapt to survive in different habitats. Each book features hilarious cartoon strips and incredible science facts. Titles in the series: A Tiger (and other cats) / A Shark (and other sea creatures) / A Black Mamba (and other snakes) / A T-rex (and other dinosaurs) / An Eagle (and other birds) /A Giant Panda (and other bears)

Find out about the incredible ways tigers and other big cats live and survive with hilarious cartoon strips. Tigers, and other big cats, may be incredible predators with few natural enemies but being the world's biggest cats can still be tough! In this book, cartoon strips explore why a tiger cub can easily get into trouble, why jaguars habitats are in danger and why even the king of the jungle has it tough. Alongside the cartoon strips, we explore topics such as the variety of cat species, food chains, habitats and threats, to build a picture of life as a big cat. It's Tough to Be is a series of fun educational books that help children aged 7 plus understand how animals adapt to survive in different habitats. Each book features hilarious cartoon strips and incredible science facts. Titles in the series: A Tiger (and other cats) / A Shark (and other sea creatures) / A Black Mamba (and other snakes) / A T-rex (and other dinosaurs) / An Eagle (and other birds) /A Giant Panda (and other bears)

Oman was, until the coup which brought Sultan Qaboos (1940–2020) to power in July 1970, one of the most remote and least known countries in the world. This book, originally published in 1977 and written by someone who worked in Oman for a period spanning the old and new regimes, discusses the legacy inherited by the late Sultan from his father. The government which was formed in 1970 was made up of a ruler and ministers who had little confidence in themselves, little training and no experience of government. Yet despite this over the next 50 years, Oman saw massive progress in the construction of essential economic and social infrastructure as well as the fight against an extremist guerilla uprising in Dhofar. The book analyses how challenges were tackled and considers Oman’s relations with its immediate oil producing neighbours, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Find out about the incredible ways eagles and other birds live and survive with hilarious cartoon strips. Eagles may be incredible predators with few natural enemies but being one of the world's biggest birds can still be tough! In this book, cartoon strips explore what emperor penguins put up with for their offspring, the disgusting tricks vultures play, why other birds give pelicans a tough time and more. Alongside the cartoon strips, we explore topics such as the variety of bird species, food chains, habitats and threats, to build a picture of life as a bird. It's Tough to Be is a series of fun educational books that help children aged 7 plus understand how animals adapt to survive in different habitats. Each book features hilarious cartoon strips and incredible science facts. Titles in the series: A Tiger (and other cats) / A Shark (and other sea creatures) / A Black Mamba (and other snakes) / A T-rex (and other dinosaurs) / An Eagle (and other birds) /A Giant Panda (and other bears)

Find out about the incredible ways giant pandas and other bears live and survive with hilarious cartoon strips. Giant pandas and other bears may be stars of many children's books, but in reality life as a bear can be tough! In this book, cartoon strips explore why giant pandas are always eating, how polar bears survive in freezing conditions, why sloth bears are not sloths and much more. Alongside the cartoon strips, we explore topics such as the variety of bear species, food chains, habitats and threats, to build a picture of life as a bear. It's Tough to Be is a series of fun educational books that help children aged 7 plus understand how animals adapt to survive in different habitats. Each book features hilarious cartoon strips and incredible science facts. Titles in the series: A Tiger (and other cats) / A Shark (and other sea creatures) / A Black Mamba (and other snakes) / A T-rex (and other dinosaurs) / An Eagle (and other birds) /A Giant Panda (and other bears)

All animals begin life as babies, just like us! But baby animals come in all shapes and sizes, from the koala that is the size of a jellybean at birth to the colossal anaconda which measures around sixty centimetres as a newborn. Some baby animals look like mini-versions of their parents, while other babies look nothing like the animal they will later become. Some babies enter the world prepared to survive in their natural habitats, while others are totally helpless and depend on their mothers for a long time. Learn all about how creatures develop from baby to adult, and discover the weird and wonderful animal babies the natural world has to offer.

Find out about the incredible ways the dinosaurs lived with hilarious cartoon strips. T-rex may have been an amazing predator with few natural enemies but being the world's scariest dinosaur could still be tough! In this book, funny cartoon strips explore the complex world of the dinosaurs, and how they lived, and eventually died out. Alongside the cartoon strips, we explore topics such as dinosaur adaptations and habitats. It's Tough to Be is a series of fun educational books that help children aged 7 plus understand how animals adapt to survive in different habitats. Each book features hilarious cartoon strips and incredible science facts. Titles in the series: A Tiger (and other cats) / A Shark (and other sea creatures) / A Black Mamba (and other snakes) / A T-rex (and other dinosaurs) / An Eagle (and other birds) /A Giant Panda (and other bears)

Find out about the incredible ways snakes live and survive with hilarious cartoon strips. Snakes may be incredible predators but their lives can still be tough! In this book, cartoon strips explore black mamba dangers, how anacondas swallow their prey whole and the strange and cunning ways a hognose snake avoids being eaten. Alongside the cartoon strips, we explore topics such as the variety of snake species, food chains, habitats and threats, to build a picture of life as a snake. It's Tough to Be is a series of fun educational books that help children aged 7 plus understand how animals adapt to survive in different habitats. Each book features hilarious cartoon strips and incredible science facts. Titles in the series: A Tiger (and other cats) / A Shark (and other sea creatures) / A Black Mamba (and other snakes) / A T-rex (and other dinosaurs) / An Eagle (and other birds) /A Giant Panda (and other bears)

All animals start their lives as babies... just like us But baby animals come in all shapes and sizes, from the baby koala who begins life the size of a jellybean to the colossal anaconda. Some baby animals look like mini-versions of their parents, while others look nothing like the animal they will become. Some babies enter the world prepared to survive in their natural habitats, while others are totally helpless and depend on their mothers for a long time. Learn all about how these amazing creatures develop from baby to adult, and discover the weird and wonderful animal babies the animal kingdom has to offer.

Find out about the incredible ways tigers and other big cats live and survive with hilarious cartoon strips. Tigers, and other big cats, may be incredible predators with few natural enemies but being the world's biggest cats can still be tough! In this book, cartoon strips explore why a tiger cub can easily get into trouble, why jaguars habitats are in danger and why even the king of the jungle has it tough. Alongside the cartoon strips, we explore topics such as the variety of cat species, food chains, habitats and threats, to build a picture of life as a big cat. It's Tough to Be is a series of fun educational books that help children aged 7 plus understand how animals adapt to survive in different habitats. Each book features hilarious cartoon strips and incredible science facts. Titles in the series: A Tiger (and other cats) / A Shark (and other sea creatures) / A Black Mamba (and other snakes) / A T-rex (and other dinosaurs) / An Eagle (and other birds) /A Giant Panda (and other bears)

Find out about how the incredible ways sharks and other sea creatures live and survive with hilarious cartoon strips. Sharks may be incredible predators with few natural enemies but being a ruler in the ocean can still be tough! In this book, cartoon strips explore why great whites can never stop swimming, why not being fussy eaters can cause problems for tiger sharks and why getting in a fight with a giant squid can really suck. Alongside the cartoon strips, we explore topics such as the variety of shark species, food chains, habitats and threats, to build a picture of life as a shark and other deep-sea predators. It's Tough to Be is a series of fun educational books that help children aged 7 plus understand how animals adapt to survive in different habitats. Each book features hilarious cartoon strips and incredible science facts. Titles in the series: A Tiger (and other cats) / A Shark (and other sea creatures) / A Black Mamba (and other snakes) / A T-rex (and other dinosaurs) / An Eagle (and other birds) /A Giant Panda (and other bears)