McCaughrean Geraldine

This historical novel tells of the fight for survival of a group of men and boys marooned on a remote sea stac off the coast of Scotland. Struggling to comprehend their situation, they begin to believe that nothing but the end of the world can explain why they have been abandoned to endure storms, starvation and terror.

Hans Christian Andersen's entrancing tale of love, set between land and sea, is retold by renowned storyteller Geraldine McCaughrean and brought to life in magical silhouette artwork by illustrator Laura Barrett. When she falls in love with a prince, the little mermaid persuades a sea witch to replace her tail with legs so she can live on land. But the price demanded by the wicked sea witch is great: the mermaid's beautiful voice . . . With a sparkling foiled cover, this beautiful gift book is a must-have addition to any child's bookshelf!

The inspiration for this book was the tradition of carved Jesse trees and stained glass windows used in medieval times to tell people Bible stories. Using her skills as a storyteller and her love of the Bible, the author has written a compelling story about the creation of a modern-day Jesse tree. She weaves evocative retellings of selected Bible stories with a sensitive contemporary story about the transforming power of love.

A major publishing event - two of the UK's outstanding prize-winning artists working together for the first time The legend of Gilgamesh is the oldest written story, pre-dating both The Bible and The Iliad. An epic story about a quest for immortality, it also includes a legend of the Flood that is remarkably similar to the story of Noah. BLGeraldine McCaughrean has won every major prize for children's literature in this country, including the Carnegie Medal, the Whitbread Award, the Guardian Children's Fiction Award, and, most recently, The Blue Peter Best Book to Keep Forever Award. BLDavid Parkins is a highly acclaimed artist, and has been shortlisted for the Kurt Maschler and Smarties awards. He received many critical accolades for God's Story with Jan Mark