Kids don t have to wait for geometry class to get the hang of shapes.With Doodles Shapes, they ll learn triangles, circles, rectangles, and squares as they doodle trucks, tents, pizza, balls, trains, and more. Kid swill also learn the meanings of bigger and smaller, thicker and thinner, taller and shorter. They won t even know they are learning as they get to doodle on spaceships, queens, and flowers to learn diamonds, stars, hearts, and shapes of all kinds. Kids don t need a video game to be entertained. They just need doodles.

«Time is all around us, and by using doodles as a learning tool, even small children can grasp the concepts of seasons, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds in a simple, step-by-step manner that is as fun as it is educational. It's all here for kids to discover: daytime and nighttime; the months of the year; and the days of the week. Kids can learn all about time by using birthdays, doodling games, and, of course, clock faces. What time is our picnic? What time can we go swimming? What time is dinner? «Doodles Time» provides hours and hours of fun, and helps to teach a complicated subject in a simple manner.»

Over five years in the writing, Alice Hoffman's most ambitious and mesmerizing novel ever, a triumph of imagination and research set in ancient Israel. The author of such iconic bestsellers as Illumination Night, Practical Magic, Fortune's Daughter, and Oprah's Book Club selection Here on Earth, Alice Hoffman is one of the most popular and memorable writers of her generation. Now, in The Dovekeepers, Hoffman delivers her most masterful work yet — one that draws on her passion for mythology, magic, and archaeology and her inimitable understanding of women. In 70 CE, nine hundred Jews held out for months against armies of Romans on a mountain in the Judean desert, Masada. According to the ancient historian Josephus, two women and five children survived. Based on this tragic historical event, Hoffman weaves a spellbinding tale of four extraordinary, bold, resourceful, and sensuous women, each of whom has come to Masada by a different path. Yael's mother died in childbirth, and her father never forgave her for that death. Revka, a village baker's wife, watched the horrifically brutal murder of her daughter by Roman soldiers; she brings to Masada her twin grandsons, rendered mute by their own witness. Aziza is a warrior's daughter, raised as a boy, a fearless rider and expert marksman, who finds passion with another soldier. Shirah is wise in the ways of ancient magic and medicine, a woman with uncanny insight and power. The lives of these four complex and fiercely independent women intersect in the desperate days of the siege, as the Romans draw near. All are dovekeepers, and all are also keeping secrets — about who they are, where they come from, who fathered them, and whom they love.

Figes reconstructs a heroic and touching love story that occurred in the midst of one of Stalin's most notorious work camps, drawing on personal letters, KGB archives and recent interviews to brilliantly illustrate the broader world in which their story unfolded.

Many years ago, the storytellers say, the great King Arthur brought justice to England with the help of his gallant knights of the roundtable. While most of King Arthur's knights freely chose a life of duty, for Sir Balin the Ill-Fated, destiny was foretold in a prophecy. And seriously, ill-fated is right there in his title, so Balin's not surprised when things go sour. Still, no matter how dire the task, a loyal and gallant knight never refuses adventure! Will Sir Balin finally discover his true destiny? And which ill-fated path will he have to choose? Join Balin on this, the noblest quest of all. With black-and-white drawings from acclaimed artist Aaron Renier throughout.

Best-selling novelist Robert Crais, a master of crime fiction and creator of the critically acclaimed Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novels, edits this year's must-read mystery stories with a keen eye for thrills and nail-biting suspense.

The thirteenth novel in the wonderful No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, from master storyteller Alexander McCall Smith.

'Sometimes when you're reading Neal Stephenson, he doesn't just seem like one of the best novelists writing in English right now; he seems like the only one'. Time One of the most talented and creative authors working today, Neal Stephenson is renowned for his exceptional novels — works colossal in vision and mind-boggling in complexity. Exploring and blending a diversity of topics, including technology, economics, history, science, pop culture, and philosophy, his books are the product of a keen and adventurous intellect. Not surprisingly, Stephenson is regularly asked to contribute articles, lectures, and essays to numerous outlets, from major newspapers and cutting edge magazines to college symposia. This remarkable collection brings together previously published short writings, both fiction and nonfiction as well as a new essay (and an extremely short story) created specifically for this volume. Stephenson ponders a wealth of subjects, from movies and politics to David Foster Wallace and the Midwestern American College Town; video games to classics-based sci-fi; how geekdom has become cool and how science fiction has become mainstream (whether people admit it or not); the future of publishing and the origins of his novels. By turns amusing and profound, critical and celebratory, yet always entertaining, Some Remarks offers a fascinating look into the prismatic mind of this extraordinary writer.

When a body is found floating in a canal, strangely disfigured and with multiple stab wounds, Commissario Brunetti is called to investigate and is convinced he recognises the man from somewhere. However, with no identification except for the distinctive shoes the man was wearing, and no reports of people missing from the Venice area, the case cannot progress. Brunetti soon realises why he remembers the dead man, and asks Signorina Elettra if she can help him find footage of a farmers' protest the previous autumn. But what was his involvement with the protest, and what does it have to do with his murder? Acting on the fragile lead, Brunetti and Inspector Vianello set out to uncover the man's identity. Their investigation eventually takes them to a slaughterhouse on the mainland, where they discover the origin of the crime, and the world of blackmail and corruption that surrounds it. Both a gripping case and a harrowing exploration of the dark side of Italy's meat industry, Donna Leon's latest novel is a compelling addition to the Brunetti series.

Designed to lighten the load of already street-savvy New Yorkers, commuters, business travelers, and tourists. In this book, each map is marked with icons identifying our favorite picks around town, from essentials to entertainment, and includes a neighborhood description written by locals, highlighting the important features of each area.

A gripping historical thriller set in sixteenth-century England and centered on the highly secretive cult of Saint Thomas Becket, the twelfth-century archbishop murdered in Canterbury Cathedral. London, summer of 1584: Radical philosopher, ex-monk, and spy Giordano Bruno suspects he is being followed by an old enemy. He is shocked to discover that his pursuer is in fact Sophia Underhill, a young woman with whom he was once in love. When Bruno learns that Sophia has been accused of murdering her husband, a prominent magistrate in Canterbury, he agrees to do anything he can to help clear her name. In the city that was once England's greatest center of pilgrimage, Bruno begins to uncover unsuspected secrets that point to the dead man being part of a larger and more dangerous plot in the making. He must turn his detective's eye on history — on Saint Thomas Becket, the twelfth-century archbishop murdered in Canterbury Cathedral, and on the legend surrounding the disappearance of his body — in order to solve the crime. As Bruno's feelings for Sophia grow more intense, so does his fear that another murder is about to take place — perhaps his own. But more than Bruno's life is at stake in this vividly rendered, impeccably researched, and addictively page-turning whodunit — the stability of the kingdom hangs in the balance as Bruno hunts down a brutal murderer in the shadows of England's most ancient cathedral.

For 15-year-old Michael Berg, a chance meeting with an older woman leads to far more than he ever imagined. The woman in question is Hanna, and before long they embark on a passionate, clandestine love affair which leaves Michael both euphoric and confused. For Hanna is not all she seems. Years later, as a law student observing a trial in Germany, Michael is shocked to realize that the person in the dock is Hanna. The woman he had loved is a criminal. Much about her behaviour during the trial does not make sense. But then suddenly, and terribly, it does — Hanna is not only obliged to answer for a horrible crime, she is also desperately concealing an even deeper secret.

The escapes of Mole, Ratty, Toad, and Badger continue in this sequel to The Wind in the Willows. With lavish illustrations by Clint Young, Jacqueline Kelly masterfully evokes the magic of Kenneth Grahame's beloved children's classic and brings it to life for a whole new generation.

This dazzling introduction to dance features an entry for every letter of the alphabet, including a pronunciation guide and an accessible, informative definition. For instance, I is for Improvisation (im-pro-vi-ZAY-shun): making up the steps as one dances, and O is for Ouvert (oo-VAIR): a French word that refers to an open position of the feet in ballet.

Dan Ariely, behavioral economist and the New York Times bestselling author of The Upside of Irrationality and Predictably Irrational, examines the contradictory forces that drive us to cheat and keep us honest, in this groundbreaking look at the way we behave: The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty. From ticket-fixing in our police departments to test-score scandals in our schools, from our elected leaders' extra-marital affairs to the Ponzi schemes undermining our economy, cheating and dishonesty are ubiquitous parts of our national news cycle — and inescapable parts of the human condition. Drawing on original experiments and research, in the vein of Freakonomics, The Tipping Point, and Survival of the Sickest, Ariely reveals — honestly — what motivates these irrational, but entirely human, behaviors.

Children find the crayon-bright colors of Lucy Cousin's artwork irresistible! Now her two newest characters — Katy Cat, a gregarious marmalade kitten, and her friend, Beaky Boo, a quiet cuddly puffin — introduce preschoolers to a medley of basic concepts, including colors, counting, patterns, and animal sounds.

«Lucy Cousins's sweet story of a new sibling is back in a larger paperback format perfect for lap sharing. Za-Za's mom just had a new baby! He's very small, very loud, and very demanding. Mom and Dad are too busy with the baby to play, but Mom has an idea. «Why don't you hug the baby?» It's hard not being the center of attention all the time, but being an older sibling can be fun, as little Za-Za finds out in this reassuring book from the creator of «Maisy.»

A colorful fold-out board book and growth chart— parents and little ones won’t want to miss an inch! Celebrate growing little ones and their growing worlds with this beautiful fold-out board book. Parents and babies can use one side of the book to discover a variety of growing things through charming images of swaying trees, tropical fruits, baby animals, a celebratory poem, and a mirror so baby can watch herself grow. Flip the book over for a gorgeous growth chart that helps parents track their child’s height, inch by colorful inch. This book is made of sturdy, lightweight board with a ribbon hanger to be securely hung on a wall. The book comes packaged in an elegant gift box and includes a sheet of Curious George stickers and height markers for the growth chart.

This boxed set collects five classic fairy tales, creatively told and beautifully illustrated, for all ages. Former British Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo lends wonderful detail and color to Hansel and Gretel and The Pied Piper of Hamelin, both illustrated in Emma Chichester Clark's expressive and detailed watercolor cartoons. Niamh Sharkey imagines Cinderella in caricatures of colored pencil and paint, while Max Eilenberg's winking text is full of sound effects and asides. For Beauty and the Beast, however, he gives the tale the gravity it requires, while Angela Barrett's haunting drawings depict a world made of magic. And Naomi Lewis's The Snow Queen is more a translation than a retelling, capturing the nuances of the original Hans Christian Andersen masterpiece, and is gorgeously illustrated with Christian Birmingham's lush and striking paintings.