The Cat And The Fiddle

With over 40 traditional nursery rhymes, personally chosen by the illustrator and laid out in colour-drenched double spreads. this is a beautiful, painterly collection of rhymes that has the makings of a classic. Included are familiar favourites such as: Hickory Dickory Dock, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Lavender's Blue, Ride a Cock Horse, Pop Goes the Weasel, To market, To market. And then there are some unusual rhymes to discover, such as Jumping Joan, Gray Goose and Gander, and Hark, Hark, the Dogs Do Bark. The pictures contain lots of detail to pore over, with strong decorative elements and a fine sense of colour and design. The perfect book to share, not only with a baby, but with the whole family.

Presents new variations on the traditional rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle."

Available Digitally for the First Time A holiday in rural Massachusetts seems like just the thing for talented actress turned cat-sitter Alice Nestleton—until a killer strikes a sour note… Alice Nestleton has recently died… at the box office, that is. Her latest play bombed, and the critics gleefully skewered her performance in the reviews. Instead of going to the dogs, Alice has returned to a kinder, gentler profession—cat-sitting. Her current assignment is to deliver an adorable Scottish-fold kitty named Lulu to her owner at a remote Massachusetts artists’ colony. To Alice’s relief, the woods are lovely, dark, and deep—too bad the visiting world-famous quartet isn’t as charming…especially when their handsome ladykiller of a pianist turns up murdered. Alice may have a tin ear, but she possesses a sharp eye for suspects and a nose for clues. Now, the paw prints are on the wall, and Alice has a good idea whodunit. But the local police won’t listen, and soon the intrepid cat-lady is baiting a dangerous mousetrap for a killer who’s not just pussy-footing around… Be sure to look for A Cat Tells Two Tales, available October 2012 in trade paperback from Obsidian.

Pigs playing bagpipes, monkey fiddlers, and demons making music on kitchen implements: this extraordinary cast of characters peering out of the pages of books and manuscripts has amused, entertained, and intrigued readers throughout the ages. Music is a serious subject which some artists and illustrators have for centuries treated in a light-hearted manner.Jeremy Barlow delves deep into the rich and diverse Bodleian archive, and taking us on a whimsical journey through ? years of iconographic history, exploring a range of strange and humorous images, from animal hybrids playing musical instruments in the margins of manuscripts, to prints by Hogarth, and from children's literature to class-conscious cartoons in Punch. He includes many images never published before, and sheds new light on old favourites. What is the relationship between animals and instruments, and how have themes such as devilry and drunkenness been used in musical representations? How did developments such as printing, and the importance of public concerts affect musical humour, and how was it used politically? These and other similar questions are explored in this engaging little volume.

An old English rhyme names all the animals a farm boy feeds on his daily rounds.

An adventure story aimed at 7-11 year olds. 12 b & w illustrations throughout text. Humorous with no bad language or sexual content. featuring a young boy, Max, and his Gran's terrier, Randolf. A dream-based tale featuring talking animals featuring a young boy, Max, and his Gran's terrier, Randolf.