The Noon Balloon To Rangoon

Go on a magical adventure in this fun and playful story by Margaret Wise Brown, best-selling author of the children's classics Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. Travel on a magical adventure with a little dog in The Noon Balloon, from best-selling children's book author Margaret Wise Brown. Beautifully illustrated, this lyrical text will be a soothing bedtime favorite.

A little cat travels by balloon across city, sea, and mountain to a pine forest where he decides to stay.

Over the city, high above the sea, into a storm, and through a sky full of airplanes, the Noon Balloon is off on a magical journey. Read along as the boy, girl, and little dog fly away for a truly magical adventure! From the hidden treasures of Margaret Wise Brown, author of the children's classics Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny. Parragon is the largest illustrated nonfiction publisher in the world and a global leader in innovative digital books for children in many languages. Welcome to the world of Parragon!

When Jeff, a retired airline pilot, joins his son, Todd, in a long-haul trucking business, venture, the freedom of the open road sets them on an unexpected journey of discovery that will profoundly affect the rest of their lives. This gripping and intelligent novel explores the new relationship between a parent and an adult child when the old titles become inadequate to redefine it. This is done by contrasting four sets of father/sons from dysfunctional to devoted, although they are unaware of the others they exert a profound influence upon each other, and collide in a tale full of depth and wisdom. A mystery from Jeff ’s military past must be solved and come to terms with while he and Todd learn to build love, fight their fears and deal with life on life’s terms. Join these intriguing, flawed and courageous men on that endless black ribbon, like the rest of us unknowing the final destination.

What do “the whole kit and caboodle,” “the whole shebang,” “the whole megillah,” “the whole enchilada,” “the whole nine yards,” “the whole box and dice,” and “the full Monty” have in common? They’re all expressions that mean “the entire quantity,” and they’re all examples of the breadth and depth of the English-speaking world’s vocabulary. From the multitude of words and phrases in daily use, the author of this delightful exploration into what we say and why we say it zeroes in on those expressions and sayings and their variations that are funny, quirky, just plain folksy, or playfully dressed up in rhyme or alliteration. Some may have become clichés that, as it’s said with “tongue in cheek,” should be “avoided like the plague.” Others have been distorted, deemed politically incorrect, or shrouded in mystery and must bear some explanation. Among the topics the author delves into are expressions that shouldn’t be taken literally (“dressed to kill” and “kick the bucket”), foreign expressions that crept into English (“carte blanche,” “carpe diem,” and “que sera, sera”), phrases borrowed from print ads and TV commercials (“where there’s life, there’s Bud” and “where the rubber meets the road”), animal images (“a barrel of monkeys” and “chasing your tail”), and food and drink (“cast your bread upon the water,” “chew the fat,” “bottom’s up!”, and “drink as a lord”). Here’s a book for everyone who delights in the mysteries of language and the perfect gift for all the “wordies” in your life.

“Person to person” (and “station to station”), “bar sinister,” “the weed of crime bears bitter fruit,” “between the devil and the deep blue sea,” “will o’ the wisp,” “poor as Job’s turkey” . . . these are just a few phrases that were once part of everyday speech. However, due to our evolving language and other cultural changes, there are hundreds of phrases poised on the brink of extinction. Can such endangered phrases be saved? And if so, why? These are questions Steven D. Price, award-winning author and keen observer of the passing linguistic scene, answers in this challenging and captivating compilation. It is sure to increase your appreciation of the English language’s ebb and flow—and enhance your own vocabulary along the way.