Kaye Umansky – författare

‘I want a pet! I want a pet! I hope I like the pet I get!’When a boy goes to the Strange Pet Shop to find a pet, there’s no knowing what he’ll find there. He is very particular, and nothing at the Strange Pet Shop suits him until, at last the perfect pet comes bounding through the door! Green/ Band 5 books offer early readers patterned language and varied characters.Text type – A poem with predictable structure and patterned language.At the end of the story is a poster advertising the Strange Pet Shop, which is ideal for further discussion and supporting further work outside the reading session.Curriculum links – Citizenship: Animals and us.This book has been levelled for Reading Recovery.

Hooray! Hooray! It’s the horses’ holiday! They come by coach, they come by car, they come from far away. This humorous rhyming story takes the reader on a riotous journey to Dobbin World, where the horses’ holiday activities seem strikingly similar to our own.This is a Band 6/Orange book which offers varied text and characters, with action sustained over several pages. This is a humorous rhyming story and the postcard on pages 14 and 15 provides a new approach to revisiting and exploring the story. This book supports learning about geography near the seaside. This book has been levelled for Reading Recovery and quizzed for Accelerated Reader. For more guided reading books in this Collins Big Cat band, try Chewy Hughie (9780007186921) written by Jane Clarke and illustrated by Sarah McConnell.

A rhyming picture book in which a group of children prepare for a party. The bright, action-packed illustrations feature all kinds of delicious food.'While a group of children prepares for a party, Jim has just one job. He must pass the jam. As the pages fill with piles and piles of food, the jam is still missing. Gradually, it becomes apparent that Jim will not be able to pass the jam - some has been eaten, some has been spilled and quite a lot is covering the walls, floor and Jim... Pre-school children and infants will find much to amuse them.' - JUNIOR BOOKSHELF'Marvellously memorable... very funny' - SCHOOL LIBRARIAN'Great fun to read aloud' - BABY MAGAZINE

Stomp, Chomp, Big Roars! Here Come the Dinosaurs! - a hilarious book by Kaye Umansky and Nick SharrattThis is the way we stomp our feet, Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! This is the way we like to eat, Chomp! Chomp! Chomp! Stomp! Chomp! Big Roars, Here come the dinosaurs! A brilliant third action rhymes book from the perfect duo of Kaye Umansky and Nick Sharratt. Following on from Tickle my Nose and Wiggle My Toes, this book focusses on the perennial favourites, dinosaurs, and boasts a whole host of brand new interactive fun rhymes about all sorts of things. Illustrated with Nick Sharratt's superbly vibrant and fantastic dinosaur characters, this is a popular and hilarious book.Kaye Umansky was born in Plymouth, Devon. She taught in London primary schools for twelve years, specializing in music and drama. She now lives in north London with her husband and teenage daughter. She is the author of the popular Pongwiffy books.The young Nick Sharratt spent most of his time drawing and later took an Arts Foundation course at Manchester Polytechnic and a BA in Graphic Design at St Martin's. He is now well-known for his illustration of the books of Jacqueline Wilson and Jeremy Strong and for his own titles. He has won many awards, including the Children's Book Award in 2001 for Eat Your Peas. Nick lives in Brighton.Look out for other titles by Kaye and Nick:Stomp, Chomp, Big Roars! Here Come the Dinosaurs!; My Very First Joke Book; Goblinz and the Witch; Yo Ho Ho! A-Pirating We'll Go; Faster, Faster, Nice and Slow; Red Rockets and Rainbow Jelly; One to Ten and Back Again; The Hundred-Mile-an-Hour Dog

My Very First Joke Book is full of the very funniest and best jokes!An excellent introduction to jokes and joke-telling. Over 60 jokes and rhymes, each with their own hilarious illustration - perfect for playground comedians.There are 'Knock, knock!' jokes, 'Doctor, doctor' jokes, monster jokes, and plain daft jokes. There are silly rhymes, crazy crossbreeds and a whole library of joke titles. Each one is in a large easy-to-read typeface and has its own humorous illustration to make it even funnier!Kaye Umansky is best known as the creator of Pongwiffy (Puffin) - hugely popular with children because of the irreverent humour. Kaye's trademark humour is evident in all her books and she is well qualified to write a joke book for very young children.

A comic story set in mock-Victorian times. Solomon Snow discovers, to his amazement, that he is a foundling. A silver spoon was left with him as a baby, but Pa has pawned it. Solomon leaves home in high dudgeon to seek his spoon and his real parents. He joins up with Prudence Pridy, a very bossy girl, and a very irritating child called the Infant Prodigy, who can wind any adult round her little finger. Together they reach Town and promptly meet a glorious cast of assorted larger-than-life characters including a villainous pawnbroker, kidnappers, a child farmer, an awful orphanage and a cheery chimney-sweep's boy. Solly does find his spoon eventually - but the ending takes everyone by surprise.

Have you ever noticed that nearly everyone has an exciting anecdote about something terrible that happened to them at school? Science accidents, play disasters, broken limbs well, not Andrew. He's got nothing, not even dog-chewed homework or a forgotten PE kit. He knows it's nice to have such an untroubled life, but he does wish he had some kind of tale to tellReflect is a series of emotionally powerful books with realistic settings, carefully crafted to promote thoughtful discussions and develop higher-level reading comprehension. Written by top childrens authors and developed with Literacy expert and Series Editor Nikki Gamble, these are books you can trust to engage, entertain and support childrens personal development. The books are finely levelled, making it easy to match every child to stories with the right depth and complexity for them, and helping them to progress. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children deepen their understanding and support their reading comprehension. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links to relationships education and support literacy skills.

Even the most delightful ducks can have a bad day . ..What's the matter with Dick the Duck? He's usually so kindand friendly!But today Dick got out on The Wrong Side of Bed.He feels humpy and grumpy, cranky and cross. Can anyone helpcheer him up?Luckily Dick's friends rally round and shower him with kindness,and Dick is soon back to his usual delightful self!This magnificently funny rhyming story showsthat even the most delightful ducks can have a bad day. (And that'stotally okay!) Children will adore this hilarious rhyming storyby the much-loved author of the PONGWIFFY booksKaye Umansky is one of the funniest children's writers around.This brilliant rhyming story is a joy to read aloud,and has echoes of Dr SeussBen Mantle's superb colourful illustrations bring every characterto life. Each page is packed with fabulous, funny detailsFull of warmth and humour, Dick the Delightful Duckshows even the youngest children that it's okay notto be okay, and how they can be a good friend

Even the most delightful ducks can have a bad day . ..What's the matter with Dick the Duck? He's usually so kindand friendly!But today Dick got out on The Wrong Side of Bed.He feels humpy and grumpy, cranky and cross. Can anyone helpcheer him up?Luckily Dick's friends rally round and shower him with kindness,and Dick is soon back to his usual delightful self!This magnificently funny rhyming story showsthat even the most delightful ducks can have a bad day. (And that'stotally okay!) Children will adore this hilarious rhyming storyby the much-loved author of the PONGWIFFY booksKaye Umansky is one of the funniest children's writers around.This brilliant rhyming story is a joy to read aloud,and has echoes of Dr SeussBen Mantle's superb colourful illustrations bring every characterto life. Each page is packed with fabulous, funny detailsFull of warmth and humour, Dick the Delightful Duckshows even the youngest children that it's okay notto be okay, and how they can be a good friend

Friendship wins the day in this fabulously funny quarrel!Two frogs sit on an ordinary little rock. But . . . uh-oh! Bothfrogs think it's their rock - and they really don'twant to share!The frogs fight and squabble furiously. But when a hungry heronswoops down, both frogs realise it's time to find another rock. . . together!Kaye Umansky's brilliantly simple rhyming story shows how twogrumpy frogs go from fighting . . . to friendship (with lotsof laughter along the way.)Alice McKinley's hilarious illustrations bringto life every twist and turn of this wonderfully witty little drama. Written in absolutely perfect rhyme, this storyis a joy to read aloud.Every parent and child will identify with these squabbling frogs.An excellent (and very funny) lesson in how to resolve a quarrel!  Kaye Umansky is one of the UK's best-loved children's authors.She is a brilliant comic writer, and is the award-winning creatorof the bestselling Pongwiffy fiction series. Her superbrhyming picture books have echoes of Dr Seuss.Alice McKinley's illustrations are full of warmth andhumour, and packed with clever details to spot.

What would you do if a little dinosaur followed you homefrom the park?You'd look after him, wouldn't you? You'd make him a cosy bedin your shed, and give him lots of tickles and cuddles.But what if the dinosaur was missing his mum? Could you bear tolet him go?This fabulous, funny story about love and caringwill tug your heartstrings . . . and tickle your funny bones! Kaye Umansky is one of the funniest children's writers around.This brilliant rhyming story is a joy to readaloudPippa Curnick's gorgeous, colourful illustrationsare packed with hilarious detailsBrimming with warmth and humour, this wonderful story is guaranteedto become a bedtime favouriteKaye Umansky's superb picture books include Dick the DelightfulDuck and This Rock is Mine!Pippa Curnick is the award-winning writer andillustrator of the Indigo Wilde books.

What would you do if a little dinosaur followed you homefrom the park?You'd look after him, wouldn't you? You'd make him a cosy bedin your shed, and give him lots of tickles and cuddles.But what if the dinosaur was missing his mum? Could you bear tolet him go?This fabulous, funny story about love and caringwill tug your heartstrings . . . and tickle your funny bones! Kaye Umansky is one of the funniest children's writers around.This brilliant rhyming story is a joy to readaloudPippa Curnick's gorgeous, colourful illustrationsare packed with hilarious detailsBrimming with warmth and humour, this wonderful story is guaranteedto become a bedtime favouriteKaye Umansky's superb picture books include Dick the DelightfulDuck and This Rock is Mine!Pippa Curnick is the award-winning writer andillustrator of the Indigo Wilde books.

Pongwiffy has it all...a hovel of her own, a sometime-friend named Sharkadder, and an odor only a witch could love. Everything is almost perfect -- until a gaggle of Goblins move in next door. Heavens above, they''re enough to wake the dead. It''s time to move. But where? And where will she find a much-needed assistant? Sharkadder persuades Pongwiffy to advertise...but the only asistant who answers is a hamster. What''s a witch to do? Forget about finding a new slum! How can Pongwiffy cope with a gang of Goblins, a sassy rodent assistant, and the Witches'' Coven, who are waiting for an explanation? Even worse, she''s responsible for Sourmuddle''s 200th birthday cake. What will happen if Pongwiffy messes that up?

This pack contains 8 books, one of each of the following titles: Geeks Can't Dance, Terrible Tales From School, Ethan the Great, Georgie and Me, Champions of Our Planet, Double Exposure, The Greatest Treasure of All and Coram's Children.Reflect is a series of emotionally powerful fiction and non-fiction with realistic settings, carefully crafted to promote thoughtful discussions and develop higher-level reading comprehension. Written by top authors and developed with Literacy expert Nikki Gamble, these are books you can trust to engage, entertain and support children's personal development and wellbeing. The books are finely levelled, making it easy to match every child to books with the right depth and complexity, and helping them to progress. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children deepen their understanding and support their reading comprehension. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links to Relationships Education and support literacy skills.

This pack contains 48 books, six of each of the following titles: Geeks Can't Dance, Terrible Tales From School, Ethan the Great, Georgie and Me, Champions of Our Planet, Double Exposure, The Greatest Treasure of All and Coram's Children.Reflect is a series of emotionally powerful fiction and non-fiction with realistic settings, carefully crafted to promote thoughtful discussions and develop higher-level reading comprehension. Written by top authors and developed with Literacy expert Nikki Gamble, these are books you can trust to engage, entertain and support children's personal development and wellbeing. The books are finely levelled, making it easy to match every child to books with the right depth and complexity, and helping them to progress. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children deepen their understanding and support their reading comprehension. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links to Relationships Education and support literacy skills.

Get ready to read! LITTLE RED ROBINS are ideal for sharing and reading together. Buster Gutt is the biggest, baddest pirate who ever sailed the seven seas ... but Buster's crew are starving. Weevils gobbled their biscuits - they need nosh now! Luckily Allspice island is dead ahead - but there's a big surprise waiting for the hungry horde!

Tim is an ace actor and keen member of the school drama club. So of course he expects to be the star of the end of year school play. But to his horror he finds he''s been cast as a tree. And not just that - his only lines are in verse. Is there anything he can do to save his reputation? A brilliantly funny, hugely readable story, about how to make the most of a supporting role.

Following his star turn in I am a Tree Tim is back for more comic fun. This time he''s spending half term cleaning cars, and screaming toddlers have taken over his home. He''s not happy. Luckily his friend Flora is on hand to help out and have a joke with. Things start to look up. Until, that is, they encounter a very angry customer and a very wet Rottweiler. But in this comedy, who will have the last laugh?

Clover Twig - clever, neat, responsible, is still in the employ of Mrs Eckles, chaotic, cantankerous, and a witch. One day, Granny Dismal, a witch from the neighbouring village, warns them that the Perilous Path has been seen in the woods. As its name indicates, it leads nowhere good, and also has a habit of sneaking up on you. And then little Herby, Clover''s baby brother, goes missing ...A very funny witch-filled romp, featuring Clover, Mrs Eckles and the return of Mrs Eckles''s wicked revenge-driven witch sister, Mesmeranza ...

Filth is Witch Sludgegooey''s Fiend, Arthur the Dragon is precise, meticulous and lives with his mum, and O''Brian is a Leprechaun who is often mistaken for a Pixie. These three very different characters have two things in common - the band they play in (The Witchway Rhythm Boys) and the music they play (Crash ''n'' Bang). But they don''t get a chance to play Crash ''n'' Bang a lot as nobody likes it very much. Until, that is, The Thing in the Moonmad T-shirt becomes their manager and sets their sights higher - on the forthcoming music competition The Battle of the Bands, where they face stiff opposition from some terrifying Skeletons, Trolls and Gnomes.The narrative is set in Witchway Wood and features welcome appearances for Pongwiffy fans of characters such as Scott Sinister, Ali Pali, Lulu Lamarre and Witch Sludgegooey, as well as the Witchway Rhythm Boys themselves.With appearances from a Fairy set on revenge, a Werewolf determined to join a band, and a loyal but not very talkative goldfish called Gareth, plus a lot of extremely loud Crash ''n'' Bang, this is a fast-talking, drumstick-rolling, high-octane magical extravaganza!

Belinda lives in Honeybear Lane with her mum and dad. The house next door is empty ... until, one day, The Three Bears move in. Their house in the woods has been knocked down to make way for a motorway, and now they need Belinda's help to cope with the outside world. After all, bears can't live on porridge alone. Kaye Umansky's new series for Early Readers is just as warm and delightful as her Algy's Amazing Adventures books. Every page is illustrated in full colour by Chris Jevons.

'A Bewitching tale, charmingly told and is certain to delight any witch in the making' M.G, Leonard, award-winning author of Beetle Boy  'A gorgeous story that bubbles with charm, wit and magic' Abi Elphinstone, author of The Dreamsnatcher 'Bursting with memorable characters, a huge sense of fun and a big dollop of honey, flowers and strawberry-scented magic!' Joe Berger, author of Lyttle Lies and Hubble Bubble 'A sulky raven, a grubby dog and a common-sense heroine with a strong sense of customer service. This is a funny, magical treat!' Holly Webb, author of Lost in the Snow When Elsie Pickles offers to house-sit the mysterious home of local witch Magenta Sharp, she has no idea what she's getting herself into. Left with a talking raven and a scruffy dog for company, a magical tower that has a mind of its own and a book of instruction called Everything You Need to Know, what could possibly go wrong? With an assortment of weird and wonderful neighbours banging at the door and a box of volatile magical ingredients that must be used immediately, Elsie finds out that looking after Magenta's home might not be as easy as she first thought ... does she have what it takes to be a witch for a week or will it all end in a magical disaster?  A new magical adventure from Kaye Umansky, the bestselling author of the spellbinding children's classic Pongwiffy, brought to life with charming illustrations from rising star Ashley King!

Everyone is already the spell of this charming new series from Kaye Umansky...  'A Bewitching tale, charmingly told and is certain to delight any witch in the making' M.G, Leonard, award-winning author of Beetle Boy  'A gorgeous story that bubbles with charm, wit and magic' Abi Elphinstone, author of The Dreamsnatcher 'Bursting with memorable characters, a huge sense of fun and a big dollop of honey, flowers and strawberry-scented magic!' Joe Berger, author of Lyttle Lies and Hubble Bubble 'A sulky raven, a grubby dog and a common-sense heroine with a strong sense of customer service. This is a funny, magical treat!' Holly Webb, author of Lost in the Snow The wonderful Elsie Pickles is back in her second adventure! This time, local witch Magenta Sharp needs help with her mail order magic service, Sharp Spells on Tap, and once again mischief and marvellous magic are about to transform Elsie's life. Because with a grumpy genie on the loose set on causing trouble, getting Magenta’s business back on track isn’t going to be easy… A magical adventure from Kaye Umansky, the bestselling author of the spellbinding children's classic Pongwiffy, brought to life with charming illustrations from rising star Ashley King!

A brand new bind-up edition of the much-loved classic children's series Pongwiffy including A Witch of Dirty Habits and The Goblin's Revenge! Pongwiffy has just moved into a new cave, and it's dirty, smelly and damp - in other words it's perfect for a witch like Pongwiffy! At least it would be if her next door neighbours weren't a group of extremely noisy Goblins... Before long Pongwiffy can bear it no more and enlists the help of her best friend, Witch Sharkadder, to find her somewhere else to live. And that's when the problems really start! In the second story, the Goblins are back and up to their usual tricks! But this time Pongwiffy also has to deal with a badly behaved broom, a bonfire disaster and a strange genie....Two laugh-out-loud stories of humour and warmth, enticingly mixed with much sludge, slime and very bad habits. Now with brand new illustrations from Katy Riddell! 

A bind-up edition of two books from the much-loved classic children's series Pongwiffy featuring The Spell of the Year and The Holiday of Doom! When Pongwiffy is forced to spring clean her hovel she finds an old magic spell to help her! But it turns out that the old-fashioned ingredients are tricky to come by, especially when they belong to the familiars of other witches… In the second story, the rain won’t stop and Pongwiffy is BORED. So she decides to plan a holiday! But when Pongwiffy blows all of the Coven’s funds on a trip to Sludgehaven-on-Sea, maybe being bored isn’t such a bad thing.Two laugh-out-loud stories of humour and warmth, enticingly mixed with much sludge, slime and very bad habits. Now with brand new illustrations from Katy Riddell!

A brand new bind-up edition of three classic Pongwiffy stories including Pongwiffy and the Pantomime and The Spellovision Song Contest and Back on Track! Pongwiffy and the rest of the witches need to earn some money, and fast! But every idea they come up with to raise funds seems so BORING ... until Pongwiffy suggests they put on a pantomime and sell tickets. Get ready for some theatrical chaos with the wiches of Witchway Wood... In the second story, all the witches are transfixed by spellovision and no one wants to do anything fun anymore. Until Pongwiffy decides to launch a song contest to liven things up! Finally, Pongwiffy decides that being a witch of dirty habits is holding her back. It's time to get healthy, but can a witch who prefers sludge to sprouts really get back on track? THREE laugh-out-loud stories of humour and warmth, enticingly mixed with much sludge, slime and very bad habits. Now with brand new illustrations from Katy Riddell!

Everyone is already the spell of this funny series from Kaye Umansky...  'Umansky is one of our most delightful comic writers. Read aloud and chortle together...' The Sunday Times 'A Bewitching tale, charmingly told and is certain to delight any witch in the making' M.G, Leonard, award-winning author of Beetle Boy  'A gorgeous story that bubbles with charm, wit and magic' Abi Elphinstone, author of Sky Song 'Bursting with memorable characters, a huge sense of fun and a big dollop of honey, flowers and strawberry-scented magic!' Joe Berger, author of Lyttle Lies and Hubble Bubble 'A sulky raven, a grubby dog and a common-sense heroine with a strong sense of customer service. This is a funny, magical treat!' Holly Webb, author of Lost in the Snow It's summertime in Smallbridge, but, as always, nothing exciting is happening. Smallbridge doesn't do excitement. They do gossip, though. And now Elsie Pickles is the subject of the gossip as rumours spring up about her new magic skills … Things aren’t helped when Magenta Sharp, bored of running her mail-order service, Spells on Tap, opens up a pop-up magic shop next to Pickles’ Emporium. Soon the town is overrun with witches, much to the annoyance of the magic-hating people of Smallbridge! But maybe a little bit of magic is just the thing Smallbridge needs?