Maria Brzozowska – illustratör

Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available.The king's ravenkeeper and his daughter, Alys, are part of a long line of proud royal ravenkeepers and they know the ravens well. So, when Alys notices the ravens' feathers changing colour, she knows something must be done. Is it a message or a warning? Her father has a broken leg and is unable to make a long journey, so it’s down to Alys to take the message to the king and tell him of the ravens' change. Will the message become clear and will Alys be able to deliver it before it’s too late? This historical fantasy adventure is written by Sinéad O’Hart.Lime Plus/Band 11+ books provide challenging plots and vocabulary as well as opportunities to practise inference, prediction and reading stamina.Pages 46 and 47 allow children to re-visit the content of the book, supporting comprehension skills, vocabulary development and recall.Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.

Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Levelled for guided and independent reading, each book includes ideas to support reading. Teaching and assessment support and eBooks are also available.Jane Grey comes from a rich and powerful family in Tudor England. She loves stories about ghosts and legends, and dreams about excitement and danger. But when a hunt is arranged at Bradgate House and Jane meets the mysterious White Deer and the ghost boy for herself, will she regret what she wished for?Pearl/Band 18 books offer fluent readers a complex, substantial text with challenging themes to facilitate sustained comprehension, bridging the gap between a reading programme and longer chapter books.A reader response page provides lots of opportunities for speaking and listening and scaffolding writing.Text type: A story with a historical settingIdeas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activitiesStuart Hill left school with few qualifications and went to work in a small car factory where mice made a home in the bags of sugar meant for our tea at break time. It was also so cold in the winter the water in the kettle froze solid. This made Stuart determined to make his escape, and at the age of twenty-two he went to college and took the O Levels and A Levels he should have taken when he was still at school. After this Stuart worked as an archaeologist and eventually went to university where he took a combined Honours Degree in English and Ancient History. Later Stuart worked as a bookseller in Waterstones bookshop, and it was here during coffee breaks and on days off that he wrote his first published book. He'll be forever grateful to my colleagues for reading it and then encouraging me to send the manuscript to publishers. The Grey Ghost was an ideal story for Stuart because it combines his love of history and the fascination with the supernatural that he has had since a very young boy.

When Dinosaurs Conquered the Skies is an exquisitely illustrated exploration of how dinosaurs evolved flight and eventually became the birds we live with today.What are birds, and where did they come from? Discover fascinating facts about bird evolution, including:   How the oldest bird fossils are about 150 million years old.That birds evolved from a group of meat-eating dinosaurs called theropods. That’s the same group that Tyrannosaurus Rex belonged to, although birds evolved from small theropods.  How these ancient birds looked quite a lot like small, feathered dinosaurs and they had much in common. Their mouths still contained sharp teeth. That over time, birds lost their teeth and evolved beaks. And more! The story of bird evolution is fascinating, and When Dinosaurs Conquered the Skies explores this incredible history in a digestible, accessible way. This book from the successful Incredible Evolution series proves that fact can definitely be stranger and more exciting than fiction! Can you imagine coming face-to-face with a toothy pigeon?!Through digestible information and absorbing illustrations, young readers will be given an insight into how dinosaurs evolved flight and conquered the skies. This book is from the Incredible Evolution series, a fascinating, informative collection of books which examine the development of life on eart. Other titles available include: When Plants Took Over the Planet, When We Became Humans, and When the Whales Walked.

From award-winning and beloved childrens author Elizabeth Laird comes a stunning edition of A House Without Walls.With a cover illustration by Maria Brzozowska, an updated author letter and additional content from the author, including discussion notes. A must-read modern classic, this is the powerful story of family, hope and redemption amidst the refugee crisis in Syria, illustrated in black and white by Lucy Eldridge.Thirteen-year-old Safiya and her family have been driven out of Syria by civil war. Safiya knows how lucky she is – lucky not to be living in a refugee camp, and lucky to be alive. But it's hard to feel grateful when she's living in a tent in her cousin's yard, forced to look after her father and brother rather than go back to school. And, now that she's lost her home, she's lonelier than ever.As the family struggle to rebuild their lives, Safiya realizes that her family has always been incomplete, and with her own future in the balance, it's time to uncover the secrets that war has kept buried.This edition includes brilliant extra material, such as:- An author letter by Elizabeth Laird- Extra content from the author, including reading group questions

From award-winning and beloved children's author Elizabeth Laird comes a stunning edition of Welcome to Nowhere, with a cover illustration by Maria Brzozowska, an updated author letter and additional content from the author, including discussion notes. A must-read modern classic, this is a beautifully written story about the life of one family caught up in civil war, illustrated throughout in black-and-white by Lucy Eldridge.Twelve-year-old Omar and his brothers and sisters were born and raised in the beautiful and bustling city of Bosra, Syria. Omar doesn't care about politics - all he wants is to grow up to become a successful businessman who will take the world by storm. But when his clever older brother, Musa, gets mixed up with some young political activists, everything changes . . .Before long, bombs are falling, people are dying, and Omar and his family have no choice but to flee their home with only what they can carry. Yet no matter how far they run, the shadow of war follows them - until they have no other choice than to attempt the dangerous journey to escape their homeland altogether. But where do you go when you can't go home?This edition includes brilliant extra material, such as:- An author letter by Elizabeth Laird- Extra content from the author, including reading group questions

Welcome to Nowhere is a powerful and beautifully written story about the life of one family caught up in civil war by the award-winning author Elizabeth Laird, shortlisted for the Scottish Teen Book Award and winner of the UKLA Book Award.Twelve-year-old Omar and his brothers and sisters were born and raised in the beautiful and bustling city of Bosra, Syria. Omar doesn't care about politics - all he wants is to grow up to become a successful businessman who will take the world by storm. But when his clever older brother, Musa, gets mixed up with some young political activists, everything changes . . . Before long, bombs are falling, people are dying, and Omar and his family have no choice but to flee their home with only what they can carry. Yet no matter how far they run, the shadow of war follows them - until they have no other choice than to attempt the dangerous journey to escape their homeland altogether. But where do you go when you can't go home?'[Sings] with truth' - The Times'A muscular, moving, thought-provoking book' - Guardian'Humane and empathetic . . . an effective call to action' - The Sunday Times'Powerful, heart-breaking and compelling' - Scotsman

A House Without Walls is a powerful story of family, hope and redemption amidst the refugee crisis in Syria from the award-winning Elizabeth Laird, illustrated by Lucy Eldridge.Thirteen-year-old Safiya and her family have been driven out of Syria by civil war. Safiya knows how lucky she is – lucky not to be living in a refugee camp, lucky to be alive. But it's hard to feel grateful when she's forced to look after her father and brother rather than go back to school, and now that she's lost her home, she's lonelier than ever. As they struggle to rebuild their lives, Safiya realizes that her family has always been incomplete and with her own future in the balance, it's time to uncover the secrets that war has kept buried.

This book is a fun way for children aged 7-10 to find out all about Scotland’s amazing wildlife and natural history. From puffins, pine martens and Highland cows to red deer, eagles and butterflies, the range of animals is enormous, not to mention the huge variety of plants, flowers and trees. Many of them live in some of the most spectacular natural settings too – forests, moors, mountains, rivers and the sea.The activities include stickering, colouring, drawing, wordsearches, counting, games, dot-to dots, mazes, alongside lots of practical activities - making animals with salt dough; making a bird feeder; making sock puppets; making eggbox crabs and jellyfish; making an egg tree and much more.

Take to the skies with this fun, visual miscellany for children who love anything aircraft related! Each double-page spread features a different group of aircraft to explore, such as helpful helicopters, record-breaking planes and soaring spacecraft. Discover some of the more surprising things to have flown – including flying cars and jet packs. Readers can also learn how planes fly, and pretend to be a pilot as they look at a cockpit from a pilot's eye view.Filled with hundreds of different planes, balloons, rockets and other aircraft from around the world, even the most avid young flying fanatic will discover new machines they haven't seen before!

Take to the water with this fun, visual miscellany for children who love anything boat related! Each double-page spread features a different group of boats and other watercraft to explore, such as helpful lifeboats, racing dragon boats and super submarines. Discover rowing, fishing and record-breaking boats from around the world, plus hard-working ships such as icebreakers and fireboats. Explore inside a car ferry, visit the floating market and find out how a boat floats.Filled with hundreds of different boats, ships, subs, and other wonderful watercraft, even the most avid young boat fanatic will discover new vessels they haven't seen before!

Take to the skies with this fun, visual miscellany for children who love anything aircraft related! Each double-page spread features a different group of aircraft to explore, such as helpful helicopters, record-breaking planes and soaring spacecraft. Discover some of the more surprising things to have flown – including flying cars and jet packs. Readers can also learn how planes fly, and pretend to be a pilot as they look at a cockpit from a pilot's eye view.Filled with hundreds of different planes, balloons, rockets and other aircraft from around the world, even the most avid young flying fanatic will discover new machines they haven't seen before!

Take to the water with this fun, visual miscellany for children who love anything boat related! Each double-page spread features a different group of boats and other watercraft to explore, such as helpful lifeboats, record-breaking catamarans and boats that people live on.Discover some of the more surprising things that float on water, including seaplanes and amphibious cars, as well as finding out how boats float. Filled with hundreds of different boats, ships, subs, and other watercraft from around the world, even the most avid young boat fanatic will discover new vessels they haven't seen before!

Do you love planes? Would you like to take off into space or pilot the fastest sea plane in the world? Then hit the skies to discover hundreds of amazing vehicles.Each double-page spread features a different group of fascinating vehicles to pore over, such as aircrafts, military planes, rockets, and even the first fliers. Filled with over 200 stickers and hundreds of different trucks and other vehicles from around the world, even the most avid young transport fanatic will discover surprising new machines they haven't seen before!

Do you love trucks? Would you like to crash around in a monster truck or save lives with a fire engine? Then get behind the wheel to discover hundreds of amazing vehicles.Each double-page spread features a different group of fascinating vehicles to pore over, such as trains, race cars, emergency vehicles, and even a junk yard. Filled with over 200 stickers and hundreds of different trucks and other vehicles from around the world, even the most avid young transport fanatic will discover surprising new machines they haven't seen before!

Do you love boats? Would you like to dive deep in a submarine or race a dragon boat? Then jump on board, hoist the sail and discover hundreds of seafaring vessels. Each double-page spread features a different group of fascinating boats to pore over, such as steam towboats, houseboats, jukungs and even lucky cats. Filled with over 200 stickers and hundreds of different trucks and other vehicles from around the world, even the most avid young transport fanatic will discover surprising new machines they haven't seen before!