Thomas Docherty – illustratör

A delightfully funny story about friendship and seasonal change from the multi-award-winning Julia Donaldson. Chack the blackbird and Apollo the swallow are friends. But when Apollo tells Chack that he will soon be flying to Africa – Chack doesn't believe him.And when Chack tells Apollo that the blossom on his favourite tree will one day turn into orange berries – Apollo doesn't believe him either!But as the seasons change, Chack and Apollo are both in for a big surprise … Join Chack and Apollo on a round-the-world adventure in this delightfully funny story about friendship and change. From the author of the multi-million-selling The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson, Follow the Swallow is the perfect book for EVERY season!

With a focus on building phonics skills, this collection includes seven fun stories with colourful illustrations. It is ideal for children who are developing early reading skills. Find out what's so important about Ron Rabbit's egg, what happens to the Doll in the in and learn about animals in the Animal Quiz! Tips for reading together explain the letter patterns that each story focuses on and identify any words children may find tricky, helping you to get the most out of the collection.Former Children's Laureate and author of The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson, has captivated children all over the world with her lively and engaging stories. Songbirds is a phonics programme carefully created by Julia to support children who are learning to read and is used in schools to inspire a love of reading. There are eight Songbirds story collections for you to enjoy.Featuring much-loved characters, great authors, engaging storylines and fun activities, Read with Oxford offers an exciting range of carefully levelled reading books to build your child's reading confidence.Find practical advice, free eBooks and fun activities to help your child progress on oxfordowl.co.uk. Let's get them flying!

Six captivating and engaging stories with clear phonics progression, ideal for children who are growing in reading confidence. Join Tops and friends on a journey to meet the Dinosaur King, discover a planet made out of cake and find out what Snoot really, really wants for his birthday! With a variety of stunning artwork styles and six funny, heart-warming and exciting stories, this collection has something for everyone. The stories have been specially written to support and develop your child's growing reading skills as they start to read more words and longer sentences with less help. Activities after every story make reading fun and reinforce comprehension. Each collection also features tips for parents to help you support your child's developing reading skills. Featuring much-loved characters, great authors, engaging storylines and fun activities, Read with Oxford offers an exciting range of carefully levelled reading books to build your child's reading confidence.Read with Oxford Stage 3 equates to Oxford Levels 4 and 5 used in schools. For more information about the Read with Oxford Stages, as well as practical advice, free eBooks and fun activities to help your child progress, go to readwithoxford.com. Let's get them flying!

Six captivating and engaging stories with clear progression, ideal for children who are gaining more reading confidence. Meet the boy with a sabre-tooth kitten, read about a monkey who dreams of climbing to the top of the Taj Mahal and find out what happens when Snoot stands up to his big, bad dream⦠With a variety of stunning artwork styles and six funny, heart-warming and exciting stories, this collection has something for everyone. The stories have been specially written to support and develop your child's reading skills as they gain more confidence and move towards independent reading. The stories are carefully levelled, building on the phonics skills children learn at school. Activities after every story make reading fun and reinforce comprehension. Each collection also features tips for parents to help you support your child's developing reading skills. Featuring much-loved characters, great authors, engaging storylines and fun activities, Read with Oxford offers an exciting range of carefully levelled reading books to build your child's reading confidence. Read with Oxford Stage 4 equates to Oxford Levels 6 and 7 used in schools. For more information about the Read with Oxford Stages, as well as practical advice, free eBooks and fun activities to help your child progress, go to readwithoxford.com. Let's get them flying!

Oxford Reading Tree Story Sparks is an emotionally-engaging fiction series that will fire children's imaginations. These original stories will get children thinking, and develop and deepen their comprehension skills. The variety of authors and illustration styles broadens children's reading experience, with something to appeal to every child.This pack contains one of each of the following original stories: Dear Mum, Bad, Bad Dog, Snoot, My Sabre-tooth Pet, How the Bink Got Its Stink, Looga and Barooga: The Treasure of Soap Island.All the books in the series are carefully levelled, so it's easy to match every child to the right book for them. They also contain inside cover notes, to enable parents and teachers to support children in their reading. Help with children's reading development is also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk.

Oxford Reading Tree Story Sparks is an emotionally-engaging fiction series that will fire children's imaginations. These original stories will get children thinking, and develop and deepen their comprehension skills. The variety of authors and illustration styles broadens children's reading experience, with something to appeal to every child. This pack contains six of each of the following original stories: Dear Mum, Bad, Bad Dog, Snoot, My Sabre-tooth Pet, How the Bink Got Its Stink, Looga and Barooga: The Treasure of Soap Island.All the books in the series are carefully levelled, so it's easy to match every child to the right book for them. They also contain inside cover notes, to enable parents and teachers to support children in their reading. Help with children's reading development is also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk.

Snoot is frightened of almost everything. His best friend, Milton, says he has to be brave. But when the big bad dream appears, even Milton is scared! Snoot must stand up for himself in this gorgeously-illustrated tale of fear, bravery and friendship.Oxford Reading Tree Story Sparks is an emotionally-engaging fiction series that will fire children's imaginations. These 36 original stories will get children thinking, and develop and deepen their comprehension skills. The variety of authors and illustration styles broadens children's reading experience, with something to appeal to every child. All the books in the series are carefully levelled, so it's easy to match every child to the right book for them. They also contain inside cover notes, to enable parents and teachers to support children in their reading. Help with children's reading development is also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk.

Oxford Reading Tree Story Sparks is an emotionally-engaging fiction series that will fire children's imaginations and develop their comprehension skills. The variety of authors and illustrators broadens children's reading experience, with something to appeal to every child. The titles at Oxford Levels 1+ to 5 are phonically decodable with some extra high-interest words to expand children's vocabularies and enrich the stories. All the books in the series are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every reader to the right book.This pack contains six books, one of each of the following titles: Pip, Lop, Mip, Bop and the Bumbles, Tomorrow Never Comes, The Night Knight, Snoot's Birthday Surprise, Sometimes Mum is Silly and The Festival of Colours.

Oxford Reading Tree Story Sparks is an emotionally-engaging fiction series that will fire children's imaginations and develop their comprehension skills. The variety of authors and illustrators broadens children's reading experience, with something to appeal to every child. The titles at Oxford Levels 1+ to 5 are phonically decodable with some extra high-interest words to expand children's vocabularies and enrich the stories. All the books in the series are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every reader to the right book.This pack contains 36 books, six of each of the following titles: Pip, Lop, Mip, Bop and the Bumbles, Tomorrow Never Comes, The Night Knight, Snoot's Birthday Surprise, Sometimes Mum is Silly and The Festival of Colours.

Snoot really, really wants a bike for his birthday. Will Milton notice Snoot's hints, or will he get a birthday surprise? Oxford Reading Tree Story Sparks is an emotionally-engaging fiction series that will fire children's imaginations and develop their comprehension skills. The variety of authors and illustrators broadens children's reading experience, with something to appeal to every child. This story is one of six titles at Oxford Level 5, which are phonically decodable with some extra high-interest words to expand children's vocabularies and enrich the stories. All the books in the series are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every reader to the right book.

Meet Polly and her puffin Neil in the debut children's book from Sunday Times bestselling novelist, Jenny Colgan. Illustrated throughout and with recipes, activities and rhymes in addition to the irresistible story.Polly heard a CRASH downstairs. Was it a monster? NO! Was it a spider alien? NO!It was a little puffin with a broken wing...When Polly discovers an injured puffin, she and her mummy look after him in their cottage by the sea.Slowly, Neil's wing heals and Polly must prepare herself to say goodbye to her new friend. Will she ever see him again? Perfect for bedtime stories and early readers. From the author of The Little Beach Street Bakery.Contains recipes, activities and jokes in addition to the story.

Meet Polly and her puffin Neil in the debut children's book from Sunday Times bestselling novelist, Jenny Colgan. Illustrated throughout and with recipes, activities and rhymes in addition to the irresistible story.Polly heard a CRASH downstairs. Was it a monster? NO! Was it a spider alien? NO!It was a little puffin with a broken wing...When Polly discovers an injured puffin, she and her mummy look after him in their cottage by the sea.Slowly, Neil's wing heals and Polly must prepare herself to say goodbye to her new friend. Will she ever see him again? Perfect for bedtime stories and early readers. From the author of The Little Beach Street Bakery.Contains recipes, activities and jokes in addition to the story.

Polly and Neil are back in the second gorgeous children's book from Sunday Times bestselling novelist Jenny Colgan. Perfect for reading aloud and including fun activities based on the story.The boat masts jangled louder and louder. Above their heads, black clouds gathered. Polly shivered, and then the rain started to fall: plop, plop, plop.Polly is waiting for something important to happen. But waiting is hard. It's even harder when it's raining and you can't go outside...Can Polly find enough to do to keep busy ALL day? And what will happen when her puffin friend, Neil, decides to fly off into the storm?Perfect for bedtime stories and early readers. From the author of The Little Beach Street Bakery.Contains recipes, activities and rhymes in addition to the story.

Can a wolf really be a superhero?Luna is a little wolf with a big ambition: she'sdetermined to be a superhero!There's just one problem. All the other animals are terrifiedof wolves. Whenever Luna swoops in to help, everyone runs away.Luna's about to abandon her superhero dreams . . . but then shetries one final super-daring rescue! A fabulously exciting rhyming story - greatfor reading aloud, and perfect for joining inWonderful, colourful illustrations, packed withentertaining detailsAn inspiring, witty story about following yourdreamsHelen and Thomas Docherty are the super-talented creators ofmany much-loved books including The Snatchabookand The Knight Who Wouldn't Fight

WINNER of the Junior Juries Award and Judges Special Award – KPMG Children's Books Ireland Awards 2024WINNER of the UKLA Book Awards 2024 SHORTLISTED for The Oscar's Book Prize 2024'A beautiful, gentle, rhyming exploration of grief and mourning.' – Joseph Coelho, Waterstones Children's Laureate 22-24The Hare-Shaped Hole is a beautiful, touching and poignant picture book that gently explores themes of grief and loss.Hertle and Bertle were always a pair, though one was a turtle and one was a hare.They were utterly buddies, and best friends forever, and whenever you looked, you would find them together... until quite unexpectedly... the end came. When Hertle disappears for good, Bertle can only see a Hertle-shaped hole where his friend should be. He pleads with it, get angry with it, but the hole still won't bring his Hertle back. It seems like hope is lost... until Gerda the kindly bear finds him.She explains that he must fill the hole with his memories of Hertle. And slowly... Bertle begins to feel a little bit better.Powerful and moving text from children's author and poet John Dougherty is paired perfectly with warm illustrations from the wonderfully talented Thomas Docherty in a thoughtful and sensitive approach to this difficult topic.This moving picture book will be loved and treasured by children and adults alike. With kids, it can be used to start a gentle conversation about death and grief. And as a gift for a grieving friend, it’s the ideal gesture. Anyone who has lost a pet or loved one will be comforted by Bertle’s journey to acceptance and reassured by the fact that, eventually, things do get better.

WINNER of the Junior Juries Award and Judges Special Award – KPMG Children's Books Ireland Awards 2024WINNER of the UKLA Book Awards 2024 SHORTLISTED for The Oscar's Book Prize 2024'A beautiful, gentle, rhyming exploration of grief and mourning.' – Joseph Coelho, Waterstones Children's Laureate 22-24The Hare-Shaped Hole is a beautiful, touching and poignant picture book that gently explores themes of grief and loss.Hertle and Bertle were always a pair, though one was a turtle and one was a hare.They were utterly buddies, and best friends forever, and whenever you looked, you would find them together... until quite unexpectedly... the end came. When Hertle disappears for good, Bertle can only see a Hertle-shaped hole where his friend should be. He pleads with it, get angry with it, but the hole still won't bring his Hertle back. It seems like hope is lost... until Gerda the kindly bear finds him.She explains that he must fill the hole with his memories of Hertle. And slowly... Bertle begins to feel a little bit better.Powerful and moving text from children's author and poet John Dougherty is paired perfectly with warm illustrations from the wonderfully talented Thomas Docherty in a thoughtful and sensitive approach to this difficult topic.This moving picture book will be loved and treasured by children and adults alike. With kids, it can be used to start a gentle conversation about death and grief. And as a gift for a grieving friend, it’s the ideal gesture. Anyone who has lost a pet or loved one will be comforted by Bertle’s journey to acceptance and reassured by the fact that, eventually, things do get better.

A beautiful companion title to the critically acclaimed The Hare-Shaped Hole, The Bear-Shaped Hole is a profound, heart-warming story that helps children understand and prepare for loss.  Gerda and Orlo are best bear friends. When Gerda was there, Orlo always had time for a game or a story, a joke or a rhyme. He was never too busy to listen, to talk, to help, to share, or to go for a walk.But slowly, something starts to change. Orlo reveals he is ill, and as he softly explains to Gerda, he is not going to get better. Gerda is overwhelmed by emotions she cannot quite explain, but Orlo gently helps her prepare, so they can spend their time together making memories that will last a lifetime. When the time comes, Gerda can fill the Bear-Shaped hole in her life with the special moments she shared with Orlo. This brand new picture book is the latest powerful and moving tale from John Dougherty and Thomas Docherty, the award-winning creators of The Hare-Shaped Hole. This sensitively written and beautifully illustrated story explores the process of preparing for loss as well as the experience of loss itself. The Bear-Shaped Hole is a gentle, heartfelt tale that helps children navigate and understand the complex emotions associated with loss. Perfect for parents looking for a way to address sensitive topics, it covers a range of themes to support meaningful conversations.

A beautiful companion title to the critically acclaimed The Hare-Shaped Hole, The Bear-Shaped Hole is a profound, heart-warming story that helps children understand and prepare for loss.  Gerda and Orlo are best bear friends. When Gerda was there, Orlo always had time for a game or a story, a joke or a rhyme. He was never too busy to listen, to talk, to help, to share, or to go for a walk.But slowly, something starts to change. Orlo reveals he is ill, and as he softly explains to Gerda, he is not going to get better. Gerda is overwhelmed by emotions she cannot quite explain, but Orlo gently helps her prepare, so they can spend their time together making memories that will last a lifetime. When the time comes, Gerda can fill the Bear-Shaped hole in her life with the special moments she shared with Orlo. This brand new picture book is the latest powerful and moving tale from John Dougherty and Thomas Docherty, the award-winning creators of The Hare-Shaped Hole. This sensitively written and beautifully illustrated story explores the process of preparing for loss as well as the experience of loss itself. The Bear-Shaped Hole is a gentle, heartfelt tale that helps children navigate and understand the complex emotions associated with loss. Perfect for parents looking for a way to address sensitive topics, it covers a range of themes to support meaningful conversations.

'Charming, comforting and thoughtfully crafted, this is a story that lingers long after the final page.' – Inis MagazineFrom the award‑winning creators of The Hare‑Shaped Hole, It Won’t Be Forever helps young children cope with separation anxiety by showing how love keeps families connected, even when they’re apart.  In the woods there lives a fox family. One of the cubs, Vixie, has a close relationship with her dad, Rey. He makes her feel safe and he's always there for her when she feels lonely, worried or sad.  One day, Rey tells the family that he has to go away for a little while and Vixie worries. She can’t bear to be apart from her dad!  But Rey reassures her that he’ll be back before she knows it and gifts her a kingfisher feather as a reminder of love. He promises that as soon as he can, he’ll be back home.  So Vixie is brave and carries on without her dad. And when she misses him lots, she looks at her feather and feels connected to Rey, even though he’s far away.  And sooner than she knows it, her daddy comes back! And Vixie knows that missing her dad’s not unbearable, never. For she understands truly, it won’t be forever.  Warm, lyrical text and expressive illustrations come together to create a sensitive and emotionally intelligent exploration of separation anxiety. Perfect for sharing at bedtime or during moments of transition It Won’t Be Forever offers young readers reassurance that difficult feelings are natural, absence does not mean loss and love always brings us back together.

From the award‑winning creators of The Hare‑Shaped Hole, It Won’t Be Forever helps young children cope with separation anxiety by showing how love keeps families connected, even when they’re apart.  In the woods there lives a fox family. One of the cubs, Vixie, has a close relationship with her dad, Rey. He makes her feel safe and he's always there for her when she feels lonely, worried or sad.  One day, Rey tells the family that he has to go away for a little while and Vixie worries. She can’t bear to be apart from her dad!  But Rey reassures her that he’ll be back before she knows it and gifts her a kingfisher feather as a reminder of love. He promises that as soon as he can, he’ll be back home.  So Vixie is brave and carries on without her dad. And when she misses him lots, she looks at her feather and feels connected to Rey, even though he’s far away.  And sooner than she knows it, her daddy comes back! And Vixie knows that missing her dad’s not unbearable, never. For she understands truly, it won’t be forever.  Warm, lyrical text and expressive illustrations come together to create a sensitive and emotionally intelligent exploration of separation anxiety. Perfect for sharing at bedtime or during moments of transition It Won’t Be Forever offers young readers reassurance that difficult feelings are natural, absence does not mean loss and love always brings us back together.

Leo the mouse isn't like the other knights. While they like fighting,he'd rather read a book. Leo's parents are keen to turn himinto a proper knight, so they pack him off on a mission to tame adragon. But Leo knows that books are mightier than swords, and hetames not just the dragon, but a troll and a griffin, too - byreading them stories.With its witty rhyming text and glorious, detailed illustrations,THE KNIGHT WHO WOULDN'T FIGHT is a joyful, magical picture bookabout the power of stories.

Perfect for schools - both for class reading as well as performance. A short black and white illustrated play set in World War Two written by Julia Donaldson, author of the modern classic The Gruffalo. World War Two has been declared and the Chivers children are sent to the safety of the countryside. They are delighted to be brought back home when it looks like the Germans aren't going to invade after all. But the air-raid siren goes off and this time it's frighteningly real.This dramatic and touching play brings Manchester during the Second World War and its people to life, and provides a variety of opportunities for school classes to explore both historical and literacy topics in an involving and creative setting. Also includes helpful tips on staging and costume.'This touching play brings to life the Second World War in a very accessible way for junior children' - Books for KeepsJulia Donaldson (Author)Julia Donaldson is the outrageously talented, prize-winning author of the world's best-loved picture books, and was the 2011-2013 UK Children's Laureate. Her books include Room on the Broom, Stick Man, What the Ladybird Heard and the modern classics The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child which have sold 17 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 70 languages. Julia also writes fiction as well as poems, plays and songs and her brilliant live children's shows are always in demand. Julia and her husband Malcolm divide their time between Sussex and Edinburgh. Thomas Docherty (Illustrator)Thomas Docherty is an acclaimed author and illustrator of children's books including Little Boat, Big Scary Monster and The Driftwood Ball. He also illustrated The Snatchabook, written by his wife Helen, which has been shortlisted for several awards in the UK and US and been translated into 17 languages.