Books by Vivian French

A book of beautiful, lively retellings of classic ballet storiesFrom Swan Lake to The Firebird, and The Nutcracker to Coppélia, Vivian French breathes new life into seven ballet favourites in her timeless, gloriously-immersive retellings. Her words are perfectly complemented by Lauren O'Hara's characterful illustrations, which strike the perfect balance between classic and contemporary, and the result is a treasury which shimmers with the magic of the ballet ... certain to leave readers of all ages spellbound!

A whimsical story about learning to use maps, perfect for very young children. One day, Anna's friend Zane sends her an invitation: Come to tea tomorrow! This is the way to my home. Love, Zane. Inside the envelope, there's a MAP. Anna soon decides to make a map of her own, too ... and before long, Dad and even Whiskers the cat are in on the fun. From routes to symbols, point of view and scale, join Anna and her dad as they explore the wonderful world of maps ‿ with words by Vivian French, storyteller extraordinaire, and delightful pictures by rising star Ya-Ling Huang.

A rollicking fairy-tale adventure full of magical mayhem, from the makers of The Adventures of Alfie Onion, The Cherry Pie Princess and Tom & Tallulah and the Witches' Feast.Pippin Potts is a helpful boy, which is exactly what forgetful wizard Abacus Peridot is looking for in an assistant who can help him get to the Wizards¿ Centenary Banquet, so that he can be the hundredth wizard to arrive and win the golden cup. On their journey the pair soon bump into evil wizard Boldways Grime and mischievous elf Kitty Scarper who are secretly plotting against them. But Pippin is determined. With help from the magical Ms Latterly Pot and trusty crow Mavis, can Pippin guide Master Abacus through the Nine Hen Hills, cross the Rumbling Rocks and pass the Neverending Forest in time to win the golden cup? Vivian French's funny and uplifting story is brought to life by Marta Kissi's warm illustrations ¿ the result is a charming book that's not to be missed!

A high octane, high drama romp, following the adventures of Victorian laundry maid Minnie O'Sullivan and her unforgettable band of friends.After a series of misfortunes, Minnie O¿Sullivan is whisked away to Haddington Hall: a nightmarish home for wayward girls. Bad becomes worse when the hall¿s ruthless founder, Mrs Haddington, takes an instant dislike to brave, determined Minnie, and she¿s in danger of losing everything¿ But Minnie has never backed down from a fight in her life, and she¿s not about to start now! Irresistible characters and a compulsive plot with twists aplenty; Vivian French conjures up the very spirit of Dickensian England in a wonderful new novel for middle-grade readers.¿Vivian French is a writer of tremendous charm.¿ Literary Review ¿Delightful ¿ with its edge-of-your-seat pace, it deserves applause.¿ Sunday Times (Children's Book of the Week) on The Steam Whistle Theatre Company¿Storytelling at its best ¿ a classic in the making.¿ The Scotsman on The Steam Whistle Theatre Company

A rollicking fairy-tale adventure from the makers of The Adventures of Alfie Onion, Tom & Tallulah and the Witches' Feast and The Dragon's Breakfast."French is a skilled storyteller ... she reminds us how fresh a fairy tale can feel in the right hands." ¿ The New York TimesPrince Max is on a mission. The royal family are down to their very last penny, so the king and queen have sent him away to the valley of the giants ¿ with only a grumpy old donkey for company. According to legend, the giants are rich beyond all imagining: they live in gold palaces, drink from gold goblets and brush their teeth with gold toothpaste. But are the legends true and, even if they are, will the giants be willing to share their treasure? With the help of his donkey companion and Caromel, the talking cat, Max is about to find out. And he must keep his wits about him ... there are worse dangers than giants, lurking in the shadows! "French is a writer of tremendous charm, her world at once comedic and believable." ¿ Literary Review

Book Band: Lime - Ideal for ages 7+A quirky school comedy from Vivian French. Perfect for fans of Wigglesbottom Primary and Kes Grey's Daisy books.When Dan gets into trouble at school for being untidy, he teams up with his best friend Billy to find out who's throwing his lunchbox on the floor. With chalk fingerprints and missing sardine sandwiches as clues, Detective Dan is on the case!This humorous mystery from award-winning author Vivian French has appealing black-and-white illustrations by Daniel Duncan and is perfect for children who are developing as readers.The Bloomsbury Readers series is packed with brilliant books to get children reading independently in Key Stage 2, with book-banded stories by award-winning authors like double Carnegie Medal winner Geraldine McCaughrean and Waterstones Prize winner Patrice Lawrence covering a wide range of genres and topics. With charming illustrations and online guided reading notes written by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), this series is ideal for reading both in the classroom and at home. For more information visit www.bloomsburyreaders.com.'Patrice Lawrence, Tony Bradman, Margaret Mahy, Joan Aiken, Andrew Fusek Peters, Michaela Morgan, Geraldine McCaughrean and Narinder Dhami: any list that brings together such a quality line up of authors is going to be welcomed.' - Books for Keeps on the Bloomsbury Readers series

A rollicking fairy-tale adventure from the makers of The Adventures of Alfie Onion, The Cherry Pie Princess andTom & Tallulah and the Witches' Feast. Princess Persephone Stephanie Tiffany Jane ("Pom" for short) HATES being a princess. Her parents have no time for her - especially her dad, the King of Strüggen, who's busy plotting against the neighbouring kingdom of Thrum. So when a friendly young orphan named Billy appears at the palace, Pom decides to run off with him. She's after adventure, and knows exactly where she'll find it: Bullion Island, a tiny patch of land that stands exactly between Strüggen and Thrum. Legend has it that there's pirate treasure hiding in Bullion's sea-caves, guarded by a fearsome dragon - but nobody knows for sure, because no sailor has managed a return trip. But Pom isn't afraid of dragons ... or anything else!"Vivian French is a sublime storyteller" - Sunday Telegraph

A family theatre troupe tours Victorian England by train in this high-octane, high-drama adventure featuring such theatrical storytelling presences as pirate plots, poor orphans and lost heiresses.

A brand new young fiction series by much-loved children's author, Vivian French and illustrated by Nathan Reed. Meet werewolf extraordinaire... Lottie Luna.

A brand new young fiction series by much-loved children's author, Vivian French and illustrated by Nathan Reed. Meet werewolf extraordinaire... Lottie Luna. Beautiful black and white illustrations throughout.

In Professor Bounce, Professor Bounce has come to show the heroes his new gadget, but things dont go quite to plan. This book is part of Project X Hero Academy, a fully decodable series designed to motivate young readers and turn them into reading superheroes.

In The Nosy Cook, Mrs Butterworth is sick and a new cook arrives. However, Cam thinks theres something strange about her This book is part of Project X Hero Academy, a fully decodable series designed to motivate young readers and turn them into reading superheroes.

In Monster Sprouts, Mrs Butterworth accidentally squirts too much vitamin mix on the sprouts, causing them to turn into monsters!This book is part of Project X Hero Academy, a fully decodable series designed to motivate young readers and turn them into reading superheroes.

Award-winning children's author Vivian French teams up with new and exciting picture book illustrator Hannah Foley in this beautifully vibrant colourful tale about Billy the hippo who is not at all keen on learning to swim. This is a gentle and humorous tale for two- to five-year-olds.

Worms ... they're yucky, aren't they? Not according to this enjoyable new book which reveals just how amazing the wriggly creatures really are!

Watch a caterpillar metamorphose into a butterfly in this fun, informative, award-winning picture book, part of the Nature Storybooks series.

Learn about the transformation from frogspawn to frog with this fun, informative picture book, part of the Nature Storybooks series.

A stand-alone comic adventure for younger readers by sublime storyteller Vivian French, with pictures by Marta Kissi, a talented new illustrator and animator.

Ants may be tiny, but there are many interesting facts to learn about them! This playful book will teach children all about ants and spark their interest in these fascinating insects. Oxford Reading Tree inFact is a series of engaging and imaginative non-fiction books which encourage reading for pleasure and are also phonically decodable.

A funny, exciting series for younger readers, by the bestselling Vivian French and David Melling.

A funny, exciting series for younger readers, by the bestselling Vivian French and David Melling.