Sylvie and the Songman

A compelling story full of magic and music.

Binding's magical story combines the thoughts of a confused young girl and those of the animals she encounters on her journey

The stunning pencil illustrations add immeasurably to this story. Vivid writing, unforgettable scenes and a compelling story

A well written fantasy adventure based around the issue of dealing with the loss of a parent. Vivid, original imagery in the writing is complemented by wonderful line drawings throughout

Powerful, haunting . . . Angela Barrett's delicate illustration intensifies the eerie magic. This is a classic in the making

It's wonderful to find an adventure book that provides perspectives on the organic and musical worlds that many readers may find intriguing and enlightening

Tim Binding is an ex-editor of Picador and Penguin, and has had four highly praised adult novels published. He lives in Kent.

Sylvie Bartram lives alone with Mr Jackson the dog and her eccentric composer father who invents strange and wonderful musical instruments. One day she returns from school to find a message left in toothpaste on the bathroom mirror; her father has been kidnapped. Later that night, the house is visited by a terrifying apparition - a half-man/half-creature who is searching for something and will not rest until he has found it . . . 
 
Sylvie uncovers an underground world of magic and evil, and with help from her friends, she must hold off a power that threatens the lives of all beings in the world. The Songman is at large, and is determined to steal music and use it for his own evil ends . . . 
 
An exhilarating and magical story that will appeal to all readers aged 9-14.

The Snow Goose

A new edition of a beautiful, poignant classic with stunning illustrations from acclaimed illustrator Angela Barrett.

The Snow Goose is a picture-book nirvana . . . This is the sort of stylish, sophisticated stuff you might want to keep for yourself

Inspired pastel reimagining of Paul Gallico's World War classic

A most impressive, newly illustrated edition of this clear and simple, yet powerful, tale of an outsider

A story that could have been written for Angela Barrett to illustrate . . . This is Barrett at her consummate best. 5 stars

Haunting and lyrical tale of love and loss and courage . . . A classic tale for every generation

Paul William Gallico was born in New York City in 1897. He was one of the most well-known sporting writers in America, and a minor celebrity. But he had always wanted to be a fiction writer and eventually retired from sports writing and went to live in Europe to devote himself to writing novels and short stories.Though his name was well-known in the United States, he was unknown to the rest of the world until 1941, when The Snow Goose was published. He died in Antibes in 1976, just short of his 79th birthday. 
 
Angela Barrett studied illustration at the Royal College of Art and after graduating in 1980, she began an acclaimed career in children's book illustration. Angela won the Smarties Award in 1988. She lives in London.

Philip Rhayader lives alone in an abandoned lighthouse on the desolate Great Marsh of Essex. One afternoon, a hauntingly beautiful child, Fritha, visits Rhayader, bringing with her an injured snow goose. At first Fritha is scared of Rhayader, with his sinister hump and crooked hand, but he is gentle and kind and Fritha begins to visit regularly. When the snow goose departs for home, Rhayader is left alone again. 
 
The following winter, the snow goose and Fritha return to the lighthouse. Time passes and one year Fritha is frightened to discover her feelings for Rhayader. But this is 1940 and Rhayader is setting sail for Dunkirk to help the soldiers trapped on the beaches. Fritha never sees Rhayader again. But the story of the saviour with the snow goose passes from soldier to soldier and into legend . . .

Josephine Poole

Angela Barrett

How did an ordinary little girl come to live such an extraordinary life? This picture book biography tells the incredible story of Anne Frank for a younger audience. 
 
Anne Frank's diary telling the story of her years in hiding from the Nazis has affected millions of people. But what was she like as a small girl, at home with her family and friends; at play and at school? In the first half of the book we meet Anne as a small child growing up with her family in Germany. Then we follow her flight to Holland to escape the Nazis; the German invasion and the gradual isolation, then outright persecution, of the Jewish population which forces the family into hiding; the years in the Secret Annex; and her last heart-breaking journey. 
 
Told with haunting, meticulously researched illustrations, this is the ideal introduction to Anne Frank's story.

Angela Barrett

Books by Angela Barrett

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