My Favourite Colour is Seven

“It’s okay.”

7-year-old Alfie just lost his mummy and he is pretty sure she is not coming back. Alfie is struggling to understand if what he feels is okay. He is unsure how to ask about something he cannot name.

One day, after school, Alfie decides to be brave. He asks his teacher Mr. Miggins, "is it okay?"

Mr Naughty Nine Legs

“Hi, I’m Mr Naughty Nine Legs. In case you haven’t guessed, I’m a spider with nine legs. Yes, you read it right, nine legs! I get into all sorts of trouble. I’m a very naughty spider. I see you have my book in your hand. Why not open it up and take a look? Read about my adventure if you dare. I meet my biggest fear, maybe it will give you a scare.”

Mischievous Benjamin Does It Again

Benjamin was a lonely child; never received love, didn’t know how to give it. He only gained attention by being a very naughty and unruly boy. It meant the townsfolk had no time for him; they never had a chance to see his inner beauty and thoughtfulness until one eventful night!

Benjamin was brought up by his older brother, after an accident involving his parents. He moved in with his brother who lived in a magical town. He refused to be like the townsfolk, and liked laughing, poking fun, and ridiculing them.

Jake the Crocodile

In today's society it is easy for adults and children alike to get swept up in social media expectations around what somebody should look like. It is also incredibly easy to jump to conclusions and make judgements about others.

Jake the Crocodile is about taking a step back to not only look at the outside of a person (or crocodile!) but what is on the inside.

It is more important than ever to teach our children to be empathic and Jake will form a special place in your child's heart so they stop and think about their judgements of other people and take the opportunity to see past external appearances to open a whole new world of opportunity for friendship.

Imagine a world where we didn't judge and people were valued for their individual characteristics. Jake will help your child see that there is beauty in everyone, if you just take the time to look.

Hazel and Her Sun

Hazel had a unique wish: she wanted the sun all to herself. Her love for its radiant glow was so immense that she thought it best to keep it within the confines of her own room, nestled in a fishbowl, no less. This way, she could bask in its glorious light at all hours, not just during the day. And how does one fulfil such a grand desire? By stealing it, naturally.But would such a bold act go unnoticed? Could Hazel find herself in trouble for her sun-snatching adventure? Hazel and Her Sun is the enchanting tale of a little girl who daringly captures the sun – if only for a short time. Her journey takes a turn when she realizes that achieving her dream doesn’t bring the joy she expected. This heartwarming story unfolds Hazel’s realization about the true nature of happiness and the importance of sharing beauty with the world.

Grandma Carol's Adventures

Nine-year-old Leo loves his strong-willed, funny, and quirky Grandma Carol, even though her memory problems create all sorts of adventures.After a fire breaks out in Grandma Carol’s living room, Leo’s Mom and Dad decide to hire a caregiver to live with her. Leo is no longer allowed to spend as much time with her as he wants to. But Carol, who has always been a free spirit, is not willing to lose her independence: she plays tricks, hides, and even goes so far as to run away from her caregiver.Then, one night, a thief with extra-long arms arrives at Grandma’s apartment building…Tzofit Ofengenden’s comic novel, told from Leo’s innocent but sharp-eyed point of view, is well-observed and cleverly plotted, with wonderfully surreal touches.

Floxy the Mermaid

This is the tale of a kind little mermaid called Floxy who is very upset that her fourth birthday party has been cancelled because of the ‘coral virus’.

One day, to cheer herself up, she swims out to the rusty old anchor and discovers a poor turtle trapped underneath a rock.

The story unfolds, and just like a birthday present, it is all wrapped up, this time in a soft seaweed blanket of kindness, selflessness and love.

Feather Fred

Fred is a small boy who lives with his mum and dad and big brother, Jim. After a farm visit with his school, Fred develops an itch. To his horror, peculiar and dramatic changes then begin to occur to his body and the dreadful thought that he may be turning into a chicken starts to become real. When Jim starts teasing him and convincing him that he really is turning into a chicken, Fred becomes even more troubled. These troubles are greatly increased when his mother summons the doctor to examine him. Fred, however, is a determined and resourceful little boy who endeavours to stay one step ahead. But will his problems disappear, or will his worst fears be realised?

Faerie Tale

When the forest fairies notice the changes in the forest, the Oracle declares that they must recover the four fairy treasures from the elemental fairies;

“The darkness that has grown for many years,
the terror that every fairy fears.
But with the fairies’ growing plight,
hope is returned by a single light.
One chance we have to correct this wrong,
this hope will need to grow strong.
Because if the four races cannot unite,
the one will fail in the final fight.
You will need the earth’s wisdom to have its say,
You will fail without a flame to guide your way,
You need the air’s knowledge that is kept
You will fail without the water’s emotional depth.
These four elements are needed for all fairies’ creation,
to twist them is the darkness’s motivation.
To stop it collect the Tuatha De Danann’s four treasures,
even though the darkness will try to stop these measures.”

The Oracle sees that Elizabeth is the only fairy with a chance. The Dark Fairy tries to thwart their friendship and collection of the treasures, even invading their dreams with pixie magic.

Meeting friends along the journey and gaining wisdom from the elemental races, Elizabeth learns the true meaning of being a fairy. Can Elizabeth and her friends collect the treasures, unite the races and defeat the dark fairy to save the forest?

Dragons Out!

Learn about software testing in a fun way, by reading stories about dragons and knights. The book is a great read for children on their own, with their parents, or as an additional reading in schools. It is also for anyone who wants to know what software testing is, they will enjoy this book tremendously.

The book talks about adventures of two children, Laura and Tom, who tumble into dragons annoying villages and castles. They learn about different dragons and how to defeat them with the help of knights. The children grow into exceptional dragon experts.

Stories are explained in information technology and software testing terms and concepts, e.g. a dragon represents a software defect, and knights represent testers and developers. Reading parallels is an easy-to-understand way of learning.

In this book, Kari Kakkonen combines his passion into fantasy and software testing in a new and fascinating way, creating an enjoyable experience for the readers.

The book is suitable for ages of 9-99, although it is written for children.

“I love the idea of bringing testing and dragons together. Explaining testing ideas in this way is great for new testers to give them a broad idea of the depth of testing. The stories can sit on their own for children as well, and may encourage them to think about how they could test some of the apps they use.”

Janet Gregory, DragonFire Inc, co-author of three books on agile testing.

Do you remember the elephant?

From ants to elephants, life has a place. Every plant, raindrop, animal, insect or bird plays its part in making our world the beautiful life-sustaining rock we call home. Understanding how important these things are to our survival has never been more important. ‘Do you remember the elephants?’ is not a question anyone should ever ask. Together we can change how we think, how we behave and how we respond to keep our home working as it should – in harmony with all living things.

Our children are growing up in an increasingly digital world and disconnecting from nature. We need to give them back an appreciation for the world outside the screen. As individuals, this can improve mental health. Collectively, this can save our planet. Help our children to make better choices.

Darling Untold

Lovely Jan,

With her radio, knee-high socks, and curls.

In some ways she was different to other lovely girls.

She had two wonky eyes that made things hard to see.

If you held up two fingers, Jan most likely saw three!

But Jan didn’t mind,

Not one little bit,

It made her ears better at listening to trumpets...