Sunflowers In February

Lily has died in a car accident. The trouble is, Lily's really not at all sure she wants to 'move on' . . . This funny, heartbreaking novel is perfect if you loved John Green or The Lovely Bones. Lily wakes up one crisp Sunday morning on the side of the road. She has no idea how she got there. It is all very peaceful. And very beautiful. It is only when the police car, and then the ambulance, arrive and she sees her own body that she realises that she is in fact . . . dead. But what is she supposed do now? Lily has no option but to follow her body and she sees her family - her parents and her twin brother - start falling apart. And then her twin brother Ben gives her a once in a deathtime opportunity - to use his own body for a while. But will Lily give Ben his body back? She is beginning to have a rather good time . . . A moving, startlingly funny and yet achingly sad debut novel from a stunning new talent. WINNER of the RED award (Read Enjoy Debate) 2019

In a land filled with fire and smoke and endless fighting, where knights fight dragons, there lives a little knight who wants to be big like the others, and fight like the others, and have a sword like the others. But his mother won’t let him. Instead of a sword, she gives him a sunflower, which, as it turns out, can be mightier than a sword.

This latest picture book from the fantastic author and illustrator team, Angela McAllister and Alison Edgson, is a touching, gently humorous story exploring the unique relationship between siblings. The perfect read for young children with brothers or sisters. Scurry loves sunflowers. He's got one special seed that he's going to grow just for his mummy. But his little brother, Scamp, loves sunflowers seeds, and when he eats his brother's special seed, he's in real trouble. If you like this, then you'll love I Want My Mummy!by Tracey Corderoy and Alison Edgson.

Everything happens for a reason.’ It’s 1972.Raymond Mann is seventeen. He is fearful of life and can’t get off buses. He says his prayers every night and spends too much time in his room. He meets Ernest Gardiner, a gentleman in his seventies who’s become tired of living and misses the days of chivalry and honour. Together they discover a love of sunflowers and stars, and help each other learn to love the world. Ernest recounts his experiences of 1917 war-torn France where he served as a photographer in the trenches … of his first love, Mira, and how his life was saved by his friend Bill, a hardened soldier. But all is not as it seems, and there is one more secret that will change Raymond’s life for ever. Cold Sunflowers is a story of love. All love. But most of all it’s about the love of life and the need to cherish every moment.

This is the story of one of the world’s most iconic images. Martin Bailey explains why Van Gogh painted a series of sunflower still lifes in Provence. He then explores the subsequent adventures of the seven pictures, and their influence on modern art. Through the Sunflowers, we gain fresh insights into Van Gogh’s life and his path to fame. Based on original research, the book is packed with discoveries – throwing new light on the legendary artist.

Camille is the son of the local postman, and the yellow man is a painter called Vincent in this story based on the life of Vincent van Gogh. The book includes several reproductions of Van Gogh's work, including Vase with 14 Sunflowers. Laurence Anholt is the author of The Forgotten Forest.

A beautifully written, timeless tale by Cao Wenxuan, best-selling Chinese author and 2016 recipient of the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award. Sunflower is an only child, and when her father is sent to the rural Cadre School, she has to go with him. Her father is an established artist from the city and finds his new life of physical labor and endless meetings exhausting. Sunflower is lonely and longs to play with the local children in the village across the river. When her father tragically drowns, Sunflower is taken in by the poorest family in the village, a family with a son named Bronze. Until Sunflower joins his family, Bronze was an only child, too, and hasn’t spoken a word since he was traumatized by a terrible fire. Bronze and Sunflower become inseparable, understanding each other as only the closest friends can. Translated from Mandarin, the story meanders gracefully through the challenges that face the family, creating a timeless story of the trials of poverty and the power of love and loyalty to overcome hardship.

Gyula Krúdy is a marvelous writer who haunted the taverns of Budapest and lived on its streets while turning out a series of mesmerizing, revelatory novels that are among the masterpieces of modern literature. Krúdy conjures up a world that is entirely his own—dreamy, macabre, comic, and erotic—where urbane sophistication can erupt without warning into passion and madness. In Sunflower young Eveline leaves the city and returns to her country estate to escape the memory of her desperate love for the unscrupulous charmer Kálmán. There she encounters the melancholy Álmos-Dreamer, who is languishing for love of her, and is visited by the bizarre and beautiful Miss Maszkerádi, a woman who is a force of nature. The plot twists and turns; elemental myth mingles with sheer farce: Krúdy brilliantly illuminates the shifting contours and acid colors of the landscape of desire. John Bátki’s outstanding translation of Sunflower is the perfect introduction to the world of Gyula Krúdy, a genius as singular as Robert Walser, Bruno Schulz, or Joseph Roth.

"Poetic, moving, and empowering.” - Kirkus Reviews “Successfully makes a real-life issue accessible for the youngest audiences.” - Publishers Weekly A courageous girl follows her dream of learning to fly in this beautifully illustrated story inspired by formerly imprisoned human rights activist Loujain AlHathloul, perfect for Malala’s Magic Pencil fans. Loujain watches her beloved baba attach his feather wings and fly each morning, but her own dreams of flying face a big obstacle: only boys, not girls, are allowed to fly in her country. Yet despite the taunts of her classmates, she is determined to do it—especially because Loujain loves colors, and only by flying can she see the color-filled field of sunflowers her baba has told her about. Eventually, he agrees to teach her, and Loujain's impossible dream becomes reality—and soon other girls dare to learn to fly. Based on the experiences of co-author Lina AlHathloul's sister, Nobel Peace Prize nominee Loujain AlHathloul, who led the successful campaign to lift Saudi Arabia's ban on women driving, this moving and gorgeously illustrated story reminds us to strive for the changes we want to see—and to never take for granted women's and girls' freedoms.