Two Minute Animal Stories

A collection of ten great stories retold at a cracking pace - perfect for story-times. Each story is retold in a short but continuous narrative, with quick and quirky illustrations adding to the momentum. The playful element is enhanced by text that 'interacts' with the pictures by means of join-in onomatopaeic labels and speech bubbles so that they are fun to share with children. The large text and carefully managed readability mean that such a book is also great fun for young children who are learning to read. In series with Two-Minute Bible Stories.

Contents: The pie snatcher.--Albert's new suit.--Maisie's mean trick.--Tad the baddie.--The scary bell tower.--Good night, sailor mice.

Contents: The pie snatcher.--Albert's new suit.--Maisie's mean trick.--Tad the baddie.--The scary bell tower.--Good night, sailor mice.

For more than sixty years, The Wall Street Journal has prided itself not just on its serious journalism, but also on the whimsical and arcane stories that amuse and delight its readers. In that regard, animal stories have proven to be the most beloved of all. Now, veteran Journal reporter and Page One editor Ken Wells gathers the finest, funniest, and most fascinating of these animal tales in one exceptional book. Here are lighthearted, witty stories of breakthroughs in goldfish surgery, the untiring efforts of British animal lovers who guide lovesick toads across dangerous motorways, and the quest to tame doggy anxieties by prescribing the human pacifier Prozac. Other pieces reflect on mankind's impact on the animal kingdom: a close-up look at the nascent fish-rights movement, the retirement of U.S. Air Force chimpanzees that once soared through space, and ongoing scientific efforts to defeat that most hardy enemy -- the cockroach. Each of these fifty-odd stories -- from the outlandish to the poignant -- exemplifies the superb feature writing that makes The Wall Street Journal one of America's best-written newspapers. This charming and utterly captivating collection will be a joy not only to animal lovers, but to all those who appreciate artful storytelling by writers who are obviously having a wonderful time spinning the tales.

A first collection by an award-winning writer features characters at relationship crossroads in such stories as "Lizard Man," in which two men race to save a sick alligator; and "The End of Aaron," in which a girl helps her boyfriend face his greatest fears.

Incredible tales of unlikely animal friendships make the perfect five-minute bedtime stories! Joker the dog loves to dive in and swim with his dolphin buddies. Gerald, a shy giraffe, learned to make friends with help from his goat pal, Eddie. And Miwa-chan the monkey always gets piggyback rides from his friend Uribo-a wild pig! These are 12 incredible tales of unlikely animal friendships. Perfect as an introduction to nonfiction, young readers will learn simple facts about animals and their behaviors.

Reports show that reading or being read to for ten minutes every day will significantly improve children's reading skills. This short story collection supports this - each story taking about ten minutes to read. Ideal for sharing with younger children; as children learn to read on their own they can tackle these simple stories on their own. The ten well-loved tales, include The Billy Goats Gruff, Chicken Licken and The Jungle Book. Full of humour, adventure and endearing animal characters, these stories will delight young children everywhere. Each fully illustrated story has been retold for young readers and bound together in a lovely hardback edition which children will be proud to own and read. Part of Usborne's amazing selection of story books for young children. Previous titles in the '10 Ten-Minutes' series include: '10 Ten-Minute Stories', ISBN: 9781409596745; '10 More Ten-Minute Stories', ISBN: 9781474922067; '10 Ten-Minute Fairy Tales', ISBN: 9781474938037; '10 Ten-Minute Bedtime Stories', ISBN: 9781474938044.

An anthology of stories on human relationships. The story, Eating Aunt Victoria, traces the relationship of teenagers and their mother's lesbian lover, while in Bringing Home the Bones an accident in which a woman loses a leg improves her relations with her children.

Brief animal stories for bedtime feature animal classics and new imaginative tales