Books with author Jeanne Willis

Teenagers Will and Zara meet at a fairground and fall in love, Zara is chaotic and outspoken, from a family of travellers, and a suspected shoplifter. But Will is convinced of their future together and is determined to overrule his mother's objections. Her objections are based on more than prejudice; Will has Down's Syndrome, although he doesn't appear so because his features were cosmetically corrected at birth. His secret isn't revealed to the reader until the end of the book, so Will is seen as a 'normal' character throughout with the same thoughts and feelings as any other teenager. As this complex web of family secrecy begins to unravel, Will and Zara's love develops into something strong enough to survive - no matter who might stand in judgement against them.

Meet a city girl with a big Wild West dream."I don't want to be a good girl-Good girls have no fun.I can't play quiet games indoors,I love the rain and sun.I don't want to be a girly girlWho likes to sit and chat.I just want to be a cowgirl, Daddy,What's so wrong with that?"From the window of a high-rise city apartment, a little girl imagines a very different view and dreams of a very different life, but does it have to be just a dream? The big city meets the wild Wild West in Jeanne Willis's lyrical text, accompanied by hilarious illustrations from Tony Ross.

“…A wild and witty adventure with exuberantly naive pictures.” - The Sunday Times Blue Monster loves brand new things. A fancy new hat . . . a shiny submarine . . . a fabulous funfair . . . and a paradise island, all of his own. But he’s still not happy! What will it take for Blue Monster to realise there are some things that money can’t buy? An original, humorous and unforgettable fable from the creators of the award-winning The First Slodge, perfect for introducing little ones to the idea of materialism.

Alien Professor Xargle teaches his class of extraterrestrials about the quirky behavior of a favorite earth animal "Good morning, class. Today we are going to learn about Earth Hounds. Earth Hounds have fangs at the front and a waggler at the back. To find out which is which, hold a sausage at both ends." Dr Xargle is instructing his class of small fellow aliens on the nature and habits of the earth creatures known to humans as "dogs," in this hilarious follow-up to Dr Xargle's Book of Earthlets.

Everyone is talking too loud, and moving too fast. But no one seems to hear what's being said. What to do? A well-dressed shrew has all the answers. All you have to do is be still and listen … "One, two, three…Shhh!" This eloquent and brilliantly executed plea for peace offers a simple way for children to feel that their actions, and even their silence can make a difference.

Colin is small, even for a mouse. His mother refuses to let him play outside with his brothers and sisters unless he is wrapped in a big fluffy ball of cotton wool. But instead of keeping him safe, the cotton wool attracts the attention of every fierce creature imaginable — little boys, ducks, even foxes! After a day of being flung, pecked and chased, Colin returns home without his cotton wool, but feeling much BIGGER — and ready to tell his mother that he can look after himself.