Books with author Robert Leroy

Learning your numbers has never been as much fun as with Ripley's Wacky 123!A brand new board book from Ripley's Believe It or Not! for kids learning their numbers. Wacky 123 contains colourful illustrations of animal characters based on incredible facts. Easy-to-read rhymes and bright images make learning 1-2-3 great fun for everyone. Weird, wonderful, and all true . . . Believe It or Not! Count on fingers, count on toes,Then count the buttons on all of your clothes!With animals as silly as silly can be,That make counting as wacky as 1-2-3!

Following hot on the heels of last year's best-selling edition, "Ripley's Believe It or Not! 2012" offers an entirely new compendium of bizarre facts and features in a stunning new design, including a section on the wacky and amazing feats of the Olympic games past and present, and an 8-page pull-out featuring Ripley's first ever odditorium, which opened in 1933. For the legions of dedicated Ripley's fans, and anyone else on the planet who loves unbelievable facts and jaw-dropping images, the latest annual in the bestselling series is a feast of delights. Meet the man who chews molten lead, the cat that can predict death, the vending machine that dispenses live crabs and the artist who paints portraits with burger grease. Intriguing interviews with some of the astounding individuals who feature in the book spotlight their achievements and reveal their motivations, and informative 'Ripley's Research' boxes give the scientific explanation behind some of the most incredible tales, such as how people have turned their fingers into magnets.

Fairy tales are escapes into wondrous worlds. It is only our inflexible adult reasoning that tells us that they are just for children. Fables, too, are disdainfully disregarded by grown-ups, in spite of the valuable life lessons that they often provide. It is only yarns and tall tales that are permitted to dwell in the structured world of the adult. I have compiled this collection of silly, inconsequential stories and poems to satisfy the child in any of us that has been handicapped by active imagination, and has been unable to fully embrace the responsible, pedantic adult world. A few of these little stories were written for my children, as they journeyed from childhood, to adolescence to adulthood. I hope that the tales have allowed them to avoid becoming staid grownups. A few of these yarns were written for staid adults. I am glad to say that they, for a few moments anyway, were able to become irresponsible children again. A couple – specifically, the romantic poems – were written for my wife, who I hope will not be terribly upset that I have shared private thoughts with the world. Many were written just for me. No reason, other than that I like being a perpetual child. For those of you who dare to explore wondrous worlds, even if you do so in the secrecy of your own hidden sanctums, I welcome you to my haven. Inside, you will discover fairy tales for children, fables for adults, stories for teenagers and tall tales for everyone. You may choose to read a moral into each tale, or choose not to do so. But, I ask you to take the time to embrace a little of the magic and make believe in every story. Please enjoy, and thank you.