Books published by publisher MP Publishing Limited

Natural, knotty, fluffy, frizzy, twisted, tangled, pony, puffed! A celebration of natural hair, from afros to cornrows and everything in between, My Hair is Beautiful is a joyful board book with a powerful message of self-love. Governor General's Award-nominated author Shauntay Grant brings her unique spoken-word style to this fun read-aloud, featuring minimalist text and vibrant photos of toddlers sporting fresh dos, and a mirror to reflect your own baby's beauty.

Izzy’s eccentric, complicated mother committed suicide on her forty-first birthday. Now, on the night before Izzy herself is to turn forty-one, she struggles with the realization that she will be older than her mother ever was. And to make matters worse, her widowed father, unstable sister Ellie, and precocious niece have decided to accompany her to Colorado for what promises to be an emotionally charged weekend. As Izzy is flooded with memories from her past and wonders about her future, she must face a choice that could break her family apart.ABOUT THE AUTHOR Elisabeth Hyde is the author of The Abortionist’s Daughter, Monoosook Valley, and Her Native Colors. Born and raised in New Hampshire, she briefly practiced law for the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., before leaving to write full time. She currently lives with her family in the Colorado foothills. Her website is www.elisabethhyde.com.

Vincent Spinetti is the archetypal tortured artist—a sensitive young writer who suffers from alienation, parental neglect, poverty, depression, alcoholism, illness, nervous breakdowns, and unrequited love. However, he is unaware that these torments are due to the secret manipulations of New Renaissance, an experimental organization that hopes to improve mindless main-stream culture by raising writers who emphasize artistic quality over commerce. New Renaissance hires ex-musician Harlan Eiffler to manipulate its most promising prodigy, Vincent. Wickedly antisocial and disgusted by what passes for entertainment in the twenty-first century, Harlan ensures that Vincent remains a true artist. He poses as Vincent’s manager and nurtures his career, all the while continuing to torture him.Smart, funny, and poignant, Torture the Artist examines the timeless idea that true art can only result from suffering. “If you could bottle Joey Goebel's imagination and sell it by the glass, we'd all be in rehab. Torture the Artist – which addresses the premise that art, like grapes in a wine press, can be squeezed out of an artist by various torments – is as full of surprises as a brand new vintage, and Joey Goebel is the wunderkind of contemporary American fiction.” – Ed McClanahan, author of The Natural Man and FamousPeople I Have Known“In Torture the Artist, Joey Goebel performs a mad exorcism on the society of the spectacle, unearthing the secrets of the American dream, doing it with the inventiveness of a twenty-first-century Mark Twain fueled by love and sorrow.”Peter Plate, author of Fogtown and Police and Thieves“Wickedly ingenious…Goebel's ebulliently funny writing sparkles off the page. He's created a whole, living, breathing world, filled with vividly sympathetic souls, and deliciously evil ones…one of the most interesting and engaging books I've read in a while, a smart, witty, deeply moving parable about the things we do for art -- and for love.”Caroline Leavitt, Boston Globe“So as Fitzgerald tagged his generation’s excesses and delusions in The Great Gatsby and Bret Easton Ellis did the same in the 1980s with Less Than Zero, Goebel grabs the Zeitgeist by the nape of the neck and gives it a good twirl in Torture the Artist…hilarious, anarchic, and – this is no faint praise – adolescent.”Pages Magazine“…lively new novel…[with] well-drawn characters and smooth, highly readable prose.”–Baltimore City Paper“Surprisingly funny, anything-but-predictable story…This novel, a pointed commentary on the media machine that continuously grinds away at our culture, is by turns hilarious, thought-provoking, chilling, and sad. Goebel (The Anomolies) is a quirky, fresh, and relevant voice for our time.”Library Journal STARRED review“…a trip down the dark side of creativity…[Goebel] is one of the fresh young voices in contemporary fiction. Although he’s only 24, his writing and perceptiveness is that of a more seasoned writer. Keep an eye on this talented author.”Kentucky Monthly“If Franz Kafka had lived into the 21st century and were as funny as Jon Stewart, he might have written a novel something like Torture the Artist…[with] wonderfully funny dialogue and observations, written in flawlessly crafted sentences that make you want to phone up like-minded friends and say, ‘Listen to this. Have you ever heard anything more perfect?’”Courier-Journal“Goebel takes his strange characters on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, through a world filled with a strange brew of cynicism, satire, humor and real affection, a bizarre combination of imagination, artifice and insanity.”Curledup.com“Torture The Artist is a great piece of writing that will stick with you long after the last page is turned… another great book from this young author. And I can hope that we have more like this in the future from Goebel…no one is really writing stories like he is.”Indieworkshop.com

In this enchanting debut, a young girl faces the secrets buried in the mud-rich, rain-soaked landscape of her mother’s childhood. When fourteen-year-old Allie’s mother, Mae, mysteriously disappears in the dark waters of the harbor, Allie is taken by Julia—an aunt she barely knows—to stay at the dilapidated dairy farm where her mother grew up. As the days pass and the heat of the wet season swells, Allie confidently waits for her mother’s call, certain that Mae will reappear as she always has in the past. In the meantime, Allie watches her aunt, who is determined to replant the trees of the forest and undo the damage her family has inflicted upon the land. And Allie lurks around the cabin belonging to her mother’s first love, a man who still lives deep within the valley.When the truth about Mae’s childhood and Allie’s mythical father, the Balloon Man, begins to surface, Allie must sort through the lies her mother has told her and come to grips with the many secrets held close in the valley.

This is book two of the Billy Growing Up series written to help children form positive values that will serve them at this stage in their lives. Each book uses the power of traditional storytelling to illustrate, guide, and shape their understanding in a safe environment. In this book, we discuss pride. There are two different kinds of pride. The first is selfless and is based on a person's achievements and qualities. Being proud of how we look, being part of a team or of one's country is a feeling that comes from deep within us. The other type of pride comes from our ego, which is arrogant, selfish, and gives us an inflated opinion of ourselves. In the story, Billy is nasty to his best friend Ant and they have a row. Ant goes away, confused by his friend's behavior. He feels hurt and let down, so he decides to find a new friend. When Billy sees how easily Ant finds someone else to play with, he feels abandoned, becomes annoyed and convinces himself it's not his doing. There is no way he is going to apologize. It is Billy's ego that entices him to go and find his own new friends to show Ant he doesn't need him. Even though it feels a bit uncomfortable, he's feeling confident. He'll show Ant he doesn't need his friendship! Is Billy the sort of person to have as a friend? Will it be possible for Billy and Ant to be mates again? How can they overcome their differences?

Do you occasionally have that strange feeling known as déjà vu? Do you sometimes feel that you know what is going to happen next? Do you ever have a strong feeling that actions you are about to take are the right (or wrong) thing to do? All these perceptions may be everyday clues to your immortality. This book proposes a simply amazing theory”a theory that states that personal death is a scientific impossibility. Using the latest findings of neurology, quantum physics, and consciousness studies, Anthony Peake suggests that we never die. After reading this book you will understand the reason for your life and how you can make it better next time.

More Riddles Riddles RiddlesA fun book for children packed with over 300 mind stretching riddles which will provide lots of fun for the whole family. The riddles range in difficulty but are suitable for children of all ages.A good variety of riddles to give the grey cells a working over and keep children occupied as well as reading.The riddles book is a kids joke book that is full of the usual puns, puzzles, jokes, homophones and brain teasers that children will love and provide fun for the whole family.Tags: Riddles and brain teasers, riddles and trick questions, riddles book, riddles book for kids, riddles for kids, riddles for kids aged 5-8, riddles and puzzles, jokes and riddles, jokes book, jokes book for kids, jokes children, jokes for kids, jokes kids, riddles for kids aged 9-12, riddles kids

What does an artist need to know about drawing? And what has to be mastered in order to achieve the drawings you want? In this book Barrington Barber shows you, offering advice and tips as he takes you through the various stages. From object drawing and still-life composition, the natural world and portraiture, to looking at form and shape, and assessing styles and techniques, The Complete Book of Drawing is a distillation of the many skills that the aspiring artist needs to develop. After training as a graphic designer, Barrington Barber went into advertising, working for top agencies such as Ogilvy & Mather, before progressing to freelance design and producing illustrations for a range of books and magazines. He taught art for many years, and now enjoys a successful career as a fine artist. He has written and illustrated a wide range of best-selling instructive art books, which to date have sold 4 million copies around the world. As Barrington Barber knows from his many years of both teaching and practising art, it is crucial for you as an individual to find your own style and way of doing things. And, uniquely among practical art books, this is what The Complete Book of Drawing provides, by revealing new possibilities and enabling you to look at the world around you with fresh eyes.