Books published by publisher Cicada Books

Make your home a healthier and more beautiful place to be with Hilton Carter’s inspirational ideas."Hilton Carter's love for plants is infectious... His lush and exuberant displays are inspiring reminders that plants can be so much more than neat little containers on a window sill." Grace Bonney, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Design*Sponge Take a tour through Hilton’s own apartment and other lush spaces, filled with a huge array of thriving plants, and learn all you need to know to create your own urban jungle. As the owner of over 200 plants, Hilton feels strongly about the role of plants in one’s home—not just for the beauty they add, but for health benefits as well: ‘having plants in your home not only adds life, but changes the airflow throughout. It’s also a key design element when styling your place. For me, it wasn’t about just having greenery, but having the right variety of greenery. I like to see the different textures of foliage all grouped together. You take a fiddle leaf fig and sandwich it between a birds of paradise and a monstera and…. yes!’ You will be armed with the know-how you need to care for your plants, where to place them, how to propagate, how to find the right pot, and much more, and most importantly, how to arrange them so that they look their best. Combine sizes and leaf shapes to stunning effect, grow your own succulents from leaf cuttings, create your own air plant display, and more.

Learn how to use a sewing machine while making fantastic projects!With 35 projects that you’ll love to make and a helpful techniques section, this book will teach you all about sewing machines. Start out with Clothes and Accessories, where you can make a felt collar and cozy scarf, as well as a pretty skirt. Then try one of the Bags and Cases, such as a cute bobble-trim coin purse, an MP3 player case, and even a sleepover bag. Transform your room with Things for Your Room—the wall tidy looks great and gives you somewhere to store all your bits and pieces, and you can brighten up your bedding with a patchwork quilt. Finally, why not have a go at the Toys and Games? Make a rag doll, and then clothes for it, too, to get a feel for dressmaking, or create a fabric games board for playing checkers and chess. Every project has step-by-step artworks to guide you, plus a skill level so you can start with easy items and move on to more challenging things as you get better at using your machine.

Cook up a storm with My First Baking Book ! Learn how to make tasty dishes that teach simple baking skills with these 35 brilliant recipes. Divided into four chapters, every recipe has a skill level - 1, 2 or 3 - and comes with easy-to-read instructions and adorable, step-by-step artworks that will guide you along the way. Start with Delicious Dough, where you'll make mini pizzas, pesto rolls and cinnamon buns. Then try the recipes in Perfect Pastry with sweet and savoury pies and tarts, plus cheese straws and apple strudel. Head to Savoury Meals and Snacks for scrumptious bites, such as baked risotto, chorizo and cheese muffins and tasty bread tarts. Finally, have a go at the Sweet Treats - from peanut butter cakes to baked alaska and raspberry shortcake. In addition, the basic techniques section will teach you all you need to know about working in the kitchen, including all the safety guidelines to follow, so you'll soon become a baking expert!

35 step-by-step activities to inform children about the workings of the human body.35 step-by-step activities to inform children about the workings of the human body. This fascinating and informative book offers children an amazing insight into how their body works. Susan Akass and Frances Butcher make learning fun with 35 engaging experiments that give a thorough understanding of body systems and anatomy. In Chapter 1, The Senses, activities include finding your blind spot, getting dizzy, and making snot! In Chapter 2, The Control Center, children get to test their reflexes and memories, and trick their brain with optical illusions. In Chapter 3, Your Skeleton and Muscles, they can investigate their muscles, joints, and ligaments. Chapter 4, Fueling the Machine, explains why teeth are vulnerable to a bad diet and includes how to make a digestive system, including the poop! In Chapter 5, All Systems Go, there's fantastic fake blood, pulse-testing, and how to make a simple stethoscope. As well as exciting experiments, children will be informed by the anatomical artworks, mind-boggling facts, and invaluable health information throughout.

We start with a single tree; 1. As we turn the page, we are presented with a sum doubling the number on the page before it: 1+1 = 2; 2+2 = 4; 4+4 = 8. In this way, we reach a million (actually 1,048,576) within 40 pages.Each sum is brought to life with a simple graphic illustration in the distinctive style of Sven Völker. The dots form the back of a ladybird, the bubbles in a cup of soda and the water in a swimming pool. The final page opens up to a magnificent 8 page gatefold to accomodate the final two big numbers.Gloriously simple in its concept and execution, this is a book that will bring mathematics alive to parents as well as children and will also make a stunning gift book.

'A picture book to enrapture little readers and listeners' - NY TIMESIt’s Phil and Dale’s favourite time of the week - the WASH! The two socks impress each other with their acrobatics; flipping, spinning and shrieking, much to the disapproval of the other clothes in the washing machine. But why should they care? They’ve got each other and that’s all that matters... right?When Phil goes missing, Dale is left contemplating life in solitude. After a brief encounter with a red shirt, he finds himself alone in the washing machine, lost and pink. When he is finally reunited with his buddy, Phil fails to recognise him and the socks must decide what being a pair means if one of you has changed....Written in comic book form, and brought to life in gorgeous crayon illustrations, this a tale of friendship and identity that will delight children and adults alike.

Here are 35 brilliant projects that will help you learn how to sew. If you've never used a needle and thread before, don't worry - start with the Sewing Techniques section, which simply explains how to do every stitch. Then pick something to make from one of the four chapters. In the Toys chapter, you'll find juggling animals, sock monsters and rag dolls, while in Fashion Fun, there are gorgeous bags, hair accessories and more. Next, discover some brilliant Decorations - from hanging felt stars to pretty lavender bags. Finally, Great Gifts is packed with ideas, such as the finger puppet cards, felt egg cosies or the sausage dog draft excluder. All the instructions and cute step-by-step artworks are easy to follow; plus, each project has a grade so that you can start with easy sewing and move onto using more advanced stitches as you get better at it.

'A Where’s Waldo? for lovers of trains and travel, children will love searching for these beautiful foreign items while indulging in the common kid obsession over locomotives'.--BOOKLISTFind out about world cities and their underground systems in this fun search-and-find book!This is a playful search-and-find, inside/outside book of underground systems around the world. Alternating shortened pages introduce the subways of 12 different cities. On the first page we see the exterior of the train, and are presented with fascinating facts and figures about the transport system. On the following, shortened page, we find the inside of the train and the platform, bustling with activity. On this busy page, young readers are invited to spot key items that are unique to the city in question; a pretzel, an I • NY t-shirt and a Statue of Liberty headband on the New York Subway, for example. Perfect for train-obsessed children, but also for a wider audience, this book teaches young readers about transport and also about cultural signifiers of different cities around the world. Uijung Kim’s busy, colourful illustrations have a manga-like sensibility that feels joyously contemporary. The cities included are: London, New York, Tokyo, Seoul, Moscow, Beijing, Mexico City, Paris, Madrid and Berlin.

If you love fabrics, yarns, and being creative, then you'll love the 35 great projects in My First Crochet Book. Learn how to use a crochet hook to make different stitches and patterns and you'll soon be making all sorts of pretty items. Divided into four chapters, the book includes a level of 1, 2 or 3 for every project, and comes with easy-to-read instructions and adorable, step-by-step artworks that will guide you along the way. In Clothes and Accessories you'll find warm and cosy scarves, a beanie hat, wrist-warmers, mittens and lots more. Jewellery and Decoration has pretty flower corsages, bracelets and brooches. Then you can have a go at Bedroom Essentials, and try making a pillow or curtain tie-back for your room. Lastly, Perfect Gifts has cute ideas for toys and other pretty things you'll love to make. Finally the basic techniques section covers every crochet technique you'll need to know, as well as yarns, hooks and stitches.

By exploring the designs of flags, we can learn all about the histories and aspirations of the countries they represent. Did you know that only the flag of Nepal has more than four sides? Or that the flag of Mozambique features a book, a hoe and an AK47? Robert Fresson’s vintage-inflected illustrations shed fresh light on the wonders of vexillology.