Books published by publisher Wilkins Farago Pty Ltd

A beautiful and extraordinary account of international concert pianist Zhu Xiao-Mei’s hardships and triumphs while growing up during China’s Cultural Revolution Stirring and inspiring, this picture book relates the story of a gifted young girl's passion for the piano in a time of historic turmoil. During China's Cultural Revolution a young girl is taken from her family and sent to a far-off labor camp. Forbidden to play the piano, she nevertheless finds a way of smuggling handwritten music into the camp and sneaking away at night to practice a piano in a secret location—until, one night, she is caught. Inspired by the amazing true story of international concert pianist Zhu Xiao-Mei, this acclaimed picture book poetically relates an astonishing story of perseverance set against a cataclysmic period of history.

The Bureau of Weights and Measures is an amazing place where everything in the world is measured and assessed to make sure it is the right size, weight, temperature and so on. The engineer Marcel Gram does this important work. One day, Marcel’s son returns home with something he can’t measure—a mood. There’s only one thing for it: they’ll have to invent a new machine to measure the mood. Soon, father and son are inventing machines to measure every emotion! However, once they start letting other people use their inventions, things start to go wrong.

A quirky picture book that taps into strong themes in children's lives: the love of food and cooking, sharing, and the importance of good friends and neighborsIt seems everyone in Andrew's building has been so busy during the day, they've forgotten to buy anything for dinner. Their fridges are all empty—well almost. With only three carrots to eat, Andrew decides to go upstairs to ask his neighbor Nabil if he's got anything in his fridge. Nabil's not doing much better: he only has two eggs and small piece of cheese. Together, they decide to try the family on the second floor. As they ascend each floor of their apartment building, they gather more ingredients from more neighbors until they reach the top floor and everyone finally has enough for a meal. But now the question is what to cook?

A powerful story paired with delightful and imaginative illustrations about the consequences of every action and the importance of making amends In this timely and ingenious parable, a bear with a powerful sword goes out into the forest to chop down all of the trees and build on his impregnable home fort. After it is washed away by a flood, he sets out on a journey to find and punish the creature responsible. After accusing an array of unusual creatures—including a pair of beavers, a one-eared pig-deer, a fox who loves archery, and some fruit-loving birds—he finally arrives at the truth: the flood was caused by someone with a sword who chopped down all the trees. The bear’s remorse, and the actions he takes to make good his vandalism, provide all young readers with an important message.

A richly illustrated tale of one little boy's search for his own identity and place in the worldThe Little Eskimo wants to know what's on the other side of the great frozen lake, and he wants to know if he'll be a great hunter when he grows up. He starts out on a quest to find the answers but none of the arctic animals can help him. Finally, a whale takes the brave little boy to the one creature who knows all and the Little Eskimo discovers his two questions are very much connected. This is a classic tale of human desire to seek out that which we cannot know—what the future holds.

Featuring a profound anti-war message, this moving and poetic meditation on the big questions in the tradition of The Little Prince is now available in the author's original edition for older readersThere's a war on. We see something that looks like a desert. There are two holes. In the two holes are two soldiers. THEY ARE ENEMIES.So begins this extraordinary, highly contemporary picture book. Inspired by historical events, it speaks to adults, yet is also accessible to a child of primary school age. Set in a war not unlike World War I, the tale is narrated by one of the soldiers, who tells of his loneliness, deprivations, fears, irritations, and, finally, his resolve to end his part in the war. In exploring his own emotions about a conflict seemingly without end or reason, he comes to suspect his enemy is not the inhuman barbarian he has been warned about, but may just be a frightened, tired victim of propaganda like himself. The unforgettable artwork, which combines photographic collage, simple line drawings, and a masterful use of white space, will make this book a collectable for all those who admire illustrated books of the highest quality. Published in association with Amnesty International, this book is an ideal conversation starter about how conflict and violence can give way to peace, compassion, and understanding.

The antidote to every cute fairy book The day hasn't started well for Pugman, quite possibly the grumpiest dog ever. He has overslept, there's nothing for breakfast, and the rain has made his newspaper soggy. You'd be grumpy too. Then, out of nowhere, a magical and unnecessarily cheerful fairy appears to offer Pugman three wishes. Think you know what he'll wish for? You and the fairy are in for quite a surprise! At last, the antidote to those seemingly endless fairy books for kids, and what a hoot it is. Meschenmoser's delightfully disheveled illustrations are full of wit and mischief, and its hilarious ending will have readers cheering for our canine curmudgeon.

A hilarious, innovative riff on Agatha Christie's celebrated whodunnit 10 Little Indians, in graphic novel form For discerning readers who have been crying out for a book featuring a stick insect famous for doing impressions of sticks, a detective with a sidekick who is a three-week old larva, a preying mantis who is deadly with a drinks trolley, and a fly who is just there for the dung—your luck has finally turned! In this innovative graphic novel for younger readers, 10 very different insects, each with something to hide, are brought together to a mysterious house on a secluded island for the weekend. Then, one by one, they start dying in very unusual circumstances. But all is not as it seems, as Cali and Pianina delightfully subvert the whodunnit genre with a story that is at once brilliant, baffling, laugh-out-loud funny, and somewhat surreal.

From the author of Reach for the Stars and one of the major illustrators of his generation, a joyful and funny celebration of ordinary family life When I grow up, I want to be like my dad. Sam's dad is an artist, and Sam's life is full of creativity, exploration, and adventure. Serge Bloch's semiautobiographical picture book shows life through Sam's eyes, as he plays with his little brother, goes to the park, visits a farm, and goes on holiday—all in the company of the long-suffering but affectionate Dad he loves so much. This beautiful picture book captures the little details that excite a child's imagination and the quirky ways they interpret the adult world. It's a book any child can see themselves in and relate to.

From the award-winning creators of The Little Eskimo, and the acclaimed author of The Enemy, a story of the journey a boy goes on when his father doesn't come home When I was a child, my father went away. He came home only once a year, in the summer for two weeks. He smelled of the sea, my father. That’s because he was . . . A great pirate. The amazing stories Dad tells of life with his pirate crew fire up his young son’s imagination. But then, one year, Dad doesn’t return home. Now it’s his son’s turn to make an amazing journey of his own—to find his father. Soon he will discover a secret beyond anything he has imagined so far.

You're about to go to a place where thousands, even millions, of kids live every day. You're about to enter a war zone. There's been an attack. Grabbing his camera, a newspaper photographer rushes to the nearest clinic. What he finds there will change the way he thinks forever. Inspired by real events in the Middle East, this groundbreaking and acclaimed picture book for older readers will take you to a place far from comfort and safety. What could you possibly have in common with the kids who live there? You're about to find out. One Red Shoe was named one of the five Most Beautiful German Books of 2013 in the children's book category by the German Book Art Foundation.