Showing results by narrator "Jot Davies" in All Categories

As Aristotle understood it, ‘there is no great genius without a mixture of madness’ and he may well have had a point: Einstein routinely forgot his way home when out walking the streets of Vienna, Nietzsche wound up in an insane asylum and Bobby Fischer, the chess prodigy, now scrambles around the world, seeking residency in any country reckless enough to let him through immigration.Simon Philips Norton, the subject of The Genius in my Basement, is not mad – not by a long shot – but he is certainly mixed up.

A boy living by a Scottish loch sees a beautiful silver swan land on the water. She remains at the loch, mates and there are soon five cygnets too. The boy watches them in awe and pride. When snowy winter sets in, all the birds and animals around the loch must scavenge desperately for food. The fox also has cubs to feed…

In this brilliant, one-stop guide WIRED journalist Matt Burgess explains everything you need to know about AI. He describes how it works. He looks at the ways in which it has already brought us everything from voice recognition software to self-driving cars and explores its potential for further revolutionary change in almost every area of our daily lives.

In 1963, in a Siberian prison, former nuclear specialist Valery Kolkhanov has mastered what it takes to survive: the right connections to the guards for access to food and cigarettes, the right pair of warm boots, and the right attitude toward the small pleasures of life so he won’t go insane. But one day, all that changes: Valery’s university mentor steps in and sweeps him from the frozen camp to a mysterious unnamed city. It houses a set of nuclear reactors, and surrounding it is a forest so damaged it looks like the trees have rusted from within.

The sixth animal in the hilarious Awesome Animals series - awesome adventures with the wildest wildlife. The otterly bonkers Brown family are hugely excited, as today's the day they move to their new home. But when they get there they find the beastly Black family have got there first! This riverbank ain't big enough for the both of them, so there's only one thing for it: war. Well, not real war. Otters are more into playing than fighting, so instead they decide to hold a giant sports day - and may the best otters win!

Meet the Puppies Online! Einstein the brainy dachshund, Puzzle the snoozy sheepdog, and Bounce the speedy spaniel spend their holidays at a very special kind of kennels - a lighthouse by the sea! But there's no time for sunbathing. The woof-tastic trio meet the evil Mike Dodger, discover an ancient treasure map and find themselves caught up in a race against time. Luckily the pups are equipped with all the latest online gadgets and tech know-how. But will their super skills be enough to sniff out the treasure before Mike does?

Rookie barrister George Winsome, young and arrogant, defends an old boy who thinks he’s Merlin on a manslaughter charge. The riotous trial turns Merlin into a celebrity; money, greed and ambition take hold of George and his partner, Heather, until the secret of Merlin’s past is revealed as the spirit of Saint Yves intervenes to ensure George and Heather follow their true paths. 

When a clever little rooster finds a diamond, he thinks it only just that he shares his good fortune with his poor and loving mistress. But a greedy sultan is determined to claim the diamond for his own - and devises a series of traps to outwit the plucky bird. A hilarious chase ensues, and we are shown that greed and avarice lead to nothing but sorrow, whilst true happiness lies in a generous spirit.

Sam’s life has always been strange. After all, his family have no idea that he’s half monster, half fairy. But now he’s keeping an even bigger secret. He alone has the power to bring monsters to life! (He’s even got a tiny gargoyle hatchling hidden in his sock drawer.) When Queen Maggie finds out, she’s delighted. She wants Sam to create her a whole new legion of vile ogres. When he refuses, she vows that she will destroy everything Sam holds dear.

From the multi award-winning creator of the modern classic Meerkat Mail, Sunny the meerkat travels the world in the search of the perfect Christmas. Sunny wants a white Christmas, with a decorated tree, carols and sprouts for dinner...none of which he can see at home in the Kalahari desert. So off he heads to find the perfect Christmas elsewhere, before realising that maybe Christmas isn't all about the trimmings.

Einstein, Bounce and Puzzle are thrilled to be back at Sandcliff Lighthouse for another holiday. There are lots of other pups staying there this time which means fun for everyone! But when the local beach is covered in dog poo, the pals find themselves in a sticky situation. It gets so bad that even the puffins - who visit every year - are staying away! And then the local people start to blame the kennels, even though the pups know that Jackie and Trevor always clean up after them.

A wonderful story written by the children's laureate Michael Morpurgo.One morning, while chopping wood in the forest, Tod notices a small white fawn fleeing the King’s hunt. Swiftly, Tod gathers the fawn into his arms and runs back to his father’s cottage. As the years go by, the fawn grows into a magnificent white stag, and the bonds between boy and deer grow strong. But Tod has yet to face a great test of his devotion to the The King in the Forest.

One cold Christmas night, a shepherd recounts the magical story of how he came to be the first visitor to the newborn Christ child - ahead of the other shepherds, and in complete secret. A deftly wrought re-working of the nativity story, Michael's tale is rich in human detail.

Welcome to Victorian London; the home of the Artful Dodger, Sherlock Holmes... and Ben Kingdom, cocky street urchin - and the saviour of mankind. Unknown to mere mortals, an ancient battle is being waged across the city.

Can the young knights save the human world? King Oberon, the ruler of Avalon, is on the warpath and will stop at nothing in his quest to enslave the entire human race. Rick and Roxy must escape back to Earth to rescue the only man alive who can help them fight Oberon - the legendary King Arthur Pendragon. Trouble is, Arthur isn't quite himself these days . . . for a start, he lives with a pet puffin called Peter and has no idea what century he's in!

School bully, Darren Bishop, is beaten in a race and wants to get even with the winner. A comedy involving a boy, a bully and a serious case of mistaken identity. Barrington Stoke specialise in books for reluctant, struggling and dyslexic readers.

At a moment of great discovery, one Big Idea can change the world...Galileo is often referred to as 'the father of modern science' and his contribution to modern psychics and astronomy, among other scientific fields, cannot be overstated. His discoveries shattered forever humanity's ignorance about the true nature of our solar system and our place within the universe. But Galileo paid the ultimate price for his revolutionary findings, sentenced to life imprisonment and forced to renounce his work.

Sam might be half-monster and half-fairy, but since finding a loving family with the Kavanaghs, his daily life has been all human. And now he's facing one of the greatest human challenges - starting secondary school. But Sam barely has time to worry about the strange stuff teachers say (why do they call it the Great War when it sounds like was anything but great?) before he is thrust back into the world of monsters.

Sing along with this fun collection of 40 classic nursery rhymes! Jack and Jill, Humpty Dumpty, Little Miss Muffett and many other popular nursery rhyme characters are brought together in this entertaining collection of 40 familiar favourites. Including lively action rhymes, bouncy counting rhymes and soothing bedtime rhymes, children will love singing along, over and over again. Come and join in the fun! Includes 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star', 'Jack and Jill', 'This Little Piggy', 'Three Little Kittens' and other nursery favourites.

"At a moment of great discovery, one Big Idea can change the world...Newton's observations on motion, gravity and light revolutionised the world and opened up humanity's understanding of the universe. Today his work is taken for granted, but in the context of modern times, to what extent can we appreciate the 'gravity' of his theories?Newton and Gravity tells the captivating story of Newton's life as an eccentric teenager, devout Christian, paranoid recluse, arrogant genius, and obsessive alchemist.