Exisle Publishing

Poppy finds a crafty solution for carrying her treasures in this uplifting story about creativity, upcycling, community spirit – and the joy of pockets!Poppy picks up the most amazing things when she’s out exploring, from glossy feathers to rattling seed pods to shiny buttons. But she’s missing something very important: pockets to carry her findings!After an unsuccessful wardrobe search, Poppy’s creativity is sparked. With some crafty textile upcycling, she makes her own pocket-covered outfit. It’s such a success that she opens a stand in her street offering pocket-making for all. But what happens when Poppy runs out of fabric, and people still want pockets? Can Poppy and her neighbourhood friends come together to find a solutio? irls’ clothing almost never has practical pockets, which affects how girls play, move, and navigate life. Poppy Makes Pockets celebrates of the joy of pockets, and highlights that girls need them too. It also explores themes of upcycling worn-out clothing, inspiring young readers to think about sustainable and creative solutions to problems. Full of positivity and joy, this delightful story will entertain little readers everywhere, especially those who love collecting treasures.

Sometimes, when the world doesn’t make sense, we have to find our own way. Just like Spot the dot. Meet Spot. A simple dot. A dot from what? Poor Spot forgot. Spot the Dot tells the story of a little dot trying to find where he fits in. When he realizes he’s forgotten where he came from, Spot goes on a journey of discovery, trying out all kinds of things to uncover his place in the world. Is Spot a lost sentence ending period? Or did he fall from a mushroom top? Along the way, Spot finds that there are many wonderful places where he might belong. Simple, rhythmic and with graphic illustrations, Spot the Dot is a universal story about belonging and our individual search for meaning.

A compassionate, insightful guide to humanity’s relationship with the horse, with evidence-based training tips. Weaving together science, history and narrative, Equine traces our bond with the horse across 6000 years of co-existence. It takes the reader on a journey of discovery, from the evolutionary beginnings of Eohippus, the Dawn Horse through to the domestication of horses, their use during wartime, and their place in our lives today. The book opens with a detailed look at the evolution of the horse, with fascinating insight into how particular characteristics and traits evolved to become today’s modern animal: fast, vigilant, and with a strong herd instinct. The horse’s brain, senses and abilities are all fully explored. In the book’s second half, the author turns her considerable expertise to how the horse learns, and helps readers understand proven, effective and compassionate training methods for the animals they work with. Through her focus on welfare, and by making accessible the complex science of ethology and training, experienced trainer and author Portland Jones entices readers to share the awe and wonder she experiences when working with horses.  Equine is for anyone who works with horses, rides them, or simply admires this most beautiful of creatures.

Grounded in science and written by three child behavioral specialists, Complex Kids, Simple Solutions is your comprehensive guide to raising cooperative, resilient and likeable kids.Parenting is one of the most challenging yet rewarding jobs — and it’s one we are never prepared for. Yet everywhere we turn there is information (and misinformation) about how best to raise our children.Complex Kids, Simple Solutions offers a research-based antidote to help you get to grips with effective parenting approaches. Penned by two child psychologists and a behavioral analyst, the book weaves together theories and principles from the fields of developmental, cognitive and clinical psychology. It offers proven parenting approaches, used by the authors over decades of working with children and families, and based on three essential fundamentals: Prepare. Teach. Motivate.The book explains how these concepts apply to almost any situation, from the mundane to the meltdown. Once you understand and master them, you will be able to tackle just about anything with confidence, precision and consistency. Covering everything from the morning rush to helping your child handle big emotions, from minimizing screens to the proactive power of spending quality time with your child, Complex Kids, Simple Solutions is a reader-friendly, sometimes humorous manual that gives you practical solutions to parenting problems. 

Learning to be your own champion is the cornerstone of good mental and emotional health, especially when you’re a teen. That’s where Be Your Own Best Friend comes in!Believe it or not, you are your own best counselor, and this book will help you better understand that. Designed especially for teen readers, Be Your Own Best Friend helps you construct your own mental wellbeing toolkit to manage your emotions and experiences of life’s many ups and downs.The book recognizes that you’re a physical, mental and emotional being – and if one area of your health is hurting, then the whole of you will be affected. It covers all aspects of life, including:techniques and tips to hack those intrusive thoughts and turn your inner critic into an inner coach, so you can build self-esteem and resilienceways to encourage healthy coping behaviors when life gets toughhow to develop small, positive daily habitsgetting to know yourself better so you can trust your gut feelinglifestyle tips for sleep, diet, and a healthy relationship with social media.Read it cover to cover, or dip in and out. Full of real-life stories, handy tips and inspirational quotes, Be Your Own Best Friend helps you reimagine who and how you want to be.

Amity, the third and final instalment in The Last Seed Keeper trilogy, is the story of how it all ended. It is also the story of how it all began …Fighting against a devastating legacy left by previous generations, friends Ivy, Skyler and Durie must pull together like never before to save the world and create a better tomorrow. But to do this, they must also confront what happened in the past, and how their parents’ actions brought the entire world to such a daunting precipice.Moving between the past and the present, Amity shines a light on how, years ago, a thirst for power by two people set the planet on a collision course with environmental destruction, and how two small babies, born as the world around them crumbled, became destined to forge a new kind of leadership and a friendship that would withstand even the greatest of challenges. It follows the friends as they find their place in a new world, suffer setbacks and loss, and learn to champion a dying planet and its people.Amity brings to a thrilling close this story of family and friendship, and shows how taking a different approach can change the future.

The second instalment in the gripping Last Seed Keeper trilogy, New Sanctuary continues the story of the indomitable Ivy and Skyler as they search for their fathers — and for hope in a new world. Despite vastly different upbringings, best friends Ivy and Skyler share an unbreakable bond. Together, they have discovered dangerous secrets, uncovered traitors and, with the help of Ivy’s friend Durie, saved their crumbling new world’s dwindling food resources. But now, both their fathers are missing. Together, Ivy and Skyler search for answers as villains become allies and true enemies make themselves known. Questions are asked and decisions need to be made, forcing Skyler to choose between her new friendships, her family and her world, so different from Ivy’s. Friendships are tested as they hunt for lost family, and the slim glimmer of hope for the new world hangs in the balance. Can a child from the Piles and a child from the Sky really be the key to saving it all? New Sanctuary is a thrilling adventure about the bonds of family and friendship, and the crucial importance of caring for our planet in a world where nature has been forgotten but courage and hope remain.

Explores the life and military career of Lucian Truscott, one of the greatest, yet least celebrated, US combat commanders of World War II. Born in Texas to a drug-addicted father, Truscott would become one of the United States’ greatest ever combat generals. Expert in mechanised warfare and amphibious operations during World War II, he was a plain-speaking, determined fighter. The book traces Truscott’s rise as a senior American commander in various theaters of war, including the campaigns in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and southern France. It examines Truscott’s relationship with other senior American commanders such as George Patton (who once threatened to sack him), Mark Clark (who didn’t like him), Eisenhower and George Marshall. Truscott made a significant contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany, improving his command skills with each new experience. Being placed in command of the Anzio beachhead was his finest hour, where his vital contribution ultimately led to the capture of Rome. Truscott garnered a unique record during World War II as the only American officer to command military formations from regiment up to a full army, with over 200,000 soldiers under his command. He also took part in five amphibious landings during the war, becoming the United States’ foremost expert in such operations. General Lucian K. Truscott: ‘Quite a talent for fighting’ is for military enthusiasts looking to expand their knowledge beyond the well-known names of World War II canon.

When quiet, shy Verity eventually finds the courage to speak up, she discovers that standing on her own two feet can be amazing!Verity is a shy preschooler who is accommodating and quiet, and always does whatever others tell her. She picks up after her friends, has no say in games, and even plays second fiddle to a drooling baby at the doctor’s surgery. After a typical week of quiet deference to everyone around her, Verity is miserable.  But when she is overlooked at swimming class (her most favourite thing of all), Verity realises something needs to change — and she discovers within herself the courage to speak up. What she finds is that by speaking up in a polite, positive way, she can change her world for the better and find joy in asserting herself.Verity Finds Her Voice will help children who might be a little scared to speak up learn that not only is it okay to be assertive, but it can bring happiness, and that being a good friend to yourself is just as important as being a good friend to others. 

A little determination goes a long way in this inspiring story about creating green spaces and building community.Rosie loves nothing more than to dig and spend time with people from her neighbourhood in the community garden. There’s Mr Dellagatti who collects seeds, Annika who plays the violin, and even Esmeralda the chicken who likes worms for breakfast!But when the garden is sold to the Big Boss of a city company, Rosie looks on helplessly as it is destroyed and replaced by a towering skyscraper. Where will her friends from the garden go now? And what will happen to Esmeralda now that her home is gone?It’s going to take some unexpected teamwork and a whole lot of bravery, but maybe Rosie can find a solution that makes everyone happy…Rosie’s Garden is an inspiring story about preserving nature and standing up for the things that are important to us. Through simple prose and beautiful illustrations, it explores themes of environmentalism, urbanisation and community in a way that will engage younger readers and getthem thinking about the world around them, and the role we can all play in protecting it. Essential reading for any little ones interested in nature, buildings, the outdoors – and digging!

When Finn buys a magic pen at a market stall, it seems like all his problems are solved… but the good times don’t last in this action-packed adventure featuring life on the run, basketball battles, family secrets and more moral conundrums than you could shake a pen at.Eleven-year-old Finn lives with his four foster siblings and the TERRIBLE Mr and Mrs Grimshaw. Everything might look okay from the outside, but at home the Grimshaws lock Finn in the basement, and reign terror over his little brothers and sisters. Will the power of a magic pen help Finn save himself and his siblings from their nightmare foster parents, and find out the truth about his past?Join Finn on an adventure beyond his wildest dreams, armed with a pen that makes everything he draws come true. From defeating a bully in a basketball match, to stealing the limelight and serenading the guests at his fancy hotel, Finn discovers he has the power to do anything! But soon, the consequences to his actions start to mount up.Can Finn resist the temptation of an easy fix and save the day without the increasingly dangerous help of the pen? Find out in this fast-paced, engaging story about family, jealousy, morals, and the importance of being kind to others.

A comprehensive guide to the reasons behind burnout, with effective, practical ways to manage and prevent burnout to create a more balanced future.Burnout is a phenomenon that can happen to anyone, yet it is most often found in high-pressured workplaces, especially those where promotions and target achievement are valued. In this timely book, clinical psychologist Mike McKinney takes an informed look at the features of burnout, why and how burnout happens, and the signs it might be about to strike. After noticing an increase in patients struggling with burnout in their work roles, Mike McKinney used his extensive experience to gain a better understanding behind the reasons for this growth. What he found was that there are common underlying personality traits in an individual that can result in an increased vulnerability towards the development of burnout.While workplace changes are often touted as the answer to burnout, the author draws on his clinical experience over more than 25 years to show the reader what is within their power to change about themselves, so they can create greater resilience to burnout and a better balance in life. He deftly demonstrates how particular personality traits can contribute towards burnout, such as: the quest for perfection fear of failure beliefs around personal performancehaving an ‘all-or-nothing’ approachholding impossibly high personal expectations.The author then provides options and answers, along with suggestions for positive changes that can be sustained, and offers ways to help the reader consider a wider (and possibly new) purpose in life that is underpinned by ways to enhance resilience.Beating Burnout is an insightful, practical book for professionals and anyone experiencing burnout, as well as those who would like to help someone in burnout.

A beautifully illustrated, reassuring story about finding comfort in the familiar when life turns upside down. Perfect for children experiencing big changes, from moving house to the trauma of a natural disaster.In Hugs Still Feel the Same, life is thrown into turmoil for a little girl and her family when their home is flooded. The water builds and builds until the whole town must be evacuated in the night. In the darkness, with only torches to light the way and their home left behind, it feels like all they have left is each other. But maybe that’s the most important thing. This gentle and empowering story was inspired by the author’s real-life experience of the severe flooding that engulfed the Northern Rivers of NSW, Australia in 2022. During 6 months as a volunteer for the flood recovery efforts, she witnessed the distress and trauma caused to many families who lost their homes. Finding the beautiful amongst the chaos was incredibly important, and there was little more comforting than a hug from a loved one.Hugs Still Feel the Same is a story of resilience and hope in the face of life’s difficulties. It explores the impact of big changes and trauma, providing a tool for parents and carers to help children through distressing times. It is a big-hearted reminder that even when life feels scary and unknown, it’s possible to find comfort if we know where to look.

There’s not a lot of space in the humongous Humdingle family home, but they wouldn’t have it any other way in this charming story about minimalism, multi-generational living, and the importance of appreciating what we have.Welcome to the Humdingle family! There’s Grandma and Grandad, Mum and Dad, the children and the pets… and they all live in one tiny house. It’s a little squashy and noisy in the house, and sometimes the Humdingles wish they didn’t have to share quite so much. After all, one toilet between three generations can get tricky!Find out what happens when, one magical day, the Humdingles’ wishes are granted. Will all the space they could dream of make them happier? Or was there, perhaps, something special about living in the tiny, squashy house after all?This lively, light-hearted book will delight little readers with its playful language and illustrations. Carrying a heartfelt message about the importance of family connections, it is the perfect story for parents and grandparents to share with younger family members. It also opens the door to conversations about materialism, and is a joyful reminder to see the good in what we have.

There is a war on truth. And the liars are winning. Truthteller is an essential guide to how governments and corporations cover up murder, corruption and catastrophe, for teachers, students and concerned citizens who want to know the facts, not fake news. Using exclusive documents and interviews from a career as an award-winning reporter, editor, foreign correspondent and television producer, Stephen Davis reveals shocking details of deceptions from Brazil to Antarctica, London to Los Angeles.