Sparkling with insight and linguistic curiosity, this delightful compendium answers 101 of the most intriguing questions about the English language, from word origins and spelling to grammar and usage. Irresistible to anyone with an interest in the words around them.

Why Is Mommy Crying Crocodile Tears? By: Shinta L. Catchings Why Is Mommy Crying Crocodile Tears? teaches us that no matter what hand we are dealt in life, we have love to keep us strong. If life gives us lemons, we should make strawberry lemonade. Forgive and love.

The Blackout Crew have a song with the title 'Put a donk on it' - but what is a 'donk'? Which ending came first: '-ise' or '-ize'? Where does the idea of a 'white elephant' come from? Who decides on the collective noun for something? And what is it that made the crocodile cry? Sparkling with insight and linguistic curiosity, this delightful compendium answers 101 of the most intriguing questions about the English language, from word origins and spelling to grammar and usage. Irresistible to anyone with an interest in the words around them. Supported by Oxford's celebrated dictionary research programme, Susie Dent tackles these and many other fascinating questions in this wonderfully accessible and endlessly entertaining exploration of the English language.

Crocodile says goodbye to the jungle and heads for the bright lights of London to find freedom and adventure. But despite the famous sights, city life on a stone-cold street begins to pall... Will crocodile tears become real tears for friends, family and home? A fantastic picture book for reading aloud by poetry legend Roger McGough and award-winning animator Greg McLeod.

A little crocodile explores a day at preschool in this colorful, noisy book filled with sounds and new experiences -- some wonderful, some not -- that are sure to delight toddlers. What sounds does the Little Crocodile hear on the first day of preschool? The alarm clock goes ring, ring The car goes vroom vroom The elephant says peekaboo The drum goes rat-a-tat The food goes nom nom nom And the crocodile says... WAHHHH! In this charming book of sounds, a little crocodile experiences the highs and lows of preschool, ultimately enjoying their day . . . after a small meltdown, of course! Little ones will delight in the adorable illustrations and fun read-aloud, and parents will delight in the sly humor and familiar emotional rollercoaster of a toddler's day.

'Susie Dent is a national treasure' RICHARD OSMAN 'Susie Dent is a one-off. She breathes life and fun into words and language' PAM AYRES __________________________________________ Would you be bewildered if someone described you as radgy? Do you know how to recognise a tittamatorter? And would you understand if someone called you a culchie? How to Talk Like a Local gathers together hundreds of words from all over the country and digs down to uncover their origins. From dardledumdue, which means daydreamer in East Anglia, through forkin robbins, the Yorkshire term for earwigs, to clemt, a Lancashire word that means hungry, it investigates an astonishingly rich variety of regional expressions, and provides a fascinating insight into the history of the English language. If you're intrigued by colourful words and phrases, if you're interested in how English is really spoken, or if you simply want to find out a bit more about the development of our language, How to Talk Like a Local is irresistible - and enlightening - reading. __________________________________________________ 'Nobody on earth knows more about the English language than Susie Dent and nobody writes about it more entertainingly' GYLES BRANDRETH 'It's an interesting and, at times, hilarious read. One for word-lovers' THE SUN

A classic work that shows just what crocodile tears are by taking off on an amazing voyage Crocodile Tears is a 1956 children's story from the famous graphic designer and illustrator Andr Fran ois that tells how to catch a crocodile by going to Egypt. And it tells how to get a crocodile home, and even what happens after that A smart, fun, gorgeous classic Andr Fran ois was a French graphic designer and illustrator, who lived in New York City for a time and did many covers for The New Yorker. He also studied with Picasso and created many cartoons and picture books. Little Boy Brown (1949) was his first picture book to be published in the US.