The stunning story of Russia's slide back into a dictatorship-and how the West is now paying the price for allowing it to happen. The ascension of Vladimir Putin-a former lieutenant colonel of the KGB-to the presidency of Russia in 1999 was a strong signal that the country was headed away from democracy. Yet in the intervening years-as America and the world's other leading powers have continued to appease him-Putin has grown not only into a dictator but an international threat. With his vast resources and nuclear arsenal, Putin is at the center of a worldwide assault on political liberty and the modern world order. For Garry Kasparov, none of this is news. He has been a vocal critic of Putin for over a decade, even leading the pro-democracy opposition to him in the farcical 2008 presidential election. Yet years of seeing his Cassandra-like prophecies about Putin's intentions fulfilled have left Kasparov with a darker truth: Putin's Russia, like ISIS or Al Qaeda, defines itself in opposition to the free countries of the world. As Putin has grown ever more powerful, the threat he poses has grown from local to regional and finally to global. In this urgent book, Kasparov shows that the collapse of the Soviet Union was not an endpoint-only a change of seasons, as the Cold War melted into a new spring. But now, after years of complacency and poor judgment, winter is once again upon us. Argued with the force of Kasparov's world-class intelligence, conviction, and hopes for his home country, Winter Is Coming reveals Putin for what he is: an existential danger hiding in plain sight.

“A quiet, beautiful picture book to share.” —Booklist (starred review) “This gentle, lyrical celebration of the natural world will reward similarly observant readers.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “A touching reminder about the beauty of the natural world.” —School Library Journal (starred review) “With meditative language, Johnston offers a vivid sense of the changing seasons and of stillness. LaMarche quietly and sensitively portrays a child who’s comfortable spending hours alone, working on her own projects and observing—a young naturalist.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) Witness the changing of a season through a watchful child’s eyes in this story of nature and discovery from award-winning author Tony Johnston and New York Times Best Illustrated artist Jim La Marche. Day after day, a girl goes to her favorite place in the woods and quietly watches from her tree house as the chipmunks, the doe, the rabbits prepare for the winter. As the temperature drops, sunset comes earlier and a new season begins. Silently she observes the world around her as it reveals its secrets. It takes time and patience to see the changes as, slowly but surely, winter comes.

Game of Thrones is a phenomenon. As Carolyne Larrington reveals in this essential companion to George R R Martin's fantasy novels and the HBO mega-hit series based on them the show is the epitome of water-cooler TV. It is the subject of intense debate in national newspapers; by PhD students asking why Westeros has yet to see an industrial revolution, or whether astronomy explains the continent's climatic problems and unpredictable solstices ('winter is coming'); and by bloggers and cultural commentators contesting the series' startling portrayals of power, sex and gender. Yet no book has divulged how George R R Martin constructed his remarkable universe out of the Middle Ages. Discussing novels and TV series alike, Larrington explores among other topics: sigils, giants, dragons and direwolves in medieval texts; ravens, old gods and the Weirwood in Norse myth; and a gothic, exotic orient in the eastern continent, Essos. From the White Walkers to the Red Woman, from Casterly Rock to the Shivering Sea, this is an indispensable guide to the twenty-first century's most important fantasy creation.

A celebration of the sights, sounds, and smells of the season, this prebound edition is perfect for young readers. In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews calls Winter Is Here ''A polished, playful story.''

A sweet STEM introduction to the concept of seasons and animal adaptation Lily, a young snowshoe hare, is surprised to notice the leaves changing color in her forest home. She hears from the other animals that "Winter's coming," but who-- or what--is Winter? As Lily learns the ways in which her forest friends prepare for winter's arrival, she becomes more and more worried about what she should be doing. Finally, the brown bear points out that Lily has been preparing without even knowing it: her fur is thickening and turning white to help her camouflage in the changing weather. Complemented by illustrations in a mix of collage, drawing, and digital montage, this story introduces the many ways in which different animals adapt to survive winter.

Think how sad it would be to wake up one day to find 'winter' had arrived, and you just weren't ready. As Freddie-the-Fox warned Sammy Squirrel, "Get ready, winter is coming!" These words should echo not just in Children's ears but everyone's ears throughout the world, whether young or old, black or white, male or female. The moral of this simple story is that we should all listen to good friendly advice for, "Good preparation brings very good results!"

Children are playing outside in the snow.