Sarah Brennan - Blacksmith Books

Sarah Brennan was born in Hobart, in the beautiful Australian island state of Tasmania. Her family kept a menagerie of animals including peacocks, guinea fowl, pheasants, ducks and goats, and there was even a wild platypus in the creek at the bottom of the garden! She began writing poems and stories as a child, and hasn’t really stopped since! Coming to Hong Kong in 1998 gave her the impetus to follow her childhood dreams, and in 2004 her first children’s book, A Dirty Story, was published, followed by An Even Dirtier Story the following year.

But, visiting Hong Kong schools, with children drawn largely from Chinese or Asian backgrounds, Sarah became increasingly keen to write for them about their culture and history… and in 2007, the Chinese Calendar Tales were born. With great storylines packed with interesting vocabulary and history, and fact boxes inside the cover of every book, Sarah is delighted to see her books used as teaching tools in primary schools throughout China, Southeast Asia and Australia.

Sarah is also the author of Storm Whale, published in 2017 by Allen & Unwin, and listed for multiple awards including the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards in Australia and the Kate Greenaway Medal in the UK.

Sarah is an ardent promoter of children’s literacy, running regular international writing competitions on her blog for primary school children, which attract entries from around the world including the US, the UK, China, Singapore, India, Hong Kong and Australia. She is also an enthusiastic Writer Ambassador for Room to Read, an international charity promoting literacy and girls’ education in Third World countries, and speaks regularly to parents, teachers, librarians and their associations about the fundamental importance of reading print books in the digital age.

Visit Sarah’s funny and fabulous blog at www.sarahbrennanblog.com!

A Dirty Story

HK$100.00
USD: US$12.80
CNY: CN¥92.70
GBP: £10.02
EUR: €11.78
AUD: AU$19.24
CAD: CA$17.46
JPY: ¥2,012
Illustrated by Harry Harrison

“This is a story for girls and boys
Who don’t like putting away their toys;
Who think a bed is a trampoline
And can’t be bothered to keep things clean….”

From the creators of The Chinese Calendar Tales comes a tale of dastardly deeds and good clean fun! It’s the eve of the annual Tidy Town competition, and the Neats are working day and night to make their town look exactly right. But then the Grots hatch an evil plan with rather unexpected results!

More rollicking fun with fast-paced rhyme and fabulous illustrations by the best-selling Brennan/Harrison team.

Ages 4 to 8

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An Even Dirtier Story

HK$100.00
USD: US$12.80
CNY: CN¥92.70
GBP: £10.02
EUR: €11.78
AUD: AU$19.24
CAD: CA$17.46
JPY: ¥2,012
Illustrated by Harry Harrison

“This is a tale of two small towns
Which grace the district of Twinkle Downs:-

The first where people are good and smart
And do their chores with a happy heart;
The second where they are bad and mean
And never bother to wash or clean….”

Hold onto your hats! The Grots are up to their filthy tricks once more at the Twinkle Downs’ annual Maypole Dance! But they soon learn that life isn’t meant to be greasy when the Neats get even again in this rib-tickling sequel to A Dirty Story.

More rollicking fun for the whole family with Sarah Brennan’s funny, fast-paced rhymes and Harry Harrison’s hilarious illustrations.

Ages 4 to 8

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Boxed Set of 12 Chinese Calendar Tales

HK$1,198.00
USD: US$153.38
CNY: CN¥1,110.55
GBP: £120.10
EUR: €141.17
AUD: AU$230.52
CAD: CA$209.21
JPY: ¥24,100
Illustrated by Harry Harrison

An entire set of all 12 Chinese Calendar Tales, plus companion title The Tale of Pin Yin Panda, in a beautiful display box. Perfect as a gift for Chinese New Year, Christmas, birthdays or any other special occasion!

Includes:

The Tale of Run Run Rat / The Tale of Oswald Ox / The Tale of Temujin [Tiger] / The Tale of Rhonda Rabbit / The Tale of Chester Choi [Dragon] / The Tale of Sybil Snake / The Tale of a Dark Horse / The Tale of Rodney Ram / The Tale of Ming Kee Monkey / The Tale of Rickshaw Rooster / The Tale of Desmond Dog / The Tale of Ping Pong Pig / The Tale of Pin Yin Panda

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Storm Whale

HK$130.00
USD: US$16.64
CNY: CN¥120.51
GBP: £13.03
EUR: €15.32
AUD: AU$25.01
CAD: CA$22.70
JPY: ¥2,615
Illustrated by Jane Tanner

Shortlisted for the 2018 Australian Prime Minister's Literary Award, Children's Fiction

A captivating and beautifully illustrated story about three sisters who find a stranded whale on a windswept beach and try to save it.

Bleak was the day and the wind whipped down
when I and my sisters walked to town ...

With a powerful, poetic text, wonderful to read aloud, and illustrations full of life and movement, Storm Whale celebrates the majesty and vulnerability of nature and our place in it.

"A story of the sea and the possibilities of interactions between humans and other creatures… a story of human kindness and hope" - Magpies

Ages 4 to 8

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The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah: A Mystery in Hong Kong

HK$100.00
USD: US$12.80
CNY: CN¥92.70
GBP: £10.02
EUR: €11.78
AUD: AU$19.24
CAD: CA$17.46
JPY: ¥2,012
Illustrated by Charly Cheung Maggie loves hanging out with her best friends Methuselah (her talkative African Grey parrot) and Edmund (the richest boy in Hong Kong), but she loathes attending boring parties with her high-flying mum and dad! Little does she know that a Family Fun Day at Government House will trigger a thrilling adventure involving one of Hong Kong's greatest mysteries: what happened to the immensely valuable Chater Collection, which was hidden on the eve of the Japanese invasion in World War Two? A funny, exciting story for pre-teens set in one of the world's most exotic cities, where cultures meet and risks are for the taking! For readers aged 8 to 12 who love mystery, history and adventure! With 80+ illustrations. "Sarah Brennan’s work is a meeting between traditional Asian narratives and the universal taste of children for graphic stories. The tale-telling gifts shown in these books, along with the exuberance of the language and rhymes, make them unique in children’s literature." – Thomas Keneally, Booker Prize-winning author of Schindler’s Ark

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The Tale of a Dark Horse

HK$100.00
USD: US$12.80
CNY: CN¥92.70
GBP: £10.02
EUR: €11.78
AUD: AU$19.24
CAD: CA$17.46
JPY: ¥2,012
Illustrated by Harry Harrison

It's 135BC and Emperor Han Wudi is desperate for a horse… but not just any horse. The horse he wants is tall, dark and handsome, fleet as a bird and free as a gipsy. But will it ever be pinned down? A tale of mystery, history and the fabulous Silk Road!

Highlights the “heavenly horses” of the Ferghana Valley, Han Wudi and his conquest to the West, and the Silk Road.

Age range: 7 to 12

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The Tale of Chester Choi

HK$100.00
USD: US$12.80
CNY: CN¥92.70
GBP: £10.02
EUR: €11.78
AUD: AU$19.24
CAD: CA$17.46
JPY: ¥2,012
Illustrated by Harry Harrison

Chester Choi is one bad dragon. He just loves children… eating them, that is! But Chester has a secret – he’s desperately lonely and what he really wants is a friend. A tale of greed, bad upbringing and the transformative power of love!

Features the dragon in Chinese mythology and the South China Sea.

Age range: 5 to 8

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The Tale of Desmond Dog

HK$100.00
USD: US$12.80
CNY: CN¥92.70
GBP: £10.02
EUR: €11.78
AUD: AU$19.24
CAD: CA$17.46
JPY: ¥2,012
Illustrated by Harry Harrison

Desmond Dog is noble, honest and brave… but he’d also make an excellent pirate!

Will the hero of the fishing village of Hong Kong be lured into a life of crime by infamous pirate queen Ching Shih? Find out in this exciting tale of trickery, temptation… and treasure!

Ages 6 to 12

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The Tale of Ming Kee Monkey

HK$100.00
USD: US$12.80
CNY: CN¥92.70
GBP: £10.02
EUR: €11.78
AUD: AU$19.24
CAD: CA$17.46
JPY: ¥2,012
Illustrated by Harry Harrison

Ming Kee is the cheekiest monkey in Yunnan, and her jungle friends are getting REALLY annoyed! Then one day she offends the Emperor Taizong of Tang! Ming Kee flees the jungle… but where has she gone, and will she ever return? And will she ever mend her mischievous ways? A tale of mayhem, monkey business… and the getting of wisdom!

Highlights the famous Legend of the Monkey King, the extraordinary 7th-century Buddhist explorer Xuanzang, and the exceptional biodiversity of Yunnan Province.

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The Tale of Oswald Ox

HK$100.00
USD: US$12.80
CNY: CN¥92.70
GBP: £10.02
EUR: €11.78
AUD: AU$19.24
CAD: CA$17.46
JPY: ¥2,012
Illustrated by Harry Harrison

Meet Oswald Ox, bone idle on the farm, just chewing his cud and rolling in the mud while all the other animals are hard at work. No wonder he’s in trouble! Then the winter stores go missing, and Oswald is firmly in the frame. Will wisdom and dignity triumph over meanness and greed? A tale for our times…

Features Chinese farming practices including the use of oxen, rice paddies and farm animals.

Ages 7 to 10

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The Tale of Pin Yin Panda

HK$100.00
USD: US$12.80
CNY: CN¥92.70
GBP: £10.02
EUR: €11.78
AUD: AU$19.24
CAD: CA$17.46
JPY: ¥2,012
Illustrated by Harry Harrison

Pin Yin Panda has beauty, brains and a healthy ego to match. So on Chinese New Year’s Eve she makes a surprise announcement: next year will be the first Year of the Panda! Will the tradition of millennia be swept aside or will this practically perfect panda be put in her place? And what does the Edinburgh Zoo have to do with it? Find out in this funny and fabulous new companion story to the Chinese Calendar Tales!

Features the Legend of Lord Buddha’s Race, panda diplomacy and 12 Chinese Zodiac stickers. Launched at Edinburgh Zoo 2012!

Age range: 7 to 12

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The Tale of Ping Pong Pig

HK$100.00
USD: US$12.80
CNY: CN¥92.70
GBP: £10.02
EUR: €11.78
AUD: AU$19.24
CAD: CA$17.46
JPY: ¥2,012
Illustrated by Harry Harrison

It’s 1420, and the mighty Yongle Emperor loves every inch of the brand new Forbidden City… but most of all he loves PORK! Enter Ping Pong Pig, a plump, pretty and altogether delicious pig, and her nemesis, the Minister of Most Important Things. Will Ping Pong achieve her life’s ambitions, or will they be cut short on a Ming Dynasty platter? Find out in this crackling tale of trickery, camouflage and porcine pursuit!

Features Zhu Di, the Yongle Emperor; the Forbidden City; Admiral Zheng He’s giraffe; the quest of Chinese emperors for the Elixir of Life; and the characteristics of people born in the Year of the Pig.

Age range: 6 to 12

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The Tale of Rhonda Rabbit

HK$100.00
USD: US$12.80
CNY: CN¥92.70
GBP: £10.02
EUR: €11.78
AUD: AU$19.24
CAD: CA$17.46
JPY: ¥2,012
Illustrated by Harry Harrison

It’s 221BC, and the mighty Emperor Qin Shi Huang is not amused. Somebody or something is stealing from the royal vegetable patch! Enter Rhonda Rabbit, one very bad bunny, with extremely annoying habits and an appetite to match! Will the Emperor save his greens, or will Rhonda Rabbit live to crunch another day? Find out in this funny and fabulous Chinese Calendar Tale!

Features the mighty Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the Great Wall of China and the Legend of the Rabbit in the Moon.

Age range: 7 to 12

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The Tale of Rickshaw Rooster

HK$100.00
USD: US$12.80
CNY: CN¥92.70
GBP: £10.02
EUR: €11.78
AUD: AU$19.24
CAD: CA$17.46
JPY: ¥2,012
Illustrated by Harry Harrison

Rickshaw is a proud, vain and extremely noisy rooster living in the backstreets of 1920s Shanghai. When the Annual Race along the famous Bund is announced, winning is a matter of national pride for the contestants representing Shanghai’s international Concessions. But Rickshaw Rooster has other ideas! Will the foreigners win again, or will a local hero carry the day? Find out in this tale of loyalty, ruffled feathers and cocky determination!

Highlights 1920s Shanghai, its famous Bund, the international concessions, the end of empire and the rise of nationalism in China, and the special characteristics of people born in the Year of the Rooster.

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The Tale of Rodney Ram

HK$100.00
USD: US$12.80
CNY: CN¥92.70
GBP: £10.02
EUR: €11.78
AUD: AU$19.24
CAD: CA$17.46
JPY: ¥2,012
Illustrated by Harry Harrison

Rodney Ram is gorgeous, from his ear-tips to his toes. But there’s just one problem – he doesn’t want to lead his flock! Then famine grips Guangdong Province, and the sheep are in mortal danger. Will Rodney rise to the challenge, and save their woolly hides? Find out in this shaggy tale of shyness, sheep and an awful lot of luck!

Features the Legend of the Five Rams of Guangzhou, the city of Guangzhou and the history of rice cultivation in China. Shortlisted for the Golden Dragon Book Awards 2016.

Age range: 6 to 12

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The Tale of Run Run Rat

HK$100.00
USD: US$12.80
CNY: CN¥92.70
GBP: £10.02
EUR: €11.78
AUD: AU$19.24
CAD: CA$17.46
JPY: ¥2,012
Illustrated by Harry Harrison

Meet Run Run Rat – a loveable rodent with a mission. He’s determined to find fame and glory when he sets out to travel the length and breadth of China. But fame and glory find him in the most unexpected way when he reaches Beijing on the eve of the Olympics Marathon… this funny story in rhyme will inspire anyone from 5 to 105 who believes that victory belongs to those who persevere!

The story features the Beijing Summer Olympics 2008 and famous Chinese sites including the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, Guilin River and Harbin.

Ages 5 to 10

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The Tale of Sybil Snake

HK$100.00
USD: US$12.80
CNY: CN¥92.70
GBP: £10.02
EUR: €11.78
AUD: AU$19.24
CAD: CA$17.46
JPY: ¥2,012
Illustrated by Harry Harrison

Everybody adores Sybil Snake – she’s beautiful, clever and extremely charming. But all is not as it seems in the Emperor’s menagerie, and Sybil is more of an enchantress than meets the eye! A tale of mystery, missing treasure and the extraordinary magic of love. Ssss… sss… ss… s… s… s…

Features the Legend of Lady White Snake, the true story of Wu Zetian (China’s only female Emperor) and Kublai Khan’s famous menagerie.

Age range: 7 to 12

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The Tale of Temujin

HK$100.00
USD: US$12.80
CNY: CN¥92.70
GBP: £10.02
EUR: €11.78
AUD: AU$19.24
CAD: CA$17.46
JPY: ¥2,012
Illustrated by Harry Harrison

Temujin the Tiger is the Terror of the East. He’s wrought a trail of destruction and fine dining from Mongolia right up to the gates of the Grand Imperial Palace in Beijing! But Princess Precious is pretty awful as well, with a talent for tantrums and an ear-piercing scream! Watch what happens when two irresistible forces collide in this hilarious rhyming tale for kids of all ages!

Features Genghis Khan and the Imperial Palace in Beijing.

Age range: 6 to 10

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