Burgundy We are continually working on our Burgundy wines – that are typically made up of the King grape varietals of Chardonnay for the white wines, and Pinot Noir for the red wines. Take a look at the Joseph Drouhin range, Domaine Laroche wines, or wines from Chateau de Meursault. There is plenty to choose from at a range of price points. This is a picture book because text and illustrations are interwoven. Simple text inspires beautiful illustrations. There is a narrative structure and a clear sequence of events in both text and pictures, enabling even non-readers to retell the book easily using just the pictures. Close-ups of the characters and details of illustrations convey a wide range of emotions and moods. Illustrations are oversized, making it easy for teachers to share them with the group. Summary: Can I give it 6 stars out of 5? 600? 6 million? Little Beauty is absolutely perfect. I really don't know how it's possible for a picture book, just about a friendship between a gorilla and a kitten, to be this good. Buy it. Read it. Love it. Anthony Browne was kind enough to be interviewed by Bookbag.

Rioja The Rioja province of northern Spain is home to over 500 wineries making it the country’s wine capital. The region produces wines from a diverse range of grapes notably tempranillo and garnacha, as well as a number of others including garnacha blanca, graciano, mazuela, and maturana. We have been working on our Rioja Wines for a while now – and are pleased to have extended the list to include La Rioja Alta, Roda, Muga, Marques de Murrieta, Lopez de Haro, Ostatu and more. Explore our extensive collection of wines from the Rioja region and buy Rioja wine here. All bottles are available with a personalised gift note upon request. Career choices in NZ at the time were heavily oriented towards agriculture, horticulture, or tourism, andit was about the time that New Zealand wine companies were starting to make their mark internationally.I loved how wine was such a social thing, and always focused around food too.Viticulture was an exciting industry to get involved with and I definitely wanted to be a part of it.When a lonely gorilla needs a friend, his keepers introduce him to Beauty, a gorgeous kitten. It's an unlikely pairing, but they hit it off immediately, and become inseparable. They love spending time together, cuddled up in a comfy chair, swinging from the light fittings, or even having a very happy poo side by side. When the gorilla does something he shouldn't, it looks like Beauty might have to go away. But they have to be together, don't they? They'll live happily ever after, won't they? This book has the potential to be used with a wide range of ages. The striking, life-like illustrations draw in the attention of even the youngest readers. In essence this is a picture book, Browne’s enthusiasm lies in encouraging children to become readers of both words and pictures. The detailed illustrations frequently convey their own meaning, for example the explanation that the gorilla and the kitten ‘did everything together’ is accompanied by a humorous image of both animals sitting next to each other, each on the toilet! This book thus lends itself to being read without the text at first, children can have great fun simply looking at the pictures and making up their own version of the story. After he left school, Anthony studied graphic design and then went on to paint the insides of people’s bodies for medical textbooks. He found this fascinating, but after three years found that the work was becoming repetitive (“if you’ve seen one stomach operation, you’ve seen ‘em all!”) and instead began designing greetings cards. This in turn led him to illustrating children’s books – his book Gorilla began life as a picture on a birthday card. Anthony lives in Kent and has two grown-up children. The story line itself can be a starting point for discussion about loneliness, friendship, and kindness, potentially supporting PSHE topics. Throughout the story the gorilla experiences a range of emotions; sadness, happiness, anger, all of which are conveyed by the expressions on the gorilla’s face. Beauty and the Beast meets King Kong. It is a sweet story of companionship between a Gorilla and a kitten with touches of humor and a strong message. I love that Browne is never heavy handed.

Tuscany Tuscany Wines are really a hot topic right now – and we are pleased to have increased our allocations at the top end including Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Tignanello and Masseto. We have also worked on the more everyday wines, including Tua Rita, San Polo and other wines from the Frescobaldi ranges. An idyllic part of the world, Nelson, the town adjacent to Marlborough, at the top of the South Island of New Zealand.Life was about riding our ponies, going to the beach, hiking in the mountains, fishing in the rivers.My entire school from 5 years old to 12 years old only had 28 kids total.At times, the whole school would go rafting in the local river instead of doing maths.It was a really special place to grow up. The authors clever illustrations make it easy to engage in the story and allow us to learn more about the characters than the words allow on their own. This would be a great lesson to do with the children. Particularly in a Year 2 class.Gorilla lives in a zoo but he has a TV, a recliner and eats and drinks from plates and cups. He is lonely, so his handlers give him a kitten (Little Beauty) who becomes his close friend. One day when he watches King Kong on television, he becomes so angry at the story that he breaks the television. Angry at Gorilla and scared for Little Beauty, his handlers threaten to take away his friend. But someone comes to Gorilla's rescue. Who could it be? Its Little Beauty. She learned sign language from Gorilla and tells the handlers she broke the TV. So in the end, Gorilla and Little Beauty live happily ever after. This story is a little bit of a play on Kong and the traditional Beauty & the Beast, and can be used to teach children about using words to express their anger and being loyal in the face of diversity. If you want the chance to sample some of Fleur’sLittle Beauty wine collection, then she will be taking part in the second installment of ‘ An unexpected Pairing‘ on the 2nd September. She will be collaborating withleading sommelier, Sunaina Sethi, co-owner and wine buyer for Michelin starred Trishna andGymkhana, as theytalk guests through a selection of Little Beauty Wines pairedwith a four course Indian menu. The menu will express Trishna’s focus on the South West coastal cuisine of India, using the best British ingredients and traditional Indian techniques, the evening will demonstrate that wines can not only be paired with spiced dishes, but can actively elevate their flavours to new levels. Tempranillo Tempranillo is the main grape variety in the red wines of Rioja. It is a style that most get on with, and also features in other Spanish wine regions including Ribera del Duero, and is regularly used in blends, such as with the Clos Pons wines in Costers del Segre.

I've read and re-read Little Beauty. I've loved it every single time. I'm still not sure how it's possible for a picture book to be this good. I've probably rabbitted on more about why adults will love it, rather than why children will, but they really will lap it up just as much. I've gushed about many picture books, and I'm sure I'll gush about 40,000 more, but Little Beauty is firmly at the top of my most favouritest bestest ones ever. Yes, even better than Hairy Maclary by Lynley Dodd. I love it. If you don't buy it, I'll cry.PSHE could be a useful cross-curricular link to ensure everyone has knowledge and understanding of the emotions that appear in the book. There are lessons to be learned too. Important lessons about standing up for your friends, about doing right by others, about unbreakable bonds of friendship, about love. They're not hammered home; they're just there. You can read it as just a sweet story about a gorilla and a kitten, or you can delve deeper. You'll absolutely adore it either way. It's completely perfect; entirely without fault. It's wonderful. I love it. Gorilla has everything he needs, but he is lonely. So, he asks his keepers for a friend, using sign language. They give him a kitten, Little Beauty, and tell him "Don't eat her." Yes, this is a retelling of the story of the real-life Koko, the gorilla who knows sign language, and her cat All-Ball, but recreated in Anthony Browne's signature style. The front cover alone has enough charm to carry this delightful book. The oversized pictures make this great for sharing with a group.