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9 of our favourite mothers in classic books

Things you didn't know classic Puffin children's books

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4 things you didn’t know about these classic Puffin children’s books

9 of our favourite quotes from Little Women

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Why the ending of Little Women should have been different

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Little Women

Puffin Cloth Classic

The Sisterhood

Discover our collectable Puffin Clothbound Classic edition of Little Women 
 
Puffin Clothbound Classics are stunning collectable gift editions of some of the best-loved classics in the world - including this charming edition of Little Women. 
 
Christmas won't be the same this year in the March household, with Father at war and Mother struggling to make ends meet. But even though times are tough, the March sisters' spirits remain high! 
 
'Be comforted, dear soul! There is always light behind the clouds.' 
 
Together, through love, heartache, and a 'misplaced' manuscript, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy learn that growing up and into the 'little women' society expects them to be is going to be much harder than they thought... 
 
Collect our Puffin Clothbound Classics: 
 9780241444313 The Little Prince 
 9780241663554 The Jungle Book 
 9780241568811 Charlotte's Web 
 9780241688243 Little Women 
 9780241688250 Peter Pan 
 9780241688267 The Railway Children 
 9780241688236 Chinese Cinderella 
 9780241411216 Treasure Island 
 9780241411209 The Wizard of Oz 
 9780241655702 Watership Down 
 9780241663578 The Worst Witch 
 9780241663547 David Copperfield 
 9780241663561 The Neverending Story 
 9780241623909 Stig of the Dump 
 9780241623916 The Dark is Rising 
 9780241411162 The Secret Garden 
 9780241411148 Black Beauty 
 9780241411155 Dracula 
 9780241425121 Frankenstein 
 9780241425138 Wuthering Heights 
 9780241425114 Tales from Shakespeare 
 9780241425107 Tales of the Greek Heroes 
 9780241411193 A Christmas Carol 
 9780241621196 Grimms' Fairy Tales 
 9780241425145 Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales

Louisa May Alcott (1832-88) was brought up in Pennsylvania, USA. She turned to writing in order to supplement the family income and had many short stories published in magazines and newspapers. Then, in 1862, during the height of the American Civil War, Louisa went to Georgetown to work as a nurse, but she contracted typhoid. Out of her experiences she wrote Hospital Sketches (1864) which won wide acclaim, followed by an adult novel, Moods. 
 
She was reluctant to write a children's book but then realized that in herself and her three sisters she had the perfect models. The result was Little Women (1868) which became the earliest American children's novel to become a classic.

Puffin Clothbound Classics are stunning collectable hardback editions of some of the best-loved classics in the world - including this charming edition of Little Women. 
 
Christmas won't be the same this year in the March household, with Father at war and Mother struggling to make ends meet. But even though times are tough, the March sisters' spirits remain high! 
 
'Be comforted, dear soul! There is always light behind the clouds.' 
 
Together, through love, heartache, and a 'misplaced' manuscript, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy learn that growing up and into the 'little women' society expects them to be is going to be much harder than they thought...

Abridged Edition

Penguin Readers Level 1: Little Women (ELT Graded Reader)

Penguin Readers is an ELT graded reader series for learners of English as a foreign language. With carefully adapted text, new illustrations and language learning exercises, the print edition also includes instructions to access supporting material online. 
 
Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction, introducing language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. 
 
The eight levels of Penguin Readers follow the Common European Framework of Reference for language learning (CEFR). Exercises at the back of each Reader help language learners to practise grammar, vocabulary, and key exam skills. Before, during and after-reading questions test readers' story comprehension and develop vocabulary. 
 
Visit the Penguin Readers website 
Exclusively with the print edition, readers can unlock online resources including a digital book, audio edition, lesson plans and answer keys. 
 
Little Women is the story of a poor American family in the American Civil War. The four sisters, Beth, Jo, Meg and Amy are very different. But together they work hard and help their mother and father. Sometimes their lives are very happy, and sometimes they are very sad. But the family's love always helps them.

Louisa May Alcott (1832-88) was brought up in Pennsylvania, USA. She turned to writing in order to supplement the family income and had many short stories published in magazines and newspapers. Then, in 1862, during the height of the American Civil War, Louisa went to Georgetown to work as a nurse, but she contracted typhoid. Out of her experiences she wrote Hospital Sketches (1864) which won wide acclaim, followed by an adult novel, Moods. 
 
She was reluctant to write a children's book but then realized that in herself and her three sisters she had the perfect models. The result was Little Women (1868) which became the earliest American children's novel to become a classic.

With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction. 
 
Little Women, a Level 1 Reader, is A1 in the CEFR framework. Short sentences contain a maximum of two clauses, introducing the past simple tense and some simple modals, adverbs and gerunds. Illustrations support the text throughout, and many titles at this level are graphic novels. 
 
Little Women is the story of a poor American family in the American Civil War. The four sisters, Beth, Jo, Meg and Amy are very different. But together they work hard and help their mother and father. Sometimes their lives are very happy, and sometimes they are very sad. But the family's love always helps them.

SPECIAL 150TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF THE WELL-LOVED CLASSIC

I try to get every girly girl to read this one because those four sisters are so real. Everybody's favourite is Jo, the tomboy who wants to be a writer

The resounding message of Little Women is that no one stays the same for ever, least of all the reader...the power of Little Women lies absolutely in its girlish innocence

Louisa May Alcott's Little Women is as much a part of every girl's childhood as her first pair of ballet shoes and the Brothers Grimm

Deals with life's big questions - love and death, war and peace, and ambition versus family responsibility - in a way that is inspiring and realistic. Use a hankie as a bookmark - tears are guaranteed

Louisa May Alcott was born on 29 November 1832 in Pennsylvania. Her father was friends with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Thoreau. Alcott started selling stories in order to help provide financial support for her family. Her first book was Flower Fables (1854). She worked as a nurse during the American Civil War and in 1863 she published Hospital Sketches, which was based on her experiences. Little Women was published in 1868 and was based on her life growing up with her three sisters. She followed it with three sequels, Good Wives (1869), Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886) and she also wrote other books for both children and adults. Louisa May Alcott was an abolitionist and a campaigner for women's rights. She died on 6 March 1888.

SPECIAL 150TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION 
 
One hundred and fifty years ago, at the request of her publisher, Louisa May Alcott sat down reluctantly to write 'a girls' book'. Knowing that, contrary to society’s expectations, girls often had to be brave, resourceful and bold, that the private lives of girls were colourful and surprising, Alcott wrote a book in which girls would recognise themselves. She drew on her own experiences and those of her impoverished New England family in writing her new novel, and declared, when she was finished, that it was better than she expected: 'Not a bit sensational, but simple and true, for we really lived most of it, and if it succeeds that will be the reason of it. . .' 
 
Simple, true, and keenly resonant with life, spirit and affection, Little Women did succeed, delighting readers across the world, and it has never been out of print since its first publication in 1868. Whichever sister you are drawn to, be it sensible, romantic Meg or sweet, sunshiny Beth, whether you are burning with ambition like Jo, or share with Amy the wish for a more beautiful nose, the March girls are all irresistible, and will go on winning hearts and capturing imaginations for the next 150 years to come. 
 
Includes the sequel Good Wives.

Official BBC TV Tie-In Edition

Official BBC TV Tie-In

The official tie-in edition to the BBC adaptation of Little Women

Louisa May Alcott was born on 29 November 1832 in Pennsylvania. Her father was friends with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Thoreau. Alcott started selling stories in order to help provide financial support for her family. Her first book was Flower Fables (1854). She worked as a nurse during the American Civil War and in 1863 she published Hospital Sketches, which was based on her experiences. Little Women was published in 1868 and was based on her life growing up with her three sisters. She followed it with three sequels, Good Wives (1869), Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886) and she also wrote other books for both children and adults. Louisa May Alcott was an abolitionist and a campaigner for women's rights. She died on 6 March 1888.

Curl up with the classic novel that inspired the BBC series 
 
Loved by generations around the world, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is a truly universal coming-of-age story, as relevant and engaging today as it was when originally published in 1868. Set against the backdrop of a country divided, the story follows the four March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, on their journey from childhood to adulthood. With the help of their mother, the girls navigate what it means to be a young woman - from gender roles to sibling rivalry, first love, loss and marriage. 
 
This three-part adaptation has been written by Call the Midwife and Cranford creator Heidi Thomas and directed by Vanessa Caswill (Thirteen, My Mad Fat Diary). It features a stellar cast including Academy award-winner Dame Angela Lansbury (Murder, She Wrote, The Manchurian Candidate) as the girls’ wealthy relative - the cantankerous Aunt March. Bafta-winner Michael Gambon (Harry Potter, Churchill’s Secret) takes the role of their benevolent neighbour Mr. Laurence, and Jonah Hauer-King (Howards End) will play Laurie, the charming boy next door. 
 
Newcomer Maya Hawke takes the role of wilful and adventurous Jo, Willa Fitzgerald will play the eldest daughter Meg, Annes Elwy will play Beth, and Kathryn Newton takes the role of the youngest sister Amy. 
 
This is a combined edition of the original text of Little Women and the second novel in the series, Good Wives.

Vintage Minis

Sisters

Vintage Minis bring you the world’s greatest writers on the experiences that make us human – from birth to death and everything in between

Six generations of readers have found in the story of the March family universal truths about girls, families and growing up

Imagine our joy when Vintage announced that it is publishing a collection of easily digestible books from the world’s most celebrated writers on the experiences that make us human… They look good and read well. That’s win/win in our book.

Your sister might be the kindred soul who knows you best, or the most alien being in your household; she might enrage you or inspire you; she might be your fiercest competitor or closest co-conspirator, but she'll always share with you a totally unique bond. Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy are four of the most famous sisters in literature, and these stories of the joys and heartaches they share are a touching celebration of the special ties of sisterhood. 
 
Selected from the books Little Women and Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott 
 
VINTAGE MINIS: GREAT MINDS. BIG IDEAS. LITTLE BOOKS. 
 
A series of short books by the world’s greatest writers on the experiences that make us human 
 
Also in the Vintage Minis series: 
Fatherhood by Karl Ove Knausgaard 
Motherhood by Helen Simpson 
Babies by Anne Enright 
Love by Jeanette Winterson

V&A Collector's Edition

Now a major new movie, starring Saoirse Ronan, Timothee Chalamet and Meryl Streep 
 
Meet the March Sisters: 
 
 · Meg is the eldest and on the brink of love. 
 · Then there's tomboy Jo who longs to be a writer. 
 · Sweet-natured Beth always puts others first 
 · Finally there's Amy, the youngest and most precocious. 
 
Even though money is short, times are tough and their father is away at war, their infectious sense of fun sweeps everyone up in their adventures - including Laurie, the boy next door. 
 
And through sisterly squabbles and tragic losses, the sisters discover that growing up is sometimes very hard to do. 
 
This hardback edition is one of five special Puffin Classic editions created in partnership with the world-famous V &amp; A Museum, with exquisite cover designs from their William Morris collection.

This new hardback edition is one of five special Puffin Classic editions created in partnership with the world-famous V &amp; A Museum, with exquisite cover designs from their William Morris collection. 
 
 
Meg is the eldest and on the brink of love. Then there's tomboy Jo who longs to be a writer. Sweet-natured Beth always puts others first, and finally there's Amy, the youngest and most precocious. Together they are the March sisters. Even though money is short, times are tough and their father is away at war, their infectious sense of fun sweeps everyone up in their adventures - including Laurie, the boy next door. And through sisterly squabbles, their happy times and sad ones too, the sisters discover that growing up is sometimes very hard to do.

Louisa May Alcott

Rediscover the Puffin Classics collection and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this charming edition of Good Wives. 
 
Three years on from Little Women, the March girls and their friend Laurie are young adults with their futures ahead of them. Although they all face painful trials along the way - from Meg's sad lesson in housekeeping to Laurie's disappointment in love and a tragedy which touches them all - each of the girls finally finds happiness, if not always in the way they expect.

Louisa May Alcott

Good Wives

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