In Survival Guide for Chess Parents, Tanya Jones concentrates on the numerous aspects of being a "chess parent" and answers the many questions facing those with chess-playing children. There's certainly more to this than meets the eye. Problems are as diverse as 'How can I help in the very early stages?', 'How do I find suitable clubs and tournaments?', 'Should I watch when he or she is playing?' and 'How do I find a good chess coach?' Jones also tackles aspects such as chess and education, plus the ever-increasing role of computers and the Internet. Whether a child is just starting out in...

Pan's Labyrinth (2006) is a film of extraordinary technical achievement and intense emotional impact, garnering acclaim from both critics and audiences alike. Such a rich cinematic text demands close scrutiny and comprehensive study. This volume guides the reader through a detailed analysis of the film, concentrating on the generation of meaning for the viewer. The book maps technical choices and how they capture human experience and political conflict. It also details the processes of production, distribution, and exhibition. Specific examples from a range of film texts enable a vivid...

Focusing upon contemporary young adult literature, this collection features an academic look at the use of the classic fairy tale and its Gothic elements in the creation of both new tales and retellings of classic stories.

Toys those celebrated childhood cohorts and lead actors in children s imaginative play have a fantastic history of heroism in fiction. From teddy bears that guard sleeping babies to plastic soldiers and cowboys who lay siege to wooden block castles, toys are often the heroes of the stories children inspire authors to tell. In this collection of new essays, scholars from a range of disciplines examine fictional toys as protectors of the children they love, as heroes of their own stories, and as champions for the greater good in the writings of A.A. Milne, Hans Christian Andersen, William...