The Wizard of Oz
A Classic Pop-up Sound Book L. Frank Baum, retold by L. Hamilton and illustrated by Paul Hess

Synopsis: Discover the magical kingdom of Oz – explore the Emerald City, make some unusual new friends and find out the truth about the great and powerful magician, Oz. This amazing new retelling combines superb illustrations, extraordinary pop-ups and atmospheric sounds to create an adventure that you will never forget.

http://www.templarco.co.uk/novelty/pop-up_fun.html

Hot Brands Cool Places Verdict
Our junior reviewers were absolutely transfixed by this book, the sound element is so clever, and the illustrations are beautiful, ‘ I loved it, I felt that I was actually in the book’ said Charlotte aged 7. This is a really special book. Highly Recommended!

DK AND THE LEGO GROUP SET TO SMASH A WORLD RECORD

To celebrate the launch of the latest in DK’s best-selling LEGO® Brickmaster series, LEGO® Star Wars™ Brickmaster, DK and the LEGO Group are excited to announce today that they will be attempting to smash a Guinness World Record™ with the help of the general public, on the weekend of Saturday 23rd to Monday 25th October 2010.

Coinciding with the autumn half term holiday and National Parents Week, DK and the LEGO Group are inviting all LEGO fans to come along to Shoreditch Town Hall in London to help create the world’s largest LEGO® Star Wars™ mosaic. The mosaic will measure an incredible 16 x 7 metres and will show a tableau of the most iconic characters from the Star Wars films.

The DK and LEGO mosaic will be created from 384,000 LEGO bricks and will aim to break The Guinness World Record for “the largest image built with interlocking plastic bricks.” The current record stands at 80.48 metres square, and DK and the LEGO Group plan to smash this with a mosaic of 112 metres square. The mosaic’s image has been designed by Hungarian artist Zoltan Simon and will be built with the help of LEGO specialists The Brickish Association. Once completed the LEGO bricks, worth £50,000, will be donated to the Kids Company’s Toys for Christmas Appeal.

LEGO fans, young and old alike, are invited to attend the event at Shoreditch Town Hall in London, from 10am – 5pm on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th, and 10am – 4pm on Monday 25th October to help build the mosaic and become part of this amazing Guinness World Record attempt. The event is free to attend and full information is available at: www.dk.com/legomosaic

FORGET THE TRICKS; MAKE IT A TREAT THIS HALLOWEEN WITH THORNTONS

Treat your friends and family to Thorntons frighteningly delicious collection of spooky treats, guaranteed to fuel every chocolate fiend this Halloween.

Your little ghouls and ghosts will love Thorntons’ assortment of Halloween inspired lollipops without leaving a scary hole in your pocket. Take a bite into the tasty milk and white chocolate Skeleton, sinister Pumpkin or the chilling white chocolate Ghost,
all priced at 69p each.

Sweeten “trick or treaters” with a hand-full of Spooky Coins (69p for 50g), which come with peelable spooky stickers such as bats and spiders, sure to entertain your “little horrors”; also perfect for sharing with friends and a welcome addition to any party bag.

What’s more, you can grab a hold of a mixture of any five of the Halloween treats for £3 in store, during the Halloween promotion; perfect for party prizes,
celebrating in the office, or simply a fun Halloween treat.

There’s no reason not to treat yourself and your friends and family this Halloween, as all of the products in the Thorntons’ Halloween range have no added flavourings or colourings. The Thorntons’ Halloween range is available to buy in stores nationwide from 12th September, and also online at www.thorntons.co.uk.

TOXIC MAGAZINE IS LOOKING FOR THE UK’S BEST JOKE EVER…

Is your son is a budding comedian? Forever cracking jokes that have the whole family in stitches? Then this could be their big break! Toxic, the fun-filled magazine for boys aged 7-12, is launching a brand new campaign to find the UK’s Best Joke Ever.

The competition, launching in 8th September issue, will be judged by an expert ‘funny’ panel including top children’s comedian, James Campbell and the Toxic editorial team. To enter, boys simply need to select their favourite joke and send it to Toxic (239 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6SA) or enter online at www.toxicmag.co.uk. The ultimate winner will have the chance to be a stand-up comedian for the day in James Campbell’s Comedy Academy 4 Kids and see their joke in print in a dedicated issue of Toxic magazine!

The Toxic Teams says, “Our readers are huge fans of jokes and laugh-out-loud funny stuff and we wanted to give them the opportunity to share their favourite one-liners, knock-knock jokes and other classics. The funniest gags will be printed in a future issue of Toxic magazine. Who knows, we may discover the next Harry Hill, Richard Hammond or Dick and Dom..!

For even more laughter, pick up a copy of Toxic’s Jokes Special issue (RRP £2.60, available from all good newsagents and supermarkets), on sale 8th September. It’s packed full of crazy comics, silly celebs, funny video games, competitions and a free funny jokes pack to get boys laughing.

For inspiration, the Toxic ‘Funny Panel’ has compiled their top tips for telling jokes to get boys thinking and encourage them to get involved:

• Know your joke!

Memorise the joke you’re going to tell and practise saying it a few times.

• Pick out the funny bits!

Decide which words are the funniest and emphasise those when you tell the joke.

• Get the timing right!

Leave a gap between the start of the joke and the punch line to build up anticipation and make it funnier.

• Choose a funny joke!

If the joke doesn’t make you laugh then it won’t make your audience laugh. Pick one that’s a real side splitter!

• What are your top tips on telling a funny story?
• The best stories are true and have happened to you. Then you just need to stretch them a little bit. Keep it real!
• It’s also important to spend a long time daydreaming. Turn the TV off and let your mind wander.
• What are your top tips on performing on stage?

It’s best to relax and let go. If you’ve rehearsed it then you just have to relax and let it happen.

Please Note
All information is supplied to us by the individual organizations, or agencies acting on their behalf. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, it may be subject to change. Please check with individual organizations for the latest information about all events, products, promotions, or news items. Inclusion in a news item does not imply endorsement by Hot Brands Cool Places. Recipes have not been tested by Hot Brands Cool Places. Hot Brands Cool Places does not accept responsibility for the content of any external site