{"title":"Valerie Helps","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"third-of-a-pond-book-valerie-helps-9781784656812","title":"A Third of a Pond","description":"\u003cp\u003eAfter years of cruising along the French waterways in their canal boat, de Villehardouin, Valerie Helps and her husband Geoffrey, decide to put down roots on terra firma.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the Loiret region of central France they discover a pond, a dilapidated farmhouse and a neglected garden which tick all their boxes. What follows is a great deal of backbreaking work and commitment, but the love the two have for each other, for the country and for the friends they make deep in the French countryside make it all worthwhile.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBeautifully illustrated and written, this book is filled with vivid descriptions as Valerie's generous and loving eye for nature and all its seasons adds another rich layer to this lush tale, while the antics of the inhabitants of the pond and the creatures from the forest dance through the pages.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49528460542225,"sku":"GOR012681923","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52691193069841,"sku":"NLS9781784656812","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53084024504593,"sku":"NIN9781784656812","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/178465681X.jpg?v=1751438596"},{"product_id":"voyages-of-de-villehardouin-book-valerie-helps-9781784654542","title":"The Voyages of de Villehardouin:","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49529786663185,"sku":"GOR012583776","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52619864408337,"sku":"NLS9781784654542","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/178465454X.jpg?v=1751025789"},{"product_id":"cricket-in-the-wind-book-valerie-helps-9781800166813","title":"A Cricket in the Wind","description":"A CRICKET IN THE WIND - Memories of CreteARTWORK VALERIE HELPS AND GEOFREY BUL\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA Cricket in the Wind - Memories of Crete\u003c\/em\u003e is Valerie's fourth illustrated book based on her journals and chronologically the first in the series. It describes her arrival in Crete with several members of her family who decide to join in the dream that has dwelt in the author's fertile mind for so long.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFollowing years of working in youth music and finally as the orchestra manager of the Sydney Opera House, Valerie fulfils her inner call to the magical island of Crete. She vividly describes the stunning landscape of Crete while adjusting to the different lifestyle to which she has been drawn, successfully leasing and running a suite of six holiday studios and villas, dealing with the authorities and multitudes of red tape, organising local tradesmen and learning new skills involved with the running of a business. The family makes time to explore the island, swim in shining seas, harvest olives, and dance in nightclubs and Valerie flies to Italy to join the three thousand voices of the World Festival Choir to sing\u0026gt;\u003cem\u003eThe Verdi Requiem\u003c\/em\u003e in the Arena di Verona with the tenor Luciano Pavarotti.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIllustrated with Valerie's watercolours and sketches by Geoffrey Bull\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49754412089617,"sku":"NGR9781800166813","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51053612302609,"sku":"NIN9781800166813","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52663652614417,"sku":"NLS9781800166813","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1800166818.jpg?v=1750897954"},{"product_id":"freckles-the-fawn-the-story-of-a-friendship-book-valerie-helps-9781787887374","title":"Freckles the Fawn - The Story of a Friendship","description":"\u003cp\u003eA unique true story of a friendship between an orphaned antelope fawn and a girl. Set in Tanganyika (East Africa) in 1951, he becomes her shadow and is accepted by the dogs and cats. He takes a fancy to the African cook Hamisi who features strongly through the story, won't tolerate the socks knitted by the girl to prevent slipping on polished floors and solves the problem by crossing on his knees, falls into a deep hole while a marauding leopard attacks the cattle boma and mauls a young calf, \"rides\" bareback with the girl on Snuff, the girl's white pony, is mistaken for a dog and given a plate of raw meat by a hotel waiter, has several swims in the pool with the girl, loves a bath and eats the soap. On reaching maturity, he uses his sharp four-inch horns effectively when playfully butting the dogs and the girl. Becomes more aggressive occasionally and, as a yearling, gradually goes wild and inevitably finds a mate and returns to his natural habitat.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eValerie Helps was born in London and grew up in East Africa. Widely travelled she has lived in Australia, Greece and France where she established herself as a successful non-fiction writer and illustrator. Her short stories, poetry and children's books have been published in major newspapers and journals worldwide. She now lives in Sydney close to her family.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51883504599313,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":51883504828689,"sku":"NGR9781787887374","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52534263480593,"sku":"NLS9781787887374","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781787887374.jpg?v=1755599232"},{"product_id":"hither-and-thither-book-valerie-helps-9781804681190","title":"Hither and Thither","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":53651746291985,"sku":"NGR9781804681190","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53679761785105,"sku":"NLS9781804681190","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}]}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-valerie-helps.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}