Angry Arthur By Hiawyn Oram

Arthur’s frustration at his mother, who won’t let him watch TV, makes his anger grow and grow until it causes a ‘universequake’. This evocation of strong childhood emotion strikes a chord with young people of all ages.

A Beetle is Shy By Dianna Hutts Aston

Beetles can be described in many ways – they can be colossal or microscopic, helpful or harmful – they can even be tasty. This is an imaginative introduction to their characteristics and huge variety. Beginning with its life cycle, a range of interesting facts are set amongst watercolour illustrations, and the book ends with a labelled spread of colourful beetles from around the world that have appeared earlier in the book.

A Child of Books By Sam Winston

A picture book which celebrates the power of stories and imagination.

Threading through it is a narrative spoken by a child who invites her friend on a journey through landscapes where all types of tales can take place, etched in a font that will be familiar to those who know Oliver Jeffers’ previous books. The illustrations are full of words and letters, shaping extracts from well-known books into whatever environment the children are exploring, using typography in playful ways.

A Fairy Tale By Tony Ross

Bess, a young girl, befriends an old lady who tries to convince her to believe in fairies. Over the years they almost imperceptibly change places until old Bess, widowed in World War 2, walks down the street with a youthful Daisy. Text and pictures combine to tell the story, revealing the historical setting and providing hints as to Mrs Leaf’s identity.

A Little Guide to Wild Flowers By Charlotte Voake

Much more than an identification guide to wild flowers, this book has been lovingly compiled to excite readers about its subject matter. It is divided into sections according to the colour of the flowers for ease of initial identification. In addition to the succinct information about size, location and plant families, interesting facts about each one appear next to the delicate drawings delineated on a creamy background.

A Nest Full of Stars By James Berry

A Nest Full of Stars is a stunning new collection from award-winning poet James Berry, filled with warm and colourful memories of a Caribbean Childhood.

A Walk in London By Salvatore Rubbino

A child and her mother explore London, getting off a bus as Big Ben as the clock strikes eleven and ending up back there at six, having visited many of the tourist sights, including Buckingham Palace, St James’s Park, Covent Garden Piazza and the Tower of London.

African Tales By Gcina Mhlophe

These traditional stories from the length and breadth of Africa are retold by a renowned South African storyteller. Each of the eight stories is prefaced by an introduction to the country from which it comes revealing many fascinating cultural details and there is also a contextualising map of the continent. Each is set against a cloth background displaying beautifully crafted illustrations created mainly from fabrics and beads.

Arthur and the Golden Rope By Joe Todd-Stanton

Arthur Brownstone often ventures from the small Icelandic town where he was born into the nearby forest where his curiosity leads him to collect objects and forge friendships that will later be useful to him. One day a huge wolf extinguishes the fire that gives out essential warmth. The local wise woman Atrix advises that the only way to relight it entails someone brave enough to voyage to the land of the Viking gods. So our unlikely hero sets out, his adventures delineated using playful imagery in this graphic novel. He meets mighty Thor who enlists Arthur’s help to defeat the wolf whose identity is revealed to be Fenrir, son of Loki. The story is framed by commentary from a Professor Brownstone who is a descendant of Arthur’s and there is a strong hint that further family adventures may be in store.

Barefoot Books World Atlas By Nick Crane

This atlas enables readers to explore each region of the world, including its oceans, by focusing on environment and culture and the interdependency between humankind and nature. The maps incorporate drawings of people, wildlife, architecture and artefacts, many of which are mentioned in the accompanying text. Further facts feature in lift-the-flap information boxes.

Beware of the Storybook Wolves By Lauren Child

When it’s time to go to sleep, Herb insists that his mother removes the book containing his bedtime story because it has a wolf in it. Grownups think it’s ‘just a story’ but wise children know better and, indeed, no sooner are the lights turned out, Herb can hear a rumbling tummy and smell something distinctly lupine... That’s just the beginning of his encounters with fairytale characters which have a nightmarish but also darkly humorous quality. Will he be able to close the book on this episode?

Billionaire Boy By David Walliams

Joe Spud is remarkably rich thanks to his dad’s invention of a loo roll which is moist on one side and dry on the other. All he really needs, though, is a true friend. The humorous story of how Joe and his dad discover there are things money can’t buy is littered with lists ranging from the all-time top ten of teachers’ catchphrases to the school canteen’s weekly menu including such disgusting delights as macaroni snot and dandruff risotto.

Bill's New Frock By Anne Fine

Bill wakes up one morning and finds that he is a girl. He has to wear a pink dress, gets left out of the playground football game and discovers the dire consequences of being without pockets. This story raises issues about gender in a very humorous way.

Black Dog By Levi Pinfold

The Hope family lives in a tall narrow house in a snowy wood, the interior of which is depicted in detailed pictures full of the paraphernalia of playful & imaginative life. One day a Black Dog appears outside and it seems to grow exponentially as each member of the family espies it through the window. It takes the smallest member of the family to face the fear and resolve the situation.

Can We Save the Tiger? By Martin Jenkins

Two committed conservationists have created a thought-provoking book about the many creatures which are endangered due to human ignorance although interventions that have reversed these trends are also acknowledged.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory By Roald Dahl

Mr Willy Wonka, the most wondrous inventor in the world, opens his gates of his amazing chocolate factory to five lucky children. Gobstoppers, wriggle sweets and a river of melted chocolate delight await - Charlie needs just one Golden Ticket and these delicious treats could all be his!

Charlotte's Web By E. B. White

Wilbur is the runt of the litter of piglets, saved at first by Fern the farmer's daughter and then by Charlotte the spider who weaves wonderful statements about him into her web. At one level this book is about the cycle of life and death - wise Charlotte must die but her children will be born in the spring. It is a story told with great affection and humour, full of memorable animal characters, and is moving without being sentimental. The story was made into an animated film in 1973 and there is also a more recent film version.

Christophe's Story By Nicki Cornwell

A young Rwandan refugee has a hard time when he first arrives in a British primary school. His culture shock is exacerbated by his strong belief, learned from his absent grandfather, that stories should not be written down. This makes it difficult for him to engage with books. Christophe is offended when, thinking she is being helpful, his teacher writes down his own distressing story, told when the other children noticed his scar from when he was grazed by a bullet. Understanding is gradually reached by all parties.

Cliffhanger By Jacqueline Wilson

From climbing and abseiling to canoeing and a Crazy Bucket Race, Tim's adventure holiday promises to be full of action. There's just one problem: he is hopeless at sports of any kind. Can Tim survive the horrors of a week absolutely packed with activity? Can his team - the Tigers - be the overall champions? There are some surprises in store for everyone!

Curiosity. The Story of a Mars Rover By Markus Motum

The story of a Mars Rover’s mission, begun in 2011, to find out more about Earth’s neighbouring planet, narrated by the robot herself. This personalisation of Curiosity, named by a schoolgirl from Kansas, enables engagement with the many facts that are conveyed. Full use is made of each landscape double spread with the geometric style of the illustrations hinting at the scientific and mathematical calculations behind the robot’s mission. Information is conveyed in a variety of ways, including fact boxes, a labelled blueprint drawing and a map.

Danny the Champion of the World By Roald Dahl

Danny discovers the ‘deep dark secrets’ of the adults around him, the chief of which is that most of them, including his father, the doctor, the policeman and the vicar’s wife all belong to a circle of poachers, which operates like a secret society. Danny becomes champion of his own circumscribed world when he hatches a plot to foil a local landowner through doping his pheasants with raisins stuffed with sleeping pills. At the centre of this book, however, is the close and loving relationship between Danny and his father.

Demolition Dad By Phil Earle Illustrated by Sara Ogilvie

Jake’s dad works on a demolition site but his ambition is to be a full time wrestler. His son shares his dream – so much so that he goes all out to make it happen for him. The resulting adventures are exciting and full of slapstick humour. However, the humour is woven through a story which is full of well formed characters and, as well as the slapstick, also deals with realistically portrayed emotions and relationships, dreams, harsh realities, media manipulation, families and friendship.

Dragons at Crumbling Castle By Terry Pratchett

Dragons have invaded Crumbling Castle, and all of King Arthur’s knights are either on holiday or visiting their grannies. It’s a disaster! Luckily, there’s a spare suit of armour and a very small boy called Ralph who’s willing to fill it. Together with Fortnight the Friday knight and Fossfiddle the wizard, Ralph sets out to defeat the fearsome fire-breathers.

Emil and the Detectives By Erich Kästner

Emil is robbed on the train on his way to Berlin to visit his grandmother. He joins up with a gang of children and they work together to apprehend the thief. First published in the 1930s, this book in which quick-witted children foil the grown-ups has influenced many detective stories since.

Fairy Tales By Terry Jones

Original stories which have the magical qualities of fairy tales. Try ‘The Glass Cupboard’ for a strong and resonant moral, ‘The Beast with a Thousand Teeth’ to meet a small hero who conquers a dragon with wit and guile, or ‘Jack One-Step’ for impish humour of a collaborative kind. An essential read aloud collection

Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World By Kate Pankhurst

Kate Pankhurst, a descendent of suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, has created a stimulating and entertaining book about women who have made a significant contribution to history. From Coco Chanel to Anne Frank to Rosa Parks, the book illuminates the lives of these inspirational women using facts alongside illustrations with cartoon style speech balloons which has the effect of personalising the women rather than them appearing to be remote figures. Each spread has appropriate design features. For example, the name of palaeontologist Mary Anning is spelled out in bones and fossils.

Flat Stanley By Jeff Brown

At first it seems a disaster when Stanley Lambchop is flattened by an ‘enormous bulletin board’. However, he soon finds that his new proportions can be useful: he can retrieve his mother’s ring from a drain, be posted to his friend (thus saving the air fare) and play an important part in foiling a robbery.

Fortunately the Milk By Neil Gaiman

In a story which is reminiscent of Jill Murphy’s On the Way Home, a dad goes out to buy some milk and is gone for some time... When he eventually returns, he regales his children with tales of how he has been lost in space and time, beginning with an encounter with aliens and moving on through meetings with pirates, dinosaurs and worshippers of Splod, not to mention wumpires. His adventures are creatively and comically captured by Chris Riddell.

Good Little Wolf By Nadia Shireen

Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood and a boy (Peter? The Boy Who Cried Wolf?) sit with awestruck faces alongside Rolf, a good little wolf, to hear the tale unfold. But is Rolf a proper wolf? Having encountered a big bad wolf, he tries to find out.

Gorilla By Anthony Browne

Hannah’s father never seems to have time to spend with her. Disappointed with receiving a toy gorilla for her birthday instead of the real one she hoped for, she enjoys a night time outing with her new toy, who grows to life size. Is it a dream? This picture has subtle things to say about parent/child relationships, and each revisit reveals new things previously unspotted in the illustrations

Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse By Chris Riddell

This ghostly tale places the emphasis on humour rather than horror. It features a host of gothic elements including an historic house Ghastly-Gorm Hall which has a broken wing as well as west and east wings and is complete with a ghostly white nun, a black monk and a beige curate, in addition to a range of other apparitions. Ada has a strained relationship with her father Lord Goth but she is no swooning, screaming heroine. This plucky girl teams up with two visiting children and a ghost mouse (‘Call me Ishmael’), whose own memoirs can be found tucked into a pocket at the back of the book, and together they defeat the plans of the dastardly indoor gamekeeper, Maltravers.

Gregory Cool By Caroline Binch

Gregory travels to Tobago to visit his grandparents and initially finds it hard to adjust to a contrasting way of life. However, the warmth of the people and the climate, depicted in the light and shade of Caroline Binch’s vivacious illustrations soon make him realize what he is missing by not opening up his heart and mind.

Horrid Henry By Francesca Simon

Henry has a well-deserved reputation for being Horrid. So what will the effect be on his brother Perfect Peter when Henry decides to confound everyone’s expectations by being perfect himself. The first in an increasing series (most of which are also available in audio versions) in which the characters, including Moody Margaret, quickly become familiar.

I Was a Rat! or The Scarlet Slippers By Philip Pullman

A boy turns up on the doorstep of an elderly childless couple claiming that he was a rat. The boy is subsequently questioned by the Philosopher Royal, kidnapped and put in a freak show, and the whole process eventually leads to a courtroom where his life is in danger. Aspects of the tale appear on pages from a newspaper ‘The Daily Scourge’, as does the story of the recent ‘fairy tale’ marriage of the Prince and his bride Aurelia (aka Mary Jane). The link between these two stories unfolds in the book’s climax. An adventure in which humour is conveyed through the use of language and characterisation, but which also has a darker side if readers stop and consider how opinions can so easily be formed by the media.

Ice Palace Robert Swindells

The language and landscape of this story evoke the atmosphere of Russian folk tales. Ivan’s quest to rescue his little brother from the evil Starjik calls to mind other stories such as Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen. It is a tale of mystery and illusion, on the cusp between life and death.

Into the Forest By Anthony Browne

A boy is asked by his mother to take a basket containing a cake to Grandma which entails following a path through the forest. Experienced readers will recognise the many intertextual links with several fairy tales, most notably Little Red Riding Hood. The thematic links with many other books by Anthony Browne are also evident, in terms of both story and illustrations, see particularly:

Jemmy Button By Jennifer Uman

The story of Jemmy’s journey and encounters in the strange, unfamiliar land of England is told through the engaging and descriptive text and the beautifully poignant mixed-media illustrations that accompany it. It is difficult not to share in Jemmy’s feelings of surprise, isolation, wonder and longing, and experience some of the excitement of his voyage to this new place, and his subsequent journey home.

Leon and Bob By Simon James

Leon has an imaginary friend called Bob. A new family moves in next door and Leon makes friends with the child whose name is ... you guessed! A sensitive and beautifully placed story which has great emotional depth and in which words and pictures work intimately together. A key moment occurs when Leon mounts the long stairs to the neighbours' house and turns round to find 'Bob' isn't there anymore.

Leon and the Place Between By Angela McAllister

Do you dare to step into the place between? Leon is a boy who believes in magic. This exciting and beautifully illustrated picture book follows Leon beyond the realm of the circus big-top and, with a ‘Pouff!’ from the great magician, Abdul Kazam, onto a magic carpet ride into the place where the magic sends you...

Lizzie Zipmouth By Jacqueline Wilson

Lizzie is unhappy about moving in with her mum’s new partner Sam and his two sons and demonstrates it by refusing to speak. A meeting with Sam’s grandmother and her amazing collection of dolls proves to be a turning point in Lizzie’s relationship with her step-family.

Lob By Linda Newbery

Lucy and Grandpa Will share a secret – they are the only ones in their family who see Lob ‘a wild thing who wouldn’t let himself be caught or touched, or even stared at for long’, an ancient being who helps gardens to grow. When everything changes, Lob sets off to find a new ‘special person’ and the reader follows his journey through the seasons alongside Lucy’s adjustment to life without her beloved grandfather.

Mad about Monkeys By Owen Davey

Beginning with general explanations about the different evolutionary paths of humans and monkeys, it then goes on to fascinate readers with a range of interesting facts about monkeys whilst taking care not to generalise, for example, by denoting the ‘featured creatures’ in a particular section.

Me and My Cat? By Satoshi Kitamura

Following a night time visit from 'an old woman in a pointed hat' (which interestingly takes place before the title page), Nicholas and his cat Leonardo find that they have changed places

Monster Slayer By Brian Patten

The monster Grendel appears from ‘the fens and foul-smelling marshland beyond the forest’ and proceeds to demolish the King’s Great Hall and tear apart his sleeping warriors. Enter, some years later, the young man Beowulf as the time to face Grendel ‘is written in the stars.’

Mouse Bird Snake Wolf By David Almond

A powerful and thought-provoking text, illustrated in graphic novel-style, which will enable children to explore the beauty and dangers of nature as well as the importance of boundaries and self-restraint.

Mrs Wobble the Waitress By Allan Ahlberg

Mrs Wobble gets the sack from her job as a waitress because she wobbles and spills food over everyone. She and her enterprising family turn their own house into a successful cafe with its ‘famous juggling waiters’.

My Funny Family By Chris Higgins

The endearing Butterfield family is seen through the mind of nine year old Mattie who is an eternal worrier. She is anxious about whether seeds can grow if concealed in a cupboard and her mum’s visits to the doctor. A story which revolves around growing plants is interleaved with lists laid out in a variety of ways.

Noah Barleywater Runs Away By John Boyne

Noah is leaving home ostensibly because he wants to have adventures and make his way in the world. But something is troubling him, a situation from which he seeks escape. He has not travelled far before he finds himself in a world that seems somehow off kilter, where a dachshund and a donkey can speak, and time runs freely and is difficult to measure. He meets an old man, a master toymaker with a shop full of carefully crafted puppets that he never sells.

Oliver and the Seawigs By Philip Reeve

Along with his new friends, a grumpy old albatross, a short-sighted mermaid and a friendly island called Cliff, Oliver goes off in search of his missing parents. But before he can put his rescue plan into action there's the evil Stacey de Lacey and an army of greasy, green sea monkeys to contend with ...

One Dog and his Boy By Eva Ibbotson

Hal is denied the one thing he wants by his upwardly mobile parents – his own dog. A gift given with one hand and taken away with the other plays havoc with his feelings and makes him decide ‘to make his own world where things were right and fair and as they ought to be.’ Alongside the determined Pippa, he makes a journey which ends with all characters, human and canine, getting their just deserts in this emotionally satisfying novel.

One Plastic Bag By Miranda Paul

The true story of Isatou Ceesay who saw the problem that the proliferation of plastic bags was causing in her country, the Gambia, contaminating the environment and killing the goats that swallowed them. She collaborated with other local women to crochet thread made from the plastic bags to create purses resulting in a thriving trade and reducing pollution.

Pinocchio By Michael Morpurgo

An adaptation of the classic Italian story of the puppet Pinocchio that acknowledges his origins in Carlo Collodi’s novel and his subsequent claim to fame through the Disney film.

Pippi Longstocking By Astrid Lindgren

A modern classic about the strongest girl in the world who lives in Villekula Cottage with only her horse and the monkey Mr Nelson for company. She soon leads the neighbouring children Tommy and Annika into many adventures. Astrid Lindgren is one of the best loved authors in the world and this freshly translated edition was published to mark the centenary of her birth with new illustrations which show off Pippi's independent and confident ways.

Poetry Pie By Roger McGough

The poet plays with language, form and ideas – not just with poetry but with pineapples too – ‘fearsome as a hand grenade’! As the title suggests, food is a subject often chewed upon throughout the collection whether it’s the fate of a chip summed up in English and French, the difficulty of finding a rhyme for sausages or the delicious variety of ingredients that can be baked in a poetry pie.

Pugs of the Frozen North By Philip Reeve

When True Winter comes, once in a lifetime, teams on sledges pulled by animals take part in the Great Northern Race across the snow, of which there are fifty kinds, to the Snowfather’s palace at the top of the world. Cabin boy Shen, cast adrift from his ship with 66 pug dogs, meets Sika who is desperate to take part in the race. They join forces and exhilarating adventures ensue involving the Kraken, yetis and trolls, not to mention the other participants in the race.

Secrets According to Humphrey

Small Change for Stuart By Lissa Evans

Magic and reality blend beautifully in this novel in which Stuart Horten, aged ten but small for his age, aided and abetted by triplets April, May and June, gets caught up in the mystery of what happened to his great-uncle ‘Teeny-Tiny’ Tony Horten, a magician with an amazing workshop. Word play and alternative terms and meanings play a part in this novel from the title through to the vocabulary of Stuart’s crossword-compiling dad.

Stone Girl Bone Girl. The Story of Mary Anning of Lyme Regis By Laurence Anholt

This picture book tells the story of Mary Anning emphasising the influence of her father on her developing interest in fossils. Spiritual, almost supernatural elements are introduced into the story – Mary was struck by lightning as a baby, also the little dog who helps her to find the icthyosaurus embedded in the cliff at Lyme Regis mysteriously disappears afterwards.

The 13-Storey Treehouse By Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

Andy and Terry live in the WORLD'S BEST treehouse! It's got a giant catapult, a secret underground laboratory, a tank of man-eating sharks and a marshmallow machine that follows you around and shoots marshmallows into your mouth whenever you're hungry! Just watch out for the sea monkeys, and the monkeys pretending to be sea monkeys, and the giant mutant mermaid sea monster . . . Oh, and, whatever you do, don't get trapped in a burp-gas-filled bubble . . . !

The Abominables By Eva Ibbotson

A hundred years ago, in the Himalayan peaks of Nanvi Dar, the daughter of an English earl is kidnapped by a huge hairy monster. In a secret valley Agatha Farley is introduced to a family of motherless yetis and devotes her life to their upbringing. She teaches them to speak, tells them stories and insists on polite manners. But as the decades pass, tourists come to the mountains, a hotel is built and yeti-hunters arrive. Agatha knows that there is one place in the world where they would be protected - her ancestral home at Farley Towers…

The Adventures of Captain Underpants By Dav Pilkey

When naughty George and Harold hypnotise their headteacher, they accidentally create the greatest superhero in the history of their school -- Captain Underpants! His true identity is so secret that even HE doesn't know who he is... but he's fighting for truth, justice, and all things pre-shrunk and cottony!! If you're a naughty villain like the diabolical Dr Diaper, watch out! Captain Underpants has wedgie-power on his side, and he's coming your way

The BFG By Roald Dahl

Sophie is snatched away one night and taken to the land of the giants. Fortunately, her abductor is the Big Friendly Giant, and together they hatch a plan to prevent the other giants from devouring children.

The Borrowers By Mary Norton

Arrietty and her parents are miniature beings who live under the floorboards. They survive by 'borrowing' items from the home under which they live. Their encounters with 'human beans' and their adventures in the wider world are well imagined.

The Butterfly Lion By Michael Morpurgo

A lyrical and moving tale of a young boy growing up in Africa, and his lifelong friendship with a white lion. “All my life I’ll think of you, I promise I will. I won’t ever forget you.” Bertie rescues an orphaned white lion cub from the African veld. They are inseparable until Bertie is sent to boarding school far away in England and the lion is sold to a circus. Bertie swears that one day they will see one another again, but it is the butterfly lion which ensures that their friendship will never be forgotten.

The Dancing Bear By Michael Morpurgo

Set in a quiet mountain village, this story shows the effects brought about by the arrival of a film crew. The focus is on Roxanne, who has raised a bear cub throughout her own childhood, and the consequences of her departure for a life in the wider world. The gentle tale is told from the viewpoint of the elderly village schoolmaster.

The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish By Neil Gaiman

The narrator covets two goldfish owned by his friend Nathan and swaps his dad (who never takes his nose out of a newspaper) for them. Of course, his mum demands that the swap be reversed and there follows a quest in which the boy and his little sister follow a somewhat surreal trail to find him.

The Eye of the Wolf By Daniel Pennac

A boy and a one-eyed wolf stand face to face staring at each other, although a cage encloses the wolf. The story of how they each came to be there, one from the cold climate of Alaska, the other from the heat of Africa, gradually unfolds. The wolf remembers his life with the pack, their constant attempts to evade the human hunters and his beautiful sister with golden fur who, thanks to him, remained free when he was captured. The boy journeys across Africa, animals being his only friends, until he finds a home with Pa and Ma Bia. He travels with them to the Other World where he meets the wolf in the zoo, and is reunited with his animal companions. At the heart of this story is the mystical communication between boy and wolf.

The Fastest Boy in the World By Elizabeth Laird

Eleven year old Solomon lives in an Ethiopian village. One day his grandfather decides, to the family’s consternation, that the boy will accompany him on a visit to the capital city, Addis Ababa, as there is someone he needs to see. Solomon, a keen runner, is excited by the timing of the visit once he realises that it coincides with the return of the country’s Olympic athletic team. Surprises are in store for him when he finds out about his grandfather’s past and Solomon has to rise to responsibility and exercise his running abilities.

The Garbage King By Elizabeth Laird

Two boys in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, lead very different lives. Dani is from a rich family, but is a disappointment to his father. Mamo and his sister Tiggist are orphans, struggling to make ends meet. Both boys run away. When they meet, they help each other to survive on the city streets. A well-constructed novel which gives insight into the lives of street children in Ethiopia.

The Great Fire of London By Emma Adams

Emma Adams’ text evokes the sights and smells of 17th century London before giving a brief and atmospheric account of how the Great Fire of London began, how it was dealt with and its subsequent impact on the lives of Londoners from the reform of firefighting methods to the architecture of the city. The author draws on the diary of Samuel Pepys for authentic description.

The Green Ship By Quentin Blake

Two children discover a ship made out of trees and bushes. On climbing aboard they enter their own fantasy world, which they share with two equally imaginative adults.

The Hodgeheg By Dick King-Smith

Max is a hedgehog who lives with his family in a nice little home, but it's on the wrong side of the road from the Park where there's a beautiful lily pond and plenty of juicy slugs, worms and snails! The busy road is dangerous but Max is determined to make his way across. If humans can do it, why can't hedgehogs? His first attempt ends in a nasty bump on the head and, when Max tries to speak, he realises his words are all mixed up. He is no longer a hedgehog but a hodge-heg! Still determined to fulfil his mission, Max discovers the best way to cross the road - with the help of the lollipop lady and some careful detective work . . .

The Ice Bear By Jackie Morris

Raven the trickster steals a polar bear cub, subsequently taken in by a human couple who have longed for a child. They nurture this boy, who has shapeshifted from his polar bear form. Seven years pass and, thanks to more of Raven’s trickery, the boy once again encounters the bears. Who will he regard as his true parents and how will his dilemma be resolved?

The Iron Man (Illustrated by Laura Carlin) By Ted Hughes

The first chapter of this modern classic novella seizes the imagination of readers (or listeners) as the gigantic Iron Man crashes over the cliff, is dismembered, then re-assembles himself, is hungry, starts eating tractors and other bits of farm machinery and terrorises the neighbourhood. Except for young Hogarth - who first traps the Iron Man, then becomes his friend. The book ends with a battle of strength between the Iron Man and the unimaginably colossal space-bat-angel-dragon. Peace is the outcome - and the music of the spheres. A modern fable of extraordinary power.

The Last Polar Bears By Harry Horse

A short novel related entirely in the form of letters to his grandchild from an old man on an expedition to the Arctic to see the polar bears during his lifetime and before the snow-caps melt and they become extinct. Accompanied by his talking dog Roo, he undertakes a stormy sea voyage and encounters penguins and wolves as he traverses the snowy landscape.

The Lion and the Unicorn By Shirley Hughes

Readers will gain insight into the life of an evacuee in World War II through this picture book about Lenny, a young Jewish boy sent to the countryside, where he learns that there are 'different kinds of courage' symbolised by the lion and the unicorn on the badge given to him for safekeeping by his soldier father.

The Lost Happy Endings By Carol Ann Duffy

Jub has the important job of ensuring all the Happy Endings of stories are in the right part of the forest when bedtime arrives. She scatters the golden words into the air from a sack. Then one night as Jub traverses the forest, a scary woman snatches the sack from her. How will Jub restore the Happy Endings to their rightful place?

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane By Kate DiCamillo

Edward Tulane is a much-loved china rabbit who falls overboard on a sea voyage, and there follows a picaresque narrative in which our hero falls into many different hands, learning to love as well as be loved on the way, until he reaches a satisfying conclusion to his journey.

The Naming of Tishkin Silk By Glenda Millard

Griffin and his five older sisters, known as the Rainbow Girls, are part of a loving and welcoming family who are not afraid to behave unconventionally and show their feelings.

The Other Side of Truth By Beverley Naidoo

Two children travel to London from Nigeria as political refugees after the sudden and shocking death of their mother. The circumstances in which Sade and Femi find themselves, and how they attempt to take control of their lives, raises many issues about politics, racism and refugees in the context of a fast-moving story.

The Pebble in My Pocket. A History of Our Earth By Meredith Hooper

This narrative takes the reader into the deep and distant past to witness the formation of the rock from whence came the pebble held by the child in the first picture. A factual text blended with literary language and illustrated with cross-hatched pictures in earthy colours. The life story of a pebble, seen as part of a much wider picture, nothing less than the history of the earth itself.

The Puffin Book of Utterly Brilliant Poetry By Brian Patten

A big colourful book celebrating ten modern poets, including Charles Causley, Jackie Kay, Roger McGough and Benjamin Zephaniah.

The Real Boat By Marina Aromshtam

A paper boat sailing happily around a pond is challenged by the frogs and ducks as to whether he is a real boat. So he sets off along a little stream towards the ocean to discover if he can live up to the name. His journey is long and arduous and along the way he encounters many kinds of boats and ships.

The Shrimp By Emily Smith

Ben spends the holidays with his nose in the sand and bottom in the air. It's not because he's shy - though some of his classmates do call him the Shrimp. It's because he's got a great idea for his wildlife project. A competition is on! The class projects are going to be judged by a famous TV wildlife presenter, and the prize is irresistible. Ben would love to win it, but others have their eyes on the prize too...

The Three Pigs By David Wiesner

This playful postmodern picture book starts out with a conventional retelling of the traditional tale but then the wolf blows the little pigs out of the picture frame, giving them the opportunity to explore other storybook worlds. They befriend nursery rhyme characters and a mighty dragon who help them outwit the wolf.

The Tin Forest By Helen Ward

A tale of transformation. An old man lives in a grey and forsaken place ‘that looked out on other people’s rubbish and bad weather’. He dreams of a wild and colourful place and uses the resources around him in such a creative way that change comes about and a natural forest becomes entwined with one of metal.

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A. Wolf By Jon Scieszka

History is always open to interpretation, depending on whose point of view is being put forward. The wolf from the well-known traditional tale insists that he only went to visit the three pigs to borrow a cup of sugar and sneezed because he had a cold which brought down their houses and killed them ‘dead as a doornail’.

The Wild Robot By Peter Brown

A robot is accidentally activated, having been washed up on a remote island when a cargo ship sinks. At first the animals that inhabit the island fear Roz but she soon becomes a significant member of their community, adopting an orphaned gosling and providing shelter for them during the winter.

The Wolf's Story By Toby Forward

Apparently, the wolf was really an obliging soul, helping out Grandma with odd jobs and trying to protect her from the jaw-breaking toffee that Red Riding Hood always brings. However, his tone tells a different story, or does it?

The Worst Witch By Jill Murphy

Hold on to your broomstick for magical mayhem! Jill Murphy's much-loved classic The Worst Witch -the original story of life at a magical boarding school - is full of fun and perfect for readers aged 5 - 9 years. Mildred Hubble is a trainee at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches, but she's making an awful mess of it. She keeps getting her spells wrong and crashing her broomstick. And when she turns Ethel, the teacher's pet into her worst enemy, chaos ensues…

Tom's Sausage Lion By Michael Morpurgo

When Tom goes out to fetch some logs on Christmas Eve he sees a lion with a string of sausages hanging from its mouth. No-one in his family or at school believes him except for Clare who has seen the lion too. How can Tom convince other people that what he saw was real and not a figment of his imagination.

Traction Man is Here! By Mini Grey

A boy receives an action figure as a Christmas present and the first half of this inventive picture book shows Traction Man’s exciting adventures in house and garden, sink and bath. Then comes the visit to Granny who has knitted a green romper suit with matching bonnet for our hero. Will Traction Man be able to overcome the embarrassment of this

inappropriate costume and put it to good use with the aid of his trusty pet, Scrubbing Brush?

Traction Man meets TurboDog By Mini Grey

In this second outing for Traction Man Mini Grey continues to extend and develop the use of comic book conventions, in terms of theme as well as page layout and use of speech balloons. In this superhero story, played out at ground level in house and garden, Traction Man’s loyal pet Scrubbing Brush goes missing. Where can he be? And will new companion TurboDog be a hindrance or a help?

Ug: Boy Genius of the Stone Age By Raymond Briggs

Ug is a stone age boy who longs for soft trousers instead of those made of stone. In this comic strip version of the prehistoric period, everything is made of stone – clothes, the sheets and even Ug’s football. Ug has lots of ideas about how their lives might be improved and his ruminations are wittily expressed in both words and pictures.

Varjak Paw By S. F. Said

Varjak Paw is descended from a proud line of Mesopotamian Blue cats. For generations they have been living in shelter and luxury in the Contessa’s house. Now the Paws are in danger and only Varjak, mocked because he has different coloured eyes, understands enough to go Outside and seek help. Dreams help him to learn a martial art for cats known as the Way of Jalal, his ancestor, and so defeat his enemies.

Voice in the Park By Anthony Browne

The story is told from the points of view of two adults and their children taking their dogs for a walk in the park. The words briefly convey the different attitudes and lifestyles of the four characters.

War Game By Michael Foreman

It's 1914 when everything changes for a group of boys growing up and playing football in the Suffolk countryside. Far away, in a place called Sarajevo, an Archduke has been killed and a web of global events results in a call for all British men to do their duty 'for King and Country' and join the army to fight the Germans overseas. The boys sign up for what sounds like an adventure and a chance to see the world. After basic training the boys sail to France where they find themselves fighting on the front line…

Werewolf Club Rules By Joseph Coelho

Joseph Coelho’s first collection ranges around school and family life and demonstrates a delight in language and an ambitious use of words. ‘Miss Flotsam’ is a heroic reception teacher with global sensibilities. A list of the contents of school dinner leaves pupils begging for a packed lunch. 'Conquer' plays with a pun which highlights children's enjoyment of the fruit of nature while 'Halloween's Crumble' superbly captures the frustration of trying to pick those blackberries that are just out of reach.

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book? By Lauren Child

In this post-modern picture book, Herb falls asleep on the open pages of his book of fairy tales, and finds himself in a topsy-turvy world which he gradually discovers he has participated in making. Goldilocks is most displeased to find him in bed in the three bears’ house. What has happened to Cinderella’s Prince Charming? And why is there a telephone in every room?

You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum! By Andy Stanton

The series of books about Mr Gum, a horrible ‘grimsters’ old man who hates children and is always up to dastardly deeds, has proved very popular. The stories are full of knockabout humour and invented language, often repeated. Characters have catchphrases like ‘The truth is a lemon meringue!’.