Joseph Delaney used to be an English teacher, before becoming the best-selling author of the Spook's series, which has been published in 30 countries and sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide. The first book, The Spook's Apprentice, was adapted into a major motion picture starring Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore.

Joseph Delaney

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Anthony Browne

Joe is nervous about his first big party, and as Mum walks him along the darkening street to his friend’s house, his imagination starts to run wild. They search for the right place, looking through the windows, wondering "What if...?" while making surprising discoveries along the way.

What If...?

Ben Morley

Carl Pearce

When a new family moves in next door, Joe's mum explains that they are asylum seekers. Joe hears that they are silence seekers, especially as Mum adds that they need peace and quiet. When he sees a young boy from the family sitting disconsolately on the steps, Joe decides to help him find a quiet place in the noisy and chaotic city. 
 
A simple, moving story which is the perfect way to gently open discussion around the refugee crisis.

The Silence Seeker

Alexis Deacon

Side by side on the sand sat two eggs. With a crack and a rip, the brothers hatch, and out comes a bird and a ... crocodile! But they can't be brothers - can they?

Croc and Bird

John Burningham

Once upon a time there were two geese called Mr and Mrs Plumpster. Each Spring they returned to the marshes of their ancestors, and Mrs Plumpster laid her eggs. Soon six fine young Plumpsters hatched: Archie, Freda, Jennifer, Oswald, Timothy and Borka. But Borka was different. Borka had no feathers and could not fly. When winter came the other geese flew off in search of warmer climates, leaving Borka all alone. But her adventure was only just beginning . . .

Borka: The Adventures of a Goose With No Feathers

Raymond Briggs

Tom refers to his grandfather as 'Collar' because he drags him around on a lead. One day, Tom decides that he will take Collar on a walk to see the puddles he has named after the members of the family, but the puddles are not there. Collar insists that this is because it hasn't rained, but Tom believes that it's just because they haven't been put in yet. He wanders off, leaving Collar talking to Mrs Whitebobblehat, and comes across just the person he needs . . . Finally, puddles restored to their full, family-resembling glory, Tom and Collar go home for tea.

The Puddleman

Natalia O’Hara

Lauren O'Hara

"O Bandit Queen!" the bandits cried. 
"Little horror! Poison weed! 
We'll give you everything a queen could ever need..." 
 
The bandits give their queen treasure, tigers, mischief and mayhem. But sometimes a little girl needs something more... 
 
A book about finding family in unexpected places, from the creators of Hortense and the Shadow.

The Bandit Queen

Jeanette Winterson

Laura Barrett

Jeanette Winterson retells 'Hansel and Gretel'. A Fairy Tale Revolution is here to remix and revive our favourite stories. 
 
'Deep in the wood' 
 
Greta lives with her brother Hansel on the edge of a great forest - a forest in danger of destruction. 
 
GreedyGuts, their aunt, doesn't appreciate Hansel and Greta's plans to replant trees and save the forest. In fact, she thinks they're horrible little vegetarians. 
 
GreedyGuts doesn't give two hoots about nature. She favours luxury and living it up: eating, shopping and partying hard. And so she hatches a plan to get rid of the meddling, do-gooder kids...deep in the wood.

Hansel and Greta

A Fairy Tale Revolution

Philip Pullman

A sparklingly original reimagining of this classic fairytale from two of the most respected talents in children's books. Now reissued with a brand new cover, discover the tale of Puss in Boots as you've never seen it before . . . 
 
Imagine how Jacques feels when he learns that his older brothers have inherited the mill and the donkey, and all he's got is the CAT! 
 
Well, he's not fed up for long, because he soon discovers that Puss is no ordinary cat... Not only can he talk (which is pretty unusual for a cat), but he's also got brains. And he's got a plan - a plan that involves Jacques, a Royal Princess and a very large fortune! 
 
However, there are some things that Puss hasn't included in his plan, such as a very hungry Ogre, some sleepless Ghouls and more than a touch of magic . . .

Puss In Boots

Quentin Blake

An exuberant and artistic adventure from the nation's favourite illustrator, Quentin Blake! 
 
Corky and Loopy are two perfectly normal girls. They like chocolate biscuits, fizzy drinks, screaming at each other and drawing. But they are also a little bit special . . . because they are angels. One day they visit Sid, a pavement artist. Sid is sad because he wants to take part in the big drawing competition but can't work out how the judges will ever get to see his work. Corky and Loopy decide to help and give him a very special pencil from their collection. So begins a bright and colourful adventure. 
 
"Blake is beyond brilliant . . . I've never met a child who doesn't love Quentin Blake" - Daily Telegraph 
 
Quentin Blake is one of Britain's best-loved and most successful author-illustrators, and was made the first Children's Laureate in 1999. He has won the Whitbread Award, the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration, and the Kate Greenaway Medal. among others.

Angel Pavement

Part of the BBC’s Quentin Blake’s Box of Treasures

Dad, mum and two brothers spend a day at the zoo, looking at the animals in the cages - or is it the animals that are looking at them?

A classic story celebrating the power of babies... and avocados! 
 
The Hargraves family want their new baby to grow up big and strong. But the puny mite will hardly eat a thing... until Mrs Hargraves finds an avocado in the fruit bowl and the baby gobbles it up. Soon, the baby gets incredible strength, and the strangest things start to happen! 
 
This classic story from the bestselling author and illustrator John Burningham has been delighting families for over 40 years. 
 
“Amusing for adults, impressive for toddlers, good for greengrocers” The Observer 
 
“John Burningham is one of the most outstanding author-illustrators of children’s books today . . .” Twentieth-Century Children’s Writers 
 
John Burningham is the much-loved creator of Mr Gumpy's Outing and Would You Rather.

Avocado Baby

Every day, John Patrick sets off along the road to school, and although he hurries, strange and improbable happenings repeatedly make him late. To make things worse, his teacher never believes his story.

John Patrick Norman McHennessy

The Boy Who Was Always Late

Mairi Hedderwick

Welcome to the Island of Struay, home of one of the best-loved characters in children's books and as seen on TV - Katie Morag McColl! 
 
Every year on the Isle of Struay, there is a grand concert, where the islanders play fiddles, recite poetry, and sing and dance in front of their friends and neighbours. This is a major social event in a small community like Struay. Katie Morag is very excited indeed, and she plans to sing her favourite song. Arriving for the concert too, are Katie Morag's uncles, Sven and Sean, who are world-famous musicians and utterly identical. Nobody on Struay can tell them apart. On the big evening, one of the pair loses his voice and it is down to Katie Morag McColl to save the concert from disaster.

Katie Morag And The Grand Concert

Welcome to the Island of Struay, home of one of the best-loved characters in children's books and as seen on TV - Katie Morag McColl! 
 
This lavish book is packed with brand-new stories and poems featuring favourite characters from Katie Morag's island home. Whether she's trying to keep the secret of Baking Day from her little brother Liam, befriending a baby seal with the Holiday Children, or even smoothing out troubles between her two very different grannies, Katie Morag is always at the heart of this island and its special way of life.

The Big Katie Morag Storybook

Vera Southgate

Ladybird has published fairy tales for over forty-five years, bringing the magic of traditional stories to each new generation of children. The Ladybird Tales series is based on the original Ladybird re-tellings, with beautiful pictures of the kind children like best &shy;- full of richness and detail. 
 
This beautiful hardback edition of The Princess and the Pea is a perfect first illustrated introduction to this classic fairy tale for young readers from 3+. The tale is sensitively retold, beginning with a prince's search for a proper princess, the arrival of a young girl at the castle one stormy night and an unusual test to see if she is a real princess.

Ladybird Tales: The Princess and the Pea

Allan Ahlberg

Mrs Lather is getting quite worked up in her laundry. She hates washing socks, she hates washing vests, she really doesn't much like washing trousers or dresses either. But her job gets rather more difficult when her customers start bringing in more unusual washing loads ... 
 
The 'Happy Families' series is designed for use at home or at school. It is guided by the Education Adviser, Brian Thompson, and written by the award-winning author, Allan Ahlberg. 
 
'The best thing to happen to beginner readers since Dr Seuss' Children's Rights Workshop.

Mrs Lather's Laundry

Georgie has got a new bed, but it's not like other beds. For each night, Georgie says the magic word and it whisks him away on a fantastic adventure. He loves his bed, but one day he and his family go on holiday, and when they come back, Granny has a big surprise for Georgie . . .

The Magic Bed

Josephine Poole

Angela Barrett

How did an ordinary little girl come to live such an extraordinary life? This picture book biography tells the incredible story of Anne Frank for a younger audience. 
 
Anne Frank's diary telling the story of her years in hiding from the Nazis has affected millions of people. But what was she like as a small girl, at home with her family and friends; at play and at school? In the first half of the book we meet Anne as a small child growing up with her family in Germany. Then we follow her flight to Holland to escape the Nazis; the German invasion and the gradual isolation, then outright persecution, of the Jewish population which forces the family into hiding; the years in the Secret Annex; and her last heart-breaking journey. 
 
Told with haunting, meticulously researched illustrations, this is the ideal introduction to Anne Frank's story.

Anne Frank

Mini Grey

In a house by the sea there happily live a dog, a cat and a mouse. Well, happily enough until a stranger knocks on the door one night, offering them each a special free gift. Who is this mysterious salesman blowing into their little world and turning it upside-down? And can their happy home survive his trouble-making gifts?

Three By the Sea

Willy hasn't got any friends and no-one ever lets him join in with their games. 
He is lonely . . . until the day he bumps into Hugh Jape in the park. 
 
Willy and Hugh are very different but they make a great team!

Willy And Hugh

When Horace bakes a biscuit in the shape of a bear, little does he know that his edible treat is going to turn into Biscuit Bear! For in the middle of the night, when all is quiet, that is exactly what happens, and Biscuit Bear decides that it is time he made some friends of his own. So, with flour, sugar and butter he does just that. In fact, he makes a whole circus of friends and the fun begins . . .

Biscuit Bear

A bouncing, read-aloud rhyme about a very special friend, from the nation's favourite llustrator, Quentin Blake! 
 
Meet Fantastic Daisy Artichoke. She's got three fat cats we like to stroke and a pond in which she likes to soak. . . . She isn't quite like other folk! 
 
"Blake is beyond brilliant . . . I've never met a child who doesn't love Quentin Blake" - Daily Telegraph 
 
Quentin Blake is one of Britain's best-loved and most successful author-illustrators, and was made the first Children's Laureate in 1999. He has won the Whitbread Award, the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration, and the Kate Greenaway Medal. among others.

Fantastic Daisy Artichoke

Ladybird has published fairy tales for over forty-five years, bringing the magic of traditional stories to each new generation of children. The Ladybird Tales series is based on the original Ladybird re-tellings, with beautiful pictures of the kind children like best ­- full of richness and detail. 
 
The story of Snow White and Rose Red is one of the lesser-known fairy tales, collected by the Brothers Grimm in Germany in the 19th century. 
 
This retelling of the story, originally published by Ladybird in 1969, is one of the best-known versions of Snow White and Rose Red in modern times.

Ladybird Tales: Snow White and Rose Red

Albert and his mum and dad go walking one day in the mountains. Unfortunately, Albert slips and disappears over the edge of a cliff; his parents are very upset. Albert is lucky though - the Cloud Children see his fall and speak the magic words ("They either said, Fumble gralley goggle ho hee", or "Teetum waggle bari se nee", or was it "Gargle giggle fiddle num dee?") that make Albert light enough to float among the clouds, with them. Albert sleeps that night drifting in the sky. The next day, Albert and the Cloud Children have lots of fun: jumping off tall clouds, making as much noise as they can in the thunderstorm, swimming in the rain, painting pictures next to the rainbow and walking on the filmy traces left by passing aircraft. When Albert wants to go home again, the Queen arranges for his cloud to drift near his home, and for him to gently float down - but not before they all have feasted with the Man in the Moon!

Cloudland

Mr Tick loves teaching his six children at their little school. But then they hear news that all small schools must close, so Mr Tick starts teaching some rather unusual lessons - in how to trick stern school inspectors. 
 
Based on the classic 'Happy Families' card game, this highly entertaining series is ideal for reading and sharing at home or at school. It is guided by the Education Adviser, Brian Thompson, and written by the award-winning author, Allan Ahlberg. 
 
'The best thing to happen to beginner readers since Dr Seuss' Children's Rights Workshop.

Mr Tick the Teacher

Richard Curtis

Rebecca Cobb

It's Christmas Eve and there's one very important question on everyone's mind - have YOU been good this year? 
 
For twins Sam and Charlie this is a big worry. Charlie has been especially naughty and everyone is sure that she won't get any presents AT ALL. But when Santa makes a mistake, it's up to naughty Charlie to put things right. Will her last-minute secret act of kindness be enough to redeem her after all? 
 
A brilliantly funny and heartwarming story for Christmas Eve from acclaimed scriptwriter Richard Curtis and award-winning illustrator Rebecca Cobb

The Empty Stocking

Welcome to the Island of Struay, home of one of the best-loved characters in children's books and as seen on TV - Katie Morag McColl! 
 
As soon as Katie Morag's Big Boy Cousins arrive on the island for their holiday they start causing havoc. Katie Morag can't resist getting involved in all sorts of mischief with them. 
 
Find out what they get up to and join them for a beach BBQ with Grannie Island.

Katie Morag and the Big Boy Cousins

Eric doesn't like to talk. His secret friend, the Night Shimmy, says everything for him. Then he meets Marcia, who doesn't mind that he is quiet. As the two become friends, the Night Shimmy disappears. Angry and scared, Eric refuses to play with Marcia. But soon she needs his help and Eric discovers that he doesn't need his imaginary friend after all.

The Night Shimmy

"Through the dark and wolfish woods, 
through the white and silent snow, 
lived a small girl called Hortense. 
Though kind and brave, she was sad as an owl because of one thing . . . 
Hortense hated her shadow." 
 
A beautifully illustrated dark fairy tale that will remind you of the fables you read as a child. A treasure not to be missed.

Hortense and the Shadow

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