Some are books I have read. Some are written by authors I have read. Some look new and intriguing and make me want to read them. I hope you will come to your library and look for some of these titles.
Pippi Longstocking
-Astrin Lindgren
Follow Pippi Longstocking on her amazing adventures as she moves into Villa Villekulla with a horse, a monkey, and a big suitcase of gold coins, and meets Tommy and Annika who quickly become her best friends. They join her on her amusing escapades – joining the circus, dancing with burglars and celebrating her birthday.
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This lovely new edition of a classic has been brought up-to-date with delightful illustrations from Lauren Child and a new translation from Tiina Nunnally. The collection brings together 11 favourite Pippi stories, and will ensure that readers young and old fall in love with this fabulous heroine.
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Horrid Henry
-Francesca Simon
Stories about naughty characters have been told for centuries, and Horrid Henry is a modern-day rogue in the tradition of Dennis the Menace, Pippi Longstocking, Just William and My Naughty Little Sister.
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The first in the hugely popular Horrid Henry series introduces us to Henry and his brother, Perfect Peter. The four stories it comprises are long enough to satisfy early readers, yet are short enough to be manageable, with plenty of laughs along the way. Tony Ross's michevious illustrations are the perfect accompaniment - and children will have great fun comparing their own behaviour to Henry's, hopefully coming out on top!
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Winnie the Pooh
-AA Milne
No child's library could be complete without A A Milne's stories about Pooh, Christopher Robin and their friends in the Hundred Acre Wood.
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Whether they are celebrating Eeyore's birthday, meeting a 'Heffalump' or even undertaking an important 'expotition' to the North Pole, children will be charmed by the adventures of Pooh and company, which are huge fun to read aloud.
Beautifully illustrated with E H Sheperd's original black drawings, this is a true classic.
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The Story of Babar
-Jean de Brunhoff
' In the great forest, a little elephant was born. His name was Babar… '
First published in the 1930s, this charming French classic tells the story of what happens to baby elephant Babar as he grows up. When his mother is shot by cruel hunters, a grief-stricken Babar leaves the forest and wanders to a nearby town. There, he is taken under the wing of a rich old lady, who dresses him elegantly. He learns mathematics and to drive a car - and even sleeps in a bed. But before long, he misses his fellow elephants, and soon he returns to the jungle,where he is crowned king of the elephants and marries his queen, Celeste.
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With beautifully distinctive illustrations from Jean de Brunhoff, a sometimes surreal and sometimes moving story, and a loveable hero in the dignified Babar himself, The Story of Babar remains a firm favourite with children.
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Little House in the Big Woods
-Laura Ingalls Wilder
Inside the little house live the Ingalls family: Ma, Pa, Mary, Laura and baby Carrie. Outside the little log house are the big woods with their wild animals - bears, bees, deer and wolves - but in spite of the dangers that lurk outside, within the little house, family life goes on.
This classic story is based on memories of Laura Ingalls Wilder's early childhood in Wisconsin, and beautifully evokes day-to-day life in the America of the late 19th century.
The Enchanted Wood
-Enid Blyton
When Joe, Beth and Frannie move into a new home, they discover a mysterious wood on their very doorstep. Soon, they discover that it's actually an Enchanted Wood, and home to a wonderful Faraway Tree.
Inside the Enchanted Wood, they make all kinds of unusual new friends, including Moonface, Silky the fairy and the hard-of-hearing Saucepan Man, and soon find themselves involved in a host of exciting adventures. Best of all is the discovery that strange new lands can be found in the clouds at the very top of the Faraway Tree itself - from the Land of Spells to the Land of Treats to the Land of Do-As-You-Please.
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This delightful story from classic children's author Enid Blyton was first published in 1939 and has delighted children ever since. This new edition has been given a more modern face-lift - for example, changing the children's names (originally Joe, Bessie and Fanny) for more contemporary-sounding alternatives - but all the fun and magic of Blyton's original has been retained for a new generation of readers.
Heidi Y.