Nicola Baxter

The first steps to learning are made simple and fun in this engaging picture-and-word book. Containing more than 1000 words, all of them illustrated with lively images by Susie Lacome. Words and pictures are arranged by topic, such as the kitchen, the garden, sports and games, numbers and opposites, which will immediately capture the interest. Without realizing it, young readers will enhance their language skills whilst having fun.

This is a treasury of over 35 bedtime stories. You can meet the mischievous kittens Fluffy, Honeybun, Mopsy, Rolypoly and Tiger Tail, their friends and family, and their schoolteacher Mrs Mumbles. In this cuddly collection of sleepytime stories, the feline friends learn lessons at school and at home, visit a farmyard, build a treehouse, discover a monster, don disguises, meet eccentric aunts, get into a terrible tangle with wool, encounter giant mice, celebrate Christmas, and welcome brand-new little kittens into the family. An index of themes at the back of the book makes it easy to find just the right story. These tales are the perfect length for bedtime reading, with accessible language and pretty pictures that will keep small children entertained as you read together at the end of a busy day. When a mother cat has five little kittens to take care of, she certainly has her paws full! She just can't keep her eyes on all of them at once. In these exciting and amusing adventures, Tiger Tail tears his trousers, George frightens his classmates with his worm collection, Bella floats off on an unexpected balloon ride, clumsy cousin Pickles causes chaos, Honeybun loses a letter, and Father Cat tries to grow a prize pumpkin. Children and parents alike will enjoy reading about the disasters and delights of the warm-hearted Cat family.

This is an amazing anthology of over 215 classic fairy tales, new stories, teddy bear tales, nursery rhymes, animal adventures, and poems for children. It includes well-loved tales like "The Three Little Pigs", "Rumpelstiltskin" and "Puss in Boots", as well as new stories such as "The Horrible Hat" and "There's a Bear in the Bathroom!", and traditional rhymes and poems including "Georgie Porgie", "Silent Night", and "Hickory, Dickory Dock". The short stories are just the right length for reading aloud, with charming characters, accessible language and lively pictures by leading children's artists that will keep youngsters entertained. The small chunky format is easy to handle, ideal for little children to hold themselves. There is something for everyone in this classic collection of stories and verse, which is full of exciting rhymes, busy bears, animal antics and festive cheer. From teddy bear tales to fairy tales, and from nursery rhymes to poetry, you will find all your best-loved stories and characters, plus many new ones. Each entry is accompanied by bright and appealing drawings from a diverse range of artists, making this the perfect book to be read aloud to small children or for new readers to try themselves. Children and parents alike will enjoy sharing this volume.

This charming, illustrated collection of stories and rhymes is the perfect book for you to read to small children or for young readers to try themselves. Divided into four chapters, Teddy Bear Tales, Fairy Tales, Animal Tales and Nursery Rhymes, you will find all the classics in this book, as well as retellings of family favorites and contemporary stories. Beautiful color drawings throughout bring each story to life, making this an enchanting reading experience.

Explore the mysterious world of the fairies and elves; follow the adventures of the dreamland fairies, whose task it is to choose the right dream for everyone; and, then discover the secrets of the princess fairies. It is perfect for reading aloud to young children, or for confident readers to enjoy by themselves. It is illustrated throughout with beautiful drawings by leading children's illustrator Beverlie Manson.

In these ten heartwarming stories, well-loved toys reminisce about days gone by, remembering hopes and dreams, accidents and adventures, and the human beings who have loved them. Jenny Press's charming illustrations bring all the toys to life, making this a perfect book to share with little ones at bedtime. You may never look at old toys in the same way again!

This title presents five magical stories from fairyland, with enchanting illustrations. It is perfect for reading aloud to young children, or for confident readers to enjoy by themselves. Imagine a place that is very, very far away...and very, very near at the same time. Imagine a place that is always busy, and always peaceful. Imagine a place that is everywhere, and nowhere... It's difficult isn't it? And yet, you've been there! It is called Dreamland.

An enchanting and amusing collection of stories about princesses, with unexpected twists in the tales. These include "The Princess and the Unicorn", "A Dress for a Princess", "Where's That Girl?", "Too Many Princesses!", "It's Raining Cats and Frogs!", "The Prettiest Princess", "The Quest for a Kingdom", "The Lost Crown", "Oh", "Where is My Prince?" and "Living Happily Ever After".

The magical world of fairy tales is one that all children love to enter. In this book, twelve stories by the famous Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen are enchantingly retold for the enjoyment of children today. Though originally the son of a poor shoemaker, the secret of Andersen's success is that he wrote his stories as if he were telling them to a child. Delightfully illustrated throughout with intricate and imaginative drawings.

This lively storybook presents ten fantastic tales about the adventures and mishaps of witches, wizards and magicians. It's hard to explain everything that we see around us but just maybe we live in a world full of magic, where witches, wizards and magicians make extraordinary things happen. The book is perfect for reading aloud to young children or for confident readers to enjoy by themselves.

This is a compendium of swashbuckling pirate adventure stories. Colin King's hilarious illustrations bring the crew of the Purple Pimple to life and add another layer of lunacy to this collection of nautical nonsense. The short stories are just the right length for bedtime reading, and the lively color illustrations will amuse every child. Simple vocabulary and entertaining stories make this fun book perfect for reading aloud or for young readers to try themselves.

Celtic History is lost in the mists of time, but the stories live on. These evocative tales of knights, kings and princesses have become known across the world. This beautifully illustrated collection introduces readers to such stories, ideal for reading aloud, or for more confident readers to try themselves. Look out for the little leprechaun hiding on every page!

Many of these stories have been told for centuries, enchanting children and adults alike with their mixture of magic, mystery and truths older even than the stories themselves. Here twelve best-loved tales by the famous German storytellers, the Brother Grimm are retold for the enjoyment of children today. Delightfully illustrated throughout with intricate and imaginative drawings.

Here are fiendish tales of dastardly deeds, where you'll meet Sir Bertilak Odorous, Porrit the apprentice, Agnes the fair maiden and a whole host of dragons. Lively drawings, by leading children's illustrator Colin King, bring all the wild and wacky characters to life. It is perfect for reading aloud to young children or for confident readers to enjoy by themselves.

This is a children's collection based on tales and plays from Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde. It features 17 stories that include: "Great Expectations", "David Copperfield", "Oliver Twist"; "Romeo and Juliet", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Hamlet", "The Selfish Giant", and, "The Nightingale and the Rose". Delightfully retold for children in a way that will keep them engaged and intrigued, and illustrated throughout, this book is perfect for introducing younger readers to these timeless authors.

This is an engaging collection of over 115 delightful stories illustrated throughout with colorful and lively drawings. The short stories are the perfect length for bedtime reading, with accessible language and pretty pictures that will keep small children entertained as you read together. It includes four chapters each featuring a different cast of cute animal characters: "Five Minute Teddy Bear Tales", "Five Minute Farmyard Tales", "Five Minute Kitten Tales" and "Five Minute Bedtime Tales".

How exciting! The ballet class is going to stage a production of The Nutcracker. Meet the students - the eager Josh, the perfectly presented Pia, the untidy Bella, the nervous Emmie - and their hard-working teacher, Mrs Sonatine, as they get ready. They all want to do their best. Josh cannot wait: he loves to perform and always dances well when an audience is watching. Pia wants to be a snowflake, but will Bella be able to deal with her hair? Emmie worries that she might get stagefright, so she becomes Mrs Sonatine's assistant stage manager instead. During the dress rehearsals the scenery collapses, and Bella - who is dressed as a mouse - finds that someone is standing on her tail. Will everything be all right on the night? Young dancers everywhere will love this amusing and warm-hearted tale, and the beautiful pop-up 3-D illustrations will take them right into the heart of the show.

Write on and wipe off with your own crayons and cloth! This is a writing practice book, complete with crayons and wiper-cloth, with follow-the-dot exercises for different letters and shapes on each page. Colourful characters help your child to create tricky letters, wiggly 's' like a snake, round 'o' like a wheel and 'l' like the handle of an umbrella. A blank board at the end of the book is a perfect space to practise all the letters learnt. It's easy to practise writing letter shapes with this special book. Draw on the pages with your eight colourful crayons, then simply wipe them clean to try again. Have fun! The join-the-dots drawing and writing exercises and colourful characters on each page encourage small fingers to try to learn their letters and eventually to practise writing words.

This title helps you to have fun learning about shapes with Missy the Mouse. This is a colourful, illustrated first reading book in a small board book format perfect for little hands. It helps children to identify and name the different kinds of shapes with a charming story and bright and appealing drawings. This is a book to read together or for more confident first readers to enjoy by themselves. Missy the Mouse thinks her room is too plain...until she finds a way to make it better! Have fun spotting all the shapes with Missy as she tries to decide how to decorate her room. Look at square windows, diamond-shaped kites, heart-shaped balloons and rectangular doors, then see the final result in her newly decorated room. Simple language and repeated vocabulary, teamed with bright and appealing pictures, make this an ideal first reading and shapes book for younger children.

Have fun learning about colours with Carlo the Cat. This is a colourful, illustrated first reading book in a small board book format perfect for little hands. This title introduces children to the words for colours, in a charming story with bright and appealing drawings. This is a book to read together or for more confident first readers to enjoy by themselves Carlo the Cat's granny is going to knit him a new scarf...but he has a choice to make! Have fun learning about colours with Carlo as he spots yellow flowers, a red slide, a purple umbrella and pink icing on a cake. Simple language and repeated vocabulary, teamed with bright and appealing pictures make this an ideal first reading book for younger children.